2021 Game Recap – Duke Loses to Georgia Tech

My game recap is going to be a little abbreviated today because I missed a lot of this game thanks to a trip to VT to watch the Hokies play the Irish. Unfortunately for me, I caught the end of Duke blowing a fourth quarter lead to Georgia Tech to lose what should have been the Blue Devils’ first conference win of the season. I vented a lot of my frustration on Twitter after the game, so let’s go straight to Five Things.

Five Things I liked:

1. Despite going down 14-0 early in the game, Duke fought back and didn’t quit. The Blue Devils outscored Georgia Tech 27-17 after spotting the Yellow Jackets two scores. That tells me that this team doesn’t quit. And you need that during a season like this one.
2. Mataeo gonna Mataeo. 43 carries. 152 yards. 1 touchdown. 8 receiving yards. 2,000 plus total rushing yards in his career. Mataeo can ball.
3. The defense is getting better (wheel route notwithstanding). We got two picks. Despite a poor start to the season, the defense has shown an ability to make plays. (Capitalizing on them is another matter all together which we discuss below.)
4. I like being right. No, I’m not talking about predicting a loss. I’m talking about my early season prediction that the Blue Devils would lose a lot of close games but would show signs of life. That tells me while this season may be rough, things could well go differently for Duke next year. The real question is who will be around to lead the Blue Devils during what could be a season like 2012 was.
5. Our QB was 22/29 for 2 touchdowns. Sure, there was one pick at the end of the game, but that happens in those situations. With a guy who is that efficient under center, Duke should have a chance to steal a game or two during the second half of the season. But that probably won’t be enough to get us to a bowl which takes us to …

Five Things I Didn’t Like:

1. The Blue Devils gave up another 4th quarter lead. Just like with Charlotte, Duke had a chance to seal a win and, just like Charlotte, the defense didn’t hold. While some people who probably know a little more about football than I do have told me the defensive play call wasn’t a bad one, I’m not sure how, on third down, the DC leaves a corner in man coverage on a deep ball. Sure, a 36 yard toss for a TD isn’t easy, but college quarterbacks practice this. Plus, it seems like the Blue Devils always get beat in such situations, so why not drop 7 or 8 and be willing to give up the field goal to prevent the TD? Take it OT – the offense has played well. I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.
2. Rough day for a good kicker. I saw some players slip at times, so I’m going to chalk it up to just a bad day for Charlie Ham. Even Ross Martin missed some field goals now and then.
3. Why aren’t we giving Mataeo the ball on 4th and short? Looking at No. 2 of what I liked, he is pretty darned good and an effective player. Not letting Mataeo take the ball in those situations is really, really hard to comprehend. Play calling has been an issue all year and not letting your best back touch the ball in short yardage is a symptom of a larger disease. So, too, is not turning turnovers into points. And not giving your TE the ball enough. I could go on for a while, but I think you guys get the point. But speaking of Duke’s situational football woes …
4. This team could easily be 5-1, easily. Two blown leads in the 4th quarter has the Blue Devils trending downward and away from a bowl game. Better play calling has this team at 5-1. Losing close games the same way year after year indicates that coaches aren’t making adjustments, aren’t making changes and aren’t good at situational football. Good teams overcome, bad teams find ways to lose. The Duke coaching staff sure seems to be good at finding ways to lose. That might explain why less than 12,000 showed up to watch the Blue Devils lose.
5. Duke lost another conference game. The Blue Devils haven’t had a winning conference records since 2014 when Duke finished second in the Coastal with a 5-3 record. Let that sink in for a minute – 6 seasons with a losing conference record. That’s pretty bad no matter how you try and spin it. Last week I said look at trends and, when you do that, you see that the Blue Devils are not competitive in conference. To borrow an old phrase, you are what your record says you are and Duke’s conference record isn’t very good. How do you feel about your conference record, random fan?

Let’s hope the Blue Devils bounce back, because UVA won’t be easy.

Go Duke!