The game looked eerily similar to the one seven days ago.
Duke’s offense had no rhythm in the first 25 minutes of play in Bobby Dodd Stadium, and Blue Devil quarterback Maalik Murphy was 1-for-4 for two yards in the first quarter.
On the other side of things, the abundance of playmakers and eye candy in Buster Faulkner's offense set the Blue Devil defense off balance, and the Yellow Jackets seemed to slip through the majority of tackles and almost never got down on first contact.
And while Duke made its patented second-half surge, Georgia Tech responded with calm quarterback play from Haynes King and speed on the outside to push back and hand the Blue Devils a 24-14 loss, their first of the season.
"I want to congratulate Georgia Tech. I thought Brent Key and his staff, their team, did a phenomenal job," head coach Manny Diaz said. "We've always we felt very confident about the way we play in the fourth quarter, and today, our guys didn't have it. But I don't fault our effort, our want, to our desire. The guys gave everything."
After a momentum-building touchdown before halftime, Duke started the second half with two empty trips to the red zone. Third time’s the charm, though.
At their own 35-yard line, the Blue Devils were destined for points with the defense dialed in. Georgia Tech’s safety and linebackers blitzed Murphy, leaving a wide open Sahmir Hagans over the middle of the field. Murphy stood strong in the pocket and fired a strike. Hagans did the rest and Bobby Dodd Stadium turned quiet; Duke led 14-10 in the waning minutes of the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets responded quickly, as King led his team to a key fourth-down conversion and a touchdown throw to his fellow Haynes — running back Jamal — to take back the lead.
A consequential roughing-the-passer penalty against DaShawn Stone gave Georgia Tech a first down after the Blue Devils forced a third-down stop. King threw a screen to Eric Singleton Jr. — the theme of the game — for a 9-yard touchdown to give the home squad a 24-14 stiff-arm with 6:36 remaining. A missed Todd Pelino field goal sealed it, and Duke will head back to Durham with a single blemish on its resume.
"Once they answered, they were in the fourth quarter on a drive that I felt like was aided with some mistakes on our parts and penalties," Diaz said. "We were never able to answer."
Just as Georgia Tech did to open the game, the Blue Devils had a big return on the opening kick of the second half. But this 67-yard one by sophomore Peyton Jones was much more damaging, setting up Murphy with a short field and a chance to take the lead.
Duke decided to go for it on fourth-and-3, and while it looked to be a completion to Moore on a corner route, an offensive pass interference call negated the progress and kicked the Blue Devils out of field-goal territory.
Thomas had his first breakout run early in the second half to give the Blue Devils some breathing room at their own end. That helped the Brewer tempo offense get clicking, and Murphy’s signature run-pass-option game was successful to once again threaten the Yellow Jacket end zone.
With the student section — clad in Georgia Tech yellow and pink for breast cancer awareness month — bearing down on the Blue Devil offense, Que’Sean Brown took an end around to the 9-yard line, setting up yet another crucial fourth-and-short.
Once again, Duke failed to convert. The exchange between Murphy and Thomas was not clean on the handoff, and Thomas stumbled before crossing the line of scrimmage.
"The critical playing the game was the fourth-and-1 we didn't get," Diaz said. "And the sad part is, it's self inflicted. We trip over each other in the backfield, and that's something that's not unlucky, that's execution, that's on us to work through that better."
The Yellow Jackets set the tone from the opening kickoff, returning Ryan Degyansky’s boot 40-yards to set themselves up in good field position. King led his team through a methodical drive down the field — bolstered by screens and the ground game — and rushing specialist Zach Pyron found his way in the end zone to open the scoring.
On the second drive, Georgia Tech didn’t miss a beat, as Haynes ripped off a 39-yard rush to immediately cross midfield. A fourth-and-2 led to a key conversion off a screen pass to Singleton.
But the Blue Devil defense would have no more.
Joshua Pickett stuffed Malik Rutherford on a screen for negative yardage, and another key defensive stop forced a Yellow Jacket punt. After this, Duke’s defense settled in, filling in rushing lanes with tenacity and pressuring King in the backfield.
One penalty changed the course of the first half. The Blue Devils lined up to punt after a disheartening three-and-out on a drive that started at midfield. However, a delay of game called on Georgia Tech — a rare call on the defensive side — gave Jonathan Brewer’s offense a much more manageable fourth-and-3.
Murphy threw a screen to his trusted backfield companion Star Thomas, and Duke’s offense was injected with life. Three plays later, including a pass interference, the Texas transfer found Eli Pancol on a crossing route for Duke’s first touchdown of the game. The Blue Devils entered the locker room down only 10-7, despite a lopsided statistical half. Still, Duke's continued offensive struggles in the second half meant that it headed back to Durham with a loss.
The Blue Devils will now have a much-needed bye week, as they will take a break before returning Oct. 18 to take on Florida State at home.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.