Head coach Manny Diaz is looking to put an exclamation mark on a successful first season at the helm of Duke football by winning the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Heading into the locker room, though, the Blue Devils are trailing 24-7:
Five observations
New faces in the backfield: While Duke’s offensive starting lineup looked the same on the line of scrimmage, the Blue Devils were without their regular-season starting quarterback and running back. Maalik Murphy and Star Thomas — who replaced Jaquez Moore after he suffered an ankle injury — both entered the transfer portal prior to the game. Moore started in place of Thomas, and redshirt sophomore Henry Belin IV took Murphy’s spot under center.
Belin nearly connected with an open Eli Pancol midway through the first quarter, but his first start since Oct. 14, 2023, did not get off to the start he hoped. The New York native began the game just 4-of-8 for 30 yards.
Trick played: Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is known for his aggressive play calling, and that certainly showed early Thursday night. Kiffin successfully converted a fourth down on the opening series of the game and looked to confuse Duke once again on fourth down in the red zone. Ole Miss trotted out its special teams unit as though it was going to kick a field goal, but then spread out the line of scrimmage so that the center was alone in the middle of the field. Senior kicker Caden Davis took the snap and rolled out of the pocket. As he was pursued by a throng of Blue Devils, he threw an ill-advised pass to the end zone. There waiting was safety Terry Moore, who took the interception all the way back to the Rebels’ 41-yard line.
Duke head coach Manny Diaz then reached into his own bag of tricks, letting Jaquez Moore take a deep shot downfield on the Blue Devils’ first offensive snap. That too failed though, and Duke handed the ball back to Ole Miss quickly with an incompletion on fourth-and-1.
Throwing Darts: The Rebels quickly made up for their red-zone blunder on their first drive, as senior quarterback Jaxson Dart led his team 68 yards in just 1:05. The NFL hopeful threw two picturesque balls en route to the end zone, hitting tight end Caden Prieskorn over the middle of the field for 18 yards and wideout Antwane Wells Jr. on a slant for a 32-yard score.
Dart chipped his way downfield on the ensuing drive — completing six passes for 60 yards — before running back Ulysses Bentley IV punched in a one-yard touchdown to give Ole Miss a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
Moving the pocket: After three unsuccessful drives that totaled just 21 yards, the Blue Devils finally found success in the second quarter by using Belin’s mobility. Offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer dialed up a series of plays that had Belin roll out into space and make decisions whether to run or throw. On a crucial third down, Belin bought himself enough time by scampering to his right to find an open Que’Sean Brown for 27 yards. On the following play, he rolled left and threw across his body to a wide open Javon Harvey in the end zone.
Duke’s wide receiver duo of Pancol and Jordan Moore torched opposing defenses all regular season by streaking over the top of defenders for huge chunk plays downfield. However, without their regular partner in Murphy, these types of routes did not hit home. So, by adjusting the offensive strategy to the signal caller, the Blue Devils were able to finally make a dent on the scoreboard and trailed 17-7.
Missed opportunity: Right after Duke’s lone score of the half, the defense nearly secured its second interception of the game. Dart was looking for a target over the middle of the field, but left it low enough for linebacker Alex Howard to put his hands around it. However, Howard could not close his fingers around the ball, and it slipped harmlessly to the ground. Instead of getting the ball back in the hands of Belin and the offense, the Blue Devils allowed the Rebels to score their third touchdown of the first half — via a ridiculous catch from Jordan Watkins.
By the numbers
Time of possession: Despite the Rebels’ aggressive play style — they frequently employed tempo to speed up the Blue Devils — they retained a massive advantage in time of possession at the end of the first quarter. Ole Miss possessed the ball for 10:16, more than twice as much as Duke. Furthermore, The Rebels ran 27 plays to the Blue Devils’ 11. Duke’s inability to get the gears turning on offense paired with Dart’s machine-like efficiency painted a daunting picture for Diaz’s squad after the first 15 minutes.
Passing yards: Dart’s 250 total passing yards in the first half were more than anyone against Duke’s defense this season. Furthermore, the Kaysville, Utah, native broke the Ole Miss record for passing yards and total offense in the first half. The Blue Devils were exposed seemingly every time they dropped into zone coverage, as Dart connected with his receivers to find wide-open holes in space. And when Duke brought pressure, Dart routinely called his own number and ran uncovered for big gains.
Total tackles: By the end of the first half, it looked as though the Blue Devils’ defense was running out of steam. Bentley hit a nasty juke to make a man fall on a third down play, and Duke repeatedly missed tackles in open space. The Blue Devils’ struggles were magnified by the time of possession differential and the disparity in total tackles: 49 to 23. The defense certainly came out hitting hard, but by the time the team jogged into the locker room, they were in need of more than a few ice packs.
A play that mattered
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Blue Devils were in desperate need of some momentum after their third straight punt. And for a moment, it seemed that the defense would provide just that. Howard and Cameron Bergeron combined for a pair of tackles for loss to bring up third-and-19 for the Rebels. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke dialed up the pressure once again, but this time Dart took to the ground to escape. No. 2 showed off his legs with a crucial first-down scramble, and ran for 12 more yards a few plays later to bring his team back within striking distance. The Duke defense was able to force a field goal to make it 17-0, but Dart’s individual efforts ensured that Ole Miss retained complete control of the game.
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Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity junior and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.