Duke football fought hard to claw back into the game against Georgia Tech on Saturday, but ultimately fell short, losing 28-25 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. It was a gut punch, not just because of the narrow margin, but because the Blue Devils actually took their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter, only to let it slip away. And yeah, it’s the sixth straight time we’ve dropped one to the Yellow Jackets.
The Calls That Crushed The Comeback
Man, the defense just couldn’t seal the deal when it mattered most. They got some key stops, for sure, but when we finally took the lead in that final minute, they couldn’t hold on. And listen, those penalties? They absolutely killed us. We’re talking a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call on Bradley Gompers on Georgia Tech’s final drive that gifted them an automatic first down. You just can’t do that. That’s a backbreaker right there. It wasn’t just that one, either. Duke’s defense handed the Yellow Jackets a pair of 15-yard penalties earlier, helping them on a 92-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. The whole team struggled with discipline, racking up six penalties for 71 yards. And offensively? It was a slow start and honestly, we never truly found our rhythm, even with a few bright spots. We outscored them 15-14 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to make up for that early hole.
Sheppard Left It All On The Field, But The Kick Just Missed
Even in a tough loss, you gotta shout out Nate Sheppard. That dude just keeps answering the call. He put up an insane 190 combined rushing and receiving yards, scored two touchdowns, and nearly dragged us to victory single-handedly, even looking a little banged up doing it. What a warrior. Walker Eget showed some flashes too, engineering a 75-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. Over on special teams, it was a mixed bag. Gavin Strange, making his first college start because Cosme Salas got injured, nailed a 35-yard field goal. But then, with just 8 seconds left to tie it up, he missed a 33-yarder. That’s rough, man. Kade Reynoldson was punting like a beast, though, with three of his four punts sailing over 50 yards and landing inside the 20. But even with that, we gave up a 33-yard punt return in the first half. It’s those little things that add up.
Shaking Off The Rust, And Looking Ahead
Overall, the team earned a B- grade, and it felt like we were still shaking off some rust after an idle week. The coaching staff got a B, too, for making those halftime adjustments and almost getting us out of Atlanta with our first win against Georgia Tech since 2018. They helped us overcome that slow start, but the penalties remained a problem. Now, the Blue Devils have to regroup fast. We’re back in action at home against UNC next Saturday, Oct. 17. We need to get back into form and play a clean game, because every snap matters right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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