LIVE BLOG: Duke 17, Maryland 13 (FINAL)

1:42 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Its deja-vu all over again for the Blue Devils, as Maryland fumbles Kevin Jones' punt and Duke recovers.  That could be the biggest impact the wet playing conditions have had this game.  The Blue Devils go into the victory formation, as the remaining fans muster one last "Lets Go Duke" chant.  More after the game.

2:43 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: The Blue Devils face third and 18, and Lewis is immediately sacked, but the Terps are out of time outs and the Blue Devils can not run the clock under two minutes before kicking the ball back to Maryland.

On a completely unrelated note, the announced attendance for this game was 24,650.  Somehow, that feels like a slight overestimation.

3:39 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Duke does, in fact, run the ball on first down, and Maryland quickly calls a time out to stop the clock.  But that strategy is quickly trashed, as Lewis makes a man miss in the backfield and throws off his back foot to his Varner over the middle (once again) for a first down at the Maryland 30.

4:03 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Vincent Rey comes away with an interception on a pass into traffic over the middle, but a 15 yard personal foul penalty after the play forces Duke out of scoring range, at least initially.  With just over four minutes to play, can Duke run out the clock, with or without running the ball?

5:00 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: As Maryland begins its drive with approximately five minutes left in this contest, the few remaining Blue Devil fans attempt to muster some noise, but with minimal success.

5:03 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Lewis is hit as he throws on third down, leading to a a shanked Kevin Jones punt that is downed at the 21 yard line.  For the first time this game, Lewis was hurried throughout this possession and was forced to dance around in the pocket more than he has at any point in this contest.

5:53 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Johnny Williams bails out a Lewis pass that was behind him and low with a shoestring catch, earning a first down and pushing the Blue Devils across midfield.

13:00 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Even with a lead in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils continue to use the short passing game to replace the anemic running game.  Lewis continues to read the Terrapin blitz well, throwing a pass to Hollingsworth right in an area left vacant by a linebacker blitz for a first down.

14:50 4th Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Vince Oghobaase makes his first big play of the game, knocking down Turner's third down pass and forcing a Maryland punt at midfield.  Duke nearly blocks the punt, but instead will take over just outside its own ten yard lines after a Johnny Williams fair catch.

0:00 3rd Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Duke's offense stutters to a three and out, as Maryland's more aggressive defensive scheme seems to be paying off, for the most part, in this second half.  Duke receivers are being hit as soon as the catch the ball in this half, where as in the first half Lewis' short passes often led to ten or 20 yards after the catch.  Meanwhile, Maryland has put a renewed emphasis on their running game, but a a holding penalty has brought back one long run, and the Blue Devil linebackers continue to snuff out runs to the outside.  But Duke's secondary continues give Terrapin receivers a large cushion, allowing another long third down conversion.  As we enter the fourth quarter, Maryland faces third and six in Blue Devil territory.

4:30 3rd Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 13: Duke's momentum is short lived, though, as a third down screen pass to Meggett goes for 67 yards and a touchdown.  Maryland's receivers laid down some solid blocks allowing Meggett to cut back across the entire field and beat Leon Wright to the endzone.

5:35 3rd Quarter, Duke 17, Maryland 6: Duke recovers, though as tight end Danny Parker makes a stumbling one handed grab to give Duke the touchdown (and net his first career touchdown), and a Snyderwine kick makes it a 11 point lead.  It appears Duke will continue to forego the running game in this wet weather.

6:01 3rd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: After a lengthy review, the referees conclude that Vernon did not step out of bounds (prompting a loud cheer from the remaining Duke fans), but he was down at the one yard line instead (prompting a loud "boo").  Duke's goal line offense, though, is sputtering, after getting stuffed on first down and recovering a fumbled snap on second down.

7:01 3rd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: Connor Vernon just got away with blatant offensive pass interference, as he stiff armed his defender before hauling in a slightly under-thrown ball from Lewis.  Still, the Blue Devils take advantage of one of the few one-on-one opportunities so far this game, getting the ball down to almost the five yard line, and Duke has challenged whether Vernon actually made it into the endzone.

8:50 3rd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: Injuries are piling up on both sides, presumably due to the wet turf.

9:04 3rd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: Desmond Scott starts the Duke second half with a one yard rush, but the Blue Devils quickly revert to their shotgun passing game and gain a first down.  While the Maryland defense was content to stay back in coverage most of the first half, they've opened the second half with a more aggressive rush, which allowed Johnny Williams to get open for a seventeen yard pass over the middle from Lewis after solid protection from the offensive line.

11:23 3rd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: Duke stuffs Adrian Cannon after a third down reception, forcing fourth and four.  Maryland, at least, appears to be yielding to the weather as well, as their first offensive possession of the second half consisted of five rushes and one short pass.  Will the Blue Devils do the same?

13:35 3rd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: As the third quarter starts, it looks as if most Duke fans have surrendered to the awful weather, as there are maybe 5,000 fans left in Wallace Wade.  Maryland receives the kickoff and after a solid return, quickly approaches midfield.

0:00 2nd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: Indeed, despite two Maryland timeouts the Blue Devils are able to run out the clock and take a 10-6 lead into the locker room.  As the rain continues to pour down on Durham, Wallace Wade is not even half full, as many fans are heading to the exits despite a solid performance by Duke in the first half.  Despite his first interception in 130 pass attempts, Thaddeus Lewis has been his usual self, going 14 for 22 and throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown.  Donovan Varner has also been impressive with five receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown, but the Blue Devil running game has been as anemic as it has been al season.  In fact, Lewis leads the Duke rushing attack with a mere 13 yards on four carries.  In these wet conditions, one would have to think Coach Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils won't be able to rely on their passing game as heavily in the second half.

Maryland's attack has been very similar to Duke's, relying on short passes as opposed to a solid running game.  The Terrapins, though, have come away with only two field goals despite two possessions deep in Duke territory, and numerous dropped passes have stalled Maryland drives.  Were it not for Duke's two turnovers, one of which (Desmond Scott's fumble) coming in Maryland territory, and the other which led to a Maryland field goal, this game could easily be a two possession game in the Blue Devils favor.

Statistics of note: Duke has 211 yards of total offense, while Maryland has only 132, despite only 23 yards total rushing for the Blue Devils.  Maryland quarterback Chris Turner is nine for 12 for 88 yards passing, and also has accumulated 13 yards on three rushes.

0:56 2nd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: Maryland appears to  be content running out the first half as the Blue Devil defense, led again by Thorton, drive Turner backwards on an option and force fourth down.  As the rain continues to pound the field, one has to wonder whether the Blue Devils will also be content to just take their four point lead into the locker room.

3:31 2nd Quarter, Duke 10, Maryland 6: Lewis nearly throws another interception, but after the drop Will Snyderwine puts the ball through the uprights from 35 yards away to give Duke the four point lead.  Yet again, though, missed opportunities remain the theme of the game, as Duke could not earn a touchdown in the redzone.  Scoring drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 4: 56 off the clock.

4:20 2nd Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 6: Varner continues to be wide open over the middle on almost every play after another 18 yard completion from Lewis.  The Blue Devils appear to be varying their play calling more at this point, though, after another QB draw by Lewis yield three yards.

7:00 2nd Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 6: Connor Vernon makes up for a dropped screen on second down by taking a similar pass 25 yards on third down, cutting across the entire field in the process.  The wet conditions appear to be influencing the Blue Devils' offensive play calling, however, as Duke is starting to rely more on the run and their short passing game than they did in the first quarter.

8:34 2nd Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 6: The Blue Devils get bailed out by a drop by Davin Meggett, who could have walked into the endzone had he caught the pass.  Maryland has to settle for yet another field goal, and Duke's "bend but don't break" defense appears to be working thus far.  Both teams, though, have missed out on golden opportunities to break this game open: Maryland has settled for two field goals deep in Blue Devil territory and Duke's two turnovers have limited their scoring output.  Scoring Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1: 25 off the clock.

Additionally, Thaddeus Lewis' last pass broke a string of 130 consecutive passes without an interception, a streak Lewis will hope to begin again on this next possession.

9:43 2nd Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 3: Lewis makes his first mistake in a long while, throwing a pass behind Connor Vernon that was intercepted by Cameron Chism.  The interception is only Lewis' third of the year, and one hs to wonder whether the wet playing conditions led to what seemed to be a fluttering pass.

10:33 2nd Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 3: Damian Thorton is stepping up for the Duke defense early in the second quarter, bursting through the line to grab Porzel for a five yard loss on second down and tackling Turner to force fourth down.  As a whole the Blue Devil defense appears to be making a concerted effort to make the Terrapins beat them with the pass, as Maryland's leading rusher thus far is their quarterback, Turner, with 14 yards.

14:00 2nd Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 3: On only Duke's third rush of the day, Desmond Scott fumbles the ball diving for the first down, caused by Alex Wujciak.  Maryland takes over on their 30 yard line.

0:00 1st Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 3: After Jay Hollingsworth first run of the game goes for naught, the Blue Devils return to the pass and Austin Kelly takes a screen for a first down.  It appears Duke has finally decided to completely forego the running game in favor of quick passes, even as the rain begins to fall harder in Wallace Wade.

Stats of note: Lewis goes 9-14 for 117 yards and a touchdown in the first half, and Varner catches four balls for 69 yards and a touchdown as well.

0:49 1st Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 3: A stretcher is now being brought out for Perez, who has been down on the field for almost 10 minutes as the rain returns to Wallace Wade.  The crowd applauds as Perez is taken off the field after what appears to be some sort of head or neck injury.

0:49 1st Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 3: Thaddeus Lewis is picking up right where he left off two weeks, ago, with another perfectly placed ball to Varner down the middle for 25 yards.  He also appears to be Duke's best running option right now, as his six yard QB draw on first down was the Blue Devils' first run of the game.  The game pauses, though, as Maryland Safety Antwine Perez has been down on the field for a prolonged period of time, and both teams have returned to their sidelines.

1:37 1st Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 3: The Terps got away from their passing game inside the ten yard line, as first and second down runs yielded little success.  After a third down pass sailed through the endzone, Nick Ferrara puts the 25 yard field goal through to put Maryland on the board.  Scoring Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:42 off the clock.

3:00 1st Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 0: Chris Turner is tearing up the Blue Devil defense, matching Lewis' impressive drive with one of his own.  The Maryland QB has not had an incompletion yet this drive, and the Terps now have a first and goal.

5:28 1st Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 0: While Duke successfully attacks the Maryland defense over the middle, the Terrapins are taking the opposite approach, working the Blue Devil defense with out routes and screen passes.  So far the strategy has proved to be just as successful as the Blue Devils', as Maryland just earned its second first down and has crossed midfield.

7:24 1st Quarter, Duke 7, Maryland 0: Varner continues to use his speed to get wide open over the middle on drag routes, scoring on a 24 yard touchdown pass to give Duke the seven point lead.  After a sluggish first four plays, the Blue Devils have certainly started to play to their strengths, utilizing the speed of their receivers against a mediocre Maryland secondary.  Scoring drive of 9 plays and 69 yards, taking 3:20 off the clock.

7:56 1st Quarter, Duke 0, Maryland 0: Donovan Varner just got, as Tom Jackson would say, JACKED UP, by Cameron Chism, causing one of the members of the press to let out a spontaneous "Oh!" up in the press box.  But the Duke offense looks to finally be waking up, as Varner grabs another pass over the middle to earn another first down.

9:30 1st Quarter, Duke 0, Maryland 0: Duke's offense continues to look sluggish early on after another incompletion followed by a false start.  Duke continues, though, to use its short passing game in place of a running game, as a screen pass to Vernon leads to a more manageable third and six.  Duke receivers continue to be open over the middle though, as Austin Kelly grabs the first down reception and the Blue Devils approach midfield.

10:44 1st Quarter, Duke 0, Maryland 0: The Blue Devil defense has responded however, with a Charlie Hatcher pass deflection at the line on second down.  Third down pass was completed to Ronnie Tyler a yard short of the first down, and the Duke defensive line stops Caleb Porzell on fourth down.  Duke regains possession on their 31.

12:00 1st Quarter, Duke 0, Maryland 0: While Duke showed its hand early with three passes, Maryland is showing early what it plans to do this game: pound the ball on the ground and use short passes to their advantage.  Problem is Duke's first posession was a three and out, and Maryland just converted on a third down with a pass out to the flat.

13:53 1st Quarter, Duke 0, Maryland 0: Duke's first drive stalls unceremoniously as Donovan Varner drops a wide-open third down pass from Lewis.  Maryland takes over at their 35.

15:00 1st Quarter, Duke 0, Maryland 0: Welcome, folks, to the Blue Devils first game in two weeks, and their first home game in three.  Rain and overall dreary weather has kept the crowd at bay, but it appears that the sun may finally be making its way out from the clouds and fans are complying by slowly filing into the stadium.  If the large tailgating crowd (not only for students, but, GASP, real tailgating for fans as well) is any indication, Wallace Wade could be packed by the time this one kicks off.  Forecast: 74 degrees and cloudy, with a 65 percent chance of rain.

It may be fair to call this a "must-win" game for the Blue Devils, who need to win four of their last six to become bowl eligible.  Maryland has struggled thus far in the season, going 2-5 including a loss to lowly Middle Tennessee State, and this is indeed the first game in recent memory that Duke is favored to win.

Captains for Duke today: Thaddeus Lewis, Vincent Rey, Kyle Hill, and Ayanga Okpokowuruk.