This year the Blue Zone will be running a series looking back on important moments in the Duke football team’s history. Today, we take you back to November 13, 2010.
Duke enters its ninth game of the season coming off an open week after upsetting No. 16 Virginia Tech on October 26 and becoming bowl eligible in back-to-back season for the first time ever. The team now welcomes in-state rival North Carolina State to Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday at 4 p.m. This week, we will rewind to week 11 of the 2010 season, when the Blue Devils fell 21-16 in the final seconds to Boston College.
The Blue Devils looked to pick up their fourth win of the season against the Eagles, and came in riding the momentum from a 55-48 victory over Virginia one week earlier. Although bowl eligibility was a long shot for Duke at this point in the season, the team hoped to steal a win and spoil Boston College’s bowl chances. The Eagles needed just two wins for a berth at that point.
After scoring 55 points the previous week, fans were looking forward to a prolific offensive performance but the Boston College defense suffocated the Blue Devils, forcing two turnovers and holding Duke to only four rushing yards.
Eagle running back Montel Harris put his team ahead early when he rushed for a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter. For Harris it was redemption after he fumbled deep in Blue Devil territory in the first quarter.
Quarterback Sean Renfree and the offense put together two good-looking first half drives, but both resulted in Will Snyderwine field goals. Wide receiver Conner Vernon’s 48-yard reception in the first quarter set up Snyderwine's first kick.
Trailing 7-6, Duke kicked the ball off to the Eagles to begin the second half. Boston College quarterback Chase Rettig quickly lead the offense down the field for a seven-play, 73-yard drive that ended in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Rettig to wide receiver Bobby Swigert.
The next two drives both ended in disappointments for Duke—first on a fumble by wide receiver Josh Trezvant, then on a Vernon fumble. Vernon’s fumble deep in Blue Devil territory set up a short field for Rettig and his offense, letting him throw his second touchdown of the day to put the Eagles up 21-6.
The following series, Duke still couldn't find the endzone, as another long Blue Devil drive fell short of the endzone. Snyderwine kicked a 33-yard field goal—his third of the day, to cut the deficit to 12.
Early in the fourth quarter, with Boston College in the red zone, the Blue Devil defense came up with a huge play that would turn the game around.
On a third-and-four from the Duke nine-yard line, Harris rushed up the middle and was hit by Blue Devil safety Walt Canty, who knocked the ball loose. Fellow safety August Campbell scooped the ball up and sprinted all the way to the opposite end zone for a touchdown.
With the score at 21-16, both defenses held strong and the teams traded punts. With 4:52 left in the game, the Duke offense trotted onto the field for what would be its final drive of the game. Renfree found some holes in the Boston College secondary, completing six passes on the drive to put the Blue Devils in scoring position on the Eagle nine-yard line.
After losing a yard on first down and picking up six on second, the Blue Devils threw incomplete to set up a fourth down. With the game on the line, Renfree’s pass on fourth-and-goal was broken up in the endzone. The goal-line stand allowed the Eagles to regain possession and run out the clock.
The Blue Devils historically have had trouble winning close games like this one—especially in November—but recent last-minute wins against North Carolina and Virginia Tech have made Duke Football relavant again. A win over North Carolina State would give the Blue Devils their first winning season since 1994.
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