DURHAM – There is failing to capitalize on an opponent’s mistakes.

And then there’s what Duke’s offense did Saturday night.

Duke’s defense forced six turnovers and those were turned into zero — zilch — nada — goose egg — whatever other void-based words you can think of — points by its offense.

That was the sticking point in No. 22 SMU’s 28-27 overtime win over the Blue Devils on Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium.

“Ultimately, it’s about points off of turnovers and our inability to capitalize, and you have to give them credit,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said.

He gave SMU credit; the Mustangs gave Duke the ball plenty of times.

A couple of those empty drives were — not forgivable, but kind of understandable. The first one came on the game’s opening possession, when SMU (7-1, 4-0 ACC) botched a handoff inside Duke’s 10-yard line. And two of them were in a wild final minute of the first half, when time was tight.

The three that were inexcusable, though, all came in the last nine minutes of regulation when the score was knotted at 21-21.

- Tre Freeman intercepted a fluttering pass to put Duke at SMU’s 37-yard line; the Blue Devils picked up one first down before that possession stalled. Junior kicker Todd Pelino, who already missed an extra point, pulled a 42-yard field goal attempt wide left.

- Chandler Rivers intercepted a pass over the middle, diving in front of Kevin Jennings’ throw to set up the Blue Devils’ offense at SMU’s 39; the Blue Devils went three-and-out, only gaining a yard. Freshman punter Kade Reynoldson line-drived a punt into the end zone for a touchback.

- Cameron Bergeron forced a fumble that was recovered by Ozzie Nicholas and returned to SMU’s 14-yard line with 1:17 left; Duke ran the ball twice, setting the ball up in the middle of the field and calling a timeout with three seconds left. Pelino’s 30-yard attempt at a game winner was blocked by Jahfari Harvey — one of several Mustangs recruited to Miami when Diaz coached there who’s found a home at SMU.

“On the field, it felt like it was low,” Diaz said of the kick. “But … it would be unfair to make any assessment right now. The only assessment that I will make is that I trust Todd Pelino, I believe in Todd Pelino.

“If we had that situation at the end of a game again, I would feel very comfortable putting him in that situation and I believe he would knock it right through the pipes.”

It’s just not how things played out in overtime.

SMU scored on the second play of the extra session, Brashard Smith hitting a hole and busting through the secondary for a 24-yard run. That put him at 117 yards and two scores, along with three catches for 22 yards.

Duke only needed one play to score its touchdown, Maalik Murphy hitting Eli Pancol for a contested-catch touchdown on the right side of the end zone.

The Blue Devils went for the 2-point conversion and win right there — Murphy rolled right and threw just wide of Pancol.

Having missed three straight kicks was only part of Diaz’s decision to go for the win.

“You’re going to get the ball first in the second overtime and you’re going to have to go for two. So, ideally, you’re going to need a touchdown and 2-point conversion anyway,” Diaz said. “So, if you’ve got a chance to win the game in the bottom of the first inning, to me, you do it. Because the best-chance scenario for our offense in the second inning was to score a touchdown and go for two.”

So, instead of a gutsy call to win the game in dramatic fashion, Duke is left picking up the pieces of an overtime loss — with a trip to Miami on deck next weekend.

“It’s always tough when you feel like we’re in the right position to win the game,” defensive tackle Kendy Charles said. “Overall, it’s tough to lose games like that. But I feel like we’re a strong enough team, we have a great bond and great culture, we’ll bounce back from this.”

The Blue Devils trailed by a touchdown at halftime and when SMU hit on a 72-yard catch-and-run to reach Duke’s 1-yard line early in the third quarter, things were dire.

But Duke stuffed four straight runs for a goal-line stand.

“To turn somebody away like that, there is a physical toughness, there is a mental toughness,” Diaz said.

SMU did get a two-touchdown lead, Kevin Jennings hitting Roderick Daniels Jr. for an 81-yard touchdown on a busted coverage.

The Blue Devils answered that with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Murphy to Jordan Moore. Duke’s next possession was capped by Star Thomas’ 1-yard score, and Murphy connecting with Pancol on that 2-point conversion tied the game at 21-21.

Duke put the first points on the scoreboard; SMU scoring two touchdowns on 12- and 17-play marches in the first half meant the halftime score was 14-7.

The end of the first half lacked points but not excitement. The first play after the 2-minute break was a third-down incompletion by Duke, followed by a punt.

And there were three possession changes in the final minute of the first half.

Jennings was picked off by Bergeron with 36 seconds left. Duke turned the ball over on downs, with Murphy scrambling for 8 yards — his season-long rush — but Javon Harvey dropping a fourth-and-2 pass over the middle.

On the next snap, SMU tight end Matthew Hibner fumbled — forced and recovered by Freeman — it back to Duke. The Blue Devils got two snaps before halftime, the last of them being a heave to the end zone that was knocked down (and short).

EXTRA POINTS: Duke entered the week leading the country in tackles for loss but had a season-low two against SMU—and one of those was credited to Ryan Smith for his fumble recovery that ended SMU’s first drive. … Duke is now 15-3 at Wallace Wade Stadium in the last three seasons. The losses have come under excruciating circumstances; UNC with a last-minute touchdown in 2022, Notre Dame with a fourth-and-16 conversion in 2023, and now SMU in overtime. … Duke is now plus-94 in fourth-quarter scoring differential since the start of the 2022 season. … Linebacker Nick Morris Jr. was suited up but didn’t get any defensive snaps for the second straight week.