INSIDE THE GAME
Duke coach David Cutcliffe was surprised to see Duke execute poorly and play passively on offense in the loss at Georgia Tech, considering the team had such a good week in practice. “Which concerns me,” Cutcliffe said Sunday. “Something isn’t correlating. We have to address it quickly.” In the past, he has turned up the heat on a daily drill called an inside drill. Backs and the O-line run inside plays against linebackers and the D-line. “We can’t afford to beat ourselves up too much,” Cutcliffe said. “But we need some full-speed contact to gain a little confidence running the football.”
GAME BALLS
P KEVIN JONES, WR RAPHAEL CHESTNUT: Duke would have lost the field-position battle much sooner than late in the third without strong work from both. Getting more hang time than in recent weeks, Jones averaged 39.2 yards on eight tries — a long day for a punter. Chestnut stopped one return for negative yardage and downed another at the Tech 2.
PENALTY MARKERS
DEFENSE FOR 15-YARD PENALTIES: It’s tough to criticize a defense that kept Tech out of the end zone as long as it did. But the Devils agreed a roughing-the-passer call on DL Vince Oghobaase and pass interference on CB Jabari Marshall hurt. They represented another 30 yards the offense couldn’t make up on the other end, putting more pressure on the D, which pressed harder, then made mistakes, etc. Vicious cycle.
Read More:News & Observer
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