A week after being blown out at home by Georgia Tech, Duke showed great fight by coming back from several large deficits against Pittsburgh, but in the end could not manage to stop the Panthers’ offense, losing 58-55 in a shootout. Though both the offense and special teams played well, what will undoubtedly be talked about in the aftermath of this loss is Duke’s 58 points allowed.
Offense: B
Pass: Although the passing numbers for the Blue Devils look gaudy—quarterback Brandon Connette threw for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns—it is important to remember that the Blue Devils racked up an unusually high number of yards through the air because they were trailing the entire game. That is not to say the passing game was not explosive, as Connette completed two touchdowns of more than sixty yards, but it was certainly more hit-or-miss than the 55 points on the scoreboard might suggest. In addition to his four passing touchdowns, Connette threw four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown at a crucial juncture in the game, extending the Panthers lead to 17 points just as the Blue Devils were clawing back into the game. Jamison Crowder had another big game, racking up 141 receiving yards on seven catches to go with a 62-yard touchdown grab.
Rush: Duke did not have much of a chance to establish its ground game early on, as the team fell behind immediately. Still, the Blue Devils had success on the relatively few occasions on which they did run the ball. Brandon Connette finished with 101 yards on mainly quarterback keepers and option plays. He also scored on two short rushing touchdowns. Running back Josh Snead saw the brunt of the workload in this game, carrying the ball 14 times for 59 yards. Even Crowder ran for a touchdown, one of the three ways he scored in the game.
X’s and O’s: The Duke defense did not give Coach David Cutcliffe much of a choice with the offensive game plan. Just a minute into the second quarter the Blue Devils were down 27-7, and the Panthers were scoring at ease on seemingly every possession. Duke had no choice but to throw the ball around to keep up with Pittsburgh’s high-powered attack, and it helped them hang in the game until the very end.
Defense: D
Pass: The pass defense for Duke looked lost all day, as it allowed Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage to throw for 424 yards and an ACC record-tying six touchdowns. Savage picked apart the Duke defense at will, consistently finding open receivers all over the field. Both receivers Tyler Boyd and Devin Street eclipsed 150 yards of receiving for the game, with each hauling in touchdowns of sixty yards or more. Boyd was the first Pittsburgh freshman to catch three touchdowns since Larry Fitzgerald.
Rush: As bad as the pass defense was for the Blue Devils, the rush defense might have been worse. Freshman running back James Conner ran all over the Duke defense to the tune of 173 yards and an average of 6.7 yards per carry. Pittsburgh elected not to take their foot off the throttle, but it still did rely more on the run game to protect its big leads, as the team ran the ball thirteen more times than it threw the ball. The Blue Devil defensive front was clearly frustrated at its complete inability to bottle up Conner, who consistently bounced runs to the outside for big gains. The Panthers’ strong ground game allowed it to control the time of possession, tiring out the Duke defense.
X’s and O’s: It was certainly not a banner day for the Duke defense. The battered unit gave up 598 total yards, without forcing a single turnover. The defensive woes left the offense with little choice but to toss more risky downfield passes, which contributed to Connette throwing four interceptions. What saves the unit from an 'F' grade is the impressive second half the squad mustered, allowing just 130 yards and 14 points—seven points scored off of the Connette interception—in the final 30 minutes.
Special Teams: A
One of the bright spots in the Duke loss was the special teams unit, which played a nearly flawless game in all respects. Pittsburgh missed on the extra point attempt after its first touchdown, and the Blue Devils blocked the Panthers' first field goal attempt. Late in the second quarter, after a rare defensive stop, Crowder returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, capping a Duke comeback that brought the team within two points, the closest it would be all game. Will Monday also had a strong game, averaging 48.7 yards on three punts. Perhaps the only mistake the special teams unit made all day was a failed fake punt in the third quarter. On the whole, however, Duke’s special teams was instrumental in winning the field position battle and providing occasional bursts of momentum.
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