DURHAM, N.C. — Duke entered Saturday’s game riding a high after destroying Virginia Tech on the road last week. It left the field heartbroken, having been in one of the more bizarre games of the season that resulted in a 33-30 loss.

Duke scored what many believed to be the game-winning score on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Quentin Harris to Deon Jackson with 1:49 remaining on the clock. The score came just moments after Pitt defender Paris Ford was ejected for a targeting call that gave Duke a first down.

But Pitt had other plans. After picking up just one first down and turning the ball over three times in its last seven drives, the Panthers put together a four play, 82 yard scoring drive to jump ahead for good with just 38 seconds remaining.

The Blue Devils had one last opportunity, but their fourth quarter magic ran out when Harris fumbled with 22 seconds remaining. The fumble was Harris’ fifth turnover of the game, and the team’s sixth.

Despite Duke’s dominating performance in Blacksburg, and three straight wins since a season opening loss to Alabama, the Blue Devils’ matchup with Pitt was expected to be somewhat of a measuring stick.

If indeed it was a measuring stick, then things were not turning out to look too good for the Blue Devils, as the Quentin Harris-led offense was as bad as any we’ve seen in quite some time in Durham.

At least that was the case for the first three quarters. The final quarter showed that Duke has a ton of fight.

Duke’s senior quarterback turned the ball over six times Saturday, including two interceptions and three fumbles. The first interception resulted in a pick-6 was part of a four play stretch that featured three turnovers by Harris.

Harris completed just 18-of-43 passes for 165 yards. His rush total came to just 39 yards after three sacks. He did score twice on the guard.

Overall, the Blue Devils’ offense picked up 20 first downs, with eight of those coming in the fourth quarter alone. Duke opened the game with an impressive 14 play, 65 yard drive that resulted in the game’s first three points. But things went south quickly afterwards.

Duke’s next 11 drives culminated in just 51 total yards of offense. It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that Duke found a smidgen of success moving the ball, as it gained 22 yards on four plays before turning it over for a fifth time. This time it was wide receiver Aaron Young who attempted a pass down field on a trick play, but the ball once again found the hands of a Pitt defender.

The Blue Devils were atrocious in third down efficiency for most of the game, converting 10-of-22 tries. By game’s end, Duke’s offense had gained just 288 total yards.

As bad as all of that is, somehow Duke found itself with a shot to win the game in the fourth quarter. Pitt began to have its own meltdown in the second half, turning the ball over three of its four times in the half and gaining just 153 yards, 82 of which came on the game-winning drive.

The Blue Devils capitalized, turning two Pitt fumbles into 15 points in the waning moments of the third quarter and just into the fourth.

Pitt’s offense was 6-of-18 third down attempts, with several leading to points, but when they mattered most down the stretch, Duke’s defense came up big - at least until the Panthers final possession.

Defensive tackle Edgar Cerenord picked off Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett on a third down attempt, and returned it 17 yards to the Panthers’ 25-yard line. That set-up Duke’s game-tying possession.

Duke quickly took advantage, finding the end zone on a 3-yard rush by Harris. The Blue Devils failed to convert their second two-point conversion to tie the game at 26 after a bizarre inadvertent signal by a referee reversed Duke’s initial conversion.

Like Duke’s offense, though, the Panthers struggled for much of the night as well. Only two offensive possessions resulted in more than 42 yards, a 68-yard drive that ended in a Marquis Waters interception in the end zone, and the 82-yard drive that won the game.

Two of Pitt’s three offensive touchdowns came on short fields following Duke turnovers.

In taking a closer look a the stat sheet, Duke’s defense held its own, allowing 337 total yards, and forcing four turnovers. Duke posted eight tackles for loss, pushing the Panthers back a total of 43 yards. Twenty-eight of those yards came via the sack for Duke, 22 yards of that coming from two Victor Dimukeje sacks.

Pitt was also a victim of its own discipline issues, being whistled for 15 penalties for 145 yards, including seven personal foul calls.

While there’s still much to be learned about this Duke team, one thing we know for certain is there is absolutely zero quit in this squad. While the rest of us were giving up on them, they were still fighting.