DURHAM – Sometimes a team suffers through one of those inexplicable seasons the bounces of an oblong ball exacerbates. Take Duke in 2019, for example.
The Blue Devils (4-6, 3-4 ACC Coastal) suffered their fourth straight loss and fifth in the last six games, while Syracuse (4-6, 1-5 ACC Atlantic) snapped a four-game losing streak with its first conference win in a 49-6 decision before only 16,286 fans on a cold and windy night at Wallace Wade Stadium.
“I wish I knew the answers outside of the obvious,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “Let’s start with them being able to run the ball effectively against us. We didn’t expect that coming in. The first half we ended up down a score after blown opportunity after blown opportunity.”
With three turnovers, Duke now has 24 for the season. They ranked in a five-way tie for 123rd entering the game and ran the risk of ranking 130th and last this week, but, Akron and Hawaii spared the Blue Devils. Akron (1/25) and Hawaii (3/27) added to their turnover totals in this week’s games.
After a slow start, Duke had fought back from a first-quarter 14-0 deficit to trail 14-6 at halftime. The Blue Devils seemingly added to their mounting momentum when they kicked off to start the second half and forced a three-and-out punt.
But on Duke’s second play, tough-luck quarterback Quentin Harris had a pass tipped not once but twice until free safety Andre Cisco plucked it out of the air on the run for a 48-yard touchdown interception return.
Two plays later, Harris’ pass to the right sideline bounced out of wide receiver Jake Bobo’s hands into the waiting grasp of cornerback Christopher Fredrick for another interception. Syracuse needed only six plays for quarterback Tommy DeVito to complete a 22-yard touchdown pass to third-team true freshman tight end Luke Benson.
Just like that the momentum from forcing a punt to start the second half evaporated into a 28-6 deficit midway through the third period.
But the Blue Devils weren’t done handing the game to the Orange. Three plays later, running back Mataeo Durant was stripped by outside linebacker Andrew Armstrong. Strong safety Evan Foster scooped and returned the ball 27 yards to the Duke 15.
Four plays later Moe Neal scored on a 2-yard run for a 35-6 lead with 4:35 left in the third.
Syracuse, which had won its previous three games while leading at halftime, was well on its way to being 4-for-4 in that category.
“First of all I have the utmost respect for David Cutcliffe,” Syracuse coach Dino Babers said. “I know that’s a good football team. There’s no doubt he’ll get that team to a bowl team. It was a really, really good effort by our young men. It was a celebration in there (the locker room). It was only one game but how important of a game it was for us was extreme based on the past couple of weeks.”
Duke put its back to the wall from the start of the game in its bid to win two of its final three games for bowl eligibility.
The Blue Devils wanted the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss and drove to Syracuse’s 24-yard line, but then mistakes thwarted a scoring opportunity. After no gain on a rushing attempt from the 24, a false started moved the ball back to second-and-15 from the 29. With the drive stalled, Duke settled for a 44-yard field goal attempt that A.J. Reed missed to the left.
Syracuse took over at the 26-yard line and scored in four plays, with two big receptions from redshirt junior wide receiver Trishton Jackson. The Michigan State transfer took a 50-yard catch-and-run to the Duke 19. Two plays later Jackson scored on an 18-yard reception.
After Syracuse forced a punt, the Orange drove 80 yards in nine plays for a 14-0 lead with 3:07 left in the first period. Quarterback Tommy DeVito scored on a 1-yard run.
The next time the Blue Devils were in scoring position, a third-and-10 pass from the 30-yard fell incomplete. Cutcliffe sent in Reed to try a 47-yard field goal, but the Blue Devils were penalized five yards for an illegal substation. Cutcliffe recalled the field goal unit for the punt team.
Duke finally got on the board with an exchange of punts leading to Reed hitting a 31-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 14-3 with 6:14 left in the first half.
After Duke forced another punt, the Blue Devils managed Reed’s career-best 51-yard field goal with 22 seconds left to make it 14-6 at halftime. But the encouragement was fleeting.
Syracuse, coming off a bye week, was playing its first game since head coach Dino Babers fired defensive coordinator Brian Ward. Defensive ends coach Steve Stanard was promoted on an interim basis.
Ward was let go a day after Syracuse allowed a school record 496 yards rushing in a 58-27 loss at home to Boston College.
Syracuse’s defense entered the game ranked 12th in the ACC in points allowed per game (32.6), 13th in total yards (456.7), in rushing (197.3) and 12th in passing (259.3). The defense topped improved on those numbers in points, 279 total yards, 122 rushing yards and 157 passing yards.
Offensively, the Orange were ranked 12th in scoring (24.1), 10th in total yards (376.6), 12th in rushing (124.6) and eighth in passing (252.0). They topped the point total, 395 total yards and 286 rushing with 109 passing.
Syracuse entered the game 14th in sacks given up (45) and allowed only one. The Orange was eighth in sacks recorded (25 for 147) and had four.
“Syracuse did a good job, hats off to them,” Cutcliffe said. “Cliches aren’t going to fix what we have to do. Intense study by our staff and intense work by our staff and team is about the only path out of a hole like this. It will not define us and it will not defeat us. I can say that.”
Duke’s final two chances for six wins are Saturday at Wake Forest and Nov. 30 against Miami at home.
HOLMAN RECOVERING
With 52 seconds left in the first quarter, Duke sophomore left tackle Casey Holman suffered a neck injury that required him to be taken to the hospital. He had movement, but his neck stabilized in place as he was put on a stretcher. Duke’s players came on the field to surround him at midfield as the cart was wheeled off the field to be taken to a hospital.
Redshirt junior Jaylen Miller, a 6-foot-3, 315-pounder, replaced Holman. The left the Blue Devils playing with backups on the left side of the line.
Redshirt sophomore center Will Taylor (6-3, 285) made his first start in place of Jack Wohlabaugh who underwent ankle surgery earlier in the week. At left guard, redshirt freshman Maurice McIntyre (6-2, 3210) was in for Zach Baker, who has been playing banged up.
McIntyre had replaced Baker two games ago in the North Carolina loss.
Duke entered the game down 13 scholarship players with injuries. Also leaving the game were wide receiver Scott Bracey and defensive tackle Tahj Rice.
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Tom Shanahan, Author: Raye of Light http://tinyurl.com/knsqtqu
— Book on Michigan State’s leading role in the integration of college football. It explains Duffy Daugherty’s untold pioneering role and debunks myths that steered recognition away from him to Bear Bryant.
http://shanahan.report/a/the-case-for-duffy-and-medal-of-freedom
Don’t believe the myths at Duffy Daugherty’s expense about Bear Bryant’s motivation to play the 1970 USC-Alabama game or myths about the Charlie Thornhill-for-Joe Namath trade. Bear Bryant knew nothing about black talent in the South while he dragged his feet on segregation.
http://www.shanahan.report/a/forty-four-underground-railroad-legacy-facts
http://shanahan.report/a/myths-that-grew-out-of-1970-alabama-game-with-usc
http://shanahan.report/a/mystery-solved-in-thornhill-and-namath-myth
David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and biographer; “History writes people out of the story. It’s our job to write them back in.”
https://www.augustpublications.com/products/raye-of-light-jimmy-raye-duffy-daugherty-the-integration-of-college-football-and-the-1965-66-michigan-state-spartans
https://www.augustpublications.com/
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