Georgia Tech ended Duke’s perfect start Saturday, hanging on at home for a 28-25 win that handed the Blue Devils their first loss of the season.
Duke came into Week 6 at 4-0 and had a chance to keep its unbeaten record intact and stay ranked in both polls. Instead, the Yellow Jackets delivered the kind of finish that turns a tight game into a frustrating road loss. Duke’s 33-yard field goal try from Gavin Strange with five seconds left fell short, and Georgia Tech escaped with the three-point victory.
The game swung late in a wild fourth quarter. Duke had taken a 25-21 lead with a late touchdown run by Nate Sheppard, but Georgia Tech answered when Trelain Maddox capped a 61-yard drive with 54 seconds remaining. The Yellow Jackets moved 61 yards in eight plays and drained 1:38 off the clock before Maddox punched in the go-ahead score, his third touchdown of the day.
Maddox was the difference throughout. He finished with 81 rushing yards on 10 carries and kept Georgia Tech moving even when the offense wasn’t overwhelming.
The Yellow Jackets needed efficiency more than fireworks, and they got it from Alberto Mendoza, who completed 23 of 30 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. That score came in the first quarter and put Georgia Tech ahead 7-0.
Duke spent much of the afternoon chasing. The Blue Devils fell behind early, then finally got on the board in the second quarter when Sheppard scored on a five-yard run.
Georgia Tech answered quickly, though, as Maddox scored again from five yards out to restore the lead at 14-7. Strange trimmed that margin with a late second-quarter field goal, sending Georgia Tech into halftime up 14-10.
The third quarter belonged to Maddox again. He broke loose for a 60-yard touchdown run, slicing through the Duke defense and pushing the Yellow Jackets ahead 21-10. Duke refused to fold, responding with a touchdown pass from Walker Eget and a two-point conversion late in the quarter to close the gap.
Eget kept Duke alive all game and finished 26 of 41 for 259 yards and one touchdown. Sheppard was a major factor as well, piling up 99 rushing yards and 91 receiving yards while doing damage both on the ground and through the air.
Duke now heads back home for a Week 7 matchup with North Carolina, which beat Pitt on Saturday.
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Instead, the Blue Devils let a winnable game unravel in painful fashion. Penalties kept handing Georgia Tech extra chances, and when Duke still had a path to force overtime, freshman kicker Gavin Strange missed the late field goal try that would have tied it. The 28-25 loss drops Duke to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in league play, a frustrating result in a game that was there to be taken. [Read more 🡒]