Duke rallies, falls short in OT
The rally and fight was there from Duke for the second straight road game, and the result wound up being the same.
Georgia Tech beat Duke 23-20 in overtime after Duke scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes – the Blue Devils’ only two touchdowns of the game.
“I told our guys in the locker room, I’m proud of our fight, proud of our resiliency,” Duke coach Mike Elko said. “I thought we showed again that this program will battle … but the reality is for three and a half quarters, we just didn’t make enough plays to win a game on the road in the ACC.”
Duke (4-2, 1-1 ACC) had 240 yards on its first nine possessions, before marching 80 yards to tie the game in the final minute.
Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1) kicked a field goal to start the overtime period.
Blue Devils kicker Charlie Ham missed a 52-yard field goal to end the game; that came after Duke appeared to convert a third down and reach GT’s 5-yard line, but an offensive pass interference call against Duke negated it.
Elko looked to be furious at the call.
“I’m going to wait and watch the film on that one,” Elko said of that call.
Duke’s only touchdowns in regulation came on an 81-yard punt return by Sahmir Hagans with 5:55 left, and on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Riley Leonard to Nicky Dalmolin with 8 seconds left.
The Blue Devils got off to their slowest start of the season offensively. Duke had 133 yards in the first half on 31 plays – that 4.3 yards per play clip falling well below the 6.9 yards/play clip they entered the game with, which was third in the ACC entering this weekend.
Some of that had to do with who was and wasn’t on the field.
Running back Jaylen Coleman didn’t suit up, and wide receiver Jalon Calhoun was banged up in the first quarter. Starting offensive lineman Maurice McIntyre was also lost to an injury.
Georgia Tech had two lengthy, 12-play drives that led to points in the first half – the first going 76 yards but ending with Gavin Stewart’s 22-yard field goal, the second going 94 yards and ending with Nate McCollum’s 18-yard touchdown catch from Jeff Sims.
Charlie Ham hit a 45-yard field goal to account for Duke’s only points of the first half.
Duke linebacker Shaka Heyward committed a targeting penalty late in the first half when he hit a sliding Jeff Sims. That resulted in Heyward being thrown out, and in a third-down conversion when the Blue Devils could’ve gotten the ball back with a few minutes left on the clock before halftime.