After surviving a quadruple-overtime battle against Virginia Tech a week ago, starting strong was a key for the Blue Devils Saturday against Miami.
No. 22 Duke trails the Hurricanes 14-3 at the half behind 157 yards and a touchdown from backup quarterback Malik Rosier
Despite leading 226-185 in total yards, Miami has allowed the Blue Devils to stay in the game due to 11 penalties for 104 yards. Duke's normally stout defense has been gashed throughout the game and has struggled to contain wide receiver screens to speedy wide receivers Herb Waters and Stacey Coley.
Both teams started slow and were sloppy in the first quarter. After forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff, the Blue Devils failed to capitalize despite starting on Miami's 18-yard line. Duke picked up a first down before backup quarterback Parker Boehme was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line.
The Hurricanes opened up the game when Rosier fired a 33-yard strike to wide receiver Herb Waters, who blazed past cornerback Alonzo Saxton to give Miami the early lead. The touchdown came after a promising Blue Devils drive came to a halt when wide receiver Max McCaffrey had the ball stripped deep in Miami territory after a 20-yard reception.
Duke could not pick up a first down on its very next possession, but the game changed when the normally-reliable Will Monday shanked a punt that travelled only 11 yards. The Hurricanes took advantage of their starting field position and capped off a six-play, 35-yard drive with an unconventional touchdown. On a second-and-goal run from the one-yard line, running back Walter Tucker fumbled the ball diving for the end zone. With the ball rolling around in the end zone, Miami's offensive lineman Sunny Odogwu was the first to fall on it, giving the Hurricanes a 14-0 lead.
After struggling to run the ball for much of the opening half, a chippy exchange between running back Shaun Wilson and Miami's cornerback Artie Burns appeared to fire the Blue Devils up. Duke got on the board with a field goal after taking the ball 69 yards down the field on 15 plays that featured the physical running style the team has used all season long.
The Blue Devils would drive down the field once again in the waning seconds of the half, but were unable to put up points after Ross Martin's field goal attempt missed wide right.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- After being picked on in the secondary by Virginia Tech a week ago, Saxton laid a jarring hit on Miami's Mark Walton, forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff.
- Head coach David Cutcliffe made a questionable decision inserting Boehme into the game on a crucial fourth-and-goal play from the one-yard line. The redshirt sophomore has not had much success on goal-line plays this season and the trend continued in the first half.
- Rosier took a huge hit from three Blue Devils on the Hurricanes opening possession. The redshirt freshman was down for a minute or two, but only came out of the game for one play.
- Tensions escalated midway through the second quarter when Burns slammed wide receiver Terrance Alls to the ground along the sideline. Both players were whistled for personal fouls, but jawing back and forth continued well after the play.
- Wide receiver Herb Waters has terrorized the Blue Devils on Halloween night with three receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. The senior now has five career touchdowns against Duke.
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