Extra Point: Duke football vs. Pittsburgh

The Duke Blue Devils fell to the Pittsburgh Panthers 58-55 this afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. Led by redshirt senior quarterback Tom Savage, who threw six touchdown passes, and freshman runningback James Conner, who rushed for 173 yards, the Panthers built a 51-28 lead in the second half. Duke would narrow the lead to just three points late in the fourth quarter, but could not stop the Panthers from running out the clock in the final minutes of the game.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Apply Pressure to Create Turnovers: Although Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage had already thrown four interceptions on the seasons, the experienced quarterback instead torched the Blue Devils for and six touchdowns, tying Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd for the ACC all-time record for passing touchdowns in a single game. Duke true freshman Byron Fields had an opportunity to intercept a Savage pass on third down late in the third quarter, but Fields bobbled the football, leading to a Pittsburgh to punt. The Blue Devils did force a key turnover late in the game on special teams, when Pittsburgh punter Matt Yoklic mishandled a snap in the fourth quarter, giving Duke excellent field position that would lead to a Brandon Connette four-yard rushing touchdown.
• Continue to Run the Ball Effectively: Led by Connette’s 101 yards on the ground, the Blue Devils outrushed the Panthers 213 to 174 yards. Redshirt junior runningback Josh Snead also added 59 yards on 14 carries. Even junior wide receiver Jamison Crowder got in on the action, carrying the ball twice for 29 yards and a touchdown. Connette had a number of promising runs in the first half, including rushes for 18 and 37 yards in the first quarter. But it was his ability to connect with numerous wide receivers on big plays that kept the Pittsburgh defense on their toes, creating big holes up front.
• Convert on Third Down, Lengthen Drives: The Blue Devils again had trouble converting on third down, especially in third and long situations. Duke went 5-11 on third down, which was an improvement over last week’s 3-for-14 statistic against Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils’ failure to keep their offense on the field allowed the opposing team to dominate the time of possession for the second straight week, as Pittsburgh held onto the ball for 36:22, compared to Duke’s 23:38. The offense will need to work on putting itself in more manageable third down situations and moving the sticks as much as possible.

Three key plays:

• Trailing 30-21 late midway through the second quarter Crowder fields a punt at his own 18-yard line, side-steps two Pittsburgh defenders and sprints down the sideline past the punter Yoklic for an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown. Crowder’s second return touchdown of the season would cut the Panther lead to just two points.
• After remaining scoreless for a majority of the third quarter, Connette fakes the handoff to sophomore runningback Jela Duncan and throws the ball deep to an open Brandon Braxton who makes the catch and runs the ball into the endzone for a 75-yard touchdown. Connette’s third touchdown pass of the day would make the score 51-35 Pittsburgh.
• Down 10 points with 8:30 left to play in the game, Connette is intercepted by Pittsburgh linebacker Anthony Gonzalez who returns it 37 yards for a touchdown. Connette’s fourth interception of the game would give the Panthers some breathing room with a comfortable 58-41 lead.

Three key stats:

• Duke commits four turnovers. After not throwing any interceptions in his first start of the season last week against Georgia Tech, Connette threw a career-high four interceptions in today’s game, including two costly interceptions in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh would go on to score two touchdowns off of Duke turnovers, one of which was a 37-yard return touchdown by Pittsburgh linebacker Gonazalez.
• The Blue Devils give up 424 passing yards. Coming into the game, Duke knew that it would have its hands full with the Pittsburgh receiving duo of Devin Street and Tyler Boyd. After a few long runs in the first quarter by freshman runningback James Conner sucked a majority of Duke defense into the box, Savage threw passes of 27 yards to Boyd and a long 67-yard pass to Street. When the clock hit zero, Boyd had eight catches for 154 yards and three touchdowns, while Street hauled in six catches for 166 yards, finding the endzone twice.
• Duke gives up 598 total yards. After allowing Georgia Tech to post 469 yards of total offense last week, the Blue Devils a more balanced attack from the Panthers. Duke gave up a season high 424 passing yards, which would lead to six touchdowns. Connor also powered his way through the Blue Devil defense for 173 yards on 26 carries. Duke’s offense did hold its own in gaining 532 total yards, but it was not enough to match the Panther’s 58 points.

And the Duke game ball goes to…Jamison Crowder