That Duke lost its first game of the season wasn’t as surprising as the nature of it.

The Blue Devils gave up two fourth-quarter touchdowns and lost to Georgia Tech 24-14 on Saturday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Playing for a sixth straight week and with an off week coming, Duke’s depth and energy was worn out.

“We’ve felt very confident about the way we play in the fourth quarter and today, our guys just didn’t have it,” coach Manny Diaz said. “I don’t fault our effort, our want-to, our desire. The guys gave everything.”

It wasn’t enough, as the Blue Devils (5-1, 1-1 ACC) lost for the first time in Diaz’s tenure. They had been 40-6 in the fourth quarter of the first five games, were the only team in the country that hadn’t allowed a fourth-quarter touchdown, and were plus-100 in the fourth quarter since the start of the 2022 season.

“They made plays that they needed to make. … We just have to come back and continue to do our job,” defensive tackle Aaron Hall said. “Just can’t dwell on this right here.”

Duke took its first lead with less than three minutes left in the third quarter — hey, that was ahead of last week’s pace — when Sahmir Hagans came free on a blown coverage and all-out blitz, and Maalik Murphy lofted it to him for a 65-yard touchdown.

The ensuing drive took a while, but wound up being the answer GT needed.

The Yellow Jackets (4-2, 2-2) went 85 yards in 14 plays, the last 3 of which was a third-and-goal touchdown pass from Haynes King to running back Jamal Haynes. That drive was kept alive by a fourth-and-3 conversion from Duke’s 38-yard line.

Duke went backwards on its first play of the following drive, and then two incompletions meant the Blue Devils had gone three-and-out in 51 seconds.

GT iced the game with a seven-play, 70-yard drive that ended with King throwing a 9-yard touchdown to Eric Singleton Jr. It was a drive that Duke got a third-down stop near midfield, but was extended because of a roughing-the-passer penalty against DaShawn Stone.

With the deficit at 10, Duke’s Todd Pelino missed a 43-yard field goal at the 3:58 mark. That just about ended it; Duke didn’t get the ball back until there was less than 20 seconds left, and Murphy threw an interception to end whatever hope was left.

“It’s a bye week coming at a good time for us,” Diaz said. “We’ll need it to regroup, to rest, to get our bodies back and to get our minds back for the second half of the season.”

Duke got off to another sluggish start but at least it wasn’t being shut out in the first half for a second straight week.

The Blue Devils converted a fourth-and-3 with a 4-yard pass to Star Thomas on the other side of the 2-minute warning, and got a first down on a pass interference that overturned an interception down the sideline.

On the play after the penalty, Murphy connected with Eli Pancol on a crossing route, and it turned into a 20-yard touchdown that made it 10-7 at halftime.

GT swallowed up more than six minutes on the opening drive of the game, capping a 12-play, 60-yard march with running QB Zach Pyron’s 2-yard plunge. The Yellow Jackets added a field goal five minutes into the second quarter — that drive taking 5-plus minutes off the clock and going 13 plays — to make it a 10-0 start.

EXTRA POINTS: Pancol scored a combined five touchdowns in his first four seasons (2019-22); he’s scored five touchdowns in six games this season. … Duke had six TFLs, which matches last week’s total and is a season-low. The Blue Devils recorded the first sack of the season against GT, but they only had one and it was for a 1-yard loss on the first play of the drive on which GT took the lead in the fourth quarter. … Diaz said Duke lost nickel Cameron Bergeron to an injury, so it had linebacker Tre Freeman playing that position in the defense. … Thomas, having run for 399 yards in the last three games, had 48 yards on 14 carries to lead Duke.