Coming off its bye week and playing back home in Durham, Duke football is looking to get back on track against Florida State. In the first half, the Blue Devils turned the Seminoles over three times on three consecutive drives and headed into the locker room leading 17-6:
Five observations
Turnovers galore: Head coach Manny Diaz preaches the importance of an aggressive defense which terrorizes opponents and forces negative plays. In the first quarter alone, the Blue Devils forced two turnovers on back-to-back drives. After a momentous Chandler Rivers pick-six gave Duke a 7-3 lead, Ozzie Nicholas stripped the ball from Glenn on a quarterback keeper, giving the Blue Devils the ball deep in Seminole territory and eventually leading to another touchdown. Then, on the first play of Florida State’s ensuing possession in the second quarter, Nicholas came up with another big play, picking Glenn off for his second — and Duke’s third — turnover in less than six minutes of action.
Special teams take center stage: Despite having two weeks to prepare, both offenses saw little success in the first quarter of Friday’s encounter, so it was ultimately special teams that decided the opening minutes. The first notable play came midway through the first quarter, when the Seminoles caught the Blue Devils napping and faked a punt for a 31-yard gain. However, after a few errant passes from quarterback Brock Glenn, the Seminoles settled for a field goal attempt. This time it was Duke with a big special teams play, as the snap was misheld and the kick was blocked by Wesley Williams to keep the score at 3-0.
Dominant defensive line: While the Blue Devils’ offense continued its trend of sleepy starts during the first half, the defensive line came to play. Throughout the first half, Diaz’s linemen wreaked havoc in the backfield and frequently forced Glenn into rushed and imprecise throws, including the pick-six that put Duke on the board. While the Blue Devils only sacked the opposing quarterback three times, their constant pressure played a role in forcing Florida State into demoralizing mistakes.
Rushing struggles: Duke’s offensive struggles, particularly in the run game, continued Friday night. After three straight 100-yard games by Star Thomas, the graduate running back mustered only 28 first-half yards on 2.2 yards per carry. Failing to establish a presence on the ground, Duke faced frequent third-and-long situations, which the Blue Devils routinely failed to convert. For Duke’s fast-paced offense to excel in the second half, a strong running game must take center stage, so Thomas and the offensive line will hope to improve as the game progresses.
Red-zone disparities: On its opening drive, Florida State reached the red zone in just two plays, yet failed to convert and settled for a 23-yard Ryan Fitzgerald field goal. Conversely, after forcing a fumble in Seminole territory, quarterback Maalik Murphy connected with receiver Samir Hagans on a crucial third and six, taking the ball to the 11-yard line. Then, on a rare fourth-and-one from the two, Thomas powered through the line of scrimmage and dove to reach the endzone, giving the Blue Devils a 14-3 lead.
By the numbers
Completion rate: Despite Duke’s lead, Murphy did not excel in the opening 30 minutes. The redshirt sophomore quarterback completed only five of 13 passes for 32 yards, amassing a measly 38% completion rate and 2.46 yards per attempt. Admittedly, after the Blue Devils took a 14-point lead and the Seminoles benched Glenn, Duke’s offense took on a more conservative approach, with offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer even opting to run the ball on several third-and-long situations.
Three Glenn turnovers: At the start of the half, it looked like the Blue Devils’ offensive struggles from the Georgia Tech loss would continue to be the narrative Friday. Instead, Duke’s opportunistic defense and Glenn’s errant play changed the course of the half. On three consecutive possessions, Glenn either threw an interception or fumble, gifting the Blue Devils 17 points almost single-handedly. Outside of the turnovers, Glenn’s play was not much better, completing just three of 10 passes for 37 yards. Glenn’s abysmal mistakes caused head coach Mike Norvell to replace him with true freshman Luke Kromenhoek midway through the second quarter.
Yard differential: Despite heading into the locker room with an 11-point lead, the Blue Devils were massively outgained by the Seminoles’ offense. Florida State amassed 150 yards of offense compared to Duke’s meager total of 62. While part of that disparity was caused by Blue Devils’ field position after Seminole turnovers, the difference demonstrates just how much Diaz’s defense played a role in elevating Duke’s play this season during the team’s offensive struggles.
A play that mattered
With the Blue Devils unable to move the ball on offense, it was Duke’s defense that scored the first touchdown of the game. On third-and-nine from his own 36-yard line, Glenn attempted to connect with receiver Jalen Brown on a comeback route, but Rivers instinctively jumped the pass and rapidly returned the interception 36 yards for a score. Duke fans will remember that Rivers also scored a pick-six in the team’s last encounter against Florida State. The Beaumont, Texas, native clearly likes to play against the Seminoles.
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Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.