Duke report card: Did anyone pass vs. Boston College? Yes, but who?
There were several positives to take from Duke’s season-opening loss at Notre Dame, but scant few to take from Saturday’s 26-6 loss to Boston College. The Eagles were making their 2020 debut but Duke looked like the team trying to shake off the rust.
Now 0-2 in a season with few opportunities to make up ground in the standings, the Blue Devils are in big trouble already after this loss plagued with self-inflicted wounds and unforced errors.
Passing offense
F Chase Brice looked solid in South Bend but the Clemson transfer’s home debut was a disaster. He fumbled once at the goal line and threw an inexcusable interception over the middle early and an under-pressure pick deep late. Reliable tight end Noah Gray remains his preferred target, but at the expense of any vertical game. Damond Philyaw-Johnson fumbled away a catch deep in Duke territory that set up a BC field goal.
Rushing offense
C Mateo Durant got loose in the secondary and outran the BC defense for Duke’s only touchdown, a 49-yard sprint. Deon Jackson was reasonably effective — 74 yards on 15 carries — but fumbled near the end zone to deny the Blue Devils another score. Throw in Brice’s red zone fumble and the Blue Devils were twice unable to punch the ball into the end zone in a game that was close until the fourth quarter.
PASSING DEFENSE
C-minus For all the positives — the Blue Devils applied consistent pressure on BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec and long-suffering cornerback Mark Gilbert, finally healthy again, picked off his first pass since 2017 — this wasn’t close to good enough. The Blue Devils twice lost track of Zay Flowers, once on a short pass that turned into a long gain and later on a wide-open 61-yard touchdown. Jurkovec, a transfer from Notre Dame, ended up throwing for 300 yards in his BC debut. Victor Dimukeje anchored a strong effort from the defensive line with 3.5 sacks.
RUSHING DEFENSE
C-plus Boston College rolled over the Blue Devils on the game’s opening drive but the Duke defense limited the damage on the ground after that. There were a few key plays where Boston College was able to convert in short yardage, including a Jurkovec keeper on 4th-and-1 that set up BC’s opening TD.
SPECIAL TEAMS
F Duke trailed 10-6 in the third quarter when Charlie Ham — who missed the extra point wide left after Duke’s touchdown — missed a 34-yard field goal attempt. It all went sideways for the Blue Devils after that. There was nothing going in the return game. They did manage not to get any kicks blocked, in the faint praise department.
COACHING
F Duke’s sloppy, turnover-ridden performance was shocking — especially with a game of experience to the Blue Devils’ credit — and David Cutcliffe’s play-calling was as ineffective as Duke’s overall execution. Not a great sign when there’s a wily veteran and a first-time head coach (BC debutant Jeff Hafley) and their teams perform like they switched bodies in a Freaky Friday scenario. There was promise in the loss to Notre Dame but there was none Saturday.
This story was originally published September 19, 2020 at 3:30 PM.
