Duke downs Boston College 9-7

A 6-2, 210-pound native of Miami, Fla., Cash earned the numerous awards after guiding the Blue Devils to a 34-20 upset of No. 20 Georgia Tech on Saturday. Breon Borders was beaten twice, badly, in the second half, one of which was the game’s lone touchdown. While the most favorable draw, it is about the best Duke could hope for. BC rushed 41 times in the game, an expected strategy, and broke off a handful of runs of 10+ yards. They attempt 48.8 rushing plays per game. “I felt like I left too many opportunities on the field”.

It may not be obvious by looking at the box score, but the Duke offense actually showed a few progress this week. Those are the only touchdowns the Eagles defense has allowed this season. But the Eagles turned back consecutive runs by Duke tailback Shaquille Powell, and Sirk was stoned on a keeper – setting up a fourth-and-goal at the 1. Thadd Smith leaped over Duke cornerback Alonzo Saxton II and got both of his hands on the ball. Against BC they were able to create a little space, but couldn’t hold onto the ball. Alston said that the rain in forecast is causing little concern for the field given that the Blue Devils’ new field has the capacity to drain 8 to 10 inches per hour. Not much separates Duke and Boston College, a couple of teams winning with defense and methodical offenses. In a game in which yards and points on offense would be at a premium, these squandered opportunities could have been the difference in a win and a loss.

It was highlighted before the game in our preview that it was imperative that Duke not turn the ball over in the wet conditions. And 33 rushing yards on 35 attempts (0.9 yards per rush) confirms that.

The sharps in Las Vegas have the Blue Devils as 7 point favorites and it’s hard to argue with that line. It was also the correct call to go for it in that position.

Special teams play had a huge impact on the game. Duke is 5-0 when he brings a kickoff back for a score.

“Offensively, I think our guys see that we had things that we just didn’t execute”, Cutcliffe said. Boston College does not have an answer nor comparable player to Jeremy Cash, however, and with him flying around the field and with the Devils taking advantage of Boston College’s inexperience at quarterback, I expect the Blue Devils to clip the Eagles’ wings and move to 2-0 in the ACC. Johnell Barnes recovered a fumbled punt early in the second half. “And you have to give a lot of credit to their defense”.

With Hurricane Joaquin potentially making landfall in North Carolina this weekend, the prospect of torrential downpour affecting Duke’s attendance for its football game on Saturday was the topic of discussion among the school’s marketing team.

Duke is now 4-1 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1962-65 as they travel to West Point to face Army next week.

BC gave up one red zone touchdown in a 14-0 loss to Florida State and another in a 17-14 win over Northern Illinois.