In its annual clash with rival North Carolina, Duke football suffered a defeat against the then-No. 24 Tar Heels in double overtime. The Blue Zone is here to analyze the action in Chapel Hill with three key takeaways, stats and a look ahead:
Three key takeaways
1. Loftis late
Freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis started for a second time since junior Riley Leonard remains injured for an indefinite period. The Gaffney, S.C., native began the game slowly as he made a few simple mistakes during the first quarter, such as overthrowing the ball out of bounds. However, he soon got into a rhythm and played much better in connecting with his receivers. Indeed, Loftis threw three touchdowns and rushed one in himself for the night, proving that he is more than just a third-string quarterback when Duke needed him the most.
2. Maye day
Although the Blue Devil defense did limit North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye to only passing touchdown in regular time, the Huntersville, N.C., native threw for a very respectable 342 yards in total, including three throws for more than 40 yards. The Tar Heel made quick work marching down Duke’s defense, but also later threw an interception from his own end zone to allow the Blue Devils to capitalize and score. He had a special connection to wide reciever Devontez Walker, who had 162 receiving yards.
3. A tale of comebacks
The Blue Devils seemed to be always chasing the Tar Heels for the majority of the game. Despite the fact that Duke was down 10-0 early on, the team’s mentality never wavered and they kept on fighting to level with North Carolina until the very end of double overtime. Such resilience must be praised when the Blue Devils struggled to match the Tar Heels’ offensive output, but exploited every mistake North Carolina made. This was especially seen in how Duke recovered an onside kick while running off 15 straight points to erase a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Three key stats
1. Eight penalties
The Blue Devils conceded eight penalties against the Tar Heels on the night, giving up a total of 83 yards in the process. This is quite lopsided, considering that North Carolina was only penalized three times, which cost it a mere 20 yards. Although some of the calls made by the referees were quite close and controversial, penalties definitely contributed towards Duke’s ultimate demise against the Tar Heels.
2. Five field goals
It must be said that Duke’s defense performed well in containing Maye in the red zone, as most of North Carolina’s scoring in regular time came from field goals — five compared to the Blue Devils’ zero. This once again showcased Duke defense’s strength in preventing touchdowns, something the unit has been good at all season long.
3. 200 total passing yards
For the first part of the game, Loftis employed a tactic of handing the ball off on offense which worked up to a point. The freshman started to pass more often later into the game with more success, finishing with 189 yards including a last-minute 30-yard touchdown to junior receiver Jordan Moore. However, Loftis was not the only one passing for Duke — 11 yards were attributed to graduate punter Porter Wilson on a fake punt.
Looking ahead
Duke will be on the road yet again next week, traveling to Charlottesville, Va., to play Virginia Nov. 18. The Cavaliers have lost three games in a row, and ironically their last victory was actually against North Carolina. The Blue Devils should be able to secure a win on paper, but they should play with caution so as to not suffer the same fate as their rivals. Loftis will probably start again as Duke’s quarterback, hoping to build on his performance and get some more experience under his belt.
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