After narrowly defeating North Carolina, Duke football will face its first ACC road test against Georgia Tech. The Chronicle is here to break down the Yellow Jackets with an overview, stats to watch, X-factors and keys to the game:

Overview

2024 record: 3-2

Head coach: Brent Key

Series history: Georgia Tech leads 54-35-1

Last meeting: 23-20 Georgia Tech, Oct. 8, 2022

Georgia Tech comes into the game off of a tough loss against No. 22 Louisville leading into a bye week. This year’s expectations were higher than usual in Atlanta after Key led the Yellow Jackets to their first bowl game and bowl game victory since 2018 in his first full season in charge. Those expectations only became greater after opening this campaign with a win in Dublin against then-No. 10 Florida State. Georgia Tech has since slowed down a little, losing a Week 3 matchup on the road in Syracuse before getting thoroughly outplayed in Louisville and scoring just five points in the second half. The Yellow Jackets now sit at 1-2 in the ACC, and will certainly be looking for a win in their first home conference game Saturday night. 

As for true threats, Georgia Tech relies heavily on the talents of its signal caller, former four-star prospect Haynes King. The fifth-year junior, who transferred from Texas A&M before last year, has lit up the stat sheet in 2024; the Longview, Texas, native has amassed 1,274 passing yards through five games with a 84.4 QBR, which ranks 13th nationally. Besides amassing six touchdowns through the air, King’s rushing ability presents real problems for defenses, as he’s also scored on the ground four times.

Ball security is job security, win the turnover battle, play clean football — these mantras have been repeated in locker rooms for years. 

Georgia Tech’s opponents have had an easy time fulfilling these key goals. The Yellow Jackets’ defense has only generated one turnover so far this season, forcing a single fumble against Virginia Military Institute in a 59-7 win. On the other hand, Duke has forced six fumbles, recovered five of them, and intercepted four passes. The Blue Devils’ defense has been skilled at earning takeaways and will look to continue that trend Saturday.

However, Duke’s defense will have its hands full trying to take the ball away from quarterback Haynes King and company. Georgia Tech’s offense has only turned the ball over twice this season, with King throwing one interception against Georgia State and losing a fumble last week against Louisville. On the Blue Devils’ side, they’ve been much more prone to turning the ball over. Maalik Murphy has thrown four interceptions in five games so far this season, and Que’Sean Brown and Ryan Smith have both lost a fumble. 

Saturday’s matchup will likely hinge on the turnover battle, and based on that, it could be anyone’s game. -Myles Powicki

X-Factor

Duke: Tre Freeman 

Carrying hard-earned momentum from last weekend’s triumph over North Carolina, the Blue Devils travel to Bobby Dodd Stadium to hopefully secure their first ACC road win. Duke’s defense has been nothing short of dominant throughout the season so far, a fact exemplified during Saturday’s second-half comeback with the help of talents like redshirt-junior linebacker Tre Freeman. Freeman poses not only as an aggressive tackler but also a wall against opponent rushing attempts.

Leading the Blue Devils’ defense, the Durham, N.C., native racked up 106 tackles in 2023 — the only Duke player to record 100+ tackles in a season since 2019. Last year, Freeman finished with a spot on the 2023 All-ACC Second Team before securing himself a preseason All-ACC selection at linebacker for 2024. With Duke taking a hit to its defense in losing key starter Dorian Mausi, Freeman has been able to capitalize on his room for growth, emerging as a leader for the defensive fleet. The veteran has already tallied 28 tackles and made numerous crucial running stops in five games. He will be a much needed force against a well-rested and potentially revamped Georgia Tech running game. 

If they want to extend their seven-game win streak, the Blue Devils need to be prepared to combat attacks both on the ground and in the air. Freeman’s efforts behind the line of scrimmage will be needed to successfully stifle Georgia Tech ground attacks and force turnovers. If Duke’s defense, commanded by Freeman, brings its familiar force to Atlanta this weekend, even the Yellow Jackets firing on all cylinders may not prevent a Blue Devil victory.   

Georgia Tech: Haynes King

A dual-threat for offensive production, the redshirt-junior quarterback has taken charge amidst a struggling Georgia Tech offense. The Yellow Jackets’ season has seen dramatic weaknesses in their rushing game, forcing King to fire long passes and carry the rushing weight himself. Despite Georgia Tech’s most recent loss against Louisville, the Longview, Texas, native completed 21-of-32 passes for 312 yards while rushing for 58 more. King’s explosive playmaking is vital to keeping opponent defenses on their toes, as he has emerged as the centerpiece of the Yellow Jackets’ offense. 

After playing for Texas A&M for three seasons, King adapted well in his first season with Georgia Tech in 2023. Last campaign, King ranked fourth in the ACC in passing yards with 2,482, proving to be an impressive and consistent force for fairly new head coach Brent Key. The talented quarterback clearly seems eager to put up even better numbers in 2024, and his versatility will be the biggest challenge for the Blue Devil defense. 

To bounce back from its loss against Louisville, King will need to yet again perform at his best. Although they have previously failed to secure clutch plays, the Yellow Jackets’ offense should be expected to make significant improvements in both passing and rushing, but only if King thrives at the helm. -Olivia Jackson

3 keys for Duke

Prevent momentum: Georgia Tech came up short last week against No. 19 Louisville, with its offense steadily outpaced by its opponent’s. Like the Yellow Jackets’, Duke’s offense could not compete with the North Carolina’s in the first half of Saturday’s game. Unlike the Cardinals, the Blue Devils roared back in the second half of their matchup against the Tar Heels, scoring 21 unanswered points in a shocking come-from-behind victory against their bitter rivals. The key to the Blue Devils’ win and the Yellow Jackets’ loss was capturing the game's momentum.

Coming into the second half of the game against North Carolina, Duke’s defense, ineffective in the first two quarters, swarmed to the ball, allowing the Blue Devils to stifle the momentum of the Tar Heel offense. Stalling the opponent’s offensive momentum turned out to be the turning point in the game's grueling defensive battle. Against an explosive Georgia Tech offense, Duke will need to repeat its second-half defensive dominance and limit the offense’s explosive plays. If the Blue Devils can limit the Yellow Jackets’ offensive momentum, they will be able to mirror the results of Louisville in their victory.

Control the ball: Duke let the game get away early Saturday with six consecutive punts and a missed field goal to begin its matchup. Quarterback Maalik Murphy's struggles to connect through the air and the Tar Heels' dominance in the trenches through the first half limited the Blue Devil offense’s time of possession, posting under 11 minutes of control. Running back Star Thomas’ breakout performance, though, allowed Duke to utilize a ground-and-pound offense that kept the ball out of North Carolina’s hands. 

Georgia Tech's offense has been impressive through the season's first five games, ranking among the top 20 in total offensive yards across FBS football. With such an explosive opponent in the Yellow Jackets, the Blue Devils must call on Thomas again to create a viable running threat. If Duke can win in the trenches and establish an effective ground attack, keeping the football from Georgia Tech, then it will be a matter of patience for the team to secure an in-conference victory on Saturday.  

Dominate the line: Louisville stacked up seven tackles for a loss against Georgia Tech, shutting down the Yellow Jackets’ ability to run the ball and keeping quarterback Haynes King from a clean pocket throughout most of the game. In the face of this pressure, Georgia Tech managed not a single throw for a touchdown and — aside from a quarterback scramble — allowed a rushing touchdown only once. Duke’s defensive front, similar to the Cardinals’, could only be described as dominant on Saturday. Posting six tackles for a loss and two sacks, the Blue Devil front feasted upon the Tar Heel offensive line, allowing the team to rally from a 20-point deficit.

Diaz’s defense has proven that it can generate defensive pressure, recording 17 sacks on the season, and will need to continue doing so to secure a win in Atlanta. With an offensive line coming off a poor performance in the week prior, the Duke defensive line has the potential to add more to its sack totals as it plays a critical role in restricting Georgia Tech’s offensive mobility. If the Blue Devil front can hurry the Yellow Jacket offense, the team has an opportunity to add not just to its defensive stats but to the win column as well. -Tyler Ruben