Duke never found the end zone against Boston College, but three Ross Martin field goals were good enough to support another excellent performance by the Blue Devil defense in a 9-7 victory. After jumping out to a 9-0 halftime lead, Duke missed several opportunities to put the Eagles away and had to survive a nerve-wracking finish. With the win, the Blue Devils improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play, cementing their status as a Coastal division contender.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Put up points in all three areas of the game: Duke didn't put up many points in any area of the game, let alone all three. The offense did just well enough to set Ross Martin up for three field goals but could not break through for a big play. Duke's special teams unit did make a big play in the third quarter when Johnell Barnes recovered a muffed punt at the Eagles' 15-yard line. But the turnover did not result in any points as Boston College stopped the Blue Devils on four straight runs at the goal line to force a turnover on downs. The Duke defense forced the Eagles to punt time and time again, but could not force a turnover for only the second time all season.
- Force the Eagles to take to the air: Boston College ran the ball 41 times for 164 yards in the contest, averaging four yards per carry. Although this average is slightly higher than what the Blue Devil defense allowed last week against Georgia Tech, the Eagles' longest run was just 25 yards and the Duke generally contained the run on early downs. This forced Boston College quarterbacks Jeff Smith and Troy Flutie to make plays through the air. Flutie did find receiver Thadd Smith behind Duke cornerback Breon Borders for a 66-yard touchdown—the Eagles' only score of the game—but this one play accounted for almost half of Boston College's 141 passing yards. Flutie and Smith combined to complete just 8 of 21 passes as Devon Edwards and Alonzo Saxton both had strong games—alongside the always spectacular Jeremy Cash—in Duke's secondary.
- Start fast and build on momentum: The Blue Devils took the early lead just as they have in every game this season, but could not build on their momentum and put the game out of reach. At times in the fourth quarter, Saturday's game felt like it would play out just like the Northwestern game two weeks ago, with Duke going quiet on offense and allowing its opponent to get back into the game. But the Blue Devil defense did not let this game slip away and recovered from a defensive lapse on Boston College's touchdown to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard the rest of the way.
Three key stats:
- 3/3 on field goals for Ross Martin: Duke's All-American kicker came through when he was needed, drilling all three of his field goal attempts to score all nine of Duke's points. With 3:40 left in the first half and the Blue Devils holding a 6-0 lead, Martin made a long, 53-yard kick into the wind to give his team its last points of the game and a two-possession lead that would prove to be critical.
- Zero turnovers for Duke: Duke's offense didn't make any great plays in this game, but it didn't make any disastrous plays either. After coughing up six turnovers in their last two games, the Blue Devils returned to playing mistake-free football on offense. Thomas Sirk threw the ball away multiple times when he couldn't find an open man and made more accurate passes when he did throw into coverage by putting the ball where only his receivers would be able to come down with it. Playing a turnover-free game prevented the Eagles from opening drives with great field position and helped the team hold an opponent to single-digit scoring for the first time since Week two.
- 75 receiving yards for T.J. Rahming: Losing Jamison Crowder to the NFL left a void in Duke's receiving corps that has been obvious through the Blue Devils' offensive struggles in their first four contests. But freshman T.J. Rahming provided some hope with one of the biggest games of his young career against the Eagles. The Powder Springs, Ga., native reeled in five passes for 75 yards and emerged as a downfield option for an offense that has been overly reliant on screen passes and short check-downs thus far this season.
Three key plays:
- 5:51, second quarter: On a third-and-12 from Duke's 25-yard-line, Boston College quarterback Jeff Smith lofted a pass to the left side of the end zone intended for Thadd Smith. Smith got his hands on the pass, but was defended well by Alonzo Saxton and could not maintain full control of the ball. The incomplete pass ruling was upheld upon review, and the Eagles botched the snap on their field goal attempt on the next play to come away empty-handed.
- 3:45, fourth quarter: The Eagles finally put together a sustained drive against Duke's defense late in the fourth quarter and looked to take a late lead when they lined up for a 45-yard field goal. However, Colton Lichtenberg's attempt sailed badly left and short, and the score remained 9-7 in Duke's favor.
- 2:21, fourth quarter: Duke could not run the clock out after a missed field goal, and a short punt by Will Monday gave the Eagles another golden opportunity for a potential game-winning score. On fourth and two from Duke's 42-yard line, Jeff Smith saw an open receiver in David Dudeck, but led him too far with the pass. Dudeck had to dive to make the catch and fell to the ground for a loss of one yard, giving the ball back to the Blue Devils.
And the Duke game ball goes to...Ross Martin
It's hard to have a bigger positive impact on a football game as a kicker than Martin had in this contest. Boston College out-gained the Blue Devils on offense 305 to 228 and was slightly better than Duke on third-down conversions. The difference in the game came down to placekicking. Martin could not afford to make a mistake in a contest in which points came at a premium and made all of his kicks with ease. Meanwhile, the Eagles' two failed field goal attempts showed Blue Devil fans that a great kicker should not be taken for granted.
And the Boston College game ball goes to...Steven Daniels
Steven Daniels anchored the Eagles' defense with 12 tackles and a sack to help hold Duke to 33 rushing yards and an abysmal 0.9 yards per carry. The senior linebacker stopped Duke's running backs at the line of scrimmage countless times and assisted in tackling Shaquille Powell for a two-yard loss on second down from the one-yard line in the third quarter. This keyed Boston College's goal-line stand and kept the game within reach.
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