For years, the Blue Devils had an ugly reputation of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They were infamous for late-game collapses and losses in which they outplayed their opponent at every moment—except those that mattered. Duke did the opposite Saturday at FIU Stadium in Miami, coming back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win a nail-biter over Florida International, 31-27.
“A couple of years ago when we get down ten to a real good team in the fourth quarter, we may get beat by 20,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “That’s a good sign and a good change.”
FIU (3-2) racked up 568 total yards on offense—186 more than the Blue Devils—and held a six-minute advantage in time of possession. But despite being statistically dominated, the Blue Devils (3-2) made winning plays when they mattered most, scoring 14 unanswered points to end the game.
While Duke did not gain as many total yards as the Golden Panthers, it did find plenty of success through the air. Quarterback Sean Renfree threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns and completed almost two-thirds of his passes, setting a school-record for most pass attempts in a game without an interception with 43. Perhaps most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. Renfree, who threw 14 interceptions during the team’s 1-5 start last year, now has only two interceptions through five games.
Renfree’s counterpart, Wesley Carroll, committed only one turnover himself, but it came at a crucial time and ultimately led to Duke’s game-winning touchdown.
On second-and-7 from his own 36-yard line, Carroll dropped back to pass, but the Blue Devils’ young defensive line was able to collapse the pocket.
Redshirt freshman Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo notched his first career sack by knocking the ball out of Carroll’s hand before he could get off a pass, and redshirt sophomore Anthony Young-Wiseman scooped up the loose ball and advanced it inside the 10-yard line.
Duke’s offense immediately sprinted up to the line of scrimmage from the sideline. Renfree handed the ball off to Juwan Thompson, who scampered up the middle for a nine-yard score with less than seven minutes left on the clock, silencing the stunned crowd.
“We were just anxious to go score,” Cutcliffe said when asked if he hustled his team onto the field to avoid a potential review of Carroll’s fumble. “If they’re going to replay it, they’re going to replay it. You can’t jump out there and snap it before.”
The Golden Panthers mounted a strong drive on the ensuing possession, setting up a first down at the Duke 13-yard line. But the Blue Devils, who had held FIU’s potent offense to only one touchdown on three red-zone opportunities, once again protected the most important part of the field by forcing four straight incompletions.
“It’s a big test,” DeWalt-Ondijo said of protecting the late-game lead. “We love a big test and we want to get better. We took care of our job.”
Although Duke’s defense was able to get big stops at the end, neither defense looked capable of stopping anybody in the first quarter. The Blue Devils and Golden Panthers combined for more than 370 yards on just 38 plays, including 330 yards passing on 26 attempts, with seven plays of 20 yards or more coming through the air. The offenses stagnated in the second period, however, as defensive coaches on both teams made adjustments to their game plans.
Coming out of halftime, Duke’s offense continued to struggle, punting on its first two possessions of the half. The Golden Panthers, though, produced three consecutive long drives, though were held to just three points after several inopportune penalties and a Blue Devil red-zone stand.
Duke could not convert the stop into momentum, however, going three-and-out on its ensuing drive. The defense, clearly feeling the effects of the draining Golden Panther possession just minutes earlier, allowed a deep completion on a wide receiver reverse pass. Two plays later, FIU’s Wayne Times took a bubble screen to the house for a 34-yard touchdown. In just 34 seconds, Duke had completely surrendered momentum to the home team and its record-crowd.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Blue Devils’ offense found a spark, as Sean Renfree hit senior Donovan Varner with a 54-yard bomb to set up first-and-goal. Varner, playing in his hometown Miami, had his best game of the year with 111 yards receiving in front of over 100 family members and friends.
“I was actually supposed to run a corner route,” Varner said, “but I saw the field open up. I don’t know if it was a blown coverage or what, but [Renfree] was able to read it and it’s just like playing backyard football. If you see something you go get it, and he made the throw.”
Juwan Thompson rushed the ball into the end zone just two plays later to cut FIU’s lead to three.
“Wins are a cure-all for everything,” Renfree said. “We struggled so much last season and one win just rejuvenates you. To get three in a row is just huge. You go into a bye week feeling good and get guys back and healthy. [Getting] three wins is just huge for this program.”
Check out photos from the game here.
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