The Blue Devils impressed in conference opener against No. 20 Georgia Tech at home Saturday afternoon. Despite a sloppy opening drive, Duke surged to a 19-3 lead and never trailed. Although both sides committed numerous gaffes due to the poor playing conditions, Duke’s defense limited the much-praised Georgia Tech rushing attack to just 173 total yards, as the Blue Devils improved to 3-1 on the season.
Offense: B-
Pass: Quarterback Thomas Sirk struggled once again in the passing game, completing 17 of his 25 attempted passes for a mere 114 yards. Sirk mustered only 14 passing yards in the second half, reflecting upon his inability to discover a rhythm after halftime. The quarterback’s first three drives were his best drives of the day, capping off Duke’s third possession with an 11-yard touchdown pass to freshman T.J. Rahming. But after that drive, Sirk continuously missed open reads downfield.
The Glen St. Mary, Fla., native lost confidence in his ability to move the ball downfield following his first interception right after halftime. Sirk seemed dialed into his first option—often forcing the ball into tight coverage—which resulted in his second pick late in the fourth quarter. Outside of a deep connection for 32 yards to wide receiver Max McCaffrey, Sirk often forced short passes into tough seams.
Rush: The return of running back Jela Duncan brought along the return of a reliable rushing attack. Relying primarily on Shaquille Powell, the Duke offense was able to consistently rush the ball through the heart of the Georgia Tech defensive front. Standout center Matt Skura was instrumental in paving paths for Sirk and company to run through, and in the first half, rushers often got three or four yards past the line of scrimmage before being touched.
Powell’s third touchdown run of the game sealed the victory for the Blue Devils, as head coach David Cutcliffe’s fourth down gamble paid off. Powell surged through the line for the first down, and then glided untouched for a 30-yard touchdown rush. The senior received the bulk of the carries following Shaun Wilson’s miscue on the first drive of the game, and certainly took advantage of his opportunities.
X’s and O’s: This game was a tale of two halves for offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery’s unit. Georgia Tech was able to adapt in the second half and push back against the inside runs, forcing Duke into third and long situations. Although Montgomery was handicapped at times due to Sirk’s inconsistent second half play, most would have preferred to see more play-action passing in order to balance the offense. But, the offense did just enough to capitalize on fantastic field position throughout the game.
Defense: A
Pass: Duke’s defense wreaked havoc on Yellow Jacket quarterback Justin Thomas, as he finished 6-of-21 for 143 yards and a touchdown and an interception. The switch from a 4-5-2 defensive scheme to a traditional 4-3 allowed for more pressure on the quarterback. Duke’s defense finished with two sacks, and Thomas constantly had to escape pressure and on multiple plays was forced to throw the ball out of bounds to avoid a big loss.
Georgia Tech’s offense does not rely on much of a passing attack, and that showed in the game. The Yellow Jacket quarterback had a number of errant throws, including one pass intercepted by cornerback Breon Borders. Late in the game, the Blue Devil pass defense buckled down to preserve the victory, helping move Duke to 1-0 in ACC play.
Rush: It is Jeremy Cash’s world, and we are all just lucky to be a part of it. Cash finished with 12 tackles, three for losses, two forced fumbles, and a sack. The standout safety almost single-handedly demolished Georgia Tech’s triple option rushing attack at times and blew up numerous plays behind the line of scrimmage time and time again. Not to be forgotten are linebackers Tinashe Bere and Dwayne Norman, who combined for 19 tackles.
Coming into the game, the Yellow Jackets had the second best rushing offense in the nation. However, they were only able to muster 2.9 yards per rush on their 60 rushing attempts. The interior defensive linemen for Duke were able to shed their blockers, limiting inside runs. This also allowed for the linebackers to be more aggressive in plugging gaps on the edges, stymying Georgia Tech’s outside runs as well. Cash was able to force a key fumble late in the game on one of these outside options, as he hit Thomas from behind to jar the ball loose.
X’s and O’s: Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles deserves much of the credit for the defense’s overall performance this Saturday afternoon. The switch to the 4-3 defense completely changed the game’s dynamic, and Duke gladly took advantage of the situation. Knowles’ defense buckled down time and time again late in the game, preserving the victory for the Blue Devils.
Special Teams: A
The Blue Devils certainly made up for their laughable effort last week in its loss to Northwestern. Safety DeVon Edwards returned a second half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, following a Yellow Jacket field goal that cut Duke’s lead to one score. Punt returner Ryan Smith also broke off a long return in the first quarter, evading Georgia Tech’s punt defense for a 69-yard return to the Yellow Jacket one-yard line.
Despite the sloppy conditions, punter Will Monday pinned three of his seven punts inside the opposing 20-yard line. Monday showcased his big boot once again, averaging 45.3 yards per punt. Despite two sloppy extra point attempt failures, Monday and the rest of Duke’s special teams helped the squad in a big way Saturday.
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