The Northwestern defense was able to get good pressure on Sirk, a tactic that Georgia Tech may try this week. This alignment change put a few key players in different positions, most notably moving safety Jeremy Cash to outside linebacker and inserting Tinashe Bere into the lineup as the starting middle linebacker.
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The Duke Blue Devils return to action when they welcome the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to open the ACC conference season. Although the Orange are third in the nation in rushing defense (46.7 yards per game), they have played Central Michigan, Wake Forest and Rhode Island, which has no one resembling LSU’s Leonard Fournette. The Blue Devils’ inability to push the ball downfield put the team behind the eight ball on second and third downs. “We knew we had to stop them on the run nearly every play”.
Cutcliffe got some good news over the weekend as former Blue Devil quarterback Thaddeus Lewis was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Duke’s offense is coming off a disappointing performance in last Saturday’s 19-10 loss to Northwestern. The Silver Bullets, though, shook off their doldrums and added to the points on the scoreboard, with defensive lineman Adolphus Washington intercepting a pass and returning it 20 yards for a 24-6 lead.
The defense was excellent in this game playing a very important role in Duke’s upset. “We have to move on from Northwestern and learn from that game”. “We haven’t even started the ACC yet”.
The Jackets and Devils have a rich and storied history of great games on the football field, dating back to the days when Hall of Fame coaches Wallace Wade and William Alexander dueled in the 1930s.
Despite stumbling on the first drive of the game with a fumble that led to a Georgia Tech 52-yard field goal, Blue Devil quarterback Thomas Sirk bounced back quickly, tossing 100 yards and a score to Johnell Barnes on 11-of-16 passing in the first half.
For the first time in 17 games, Georgia Tech failed to gain at least 200 yards rushing. “They’re well-coached and they haven’t given up a lot this year”, said Johnson.
After losing to Notre Dame last week, the Yellow Jackets had an opportunity to start ACC play off on the right foot. The Yellow Jackets have won six of their seven ACC openers under Johnson, including a 38-14 triumph at Duke in 2013.
“We had over 70 missed assignments”. “I thought that was good, hard football-that he was going after the football”. “I think that both teams understand what the other one is going to do”.
It will be interesting for fans to see exactly who will be able to play for Georgia Tech this week. That’s a fact that Johnson said can’t be overlooked, particularly when it comes to divisional games. Then again, so might the loser: oddly enough, in each of the past two years, the team that lost this matchup went on to win the Coastal and reach the ACC championship game.
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This Blue Devils defense is faster and stronger and better than any Cutcliffe has had since arriving in Durham seven years ago.
