There are brief moments when the Blue Devils have shined this season, like when John Talley perfectly played a Drew Weatherford pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.
But turnovers, blocked and missed kicks and other mishaps overshadow these flashes, as Duke continues to slip up in the same ways week after week.
"When you look at when we execute, there are a lot of examples of things of success," head coach Ted Roof said. "And then on the other hand, there are things we have to get corrected-the unforced errors."
After Talley's touchdown in the second quarter, a breakdown in blocking allowed Florida State to break through and block the PAT, which the Seminoles returned for two points. The return silenced the Blue Devil fans' excitement and killed Duke's momentum following the interception.
Problems in the kicking game are a recurring problem for the Blue Devils, especially during pivotal moments. Against Wake Forest, placekicker Joe Surgan's 28-yard, game-winning field goal was blocked, and in a loss to Alabama, he missed a 31-yard field goal attempt that would have put Duke ahead at the end of the third quarter.
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Roof said earlier this week that there was a competition at the placekicker position, but he did not make any changes before the Florida State game. Although the missed PAT may have been the offensive line's fault, if Duke does not correct its kicking problems, the team should expect to incur similar momentum killers.
Unnecessary mistakes also plagued the Blue Devils' running game-an area in which they had tremendous success against Alabama. On the opening drive of the game, the Blue Devils looked like they were establishing the running game again as they gained positive yardage and a first down on their first three runs.
But on third and three from Duke's 38-yard line, quarterback Thaddeus Lewis fumbled the snap. With everyone else on the field searching for the ball, linebacker Lawrence Timmons-who would later block Surgan's PAT-emerged from the mess, scooped up the ball and headed south for the end zone.
Fumbling snaps has also been a recurring problem for the Blue Devils. Against Virginia, Duke fumbled four snaps. The Blue Devils have had two weeks to correct the problem, but it still plagued Duke Saturday as Lewis fumbled another snap that he recovered late in the 4th quarter.
The early fumble return for a touchdown was a shot to Duke's morale at the outset of the game.
Instead of marching down the field and firing themselves up with an early score against Florida State, the Blue Devils had little to be excited about as they found themselves in a familiar hole, down again early in the game.
The missed PATs and bumbled snaps were not the only signs that Duke lacked finesse and looked unrefined. During the game, the Blue Devils were called for a delay of game multiple times, fumbled a reverse attempt, and gave up long scoring plays to Florida State, including an 80-yard touchdown run to open the second half.
Roof said his team works week after week on correcting these kinds of mistakes but sees mishaps in the game that are not present during practice.
But if Duke cannot find a way to eliminate these gameday mistakes, then the Blue Devils will find themselves in a similar position week after week-tantalizingly close to winning their first game of the year but ultimately derailed by the continuing problems.
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