2021 Game Previews – Duke takes on Pitt

I don’t remember the last time that Duke beat Pitt, but it seems like forever ago. In 2019, the Blue Devils lost a heartbreaker in part due to a combination of bad calls and blowing a late lead. 2017 and 2018 saw two close losses whereas 2015 and 2016 were complete blowouts. You have to go all the way back to 2014 to find the last time Duke managed to beat Pitt thanks in large part to Cut using three straight timeouts to ice Chris Blewitt which brought home a double-OT victory on the road. Really, on the road? Yep, on the road.

Why am I bringing all these games up? I promise it isn’t to cause unnecessary pain – it’s because I’m sticking with the trends like I’ve done all season. (So, are you following your own trend, Bull City Coordinator? Yes, I am, Other Bull City Coordinator, yes, I am.)

Looking at the trends, Pitt is in the midst of a pretty darned good season right now. The Panthers are 6-2 (3-1) and are first in the Coastal. While losing to Miami was a bad loss, Pitt has a good argument they got cheated out of a safety (hey, it’s nice to see someone else get screwed by replay against Miami) that may have cost them the game. Given the fact that Pitt probably has the best quarterback in the conference, expect them to come out angry and take out their frustration on the Blue Devils.

Look, I’d like to believe that Duke is going to snap to attention and play well on Saturday. But, sticking with the trends, I’m not seeing how that’s possible. The Blue Devils haven’t won a game in over a month, haven’t played well in conference and are getting blown out by the competition. You can’t muster 14 points against UNC, UVA and Wake and expect the fans to think you have a shot at a victory.

Given that context, I’m taking Pitt to win and win big. I think Pitt will drop around 50 and the Blue Devils will score … Let’s say 10? 52-10? Does that sound right? I mean, Pitt doesn’t have a great defense, so some points are possible. Anyway, I’m just hoping that this team shows some life because we haven’t seen that since Georgia Tech. I like a lot of these players, but Cut seems to have driven the passion out of them. I want them to do well, but I’m realistic and understand this is going to be an uphill fight.

Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments or on Twitter.

Go Duke!