ATLANTA—Heading into the locker room, the Blue Devils stand tied 7-7 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Here are our thoughts after a gritty first half:
Five Observations
1. Duke's defense looks confident in shutting down the option. The Blue Devils limited Georgia Tech to just 51 rushing yards in the first quarter and the Yellow Jackets failed notch a single first down until their third possession. Duke's lockdown of the option was highlighted by a Chris Rumph II sack on Georgia Tech's opening play.
2. Deon Jackson has shouldered the load of Duke's rushing game. The sophomore tallied 33 yards with Brittain Brown sitting out for the first half. In the Blue Devils' opening drive Jackson returned for 46 yards and followed it up with a 12 yard carry at the end of the play to put the visiting team up by seven in under two minutes.
3. Without Koby Quansah, questions surrounded the Blue Devils as to whether they would be able to shut down Georgia Tech's run game. Luckily for Duke, Rumph has stepped up to shut down the Yellow Jackets offense. The Blue Devil redshirt freshman has notched four tackles for loss and a sack.
4. The Yellow Jackets are trying to change up their attack with more attempts through the air. After failing to convert while leaning solely on the option, Yellow Jacket quarterback TaQuon Marshall attempted six passes in the half.
5. Jones has been accurate with his arm, completing 10 of his 15 passing attempts. However, the redshirt junior enters the locker room having just thrown an interception.
By the numbers
- Three fourth down attempts for both teams combined: The Blue Devils contributed attempted to convert a fourth down attempt once in the first quarter with a rush by Jackson and the Yellow Jackets tried their luck once in the first and again in the second. Neither team managed to convert on their respective attempts.
- 104 yards in the air for the Blue Devils: Jones has been confidently leaning on his receiving corps for much of the first half. Aaron Young and Chris Taylor lead the pack with over 50 combined yards, and the Duke quarterback has not been shy on attempting to launch through the air.
- Six attempted passes by Georgia Tech: TaQuon Marshall has been sticking to the script for much of the half. Although the Georgia Tech senior has attempted six plays through the air, the Yellow Jackets are going run-only in most drives.
A moment that mattered
Standing on a fourth-and-1, the Blue Devils had the momentum in the first quarter on their second drive and an opportunity to take an early 14-point lead on the road. However, the Yellow Jackets read right through Duke's rush and Jackson's carry was stopped short. Duke has struggled since then to make big plays on offense.
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