On Senior Day at Wallace Wade Stadium, the Blue Devils continued their recent plunge by dropping their third straight game—this one a 31-13 decision against Pittsburgh. Redshirt sophomore Parker Boehme started at quarterback for the injured Thomas Sirk, but the team never got going in the second half as the Panthers scored three touchdowns after the break to pull away with an easy win:
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
- Protect Thomas Sirk: This one has to be amended a bit, as Sirk didn’t see the field for a single snap due to an upper body injury he suffered in last week’s loss to North Carolina. Duke allowed Boehme to be sacked three times—partially due to his inexperience and penchant for leaving the pocket—and averaged 5.1 yards per carry on the ground. Overall, the Blue Devils turned in a solid, albeit not spectacular, performance from the team’s offensive line.
- Run the option: Duke got a little bit away from its strengths here, partially dictated by its growing deficit in the second half. Boehme was the Blue Devils’ leading rusher and accounted for 80 of the team’s 113 rushing yards—most of which came on a single 77-yard scamper. More importantly, Duke managed a total of minus-two yards on the ground in the entire second half, as the combination of Shaquille Powell and Jela Duncan was unable to get any momentum going. The struggling run game combined with Boehme's struggles as a passer gave the Blue Devils very little chance of emerging victorious.
- Contain Tyler Boyd: The All-American wide receiver had put together two huge performances in Pittsburgh’s two previous games against the Blue Devils, and Boyd was certainly the number one target for a wounded Duke defense. The junior did amass 117 total yards—78 of which came on the ground, not through the air—but did not account for any of the Panthers’ three passing scores. It was a productive day for Boyd, but the Blue Devils succeeded in not letting him shred their defense entirely.
Three Key Plays:
- Second quarter, 15:00: With the game tied at seven, Duke faced fourth-and-goal on the Pittsburgh one to begin the second quarter. The Blue Devils lined up in a field goal formation, but went with a fake—resulting in an incomplete pass from redshirt freshman Nicodem Pierre that left them empty-handed in what would prove to be one of their best scoring chances in the game.
- Third quarter, 9:37: At the end of a long drive to begin the second half, Pittsburgh quarterback Nate Peterman rolled to his left and lofted a perfect ball into the arms of tight end J.P. Holtz for a three-yard score. The touchdown put the Panthers up 17-10—a lead they would never relinquish—and set the tone for their dominating second half.
- Fourth quarter, 9:37: The first real mistake of the day for Boehme—forcing a pass downfield as Duke was driving and attempting to make a comeback from its 24-10 deficit. Pittsburgh freshman safety Jordan Whitehead picked off Boehme’s pass at the Panther seven-yard-line, thwarting the Blue Devils’ last real hopes of getting back in the game.
Three Key Stats
- Duke finishes with minus two rushing yards in the second half: Heading into halftime tied at 10, the Blue Devils seemed to be in possession to come away with a home victory after racking up 115 yards on the ground in the first two quarters of play. But the Duke offense simply could not run the ball in the second half as they have all season and hurt its team's ability to move the ball downfield.
- Duke runs the ball only 22 times in the game: This one is a head-scratcher considering the Blue Devils were starting an inexperienced, backup quarterback. Duke's 22 carries marked its lowest total all season and the team has averaged 43 carries per game in wins this season. Although the Blue Devils' struggles to run productively may have contributed to this decision, abandoning the run altogether was certainly a questionable decision.
- Pittsburgh finishes with time of possession margin of 40-20: The Blue Devils have often struggled in the time of possession category due to quick drives and those struggles reappeared Saturday. The Duke defense was left on the field for more than half of the game and eventually wilted as the offense failed to move the ball time and time again. Duke's inability and unwillingness to run the ball once again contributed to the defense's ability to stop long drives by the Panthers.
And the Duke game ball goes to...Parker Boehme
Making his first start for the Blue Devils, the redshirt sophomore racked up impressive statistics even though he didn't look fantastic on the field. Boheme finished with 328 total yards, including 80 yards on the ground. The quarterback's best play of the afternoon actually came on the ground when he found a huge hole and scampered 77 yards for a first down. Boehme went 23-of-42 through the air and threw only one interception. On an afternoon where not much went right for the Blue Devils, Boehme's performance was certainly a positive.
And the Pittsburgh game ball goes to....Nate Peterman
Starting the season as a backup to Chad Voytik, the junior has steadily improved throughout the season and performed and taken the reigns of the starting role for Pittsburgh. Peterman performed well against an above-average Duke defense Saturday and finished 13-of-23 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Peterman's performance was that he a different receiver for each score, showing opponents that he doesn't have to lock into star Tyler Boyd in order to be successful.
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