Preview: Pittsburgh at Duke

The warmup routines of college football players can vary from player to player.

For five years, Duke running back Jaylen Coleman has always had one unique moment within the fabric of his warmup. It’s in that moment Saturday, during Duke’s Senior Day against Pittsburgh, that Coleman figures the emotions will hit him that it’s his final home game.

He’s called his dad.

“Just to let him know how I’m feeling,” Coleman said of that phone call. “He gives me some words of encouragement and that’s just been something special that we’ve shared these last five years here.

“I think it’ll probably hit me in that moment, knowing it’ll be my last time walking down that tunnel, taking the field.”

The Blue Devils have been through an emotional gauntlet of a season, from the 5-1 start to losing four of the last five games. Each of those past four losses has come on the road, so returning to Wallace Wade Stadium should be a warm feeling.

It’s a senior class that Duke is set to honor that’s helped the program move quickly forward from the stale ending of David Cutcliffe’s tenure into Mike Elko’s first two seasons as head coach.

“There’s a lot of really special kids that will be out on that field getting recognized for Senior Day, and a lot of special kids who have meant an awful lot to Duke football,” Elko said, “and certainly have meant a lot to this two-year resurgence of Duke football.

“From that perspective, it’s going to be a really emotional, special day.”

The focus, Elko continued, becomes making sure that group of players goes out on a high note.

That means beating a Pitt team that Duke has only one win against over the past 12 meetings.

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Here’s a primer on what you need to know for Saturday’s game:

Time: 12 p.m.

Location: Wallace Wade Stadium.

TV: ACC Network.

Announcers: Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst) and Marilyn Payne (sidelines).

Radio link: Listen to the crew that knows Duke best.

Forecast: Upper-40s at kickoff and sunny, getting into 50s but cloudy by game’s end. Winds around 6-8 mph.

Series; last meeting: Pitt leads 17-9; Pitt won 28-26 last season.

Records: Pitt 3-8, 2-5 ACC; Duke 6-5, 3-4.

Stat to watch: 620.

That’s how many passing yards Duke has allowed in the past two weeks combined, giving up 342 in the overtime loss at UNC and 278 in last weekend’s loss at Virginia.

In Duke’s first nine games, you can’t find back-to-back games in which the Blue Devils gave up 500 combined passing yards. In only one instance, the Blue Devils gave up more than 450. Going back three games was Wake Forest throwing for 241 yards, including a 16-for-19 completion rate.

What was a strength of Duke’s for most of the season has not been much of one lately.

“If you look at just Saturday (against Virginia), there were a couple of times where we just got out of our lanes on zone drops and created huge voids,” Elko said. “I think it’s times that we could be better at rushing the passer and disrupting the quarterback.

“I think it’s a multi-layered issue, the last three games.”

Quote of the week: “You know, you don’t want to make excuses. It has been a gauntlet of a schedule. And when that happens, I think sometimes there’s a wear and tear that you have to learn how to play through. That’s what we’ve talked to the guys about.

“Like, I think there’s been some emotional rollercoasters this year that these kids are having to experience for the first time.” – Elko

Opposing offensive player to watch: Wide receiver Bub Means (No. 0).

Not just because his name is “Bub,” but that doesn’t hurt.

Means has been one of the better receivers in the ACC for the past two months but he’s flown under the radar because of Pitt’s record. In the past seven games, he has 29 catches for 565 yards. He’s scored a touchdown in five of those seven games, and that’s an average of 19.5 yards per catch.

Means is Pitt’s top contested-catch target, hauling in 10 of 19 targets (per Pro Football Focus). No other Pitt player has more than four contested catches.

The 6-2, 215-pounder began his collegiate career as a defensive back at Tennessee. He transferred after one season to Louisiana Tech, where he spent two seasons before joining the Panthers for the last two years.

Opposing defensive player to watch: Defensive end Dayon Hayes (No. 50).

Hayes has been getting QB pressures all season — team-high 39, per PFF — without much to show for it in terms of sacks.

Until last week, that is.

Hayes sacked Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos twice, giving Hayes four sacks this season. His first two sacks came in the first two games (one in each).

The 6-3, 265-pounder has had six tackles in each of the last two games and forced a fumble against Syracuse. He’s a first-time starter and despite his listing as a senior, has another season of eligibility remaining, should he choose to use it.

Young Blue Devil to watch: Receiver Mehki Wall (No. 11).

The flurry of fourth-quarter catches against Virginia was a bright spot for the Blue Devils.

Wall had five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown in Charlottesville, all of those coming in the fourth quarter. With Jalon Calhoun suffering an injury, the Blue Devils needed a receiver to step up, and that was Wall.

The 5-9, 173-pounder from Greensboro was dynamic in his high school career at Dudley High School and, with Calhoun’s eligibility running out, could be a key piece of the offense heading into next year.

Don’t forget about: It being Senior Day.

The list of the 37 players slated to go through Senior Day for Duke can be found here.

Last year’s list included a swath of players who returned for this season; this year’s list could feature some of the same. But it also includes some key contributors who have run out of eligibility, like DeWayne Carter, Ja’Mion Franklin and Calhoun.

Prediction: Ahh, your guess is as good as mine.

I didn’t think Duke would struggle too much with Virginia and Saturday’s performance left a lot to be desired. Questions about where this team’s emotions are seem fair, all things considered, and there’s no guarantee this is the week the Blue Devils bounce back.

If you flip a coin to determine whether you think Duke or Pitt wins — tails never fails.