The ride continues, we’re now the #7 team in the country.
Game Recap in Three Sentences
The first half was a rough watch, but yet again this team found a way to get things going and score 17 in the fourth quarter.
The defense did an
incredible job of keeping Duke out of the endzone, even running in a scoop-and-score themselves on Duke’s first possession.
Haynes King once again elevated the offense, taking it from 110 first half yards for 0 points to 266 second half yards for 20 points.
Above The Line of the Week
- Haynes King. What more can be said? He looked a bit lost in the first half, but finished with 205 passing yards on 66% through the air and 120 rushing yards with a score on the ground. This was yet again a game where he suddenly decided that we were simply not going to lose. He also made some big throws late, I really want to see us flex the passing game a bit more.
- Good Samaritans. Thank you a million times over to the man who helped us find our lost dog!
- Goal line defense. All tied up mid-way through the third, the defense suddenly touched the face of God and refused to let Duke score. Starting with 3rd and 1 from the 3, the defense held Duke to no gain on four straight plays, ultimately forcing Duke to commit a penalty and then settle for a FG. This was a HUGE moment in the game and a core first step in us clawing back some control.
Bluesky Roundup
5 Star (7 Star, 5 Star) Developmental Program Haiku of the Week
Seven wins, seventh
Devils can’t stop the demons
Nigh unkillable
Just Keep Churning
Wrestling in the mud has become our speciality, maybe even our identity. I’m slowly learning to not care what we actually look like in-game; seemingly all that matters is giving Haynes King and company a chance. Toughness is probably the thing that Brent Key has talked about the most and it shows – this team is laser focused on slugging people in the mouth for 60 minutes. We’ve seen them get down, but we haven’t seen them quit. I’m far from feeling confident in these types of games but I’ve at least started consistently believing that we’re always a few plays away from changing things for the better.
We started this season by clawing our way out of a three-turnover hole in Boulder; fast forward to this week and we’re the seventh best team in the country. It’s unbelievable, bordering on absurd. The through line for the season is that we keep our legs moving and don’t stop. Colorado, Clemson, Wake, and now Duke were all games we could’ve easily let slip away. Yet every time we’ve gotten hit, the team has responded with “okay, do it again”. I don’t think we’re giving teams our best shot in every game, but we’re forcing them to be better than us for all 60 minutes and so far no one has been up to the task. Colorado and Wake were I think particularly great examples of this: we weathered the storm, stopped the bleeding, and then slowly took back control. While I wish we could be more outwardly dominant, this kind of fight is a skill unto itself that we have clearly mastered.
Look Ahead
Up next is sneaky-hated Syracuse (10/25, noon). Early in the season we had this one circled as a potential big game, but the loss of QB Angeli has really slowed the Orange. They recently got absolutely boatraced by Duke and didn’t look good against Pitt, but they still aren’t an opponent we should overlook. Especially with how bad we looked at times against Duke ourselves, we can’t afford to take anyone lightly and I really hope we can tighten things up for this game. Happy homecoming everyone!
