The Blue Devils will try to end a 54-year bowl victory drought when they face Indiana in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Duke has lost three consecutive bowl games despite holding late fourth quarter leads in each contest. Here are three keys for Duke to reverse its recent bowl fortunes:
Limit the explosive plays
Since the Blue Devils’ four-overtime win against Virginia Tech, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit has struggled to stop explosive plays. In the past five games, the Duke defense has surrendered an average of more than 10 plays of over 15 yards per contest. The team's secondary has been especially suspect and opponents have taken advantage of one-on-one coverage with Blue Devil cornerbacks, in part because the defensive line has failed to generate pressure on quarterbacks and forced Duke’s defensive backs to stay in coverage longer.
Duke’s defenders must keep the Indiana offense in front of them—a task that will be tougher with ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jeremy Cash out of the lineup after recently undergoing wrist surgery. Led by quarterback Nate Sudfeld, Indiana has one of the most explosive offenses in the Big Ten and led the conference with 74 plays of 20 yards or more, 54 of which came through the air.
Sirk and the offense must start fast
During Duke’s four-game losing streak, the offense struggled to find a rhythm early in each game. Against both Miami and Virginia, offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery’s unit failed to sustain drives beyond midfield for much of the first half and did not score until a field goal late in the second quarter.
In order for the Blue Devils to defeat the Hoosiers, Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk must find a rhythm quickly and attack Indiana’s defenders. The Hoosier defense has struggled throughout the season giving up 37.1 points and 507.2 yards per game. Although the Hoosiers have linebacker Marcus Oliver and defensive end Nick Mangiere upfront—who have amassed 150 tackles and 10 sacks between them—opponents have taken advantage of frequent mistakes in Indiana’s young secondary.
Control the line of scrimmage
The play of Duke’s offensive and defensive fronts will be critical for the Blue Devils' success on both sides of the ball. Duke’s defensive line must penetrate the Hoosier offensive line to slow down Indiana’s zone-read rushing attack and play action-passing game. In wins, the Hoosiers have averaged 237.5 yards per game on the ground, but in losses Indiana has run for just 172.2 yards per contest. Although the Hoosiers’ leading rusher Jordan Howard is questionable with a knee injury, second-string running back Devine Redding is also a threat with 845 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
A strong performance from Duke’s offensive line will help open up holes for the team's rushing attack. If the Blue Devils can establish their physical running game and wear down Indiana’s defense, they will control the time of possession and limit the Hoosiers’ opportunities to score on offense.
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