Third and goal: Ground game will be deciding factor against Georgia Tech

After a strong showing in their 38-17 win against Virginia, the Blue Devils are set to travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. The Blue Zone has three keys to victory:

Establish the run

It's not a secret: Duke wants to run the football. In its win against Virginia, albeit in sloppy conditions, the Blue Devils attempted 48 rushes and only 24 passes. Although running the ball is arguably Duke’s preference, quarterback Riley Leonard can throw. The sophomore is currently third in the ACC in total QBR with a rating of 79.8. However, Georgia Tech has allowed an average of 188.8 yards per game on the ground, the second-worst in the ACC. Duke’s pair of redshirt junior running backs Jaylen Coleman and Jordan Waters have led the Blue Devil offense so far, and they will both need to have big games for the Blue Devils to get to 5-1. 

Shut down the dual-threat

The leader of Georgia Tech’s offense, sophomore Jeff Sims, is a pure dual-threat quarterback. The Jacksonville, Fla., native leads the Yellow Jackets in rushing and passing attempts this season. In the team’s underdog victory against Pittsburgh last weekend, Sims had 81 yards and a score on the ground. In its last two games, Duke has had its fair share of experience with dual-threat quarterbacks. In their Week Four loss to Kansas, the Blue Devils had some difficulty containing junior quarterback Jalon Daniels. He scored five total touchdowns, one of which was on the ground. Against Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong, however, the Duke defense stepped up and limited his impact: Armstrong averaged just 2.9 yards per carry. The Blue Devils will need to replicate their performance against Armstrong in order to leave Atlanta with a win. 

Focus on the task at hand

With a date with North Carolina looming next Saturday night, it would be easy to overlook 2-3 Georgia Tech. After all, the Yellow Jackets have the worst offense and the second-worst defense in the ACC based on yards per game. Nevertheless, then-No. 24 Pittsburgh tried to coast through its game against the Yellow Jackets and it paid the price, losing 26-21. Duke’s veterans, including captains Shaka Hayward, DeWayne Carter and Jacob Monk, must step up and lead the younger members of the squad. After all, not only does a chance at a 5-1 record hang in the balance, but also the opportunity to be just one game shy of a potential bowl appearance just six weeks into the season: a feat that may have seemed impossible a bit over a month ago.