Duke Rides Out Hurricanes in Season Finale

Duke enjoyed a sweet end to a sour season by knocking off ACC foe Miami in their final game of the season.

The Blue Devils came from behind in the fourth quarter to pull out the 27-17 victory, and while the win will be enshrined in the weight room and ended their 5-game losing streak it ultimately puts Duke (5-7, 3-5 ACC) one game shy of another bowl birth.

Miami who has struggled this year under first year coach Manny Diaz, was already bowl eligible and looking to bounce back after an embarrassing loss last week to FIU.

The Hurricanes, much like most of the year proved just how far removed from the glory days of the program they have become by dropping their finale to a Duke team that had looked lost over the last month and a half of the season.

Duke once again struggled to find any offensive consistency in the first half. The Blue Devils did manage to keep Miami close and only trailed 14 to 13 at the half.

Quarterback Quentin Harris, the much maligned starter, again struggled with accuracy and ball security though proved to be the hero in the end running for a touchdown and throwing for the decisive score in the fourth quarter.

Jalon Calhoun, the recipient of Harris’ touchdown toss caught 3 passes for 82 yards. Running back Deon Jackson scored the go-ahead touchdown prior to that.

Duke’s defense, which has struggled at times with consistency and getting off the field held firm in the second half, keeping Miami out of the end zone and allowing only a field goal in the second half.

Yet as sweet as the victory over the Hurricanes is, it has to leave players, coaches, and fans with a lot of “What ifs” on a very frustrating season. Even if Coach David Cutcliffe won’t let his team use the word.What if Duke hadn’t score so early against Pitt and or their defense could have held on the Panther’s final game-winning drive? What if Duke hadn’t chosen to run what was a horribly executed jump pass late against North Carolina on the goal line?One of those two winnable games and the Blue Devils would be 6-6 and bowl eligible.

Many will look back at this season as one with lots of lost promise but an ultimate failure: At one point the Blue Devils were 4-1 and had decimated Virginia Tech on the road. After that, Duke fell to Pitt, bounced back to beat Georgia Tech and then the wheels came off. It will go down as a lost and disappointing season with a lot of questions Coach Cutcliffe and his staff will have to answer in the offseason.