2021 Game Recap – Duke Wins (Again!)

Most people expected Duke to be 2-1 after playing Northwestern in Week 3 of the 2021 season. That’s because most people expected the Blue Devils to get wins against Charlotte and A&T followed by a loss to the Wildcats. But life is what happens when you’re busy making plans and Duke managed to end up 2-1 after losing to Charlotte and following it up with wins against A&T and Northwestern. It may not be the 2-1 we expected, but we’ll take it.

The game was a tale of two halves. The Blue Devils came out on absolute fire, putting up 21 points in the first quarter before slowing down and settling for three field goals in the second (and none after that). Gunnar Holmberg continued to look sharp, completing 31/44 passes for 314 yards, 1 touchdown and a pick that wasn’t really on him. He took a hand to the helmet (penalty? Anyone?), the ball came out a little ugly and he got picked. The rest of the team came to play, too. Mataeo ran for 102 yards on 22 carries and put up two total touchdowns. Jake Bobo caught 11 passes for 109 yards and Eli Pancol had 3 catches including one that sealed the win for Duke. On top of that, Jordan Moore resurrected the Connette package and gobbled up another touchdown (more on Moore below – great pun, right? The Dad jokes are strong with this one).

The defense showed up as well after two inconsistent weeks. The defensive line came to life and kept Northwestern in check for most of the game. Ben Frye looked like the player we heard so much about during the offseason and DeWayne Carter had a tremendous strip of the football that knocked Northwestern’s backup quarterback out of the game (who, by the way, almost brought the Wildcats back from a 30-0 deficit). That play may well have sealed the game and put the Blue Devils in the win column. Shaka Heyward had another game with double-digit tackles and the secondary, particularly Lummie Young, looked dominant. But for a terrible pass interference call that stole a pick-six from Josh Blackwell, Duke would have ended the game with 37 points.

There was a lot to like about this game. Gunnar continued to play very, very well. With the game on the line, he made a lot of throws to places where only the receiver could get it. He was efficient with the ball, got rid of it quickly and always seemed to find the right man. The defense also showcased its depth. Ja’Mion Franklin got extended minutes and controlled the middle. We need to see more of him. The guy can make plays and we need to give him chances to do that. The secondary made some big plays, snagging three (should have been four – thanks, officials) interceptions, and Dorian Mausi continued to play well. Hopefully J’Marick Woods will be back next week, because he looked real, real good until he left the game due to injury. As for the kicking game, Porter Wilson was Porter Wilson and Charlie Ham was Charlie Ham. Again, the Blue Devils have good kicking teams and that can get a team three wins each season.

But just as there were things to like, there were a number of things not to like. Duke had a lot of penalties, 10 for 104 yards. This is a worrisome trait that goes back to last season. Lack of discipline will cost you in close games, so the Blue Devils have to fix this. Now. While we all like Jordan Moore, the kid is confident, I thought he got utilized at times that didn’t make sense. There were times in the red zone where I felt we needed to give the ball to Durant. Mataeo only has 398 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in three games, so why not feed him the rock? It worked against A&T at the end of the first half. Why not keep doing it till it doesn’t work? While I’m not saying we shouldn’t have a Moore package, I am saying less might be more. (Two Moore puns in one post? I’m on fire, guys!) And speaking of Mataeo, stop running to the edge. Let him run between the tackles.

In addition, the coaching situation left a little to be desired. We subbed players at the end of the first half and Northwestern wisely took a lot of time to sub its players. This resulted in a lot of time coming off the clock and Duke wasting an opportunity to try for six (have coordinators forgotten how to spike the ball?). It ultimately didn’t matter in the end, but it was frustrating to watch. I also thought the play calls could have been better. I’m not going to freak out about it and will chalk it up to having a first year coordinator. Let’s hope things improve.

Finally, remember when I mentioned that Gunnar’s performance should cause all of us to wonder why he didn’t play last year? Well, I guess Fitzgerald read my thoughts on the A&T game because he sure pulled his struggling Clemson transfer quarterback for a mobile backup when his first stringer couldn’t stop turning the ball over. The result was almost overcoming a 30 point deficit. There’s a reason I said Fitzgerald is a better coach than Cutcliffe. His willingness to make a change proved it.

That said, I love the win. And I love this team. Congrats, guys. This was a big win. It gave the Blue Devils back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019. I can’t wait to see you play Kansas next week.

Go Duke!