Duke football suffered its first defeat of the season, falling 24-14 on the road to Georgia Tech. The Blue Zone is here with three key takeaways, stats and a look ahead:
Three key takeaways
1. Costly penalties
Duke registered seven penalties against Georgia Tech, costing the visitors 55 yards. To make matters worse, the timing of these errors was unfortunate. The Blue Devils started the second half in a good scoring position. The offense opted to go for it on fourth down from the Yellow Jackets’ 25, and seemingly converted. Unfortunately, the catch did not stand as the result of an offensive pass interference call on wide receiver Jordan Moore. The penalty set the Blue Devils back 15 yards, forcing them to punt in a scenario which seemed promising.
During what went on to be the game-winning drive for Georgia Tech, the officials flagged Duke for offsides. The Yellow Jackets gained 5 yards and were allowed to replay the down, which resulted in a 10-yard rush. Later in the drive the Blue Devil defense forced an incompletion on third down, which would have left the Yellow Jackets with a difficult decision to make. However, well after the play was blown dead, a flag was thrown for roughing the passer. Georgia Tech capitalized on this opportunity, scoring the go-ahead touchdown which would ultimately seal the victory for the home team.
2. Poor offensive efficiency
The Duke offense looked sluggish from the start, struggling to complete passes and find a rhythm early on. As has been the case all season, the squad from Durham grew into the game as it went on. However, one area which saw very little improvement was efficiency on third and fourth down. The Blue Devils only managed to go 3-for-11 on third downs. Although their fourth down average was technically 1-for-2, it fails to recognize both the missed field goal and the fourth down conversion that was called back for offensive pass interference. Given that Duke couldn’t stay on the field, it is unsurprising that the Yellow Jackets were able to dismantle a tired defensive unit and go on to win the game.
3. First-quarter woes
The Blue Devils began the first quarter in a similar fashion to last week. Quarterback Maalik Murphy went 1-for-4, only managing two yards through the air. The defense was a little better, although it did allow a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. Duke ended the first quarter trailing by a score of 7-0. By putting themselves in a hole early, the Blue Devils lost any edge they may have felt they had heading into the game. If Duke wants to bounce back from this loss, it is imperative that it learns to play with a high level of intensity from kickoff.
Three key stats
1. 245 rushing yards
Duke gave up 245 yards on the ground to Georgia Tech. Without being able to stop the run, the Yellow Jackets were able to chew the clock, which led to them dominating the time of possession. Additionally, the Georgia Tech run game worked to grind down the Duke defense, leaving the group tired and prone to errors such as committing penalties and blowing coverages. In order for the Blue Devils to get back to winning ways, they must do a better job stopping the run.
2. 3-for-3
Georgia Tech was an impressive 3-for-3 on fourth down this weekend against a defensive unit which had been solid leading up to the game. For Duke, this number is well below the standard, especially when paired with the fact that the Yellow Jackets went 7-for-16 on third down. Failing to get off the field on third and fourth down allowed Georgia Tech to maintain its dominance with the ball, while also preventing the Blue Devils from getting in any sort of rhythm offensively. As the game dragged on, Duke’s inability to get stops ended up costing them the game, resulting in a frustrating first loss of the 2024 season.
3. 20:33
The Blue Devils had the ball for only 20 minutes and 33 seconds Saturday in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets had nearly double that amount, which reflects just how dominant they were on both sides of the ball against Duke. For the Blue Devils to bounce back against Florida State, they will need to do a better job sustaining their own offensive drives and getting off the field on defense, tipping the scales on time of possession in a favorable manner.
Looking ahead
Duke’s first loss of the season may have been frustrating, but it could not come at a better time. The Blue Devils head into a bye week with plenty to reflect upon as they gear up for a big one in Durham against Florida State.
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