Duke battles North Carolina for the Victory Bell on Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium in the annual rivalry game. The Blue Devils are coming off their first loss of the season, a 28-25 upset to Georgia Tech, while the Tar Heels brought down previously undefeated Pittsburgh.
Here is what Duke head coach Manny Diaz had to say ahead of the matchup.
On returning just one kickoff this season
It's crazy. It's just the randomness, Connor. Even when we played William and Mary, their guy was only 50% touchbacks, and he bombed them all out of the back of the end zone. And we were going to bring them out if there was five deep because we just wanted to work on it. So it's just been one of those years where we haven't had a pitch to hit, and we do tell our
guys not to be overeager and put ourselves in a bad field position. You'll take the ball; that's a 25-yard kickoff return when you get the touchback, but it's just been kind of peculiar how we haven't had an opportunity to get one out there.
On the offensive line allowing just one sack and going up against UNC’s defensive line
It's not might be the strength of the team. It is the strength of their team. They're really, really good upfront. They're deep. They can all make plays. They can all win one-on-one rushes, and then they do a really, really nice job of rushing either as a four-man unit or in two-by-two pick games and stunts and things like that. So I think our numbers, I do think sacks, it's never just one thing. I mean, certainly we've done a good job on the offensive line. There are schematic things that I think sometimes can help with that. The quarterback getting rid of the football matters, and just incompletions. But I think a guy like Walker, who can go through his reads and he can stand in there, even last week throwing checkdowns, all that type of stuff contributes to it. But I don't know that we'll have had a challenge.
I don't know if we've been challenged in the first five like we'll be challenged on Saturday.
On lack of turnovers forced and if it is a result of possession football
I don't know. I think you'd have to look across the board and see if numbers are down. It's certainly been disappointing for us. And as I keep saying, if we're doing the basics right and stopping the run and getting into long yard situations, then that's normally how they occur. Or the other side of it is if you're winning in games where teams have to take chances, the two biggest times of turnovers come is on third-down long plays or in fourth quarters with teams that are behind and forced to put the ball in harm's way. So what I'm looking for is that we continue to put people in third-down-and-long and be able to build a lead in the fourth quarter, where we do have a chance of great turnovers.
On preparing for last-minute situations
Well, we do every week, which I'm sure everybody does. I mean, we did it today. We always work on different end-of-game type situations. There's a lot of different ways of which we get to it. I don't think it's specific to this week, even though this game for four straight years, as far as I know, has come down to the last play, but we played a lot of games in the ACC that have really come down to two-minute offense or defense, four-minute offense or defense. It's just a league that I've just always felt that this league just produces one-score games. So I think as much as anything is, I mean, there's the technical aspect of how to operate when you're up against the clock at the end. But I think as important is just the poise and to be able to deal with the expectations of if it's going to be a one-score game at the end, that means half the stuff has gone for you up to that point, and half the stuff has gone against you.
And like I said, in these games, in all of our league games, but for sure in a rivalry game like this, it's not all going to go your way. And usually who responds to their mistakes, because there's going to be mistakes, usually has a chance to pull it out at the end.
On UNC’s tight ends providing a challenge
Yeah, and I think they're emerging. They're both outstanding players. 45 will touch it in the first six plays of the game, that's almost a certainty, and I don't see why you wouldn't. I mean, he's just so good with the ball. But the thing I'll say, I think we've got a great tight end here. There's a lot of tight ends that can run around and look pretty catching corner routes or seam balls, but the ones that can do that and can control CGAP are really unique. And I think we've got one; I think they've got one and maybe more than one on both sides of the ball. So I do think it's a game of, for the football purists that love the tight end position, they've got three that they can roll with. We've got three or four that we can roll with. This is the game, and I can see those guys for sure having an impact on the game because both players have a chance to create explosive plays.
This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Everything Duke head coach Manny Diaz said ahead of UNC matchup
