The 2-0 Blue Devils host Georgia Tech tomorrow and will take on the Yellow Jackets at 3:30 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium. Every week throughout the football season, we’ll break down a player on each team who could be the difference-maker in the upcoming contest.
Duke: linebacker Kelby Brown
Kelby Brown has been a difference-maker for Duke in his first two games back since returning from injury. After giving up 5.0 yards per carry last season, the Blue Devils have held opponents to just 2.7 yards per carry in back-to-back wins to start the year. Georgia Tech presents a major challenge running the ball with their spread option, and one of Duke's biggest tests will be how to stop the dive play, which racked up major yardage for the Yellow Jackets in last year's 42-24 win in Atlanta. Brown will be crucial to clogging up the middle and providing support at the second level to keep Georgia Tech from moving the ball four or five yards per play. Stopping the dive on first down and forcing the Yellow Jackets into long third down conversions could be one of the keys to winning this game for Duke.
Georgia Tech: running back David Sims
The Yellow Jackets' starting B-Back will be responsible for handling the ball on most of the dive plays, which will once again be crucial in this year's matchup. Sims racked up 71 yards and a touchdown last season on just 11 carries and is an essential piece to Georgia Tech's spread-option scheme. If Sims can help set the pace for the Yellow Jackets early, the team could replicate its rushing performance last season—when Georgia Tech scored on drives of 16 and 18 plays and took nearly eight minutes of the clock. Should the Blue Devils clog up the middle, this would force the Yellow Jackets to run more pitch plays and quarterback keepers, which also could present a higher risk for turnovers.
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