In a wild finish that saw Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk leave the game with an MCL sprain in overtime, the Blue Devils defeated Indiana 44-41 ending a 54-year bowl-victory drought. After Sirk led Duke on a 13-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to force the game into overtime, the Blue Devils secured the win when Ross Martin converted a 36-yard field goal and Indiana’s field goal kicker Griffin Oaks missed a 38-yard field goal that could've extended the game.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Limit the explosive plays: The Blue Devils struggles to stop explosive plays continued against the Hoosiers. The Blue Devils gave up 13 more plays longer than 15 yards against the Hoosiers. Not only did Indiana’s passing attack beat Duke’s secondary over the top, but the Hoosiers’ running backs also gashed the Blue Devils between the tackles and on the edges. Duke did do a solid job preventing explosive plays on the final drive of regulation, when Indiana could have stolen the victory.
- Sirk and the offense must start fast: Duke’s offense struck first when the Blue Devils drove 45 yards and Martin converted a 52-yard field goal. Although Sirk threw an interception on Duke’s next possession, offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery’s unit quickly rebounded when running back Shaun Wilson ran 85 yards for a touchdown. Although Indiana took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter, the Blue Devils gained confidence by scoring the first 10 points of the game.
- Control the line of scrimmage: The Blue Devils’ offensive line imposed its will on Indiana’s defensive front allowing Duke to rush for a season-high 373 yards. Sirk contributed 155 yards on the ground, while running backs Shaun Wilson and Jela Duncan each gained over 100 yards rushing. Duke began to establish its running game when Wilson took his long run to the house and kept pounding the ball on the ground against a suspect Hoosier defense. On the other hand, the Blue Devil defensive line struggled to get pressure on the Hoosiers' backfield as Indiana ran for 278 yards—227 of which came by running back Devine Redding—despite the absence of their leading rusher Jordan Howard.
Three key stats:
- 99 yards passing for Duke before the final drive: Thomas Sirk and the Blue Devils’ passing attack struggled throughout most of the game. Before its last drive, the Duke offense gained just 99 yards passing and Sirk struggled with his accuracy. But Sirk quickly found a rhythm during the Blue Devils’ final drive, completing six passes for 64 yards and capping it off with a five-yard touchdown run.
- 667 total yards for Indiana: Despite failing to score until the second quarter, Indiana’s offense moved up and down the field against Duke’s bend-but-don’t break defense. The Blue Devil defense made numerous stops when their backs were against the wall, holding the Hoosiers to field goals on two drives and intercepting them twice while in Duke territory.
- Duke forces three turnovers: Throughout the second half of the regular season, Duke struggled to create turnovers, while Indiana surrendered just 11 turnovers heading into the Pinstripe Bowl. But, it was a different story Saturday as the Blue Devils intercepted the Hoosiers twice and forced one fumble. Winning the turnover battle was huge for Duke as it helped keep Indiana off the scoreboard and gave the Blue Devils good field position.
Three key plays:
- 1:25 remaining, second quarter: The Hoosiers took their first lead with a 53-yard drive that culminated with a 17-yard touchdown run by Redding. The Blue Devils quickly responded with a 73-yard touchdown run by Sirk to regain a 17-14 lead.
- 1:38 remaining, fourth quarter: Facing a fourth down with two yards necessary to gain a first down, the Blue Devils continued their drive when Sirk completed an eight-yard pass to senior wide receiver Max McCaffrey. The fourth down conversion led to a 22-yard pass from Sirk to freshman wide receiver T.J. Rahming that set up a five-yard rushing touchdown by Sirk, which tied the contest at 41-41.
- Overtime: After the Blue Devils took a three-point lead, Hoosiers quarterback Nate Sudfeld completed a two-yard pass to Mitchell Paige on first down followed by a two-yard rush by Paige on second down. Sudfeld’s incomplete pass on third down led to the Hoosiers’ final field goal attempt which was ruled wide right
And the Duke game ball goes to…Shaun Wilson
The sophomore running backaccounted for two touchdowns and 282 all-purpose yards. His speed and agility helped complement more physical runs by Sirk and Duncan. The Charlotte, N.C., native first gave the Blue Devils a 10-0 lead when he broke free on the first play of Duke’s third drive of the game for an 85-yard touchdown. After the Hoosiers extended their lead to 34-27 with a field goal early in the fourth quarter, Wilson responded with a 98-yard kickoff return–the longest in Pinstripe Bowl history. Wilson’s one mistake of the game came later in the fourth quarter when he threw an interception after taking a direct-snap out of the wildcat formation in a trick play.
And the Indiana game ball goes to…Nate Sudfeld
Sudfeld did what he has done all season, completing 28 of his 51 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns. After a slow start and two interceptions in the first half, the Modesto, Calif., native quickly led the Hoosiers back into the game with consecutive 78 and 53-yard touchdown drives. Sudfeld relied on Indiana’s strong running attack to set up play-action passes and used his mobility to extend plays all evening.
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