Duke football was so good on defense last season. Now? Not so much.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke forced just one turnover in three games after 27 takeaways in 2024.
- The Blue Devils rank 97th nationally in third-down defense at 41.9%.
- Defensive lapses include missed tackles, soft secondary play and red-zone issues.
Duke’s defense gained a reputation last season as being tough, physical, sound and, as some coaches like to say, salty.
N.C. State quarterback C.J. Bailey and running back Hollywood Smothers learned that early in last year’s game against the Blue Devils in Raleigh. After Duke gang-tackled Smothers for a 2-yard loss inside the Wolfpack 3-yard line, the Devils’ Aaron Hall and Wesley Williams crashed in on Bailey in the end zone for a safety.
Two plays, two tackles for losses, two points for Duke. The Blue Devils were on their way to a 29-19 victory over the Pack, never trailing in the ACC game.
That kind of defensive play became commonplace for the Blue Devils in Manny Diaz’s first season as head coach. The Blue Devils were among the national leaders in sacks and TFL’s and in handling opposing offenses in going 9-4.
This season? Not so much.
Duke is off to a 1-2 start. One reason: The Blue Devils, who host N.C. State on Saturday in their ACC opener, have forced one turnover in three games – a fumble by Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff last week – and are minus-6 overall in turnovers, 129th nationally. Duke ranked 25th in the FBS last season at plus-8 after coming away with 27 turnovers.
“The biggest thing for us right now is where we are defensively,” Diaz said Monday. “That’s always going to be the foundation for how we win games here at Duke.”
Duke coach Manny Diaz searching for answers
Granted, Diaz found issue with all three phases of Duke’s game after the 34-27 loss to the Green Wave in New Orleans. The offense had a sluggish start while Tulane took a 14-0 first-quarter lead. The Devils had one field-goal try blocked and botched another in the game..
But Duke’s defense did not dictate play at all. Retzlaff ran for 111 yards and four touchdowns, combining some designed runs with his scrambling to keep the Blue Devils chasing after him.
“I took off a couple of times because there were big alleyways for me to run,” Retzlaff said after the game.
“Those guys (at Duke), they’re big rush-up-the-field guys who come and get you, so I knew that I could take advantage of that by running the ball between the tackles up field, especially in the scramble drill.”
“Big alleyways” is not a term a head coach with a defensive background like Diaz wants to hear said about his team. But Retzlaff had them enough times. Even his fumble came after a 22-yard scramble.
Diaz said on some of the runs, it was more of a tackling issue than a schematic issue. But the Green Wave was able to use Duke’s up-the-field aggressiveness against the Devils on some RPO calls and quick swing passes.
“Tulane threw the kitchen sink at our defense in the first half, a lot of things they had not done in the first couple of weeks of the season,” Diaz said.
And it wasn’t just Retzlaff running. Tulane, like Illinois the week before, was able to free up receivers and pick up some chunk plays passing as Retzlaff thew for 245 yards.
Blue Devils’ third-down struggles
Several of the key completions have come on third down, which Diaz calls another defensive liability this season. Duke ranks 12th in the ACC in third-down conversion defense at 41.9% through three games after finishing fourth in 2024 at 33.8%.
“We’re letting people extend drives, which is unacceptable,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke said Monday. “We’ve got to get it fixed. The more opportunities, like at-bats, an offense gets throughout a drive, they’re going to hit a pitch and they’re going to hit an explosive (play). When we’ve got an opportunity to get off the field, we’ve got to get off the field.
“What made us a great defense last year was great red-zone defense, great possession downs and we took the ball away. We’re not doing any of those right now.”
Senior cornerback Chandler Rivers is one of the ACC’s best defenders, but the Blue Devils’ secondary has been spotty at times. Duke does miss safety Terry Moore, another All-ACC player who is rehabbing an ACL injury and might return late in the season.
“Our pass defense is far from where it was (last year) and maybe some of that’s to be expected not having a Terry Moore, and losing a Jaylen Stinson and a Josh Pickett, “ Diaz said. “But we’re going to have to grow up in a hurry in our secondary.”
What the Wolfpack presents
The Pack’s Bailey has improved noticeably, Diaz said. The sophomore has completed almost 71% of his throws and is stronger in the pocket. Then there’s Smothers, who has rushed for an ACC-best 380 yards, and a strong corps of receivers capable of big “at-bats” and explosives.
Despite Duke’s defensive troubles so far this season, N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said he expects the Pack (3-0, 1-0 ACC) to face another formidable, aggressive defense Saturday in Durham..
“They do a lot of different things, give you a lot of coverages out of their blitz packages, a lot of different looks,” Doeren said. “They challenge you.”
Duke’s Hall, a senior tackle from Durham and a team co-captain, said the defense has bounced back in practice with “energy and juice” after the Tulane loss. The urgency is there.
“What we’ve put on tape so far is not our best football,” Hall said Tuesday. “We need to get that corrected and come out playing like the team we know we can be.”
Duke vs. NC State game time & how to watch
Teams: Duke (1-2, 0-0 ACC), NC State (3-0, 1-0 ACC).
When: Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham.
TV: ESPN2.
Stream: fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Sling TV.
Series history: The Blue Devils lead 43-37-5 in a series dating to 1924, when State won 44-0 in Raleigh. Duke has won four of the last five games, twice in Durham, after losing 11 straight from 1994 to 2008 against the Wolfpack.
