The Blue Devils dropped the ball when given a chance to make it back to Charlotte and the ACC title game.
Can they erase the disappointment with a historic performance in the Sun Bowl?
Duke will take on No. 15 Arizona State Saturday at 2 p.m. at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, looking to finally end a 53-year bowl-win drought and earn its first victory against a top-15 opponent led by head coach David Cutcliffe.
The Blue Devils have been in position the past two years to win their bowl games—the Belk Bowl against Cincinnati and the Chick-fil-A Bowl against then-No. 20 Texas A&M—but faltered down the stretch in both games. Past bowl disappointments and missed opportunities this season mean Duke has one thing on its mind as it prepares for its first game after almost a month off—finishing.
“We need to win this game Saturday—that’s our main focus," redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Boone said before practice Monday. "We have later curfews and have the ability to go out on the town, but [we need to] stay focused and realize why we’re here. That’s to win the game on Saturday against a great team.”
The Blue Devil senior class that has changed the culture of Cutcliffe's program will be expected to lead the way against arguably the most talented team Duke has faced this season. Boone, wide receiver Jamison Crowder, right guard Laken Tomlinson and linebacker David Helton highlight the group and will all need to have strong performances against a team that averages 37.0 points per game and had its eye on the College Football Playoff before two late-season losses.
Tomlinson and the offensive line will be especially crucial as Duke (9-3) tries to establish its running game and control the clock, much like it did in its biggest win of the season at then-No. 22 Georgia Tech Oct. 11. The Blue Devils rushed for 242 yards and won the turnover battle that day and will look for a similar recipe to erase their late-season struggles epitomized by home losses to Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
In addition to slowing down the blitzes that helped Arizona State (9-3) rack up 39 sacks and 97 tackles for loss during the regular season, the ability of Duke's quartet of running backs and pair of mobile quarterbacks to consistently produce on the ground will minimize the effect of the wind in the mountains of El Paso.
Boone has been getting used to throwing in windier conditions like those that could be present Saturday, but understands the effect bigger gusts can have on passes, especially those further downfield.
“The wind plays a huge factor in the trajectories and the movement of the football, so you really try to focus on spinning it out," Boone said. "If you don’t throw tight spirals, you can’t fire balls that cut through the wind.”
The Blue Devils should have success with their quick passing game and screen passes against an aggressive Sun Devil defense as long as they can avoid miscues that get them behind the chains. Because of Arizona State's ability to move up and down the field with its own spread offense, Cutcliffe is also emphasizing success on manageable third downs as a barometer of his team's success.
“Offensively, as much blitz as we’re going to see, as much pressure as they’re going to put on you, as much man-to-man as they’re going to play, [on] any type [of] third down, we’ve got to be 50 percent or better to win the football game,” Cutcliffe said before practice Tuesday.
But although third downs will mean a lot to the Blue Devil offense, they could mean even more to the Duke defense. Facing two prolific quarterbacks in Taylor Kelly and Mike Bercovici and plenty of skill players who touch the ball frequently on the perimeter like D.J. Foster and Jaelen Strong, the Blue Devils are focusing on winning on early downs then finding ways to get off the field.
"This is an explosive offense," Cutcliffe said. "Defensively, if you can get them to third-and-long—eight or more [yards]—you’ve got to win that down. You’ve got to get stops. Short yardage is another opportunity to get stops defensively."
The strength of Duke's 4-2-5 defense this season has been the secondary, which should bode well against a team that forces defenders to tackle in space. If Helton and the defensive line led by Dezmond Johnson and Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo can contain the Sun Devil running game, the job for strike safety Jeremy Cash and the Blue Devil defensive backs will be made easier.
At 6-foot-3, Strong will have a significant height advantage going against cornerbacks Breon Borders and Bryon Fields, but Cash and safeties Deondre Singleton and DeVon Edwards should also be able to provide some help over the top on the wide receiver, who torched Southern California for 202 yards earlier this year.
Duke knows it faces a stiff test against the All-American Strong and his teammates, but Cutcliffe's track record given extra time to prepare and the team's chance at recording back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time ever should give the team the confidence it needs to still play aggressively.
No longer a stranger to big-time postseason games, the Blue Devils are looking to break through with a victory Saturday.
“We have one purpose in traveling this far—that’s to win a football game," Cutcliffe said before practice Monday.
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