2021 Game Recap – Duke beats Kansas!

It was a wild day in Wallace Wade as the Duke Blue Devils beat the Kansas Jayhawks by a final score of 52-33. And when I saw “a wild day”, I mean it. Duke found a way to keep Kansas in the game and were down at the half 24-21. Despite that, the Blue Devils didn’t quit and outscored Kansas 31-9 in the second half on their way to a third straight win (which, checks notes, is the first time this program has won three straight since 2019).

I was at the game and, despite being pretty darned nervous, loved watching Duke get a win. I was there with fellow Drinking Team Coordinator Tim and my aunt and uncle, Tom and Mary. It was great to be able to get together for our yearly game after not being able to last year (Tim hadn’t been there since our 2018 game due to a 2019 scheduling conflict). And it was also great to get to meet so many DukeGang parents. You all are wonderful people – thank you for letting me bother you. On top of that, I really enjoyed catching up with a lot of Blue Devils fans and a podcast guest.

For the recap this week, I’m going to address five things I liked and five things I didn’t like about the game. If we make this a regular part of the recaps, we’ll call it “Five Things”. Let’s start with what I liked:

1. Gunnar is getting comfortable.
   1. The quarterback keeps getting better each week. On Saturday he completed 22 of 29 passes for 328 yards and a touchdown. His interception looked like a miscommunication with the receiver which is something that can be fixed. More important, he chased the Kansas defender down, tackled him and saved a touchdown. That’s a statement play.
   2. If his passing numbers weren’t enough, Gunnar ran all over the field on Saturday. He scored four, count them, FOUR, touchdowns on the ground. He also kept the ball on RPOs and it looked like he’s learned when to take chances running the ball. If he continues to be this comfortable each week, this could be a real fun season.
2. The OL continues to improve.
   1. Just as Gunnar looks better each week, the offensive line seems to be settling into a groove. Coach Frey is utilizing his depth and giving Gunnar time to throw the ball. The line is also creating space between the tackles and Mataeo, Waters and Gunnar are taking advantage of the opportunities their line gives them.
   2. While things may change once we get into conference play, you have to be happy with how the line is playing. The offense put up 607 yards and 52 points on Saturday. The lowest scoring output of this season so far was a 28 point effort in Week 1 against Charlotte and that easily could have been a 40 plus point game for Duke. If this unit holds together, we could be looking at Fun ‘n’ Gun numbers.
3. Mataeo and Waters ran the ball well.
   1. Fumbles aside (and we cover that in more detail below), the running backs had another great day. Mataeo ran for 124 yards on 21 carries and Jordan Waters added 59 yards on 11 caries. Both scored touchdowns. The Blue Devils have an outstanding one-two punch. When your two running backs combine for two touchdowns and 183 rushing yards, you’re doing something right.
4. The defense locked Kansas down in the second half.
   1. Despite struggling early, Duke’s defense made adjustments and held Kansas to nine points in the second half. While the Blue Devils didn’t get many sacks, the defense snagged two crucial interceptions. Despite looking lost in the first half, they didn’t quit. It’s hard not to root for these guys.
5. A lot of third down stops.
   1. If you’re a Duke fan, third down, particularly third-and-long, makes you close your eyes and hold your breath. Our defense has been vulnerable in those situations for what feels like forever. Despite that painful history, Tim and I both commented on how well the defense did on third down, holding Kansas to three conversions on fourteen attempts. Those are numbers you have to like.

Now that we’ve finished with what I liked, here are the five things I didn’t like:

1. Sloppy play – too many turnovers and penalties.
   1. I mentioned it as an area of concern after Duke beat Northwestern, but the Blue Devils didn’t listen and finished the game with six penalties for 65 yards. That’s better than last week, but that will come back to haunt the team at some point. Duke has to tighten up.
   2. And on the turnovers front, one interception and one fumble isn’t bad, but it isn’t ideal, particularly if you factor in the fumbles that weren’t lost but could have been. While it didn’t cost the team on Saturday, it will at some point. Again, this team has to take better care of the football. And speaking of which …
2. Durant is fumbling too much.
   1. If memory serves, he fumbled two times on Saturday and almost a third. The Blue Devils were fortunate to lose only one of those, but you can’t pretend this isn’t a problem. The coaches sure seem concerned about it because I got the sense that Durant got pulled for a bit after his last fumble.
   2. This has to stop. Mataeo is too good of a player to be this careless with the football. Maybe it’s just bad luck and people gunning for him, I don’t know, but I think we would all like to see the fumbles stop.
3. The defense is still vulnerable to big plays.
   1. This one is self-explanatory. Kansas’ top receiver had 5 catches for 122 yards. The Jayhawks’ second best receiver had 4 catches for 99 yards. Three different receivers averaged 20 plus yards per catch. That’s a recipe for trouble, particularly if the defense doesn’t figure out how to cover the wheel route.
4. We made Kansas look real, real good.
   1. As part of my game preview, I detailed pretty extensively how Kansas hadn’t played well coming into Saturday. Offensive woes aside, the Jayhawks sure looked like world-beaters in the first half. Despite having a quarterback who hadn’t thrown particularly well all season, Kansas’ starter finished with 323 yards and 2 touchdowns.
   2. It seems like Duke plays to the level of competition, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. While the Blue Devils’ offense finally played well in both the first and the second half, the fact that the defense hasn’t put together one consistent game has to be an area of concern for the coaching staff. Let’s hope this gets turned around as the season goes on
5. Consistent with points three and four, the DL needs to get more pressure on the quarterback.
   1. While the one sack Ben Frye got was a huge one that killed a Kansas drive, it was the only sack the team managed. Add to that Kansas rushing for more than 200 yards and you have a defensive line that isn’t controlling the line of scrimmage. If Duke wants to keep up its winning ways, the DL will have to start getting more sacks and do more to control the line of scrimmage.

Can the Blue Devils do it? I sure hope so, because this is a real fun team to watch. Let me know what you think below.

Go Duke!