Duke football took down Florida State for the first time in program history after coming out on top with a final score of 23-16. The Blue Zone is here to break down the victory with three key takeaways, stats and a look ahead:
Three key takeaways
1. Winning the turnover battle
The Duke defense put the Blue Devils in a winning position against Florida State by forcing four turnovers. Although the Seminoles outgained Duke in total yards, they were unable to take care of the ball. Of the Blue Devils’ 23 points, 17 came off of turnovers. Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers got the party started with an interception returned for a touchdown to give the Blue Devils the lead in the first quarter. On Florida State’s next possession, quarterback Brock Glenn fumbled the ball, leading to a touchdown drive on a shortened field for the Duke offense. For the third straight possession, the Seminoles found themselves making a costly mistake. This time, Glenn threw an interception to linebacker Ozzie Nicholas, giving the Blue Devils the opportunity to build on their lead with a field goal.
In the second half, the Duke offense continued to do a good job protecting the ball. As the game drew to a close, Florida State had the ball with an opportunity to drive down the field and tie up the game. The Blue Devils had other plans, forcing a fumble and then a turnover on downs to seal their first ever victory against the Seminoles.
2. Lackluster offense
Defense won the game for Duke against Florida State, as the offense struggled to find a good rhythm all night. Quarterback Maalik Murphy was 12-for-24 passing the ball, amounting to only 70 yards. The ground game was not much better, as Star Thomas and Peyton Jones combined for 117 yards. The Blue Devils went a shocking 3-for-17 on third down, punting the ball nine times. Fans will hope that this offensive inefficiency was the result of time off on the bye week, and not an indicator of plays to come for Duke.
3. Defensive line shines
The defensive line was excellent for the Blue Devils, forcing bad decisions and making big plays all night. The defense racked up 11 tackles for loss, setting the tone at the line of scrimmage. Additionally, Duke got in the backfield for 6 sacks, including two that resulted in fumbles. The Seminoles were under constant pressure, which led to poor decision-making at the quarterback position, namely the pair of interceptions. If the defensive line can achieve this level of success for the remainder of the season, it will set the Blue Devils up for success down the stretch in conference play.
Three key stats
1. 2-for-14
Duke held Florida State to just 2-for-14 on third down, an impressive feat for the defensive unit which has been dependable all season. When considered alongside the turnovers the Blue Devils forced, it indicates just how good the defense was at putting the ball back in the hands of the offense. As Duke gears up for ranked matchups against SMU and Miami, its reliable third down defense will be key to earning some noteworthy victories.
2. 2 interceptions
Duke had only come away with four interceptions prior to this past weekend against Florida State, when it recorded its first multi-interception game of the season. Both interceptions gave the offense a big boost by leading to points on the board, and ultimately another check in the win column for the Blue Devils.
3. 70 passing yards
Duke only managed to accumulate 70 yards through the air in its Friday victory, a surprisingly low number for an offense that has relied so heavily on its pass game up to this point. Quarterback Murphy’s 12 completions were a season low, and star receiver Jordan Moore only caught one pass. While it is good to know that Duke can depend on its defense to win games, the offense should still take this as an indicator that it needs to re-establish the rhythm it found success with earlier this year.
Looking ahead
The Blue Devils will look to carry the momentum from this gritty victory into next weekend. A second straight game in front of the Wade Wackos against No. 22 SMU awaits as Duke looks for its first ranked victory under head coach Manny Diaz.
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