October is finally here, and that means the Blue Devils will only face ACC opponents for the near future. In 2021, the conference season meant constant woes for the Blue Devils. The team continued its five-game conference losing streak from 2020 into the 2021 season with eight more losses.
Yet, already in 2022, Duke's conference slate looks much more promising. Through five games, the Blue Devils have exhibited talent in the air and on the ground that will be there whether they take on a top-ranked team or a struggling one. Restructure and revitalization from new head coach and former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko has meant the group is stronger defensively, and the Blue Devils also have a dual-threat quarterback in sophomore Riley Leonard.
Though Duke already faced an ACC opponent in a commanding 38-17 win against Virginia, the test of how good the Blue Devils are isn't over just yet. The Cavaliers are restructuring as well and have been struggling on the year with three losses in five games. The Blue Devils next face Georgia Tech, which itself is similarly restructuring, but proving to be a fierce competitor. The Yellow Jackets emerged victorious Saturday against Pittsburgh in a game in which it was a 21.5-point underdog.
As Duke heads to Atlanta for Georgia Tech's Homecoming weekend, here are five things to look for.
Young team
Yellow Jacket head coach Geoff Collins was fired from the post Sept. 26, leaving the team without a clear mission. Though interim coach Brent Key has stepped in until the school can find a replacement, the relatively young team with just eight seniors has a lot of rebuilding to do.
Georgia Tech's roster features 59 freshmen and 33 sophomores, and a squad that mainly contains rookies, even with a large amount of skill, means that there is still much growth and experience that needs to happen for them to prove their consistency. With that being said, Duke should look to take advantage of the lack of veterans available Saturday in Atlanta.
Don't doubt the power
Though Georgia Tech has a 2-3 record thus far, including a 1-1 record in conference, the numbers are more deceiving than they appear. The Yellow Jackets' first contest of the season was at home against No. 5 Clemson, the ACC leader and one of 10 remaining ranked teams that are still undefeated. Georgia Tech ultimately fell 41-10 in the matchup, which featured 259 Tiger yards in the air and another 119 on the ground. Another one of Georgia Tech's losses came at the hands of another top-10 team, No. 9 Ole Miss, which defeated the Yellow Jackets 42-0. The team's third loss came against a 3-1 UCF team.
"They're playing a lot of teams that are very well regarded and very highly ranked. And so, you know, they're playing really good competition," Elko said during his Monday media availability. "And so I think this is a really dangerous football team. I think they're really talented."
As Georgia Tech finally got a chance to take on a team that it could contend with, and not one near the top of the nation's rankings, it proved it can be dangerous. Elko knows that is something that the Blue Devils can't doubt come Saturday.
'Milk the clock'
Another item Elko discussed in his media availability Monday is the need to control the time of possession. If Duke can hold the ball longer, it has a higher chance of working itself into Georgia Tech territory and putting together touchdown drives.
"We want to make sure that we're milking the clock and snapping it with as little time as possible. And so, obviously, I think you know, our coaching staff does a really good job of preparing them for it. We certainly practice it every week," Elko said.
As long as the Blue Devils have control of the time, they have the advantage.
Exploit the offense
The Yellow Jackets may have a lot more potential than their record suggests, but their numbers leave something to be desired. Compared to the rest of the ACC, Georgia Tech has the worst scoring offense with just nine touchdowns. To compare, Duke has 22 thus far.
Georgia Tech's offensive issues do not end there. The Yellow Jackets are also ranked 13th in the conference in offensive plays, last in passing yardage at 841 and last in first downs with 80. The Blue Devils are 11th, eighth at 1,219 and fifth with 115, respectively.
Georgia Tech is likely walking onto its own field with adjustments from its previous losses in mind. But for the Yellow Jackets to see how they fare against an opponent with a similar trajectory, they will have to prevent Duke from exploiting their offensive issues.
Emphasizing third downs
One area of weakness that Georgia Tech may look to exploit in the matchup is Duke's defensive efficiency on opponents' 3rd-down conversions. In the ACC, the Blue Devils rank last in the stat, having allowed their opponents 32 third-down conversions in five games at a 46.4% clip. If Georgia Tech can convert on third downs, it will have a higher chance of turning Saturday's game around and protecting home field against the Blue Devils.
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