After dropping two straight games to ACC opponents, Duke beat non-conference foe Troy 38-31 on Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Blue Devils looked much better on offense, scoring 38 points and amassing more than 500 yards of offense, while the special teams continued to put in solid play minus a missed field goal that would have widened the Duke lead late in the game. The defense gave up more than 500 yards of offense for the third straight game and continues to be the weak spot of this season’s squad.
Offense: A
Pass: Redshirt junior quarterback Brandon Connette had his second straight game of more than 300 yards yards passing, but unlike the previous game against Pittsburgh, he took much better care of the football and only threw one interception. Although less explosive than last week’s shootout, the offense managed to make a number of big plays, including a 60-yard touch pass from Connette to junior wide receiver Jamison Crowder and a 48-yard pass to sophomore Max McCaffrey. Connette found the endzone five times Saturday afternoon, with three of those coming through the air on touchdown passes to Crowder, McCaffrey and Jela Duncan. McCaffrey is turning into a respectable number two target for the Blue Devils, as so much attention has been devoted to Crowder, who leads the ACC in receptions this season.
Rush: One of the keys to Duke’s dominating offensive performance was the ability to get the rushing game going early and using multiple weapons to gain 190 yards on the ground. The feature back in this game was redshirt junior running back Josh Snead, who rushed for a career-high 108 yards on 11 carries. He broke a long 53-yard run in the first quarter that set up a seven-yard touchdown pass from Connette to McCaffrey. Connette himself rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns, and converted on a key third down late in the fourth quarter that kept the Blue Devils drive alive and set up a Ross Martin 34 yard field goal.
X’s and O’s: The Duke coaching staff called many running plays in the beginning of the game, which established the run game and kept the Troy defense on its toes throughout the game. Cutcliffe’s faith in Connette to make big plays did not falter this game, as Connette was given a number of opportunities to find his receivers deep down the sideline or over the middle of the field. Good protection from the experienced Duke offensive line also gave Connette the time to properly execute the plays that were called by the Blue Devil coaching staff.
Defense: D+
Pass: After being ripped apart last week by Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage, who threw for 424 yards, the Duke secondary improved slightly against the pass, but still gave up more than 300 yards passing. True freshmen Bryon Fields, Deondre Singleton and Breon Borders saw more action in the secondary with starting safety Dwayne Norman out of the game with an injury. The freshman trio totaled 19 tackles and the secondary held its own against the Trojans, not giving up any plays for more than 40 yards. The Blue Devils also did a much better job getting after Troy quarterback Corey Robinson, with Justin Foxx, Jonathon Woodruff and Dezmond Johnson all registering sacks. Redshirt sophomore safety Jeremy Cash recorded his first interception as a Blue Devil when he picked off Robinson’s hail mary pass on the last play of the game.
Rush: It took the Blue Devils some time to adapt to the two quarterback, option-style offense of the Trojans, as the Troy coaching staff used quarterbacks Robinson and Deon Anthony interchangeably. Anthony averaged 6.3 yards per carry and did a good job of directing the Trojan rushing offense. Duke also had trouble stopping Troy running backs Brandon Burks and true freshman Jordan Chunn, who combined to rush for 103 yards, while Chunn added two touchdowns. Burks also had a key fourth down run in the first quarter that would lead to Troy’s first touchdown of the game. Overall, the Trojans went 2-2 on fourth down conversions, one of the main reasons why they kept the game close.
X’s and O’s: Compared to last week’s performance the Blue Devils looked slightly better against both the rush and the pass, but still looked vulnerable against an offense that only scored seven points last week against Mississippi State. The coaching staff seemed more willing to dial up pressure on the Troy quarterback duo, which resulted in 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. Duke was also able to come up with key stops late in the game, including on one creative play in which redshirt senior defensive end Kenny Anunike dropped back into coverage and batted down a Robinson pass on third down. The Blue Devils are moving in the right direction, but will have to utilize their bye week to strengthen their defense, which will be a crucial factor in whether Duke returns to a bowl game for the second straight year.
Special Teams: B+
The special teams unit continues to be a consistent part of this year’s team, as all special team operations were, for the most part, flawlessly executed. The kickoff coverage was particularly impressive only giving up an average of 13.8 yards per return to the Trojans. Troy wide receiver Wilson Van Hooser did not even have the chance to return one of redshirt sophomore Will Monday’s five punts. The Trojan punting unit was vigilant of Crowder, who has already taken two punts to the house, and Troy punter Will Scott kicked away from Crowder for most of the game. Nevertheless, Crowder still returned one of Scott’s punts for 21 yards and averaged 15.5 yards per return. The only reason why the Blue Devils do not get an “A” in this category is because sophomore kicker Ross Martin booted a 39-yard field goal wide right in the third quarter. Martin, after earning Freshman All-America Honors last season, is only 2-for-4 on field goals this season.
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