Duke battles, comes up short
Blue Devils fall behind Kansas in matchup of unbeaten teams, can’t pull off comeback
Everything Duke did in the latter stages of its game Saturday at Kansas was commendable – battling back to get within a score on three occasions.
It was just the first part, the falling behind in the first place, that was lamented in the Blue Devils’ 35-27 loss in front of 47,233 people at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
“I’m proud of how we fought, I’m proud of how we competed. Got ourselves back from a hole and had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie it,” coach Mike Elko said. “But you know, we’re certainly not looking for moral victories around here.”
Duke (3-1) lost for the first time under Elko and early in the game, trailed for the first time this season. Entering the game with a combined 45-0 advantage in first quarters this season, Kansas scored first and it was the Jayhawks (4-0) who never trailed.
Kansas’ lead stretched to 28-13 in the third quarter on Jalon Daniels’ 36-yard pass to Lawrence Arnold. The third-year quarterback was every bit as good as advertised, completing 19 of 23 passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing for 83 yards and another score on 11 carries.
The Blue Devils got to within a touchdown on a 10-play, 92-yard drive that ended with Jordan Waters’ 3-yard touchdown run. Daniels scored his rushing touchdown to put the Jayhawks back up 15, and Duke’s answer was a seven-play, 70-yard drive, the last 27 yards coming on Riley Leonard’s touchdown pass to Jalon Calhoun.
Leonard was 24-for-35 for 324 yards and that touchdown, and was Duke’s leading rusher with 54 yards. Waters and Jaylen Coleman notched rushing touchdowns, and that was part of Calhoun’s five-catch, 93-yard performance.
The Blue Devils got the ball back with 2:16 left on their own 5-yard line and pushed the ball to Kansas’ 31 – the bulk coming on a 40-yard pass to Calhoun – but stalled from there.
“We have to learn how to execute a little bit better, we have to coach a little better, we’ve got to get them in better positions to be successful earlier in the game so we don’t get down like that,” Elko said.