4th and 46? How did Duke football end up half a field away from a first down?

Duke football faced a fourth and 46 on Saturday. Yes, you read that correctly.

Things started encouragingly enough for the Blue Devils on the drive, with quarterback Chase Brice completing a 12-yard pass on third and 10 to bring Duke to Boston College’s 23-yard line.

Things went downhill from there.

On first and 10, Brice threw an incompletion, and offensive lineman Jacob Monk was called for a 15-yard personal foul penalty, triggering a repeat. On first and 25, Brice threw incomplete to wide receiver Eli Pancol, and on second and 25, he hit tight end Noah Gray for six yards.

Facing a third and 19 against Boston College’s stingy defense, Duke opted for a conservative play call — a swing route to running back Jordan Waters — and lost another seven yards.

Add in another 15-yard personal foul penalty on another offensive lineman, Maurice McIntyre, and a five-yard false start on the punt by corner Jeremiah Lewis, and the Blue Devils had gone from scoring position to nearly half a field away from a first down.

On fourth and 46, Duke’s Porter Wilson punted the ball away to the Eagles — and the Blue Devils were promptly called for a 15-yard fair catch interference penalty.

The slip-ups didn’t hurt Duke too much, though, as its defense forced a stop to keep its halftime deficit at 7-6.

This story was originally published September 19, 2020 at 1:34 PM.