Duke’s first loss of the season came with plenty to unpack, even if the final result was a 28-25 road defeat to Georgia Tech.
The Blue Devils slipped to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play, with North Carolina coming up next weekend at 3-2 and also 1-1 in the ACC. Duke had a real shot to steal this one in Atlanta, and it stayed in the fight even after falling behind by 11 points in the third quarter.
One of the clearest signs of just how competitive this game was: Duke’s defense still held up well enough to keep the Blue Devils alive, even if it didn’t quite match the standard it had set in the first four weeks. Before facing Georgia Tech, Duke had been one of the nation’s best second-half defenses, outscoring opponents 62-6 in the second half.
On this night, the Blue Devils were outscored 15-14 after halftime. That’s still a solid effort, but it was also the toughest second-half showing Manny Diaz’s group has had so far.
The penalty battle also shaped the game. Duke was flagged five times for 56 yards in the first half, then added just one more penalty after the break.
That lone second-half flag turned into a massive moment. Late in the game, on 2nd-and-20, Bradley Gompers was called for a late hit, handing Georgia Tech a first down.
The Yellow Jackets then finished the drive with the go-ahead touchdown and, eventually, the game-winner.
Duke also gave itself chances by keeping drives moving on offense. The Blue Devils converted 10 of 17 third downs and went 1 for 1 on fourth down.
Georgia Tech finished 4 of 10 on third down and 1 of 2 on fourth. Duke even won the first-down battle, piling up 28 to Georgia Tech’s 21.
The Blue Devils didn’t get the win, but they did show enough on both sides to make this one a real game until the end.
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