NASHVILLE - On a bizarre afternoon of football at Dudley Field Saturday, the football team had a chance to record one of its biggest wins of the decade.
In the end, the game will probably end up as little more than a footnote.
After looking inconsistent at best through the first 35 minutes of the game, Duke ended up with a surge that looked like it would keep the Blue Devils pointed toward their second winning season and bowl appearance in the '90s. Now, of course, all talk of a bowl is gone and Duke can only hope to finish the year on a positive note and look ahead to next year, when the Blue Devils return almost every key player.
That's not to say Duke hasn't made progress this season. With a win over Maryland or North Carolina, the Blue Devils will match their win total for the last three years in just one season. And Duke has reestablished itself as a competitive team, most notably against much of the ACC.
Saturday's game showed just how far the Blue Devils have come, and at the same time, just how far they have to go.
After Duke caught a break midway through the third quarter when Vanderbilt linebacker Matt Stewart blew a sure touchdown by batting the ball forward, the Blue Devils responded in a situation where they might have folded in the past.
Sims Lenhardt added another 50+ yard field goal to cut the deficit to two touchdowns, and then for the first time all afternoon, Duke stopped the Commodores on two straight possessions.
A 36-yard touchdown connection from Bobby Campbell to Scottie Montgomery brought Duke to within a score, and when the Blue Devils got the ball back, they went on one of their best drives of the year.
Fourteen plays, 80 yards, two fourth-down conversions (one on a penalty), running, passing-the Blue Devils did it all with their backs up squarely against the wall. And then with the game tied at 30, Duke forced another Vanderbilt punt and looked to end the game in regulation.
After two plays moved them 20 yards to their own 45, the Blue Devils sputtered. Campbell threw three incompletions, one that was almost intercepted by cornerback Jimmy Williams and the fateful third-down pass that could've been a 55-yard score and instead ended up with Montgomery in a sling.
But the comeback, as good as it appeared, was only necessary because a hungry, 1-6 Vanderbilt team came out and stuck it to the Blue Devils. For all the talk the past week of Las Vegas or Hawaii in late December, Duke came out and looked like anything but a legitimate bowl contender.
Vanderbilt's Rodney Williams scored on early touchdown runs of 65 and 35 yards. On the 65 yarder to open the scoring, he went completely untouched. The second time, at best he was brushed on the back.
"I'm disappointed the way we did defensively early," coach Fred Goldsmith said. "They had nice schemes [on the runs], but it's something we should handle. It's very upsetting. We dug ourselves a hole."
The Commodores punctuated their first-half dominance on a 54-yard strike from quarterback Greg Zolman to Anthony Jones, both freshmen. Jones made a great adjustment at the 25 as Kenan Holley and Ronnie Hamilton slipped and could only watch as Jones caught the pass and strolled into the endzone for a 24-10 lead.
Duke's offense, meanwhile, moved the ball effectively. But a Letavious Wilks fumble at Duke's own 37 stymied the Blue Devils' second drive of the game and would've led to points for Vanderbilt if not for a Ronnie Hamilton interception three plays later.
Early in the second quarter, B.J. Hill fumbled on Duke's 38 and this time, Vanderbilt made the Blue Devils pay with William's second touchdown run on the first play of the possession.
"It's frustrating," linebacker Ryan Stallmeyer said. "To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about [a bowl]. It's just frustrating to come out here and lose a game we should have won."
Nonetheless, despite a loss that's as disappointing as any Duke's had in the past few years, the Blue Devils did at least put themselves in this position.
They allowed us to dream of a bowl season and big-time showdown in three weeks against North Carolina at a packed Wallace Wade. Progress is evident in all aspects of Duke's game.
As for more? That'll have to wait until next year.
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