Duke football Player of the Week: Week 5

Ross Martin

Statline: 3-for-3 on field goals from 36, 38 and 53 yards

The Good: Senior kicker Ross Martin shined on a day when offense was scarce and field goals turned out to be the difference. Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions that plagued Duke’s homecoming weekend, the two-time All-American made all three of his attempts and matched a career-high 53-yarder. He hit all three on back-to-back-to-back drives in the first half as the Blue Devils built up a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Martin's accuracy proved to be the difference as Boston College’s kicker, Colton Lichtenberg had a chance to steal the lead for the Eagles but failed to convert from 45 yards out.

The Bad: Senior quarterback Thomas Sirk had another poor day throwing the ball, but what hurt the offense more was his inability to make plays with his feet as usual. Sirk completed just half of his 36 passes for 195 yards and was held to five yards on nine carries. The running backs couldn't get much going either as Shaquille Powell mustered up only 18 yards on 14 carries and Jela Duncan and Shaun Wilson tacked on 21 yards on eight rushes. Perhaps even worse was the Blue Devils four consecutive failed attempts to score a touchdown from inside the five-yard line in the third quarter. 

The Bottom Line: In a game without much offense, special teams proved to be the difference. Coming off of a strong performance against Georgia Tech, Sirk and the offense was underwhelming but had the fortune of being supported by a stout defensive effort and an impressive kicking performance

Honorable Mention: Senior safety Jeremy Cash played up to his usual stat-stuffing billing and racked up eight tackles—1.5 of which went for a loss—a pass breakup, and a quarterback hit. The senior has continued to prove that he is the leader of one of the nation's best defenses and one of the favorites for ACC Defensive Player of the Year.