A year ago, Duke sat at 8-1 with three games remaining, in control of the ACC Coastal Division. In 2013, the Blue Devils were also in the driver’s seat, and ultimately went on to clinch the Coastal with a win against North Carolina.
This year, though, the storyline reads differently.
Duke will try to end its current two-game skid on Senior Day Saturday at noon against Pittsburgh at Wallace Wade Stadium with a quality bowl bid at stake. Following a dramatic defeat against Miami on a walk-off kickoff return two weeks ago, the Blue Devils were embarrassed by Tobacco Road rival North Carolina 66-31 last weekend. With the loss to the Tar Heels, Duke no longer controls its destiny for the Coastal title before mid-November for the first time in the last three years, giving head coach David Cutcliffe and his staff plenty to ponder in the days that followed.
“It’s an interesting thing when you face Sundays that aren’t pleasant. When you do it back-to-back, you really look at yourself, you look at your team,” Cutcliffe said. “We’ve tried to take a realistic view of what we have to do better. You don’t go changing everything that you’ve done. We’re working back in the right direction one day at a time.”
Six games into this season, Duke (6-3, 4-2 in the ACC) appeared to have its best defense in the past three years. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit held opponents to 9.3 points per game in the Blue Devils’ first six contests, which included shutting down a highly touted Georgia Tech rushing attack. All of the offseason questions about the size of Duke’s defensive line and the loss of junior cornerback Bryon Fields to a season-ending ACL injury went to bed.
But suddenly, after subpar showings in its last three games, Duke’s defense is facing questions and doubt again. North Carolina picked Duke’s secondary apart for 537 passing yards. The Blue Devil defensive backs struggled with communication and were routinely out of position as the Tar Heels capitalized on several blown coverages.
Stopping explosive plays against talented, fast offenses has especially been problematic for the Blue Devils. North Carolina averaged 8.8 yards per play, and against the Hurricanes, Duke surrendered nine plays of 15 yards or more. Cutcliffe also wants his defenders to create more turnovers to end opponents’ drives sooner and give the Blue Devil offense more scoring opportunities.
Despite the recent struggles, a strong performance against Pittsburgh (6-3, 4-1) could quickly turn the tide for the Duke defense. The Panthers have exposed Knowles’ unit in the teams’ last two meetings, scoring 53.0 points per contest and netting 1,192 total yards. Slowing down a Pittsburgh offense that features All-American wide receiver Tyler Boyd and averages 368.6 yards per game could restore the defense’s confidence.
“All of the mistakes were based on fundamentals. Everyone wasn’t on the same page,” redshirt senior safety Jeremy Cash said. “We trust one another. We understand that we have one another’s back no matter if time gets tough. We just have to have a next-play mentality. We’ve put so much into this program [not to let just] two games tear all of that down.”
Offensively, Duke will look to its recharged running attack against a Pittsburgh defense that surrenders 142.8 rushing yards per game. Since redshirt junior quarterback Thomas Sirk led the Blue Devils in rushing against Virginia Tech three weeks ago, Duke’s running backs have increased their production. Against the Tar Heels, redshirt junior Jela Duncan rushed for a career-high 115 yards on 13 carries, which included a 52-yard touchdown. Senior Shaquille Powell also contributed 13 carries for a season-high 98 yards. Speedster Shaun Wilson sat out against the Tar Heels with a leg injury—the sophomore’s return could help Duke create more explosive plays, though his availability is unclear.
“There were a lot of good things [running the ball],” Cutcliffe said. “I thought Shaquille and Jela ran the ball extremely well. We’ve seen more consistency. Our blocking was better than it had been in recent times. That is something that we maintain a real desire and hunger for.”
Duke’s seniors need one more win to create the winningest three-year stretch in program history. For them, there is no better time to reach that milestone and end a two-game losing streak than on Senior Day.
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