Duke football is looking to start 6-0 for the first time since 1994 and clinch bowl eligibility. The Blue Devils are in a tight contest on the road against Georgia Tech, trailing 10-7 after one half of play:
Five observations
Fancy playcalling: After Georgia Tech started the game with a 40-yard kick return, the Yellow Jackets wasted no time opening up the playbook on their first offensive drive. Quarterback Haynes King began the drive by tossing out a speed option to running back Jamal Haynes, and the flashiness only continued from there, with back-to-back screens followed up by a King quarterback draw. After a direct snap to backup quarterback Zach Pyron, who motioned in, Georgia Tech was already deep into Duke territory before offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner broke out any vanilla play.
Deep ball struggles: Falling into an early hole, Blue Devil quarterback Maalik Murphy came out looking to throw the ball deep. On the first play from scrimmage for the Duke offense, the Texas transfer threw a near-interception looking for Jordan Moore on a crossing route, and later launched two balls downfield that hit the turf looking for Moore and Que’Sean Brown, with the ball intended for Moore resulting in defensive pass interference. Another long shot just before the end of the half seemed to be picked off, but another late flag for pass interference bailed the redshirt sophomore out yet again. Murphy finished the half 7-for-12 passing for 62 yards.
Special teams prowess: For both squads, early solid showings for special teamers has allowed for momentum boosts and killers. For the home team, this jolt came on the opening play of the drive, with return man Eric Singleton Jr. carrying the kickoff 40 yards — aided by an excellent seal block to give King a short field on his first possession. For Duke, the continued excellence of freshman punter Kade Reynoldson has enabled the Georgia Tech offense to not have as advantageous starting field position on the ensuing drives.
Clean pocket: Coming into Saturday night, Duke was second in the ACC with 16 sacks, a cornerstone of new defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke’s imprint on the defense. On the other hand, Georgia Tech was the only team in the league to not yet allow its quarterback to be sacked. Through the first half, that trend seems destined to continue, as the Blue Devils have been unable to get through to King. The redshirt junior put this elusiveness in the pocket on full display down in Blue Devil territory, where he rolled right after a fake screen and delivered a strike all the way to the other sideline for 24 yards.
Stalling out: Heading into the locker room, Duke has had little in the way of major offensive chances, only managing three first downs before the final possession. However, the Blue Devils were able to have a shot to make some noise in Yellow Jacket territory after Eli Pancol hauled in a tipped pass for a 26-yard gain. From there though, Duke could not muster a single yard, in fact losing seven instead after Murphy was sacked on third down to force another punt.
By the numbers
Time of possession: Through 30 minutes of football, Duke has shown a limited ability to sustain drives, with the sole first down in the opening quarter coming as the result of a pass interference. This has forced the Blue Devil defense to quickly retake the field repeatedly to guard King and company, a trend that will need to change if it hopes to contain the Yellow Jackets. At halftime, Georgia Tech has a 19:21 time of possession, while Duke has held the ball for just 10:39.
Rushing yards: Last season, Georgia Tech paced the ACC in rushing yards per game, averaging over 200 yards per contest. While they are only eighth in the league over this young season, the Yellow Jackets looked like they hadn’t missed a beat from last year, rushing for 107 yards in the first half, paced by Haynes who had 82 yards on nine attempts. On the flip side, Duke could only manage 13, a surprising total after the dominance it showed in the second half last weekend against North Carolina.
Red-zone defense: Since the offense has sputtered throughout the first half, it has been up to the defense to try and pull off some heroics to keep the score close. The usually stout unit has done its best, but the Yellow Jackets have still been able to manage points on both of their trips to the red zone. The Blue Devils will hope to force King into an uncharacteristic error for a stop if the home offense marches deep into Duke territory.
A play that mattered
Duke seemed to be stuck in mud in the first half, however the tide of the game may have turned with just 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter. After a late flag on Syeed Gibbs for pass interference gave Duke new life on the Georgia Tech 20-yard line, Murphy found Eli Pancol wide open on a drag route that the graduate wide receiver took into the end zone to cut the lead to three. This beckoned a chorus of boos from the Yellow Jacket crowd, who were displeased with the call, and a “Let’s Go Duke” chant from the small away contingent.
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