Duke’s unbeaten run is over, and the way it ended will sting for a while. Georgia Tech walked out with a 28-25 win, handing the Blue Devils their first loss of the season and once again leaving Manny Diaz without a victory against Brent Key and the Yellow Jackets.
That’s the headline. The bigger story is how Duke let a game it had fought back into slip away.
The Blue Devils erased an 11-point deficit in the third quarter and even grabbed a 25-21 lead late in the fourth, only to come up short in the finish. Georgia Tech was healthier and steadier throughout, and Duke never quite found the clean, complete performance it needed.
The defense had its moments, especially on third down. Those stops gave Duke’s offense extra chances and helped limit Yellow Jackets quarterback Alberto Mendoza’s vertical passing game.
But the same unit also spent too much of the afternoon dealing with self-inflicted problems. There were issues in run fits, gap integrity, penetration in the backfield and coverage spacing, and the mistakes showed up across the board.
For Diaz, that has to land hard. A defense that’s supposed to be his calling card kept repeating the kinds of errors that had already surfaced in the previous four games. The lack of discipline was hard to miss.
The interior defense was a particular problem. Duke did not have the kind of impact tackle who could consistently create disruption up front, and Georgia Tech took advantage of that.
The Blue Devils also got uneven play from key defenders, including star linebacker Luke Mergott, who missed too many tackles. In a game like this, those are the snaps that have to be won.
Nate Sheppard’s afternoon came with its own concern. The running back was injured in the first half and lost some of his explosiveness, but he stayed in the game and kept producing. He finished with 190 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, and he was central to Duke’s late push, including two big catches on the final drive that put the Blue Devils in position to tie or win it.
There was also a tougher night for Eget, at least by the standard he had set earlier. This was the first game since the opener where he really seemed bothered by pressure, and the weather appeared to affect his ability to step into throws with his surgically repaired plant leg/knee. At times he was forced to throw off his back foot, and he missed some downfield chances that could have turned into bigger plays.
Still, Eget wasn’t without his bright spots. He hit enough throws to keep Duke moving, and his checkdowns to Sheppard late helped set up the chance at a game-tying field goal.
But for a team that had been riding momentum, the combination of defensive breakdowns, the Sheppard injury and an uneven night under center was enough to turn a comeback effort into a loss. Next up is North Carolina, and Duke will need a reset fast.
In Other News...
Dukes Frustrating Collapse Exposed Two Problems Fans Cant Ignore
Dukes first loss of the season came in Atlanta, where a 28-25 defeat to Georgia Tech left the Blue Devils with plenty to sort through beyond the final score. Walker Eget and linebacker Luke Mergott were among the players who made their presence felt, and Duke actually handled itself well on third and fourth downs, showing enough composure in key spots to stay in the game deep into the afternoon.
Still, the details that tilted the result were hard to ignore. Penalties in the first half repeatedly put Duke behind schedule, and the inside running game never matched the kind of push the Blue Devils needed to control the flow of the game. For a team that had started clean and confident, the loss exposed two issues that will linger until Duke proves it can play cleaner and generate more consistent production between the tackles. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Faces Its First Real Test With Unbeaten Start On The Line
Dukes unbeaten start has given Manny Diaz and his team some early momentum, but the next step looks far more revealing than the first four games. At 4-0, the Blue Devils head into Week 6 with a trip to Georgia Tech looming, and the matchup carries extra weight after the Yellow Jackets came into Durham last season and left with a win.
This time, Duke arrives with a defense that has been tougher and a rushing attack that has helped stabilize the offense. Georgia Tech comes in at 1-3 and is looking for a lift of its own, which makes this a useful checkpoint for Duke before the schedule gets any less demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Let A Winnable Road Game Slip Away In Painful Fashion
For much of the afternoon in Atlanta, Duke had the kind of road game it needed to finish and move on, with Nate Sheppard doing plenty to keep the Blue Devils in front of the conversation. Playing through a foot injury, the running back carried a heavy load and turned in a standout all-around effort, finishing with 99 rushing yards, two touchdowns and 91 receiving yards as Duke tried to stay clean in the ACC race.
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 🡒]