Mistakes prove costly for Blue Devils as Duke’s ACC win streak ends with loss at Pitt
.JPG "Duke quarterback Riley Leonard (13) passes as Pittsburgh defensive lineman Tyler Bentley (92) pressures during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)")
Crippling mistakes put Duke in a bad spot, down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, at Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The Blue Devils never gave in, both in their play on field and their decision-making off, but their execution on two critical two-point conversions left them short.
Riley Leonard fired two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, but Duke’s failure to convert two-point conversion tries on both left the Blue Devils with a 28-26 loss to the Panthers at Acrisure Stadium.
Mistake-prone Duke (7-4, 4-3) put itself in position to win even after its muffed punt led to Pitt’s first touchdown and a Duke fumble was returned by the Panthers (7-4, 4-3) for their final score.
But after Brandon Hill returned Duke running back Jordan Waters’ fumble for a fourth-quarter touchdown and a 28-14 Panthers lead, Duke’s sputtering offense finally came to life when Leonard completed a 49-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Moore with 9:28 to play.
That’s when Duke coach Mike Elko, with his team down 28-20, decided to go for two rather than kick the extra point. He cited cold, blustery weather and his team’s inability to run the ball effectively for wanting to avoid overtime.
“In our mind, we were gonna play that fourth quarter playing to win,” Elko said. “You’re gonna go for two, down 14, when you get that touchdown there. We just didn’t feel like with the wind conditions and how we were struggling to run the football, we didn’t think overtime was going to be our best way to win that football game. And so that’s the reason for that decision.”
When the first two-point try, a Leonard pass, failed, Duke was forced to go for two again with 47 seconds left after Leonard fired a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Coleman on fourth down to cut Pitt’s lead to 28-26
This time, Duke ran a play where Moore, a former quarterback, took the ball on a reverse. He had the option of throwing the ball or trying to run for the two points. Leonard had gone out on a receiving route and was near the goal line. But Pitt’s defense surrounded Moore and tackled him before he could throw the pass or even get back to the line of scrimmage.
“Their defensive end just won clean on the backside,” Elko said. “We were supposed to pin them to get us around the edge on the backside. We didn’t pin them at all. He just kind of blew the play up.”
That Duke was even in position to win was a testament to the never-say-die attitude that’s earned the Blue Devils their first bowl trip since 2018 this season.
The Blue Devils’ rushing offense, averaging 203 yards per game this season, gained a season-low 63 yards. Pitt scored on the fumble return and also scored one play after Jalon Calhoun’s misplay while returning a punt that resulted in a fumble inside the Duke 10.
Moore had a spectacular day at wide receiver, catching 14 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t enough for Duke to overcome its major mistakes and keep its ACC winning streak going.
“Obviously very disappointed with how we played offensively through three quarters,” Elko said. “We really struggled to establish the line of scrimmage. We couldn’t get the run game going. We were very inconsistent in the throw game and turned the football over. Special teams wise, we had some critical mistakes in the return game that really hurt us.”
Ironically, it was a Pitt special teams mistake late in the fourth quarter that gave Duke a chance to tie the score.
Pitt punter Caleb Junko allowed the snapped ball to sail through his hands. He ran back to get the ball but Duke’s Rocky Shelton tackled him at the Pitt 22 with 3:15 to play.
The Blue Devils moved to the Pitt 11 on Leonard’s 11-yard pass to Sahmir Hagans. But a holding penalty on Duke tackle Graham Barton set the drive back as the clock ticked below two minutes.
Finally, on fourth-and-18 from the Pitt 19, Leonard’s pass to Coleman cut Pitt’s lead to 28-26.
Earlier, Duke’s two poor special teams plays led directly to 10 points for Pitt that allowed the Panthers to lead 20-14 at halftime.
The most injurious miscue came late in the first quarter when Calhoun mishandled a Pitt punt. With the ball bouncing inside the Duke 10, Calhoun half-heartedly attempted to field the ball, but it bounced off him and Pittsburgh recovered at the Duke 6.
Israel Abanikanda’s 6-yard touchdown run put Pittsburgh up 10-7 with 1:25 left in the first quarter.
Earlier, Pitt took the lead on its first possession after a poor 18-yard punt by Duke’s Porter Wilson. A 20-yard pass from Slovis to Abanikanda moved the Panthers into Duke territory. Duke’s defense stopped Abanikanda’s third-down run for no gain and Pitt took a 3-0 lead on Ben Sauls’ 47-yard field goal.
Duke benefited from a strong special teams play of its own to set up its first touchdown and a Pitt special teams error on its second touchdown drive.
Blue Devils freshman Chandler Rivers blocked a Pitt punt, giving Duke possession at the Pitt 42. Down 3-0, Duke scored a touchdown on Leonard’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Calhoun to move in front.
Trailing 13-7, the Blue Devils punted from their 44. But Pitt’s Javon McIntyre, after being blocked by Duke’s DeWayne Carter, fell into Wilson’s leg after he punted. Wilson was injured on the play and Pitt drew a 15-yard penalty that gave Duke a first down at the Pitt 42.
One play later, Moore made a tumbling, one-handed catch on a pass from Leonard for a 21-yard gain. The play was initially called incomplete but that call was overturned by instant replay.
After Duke converted a fourth-down run from the Pitt 8, Leonard’s 1-yard touchdown run on the next play gave Duke a 14-13 lead with 3:01 left in the half.
Knowing they were getting the ball to start the second half, the Panthers aggressively moved down field on their final possession of the first half. The result was their longest drive of the half as they moved 73 yards for the score.
Slovis converted a third-down play with a run to gain a first down and later completed passes to Jared Wayne for 24 yards and Konata Mumpfield for 11 yards.
The final pass was a 15-yard touchdown throw to Wayne that put Pitt in front 20-14 with 10 seconds left until halftime.
This story was originally published November 19, 2022 at 3:44 PM.