ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Duke’s defense had to make one last stop.
After taking a 24-0 lead into the half—giving Navy (5-3) its largest halftime deficit in eight years—the Blue Devils (2-6) saw their sizable lead quickly dissipate after the Midshipmen scored three touchdowns and converted three two-point conversions in a 12-minute stretch of the fourth quarter. Navy had the ball with less than 40 seconds left in the game, needing only 25 more yards to be in reasonable field goal range and possibly take the game to overtime, capping a historic comeback.
Quarterback Ricky Dobbs pitched the ball to Andre Byrd. It looked like the running back had room to pick up big yardage.
Matt Daniels had other plans.
The safety flew through the air, tackling Byrd behind the line. The clock ran down. Navy’s last play, a desperate heave from Dobbs as he was being swarmed by multiple Duke defenders, fell harmlessly to the ground in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Daniels and the Blue Devils had done it. They had finally gotten their season’s second win. And every Duke fan who made the trip north to Annapolis thought only one thing: Whew.
“We had to hold on to dear life at the end,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “There were some big plays made tonight, and none were bigger than what Matt Daniels did there late.”
Duke topped a Navy team only a week removed from beating Notre Dame—at the Midshipmen’s home and on their homecoming weekend, no less. It was a win both improbable and nail-bitingly close for Duke, especially since it seemed the win was certain for the Blue Devils as late as the midway point of the fourth quarter. Will Snyderwine kicked a field goal that gave Duke a 34-15 lead, and the three points would turn out to be the game’s crucial difference. After that field goal, Navy’s Dobbs would lead two quick drives that resulted in a Gee Gee Green touchdown and an Aaron Santiago 12-yard touchdown grab. Both two-point attempts after the touchdowns were good, and suddenly the Blue Devils only had a three-point edge.
They held onto that lead, though, and afterwards, Cutcliffe came away most impressed with the fortitude of his team, especially when the momentum began going the other way.
“These are the most resilient young men I’ve ever coached,” he said. “When you’re 1-6 and they start going away from you, it’s very difficult to grab momentum again. But we had players step up and make plays.”
The lead would never have been possible without redshirt sophomore Sean Renfree’s finest game in weeks. The quarterback entered the contest with fresh memories of recent games against Miami, in which he threw five interceptions, and versus Virginia Tech, when he was benched for long periods in favor of freshman Brandon Connette.
Utilizing short passes and bubble screens to his receivers, Renfree built up confidence in his throwing ability. He even showed noticeable joy after his two touchdown runs.
“That’s the real quarterback we saw out there today in Sean. He drove us up and down the field,” said Conner Vernon, who was the recipient of one of those short passes that he turned into a 29-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Renfree would complete 16 straight passes to start the game, tying a Duke school record. His final numbers were equally staggering: 28-for-30 for 314 yards, with three total touchdowns and a 93.3 completion percentage, the highest single-game number in school history.
“It feels good to get any win, especially after the last few weeks when I have struggled,” he said. “It feels great to get in a groove offensively and score some points again.”
Renfree led an offense that seemed to really click for the first time in weeks. In addition to the quarterback’s precision, Duke’s running game showed competence. Desmond Scott rushed for 42 yards on 13 carries, and quarterback Brandon Connette converted two big fourth-down runs.
“It was the first time all three phases did what they had to do for the most part,” Cutcliffe said. “We got on our heels a little bit defensively late, but what a performance in the first half. Our kicking game held up extremely well, and our offense played like we think it can play.”
Daniels, the hero of Duke’s last defensive stand, thought that the win had to do with an unexpected source: Halloween weekend. Big Duke wins seem to be falling lately on the scariest weekend of the year, he said, citing the comeback victory at Virginia last year. Again, the Blue Devils had their season-defining win, and again accompanied Halloween.
While the team could enjoy a rare weekend as winners, though, it would soon be time to get ready for the Cavaliers. After all, Duke cannot lose any more games if it wishes to extend its slim postseason hopes.
“It helps our confidence, and we now know we’re in a do-or-die situation, where we miss the postseason if we lose,” he said. “So we’re going to celebrate tonight then get back to it tomorrow to prepare for Virginia.”
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