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Duke rides special teams in wild Pinstripe Bowl victory over Indiana
Indiana’s Luke Timian, right, celebrates his touchdown with teammate Andre Booker during the first half of the Pinstripe Bowl NCAA college football game against Duke at Yankee Stadium in New York, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015.
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The Blue Devils outlasted IN, 44-41, IN overtime to win the Pinstripe Bowl, its fourth straight bowl appearance under eighth-year head coach David Cutcliffe and its first bowl win since 1961.
• IU had not won back-to-back Big Ten games since 2012, two Big Ten road games in the same year since 2001, back-to-back Big Ten road games since 1993 and three road games in a single season since 1994.
The Blue Devils prevailed, 44-41, in overtime when Griffin Oakes’ 38-yard field goal attempt was ruled a miss, even though Oakes and the Hoosiers protested that the kick, which sailed high above the left upright, was good.
“Absolutely ecstatic”, Martin said. This season the Hoosiers proved to have one of the best offenses in the Big Ten, scoring a conference best 36.1 points per game. “That’s incredible for the entire program”.
However, Duke’s bowl motivation should come more from a program wide perception than just righting the ship for a season gone awry.
The game appeared to turn in Indiana’s favor when Duke elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 instead of kicking the potential go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter. Duke got the ball immediately, as on the Duke 12 yard line IN quarterback Nate Sudfeld’s pass was intercepted by Dwayne Norman.
Key player: Duke running back Shaquille Powell may have made the play of the game if the Devils stay in this thing. “I see how it is after that”.
What the loss means for Indiana: The Hoosiers hadn’t been to a bowl game since 2007, and this was just their second postseason game since 1993, so just getting here was a big deal.
“We’ve been hearing 1961 since my freshman year”, Duke senior center Matt Skura said.
But when the officials left the field, it did not matter how the game was won as long as it counted.
“At that point in time, I’m just appreciative of all the people I’m associated with”, Cutcliffe said. First and foremost, like my friend (not really) Herm Edwards has been known to say, “you play to win the game”.
The dramatic finish capped a game that featured 1,203 combined yards and 56 first downs.
Attendance at the Pinstripe Bowl has increased every year since the game was established in 2010, peaking last year with a sellout crowd of 49,012 that watched Penn State defeat Boston College.
Duke scored 10 unanswered points to begin the game, but after the Hoosiers responded with their first touchdown midway through the second quarter, neither team would ever lead by more than one possession. In fact, he can say he is the Hoosiers’ all-time passing leader in touchdowns (58) and yards (7,490). He also rushed for 803 yards and eight touchdowns.
Sudfeld finished the game completing 28 of 51 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had two interceptions. Duke will be without ACC defensive player of the year Jeremy Cash at safety, while IN running back Jordan Howard is questionable with a knee injury.
As Indiana’s players made their way through the locker room, Wilson made a point to stop them in the open where he could see them clearly. “We didn’t play well enough to win”. But the Blue Devils were coming of two consecutive successful seasons that included a 10-win campaign with a Coastal division title in 2013 and a nine-win season in 2014.
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IN took a 24-20 lead midway through the third when Nick Westbrook caught a 3-yard touchdown pass. But three plays after the Hoosiers’ Mitchell Paige fumbled at his 19 on a punt return, Sirk connected with Braxton Deaver for a 10-yard touchdown, giving the Blue Devils a 27-24 lead.