Following a much-needed bye week after a disappointing loss against Louisville, the Jackets squared off against the Duke Blue Devils under the lights in Bobby Dodd Stadium. In spite of their undefeated record and a recent comeback win over the rival University of North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke came into the matchup as the underdog. For Tech to deliver on expectations, redshirt junior quarterback Haynes King would need to control possession of the game, and the Jackets would need to dominate in the trenches.
Sophomore receiver Eric Singleton Jr. received the opening kickoff and returned it to near midfield to give the offense great field position to begin the first drive. King completed four passes and Tech’s backup quarterback, redshirt sophomore Zach Pyron, ran the ball in from two yards out for an opening touchdown. Tech’s defense fed off that momentum. On Duke’s opening three possessions, the Blue Devils only tallied three first downs, and Tech added a chip-shot field goal to lead 10-0.
With the closing minutes dwindling in the opening half, Duke faced a crucial decision to go for it on fourth down with eight yards to gain. Head coach Manny Diaz sent the punting unit out, but after a delay-of-game penalty on Tech’s defense, Diaz decided to go for it. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Maalik Murphy completed a short pass to graduate senior running back Star Thomas, and the Blue Devils kept their drive going. With about one minute left in the half, Duke found themselves in need of another third down conversion. Murphy threw the ball deep and redshirt sophomore cornerback Syeed Gibbs picked it off. Amidst much booing from Tech’s raucous student section, a yellow penalty marker came out and gave Duke an automatic first down on defensive pass interference. The next play, Murphy threw the ball over the middle for a 20-yard touchdown, cutting into Tech’s lead.
Despite leading the game 10-7 heading into halftime, it felt as if the momentum had shifted. Tech dominated time of possession and yardage in the first half, but only found themselves up by three. Duke opened the second half with the ball and great field position after a 67-yard kickoff return. With their backs against the wall, Tech’s defense came up big and got a stop – albeit with help from an offensive pass interference call.
On the following possession, Tech started driving down the field, but after crossing midfield, the drive stalled. Senior punter David Shanahan pinned the Devils inside their own ten-yard line. The next drive for Duke was methodical. Murphy strung completions together before handing the ball off to sophomore running back Peyton Jones, who ran the ball through the Jackets’ defensive line. The Blue Devils drove deep inside Jacket territory, but Tech’s defense made a crucial fourth-down stop. On fourth and one at Tech’s nine-yard line, Diaz decided to go for it instead of taking the game-tying field goal, but Thomas slipped and fell short of the line of gain.
It looked as if Duke’s momentum had dwindled, but after a Tech three-and-out, Duke got the ball back. Murphy threw a crossing route to redshirt junior wide receiver Sahmir Hagans for a touchdown and Duke took the lead 14-10. In a game where it felt like Tech was dominating, the Jackets suddenly found themselves down. Fortunately, the Tech offense found its legs on the following possession. King and his offensive line took over the game. The line bulldozed massive gaps in Duke’s defensive line for sophomore Chad Alexander to exploit. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner dialed up some well-timed screens to put Tech in the red zone and ready to regain the lead. On third and goal from the three-yard line, King rolled out right and found redshirt junior running back Jamal Haynes in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown, making it 17-14 with ten minutes to go.
After a back-and-forth affair, the game hinged entirely on the next offensive possession for the Blue Devils. They were no match for Tech’s defense, which tightened up to force a three-and-out. Now, the game fell on the shoulders of the offense to seal the win. On a crucial third down just across midfield, King threw an incomplete pass that sunk the hearts of everyone in Bobby Dodd. However, the referees flagged Duke for roughing the passer and awarded Tech a first down. Head coach Brent Key put the game in the capable hands of Alexander and he delivered with a back-breaking run through Duke’s defensive front. To punctuate the drive, King completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Singleton Jr., putting the Jackets up by ten. Duke had one last-ditch chance to score, but the game died in the hands of redshirt junior defensive back Ahmari Harvey, who picked off Murphy for Tech’s first interception of the year. The 24-14 win improved their record to 4-2 with a 2-2 record in ACC play.
This weekend, the Jackets travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the same Tar Heels that Duke beat earlier. It is a narrative-filled game given that the Jackets will face off against former head coach Geoff Collins, who finished his Jacket tenure with a 10-28 record. Collins is the current UNC defensive coordinator. Even beyond Collins, this game is a pivotal one for Tech. A win gets them one step closer to bowl eligibility and a chance to improve on their 6-6 record last season.