In which we prepare for another ACC matchup under the lights
Welcome to Week Six of college football. This week features a not-so-forgotten ACC Coastal rivalry between Georgia Tech and Duke. The Jackets are cruising back onto the football scene from a bye week and Duke is riding high off a comeback win against their in-state rival UNC. This is a sneaky good matchup that will take place under the lights at Bobby Dodd, and I am excited to watch the Jackets try and ruin the Blue Devils’ undefeated start. Here is What I Think I Know heading into this conference brawl.
Duke is an under-the-radar team
No one has said a word about Duke, and here they are beginning to turn heads as they sit at 5-0 for the first time since 1994. They stormed back from 20 points down against North Carolina this past weekend to win 21-20 and take home the bell for the first time since 2018. If I’m being honest, at the beginning of the season I would have never considered Duke a threat, but now… I think we should be a little worried. Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy has not had a great year, to say the least, but has accomplished enough to get the job done. He has 1,226 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions on the year for a QBR of 41.5 (yikes). While he is not much of a threat in the air, he has made the occasional amazing throw and knows how to win games. The Blue Devils also have a threat at running back, with Star Thomas truly being as such, racking up 480 yards on the season and reaching the 100-yard mark for three consecutive games. There hasn’t been anything too crazy about Duke so far, but first-year head coach Manny Diaz has quietly gotten the job done and taken care of business.
Duke is somewhat good…maybe?
Not to be this person or discredit an undefeated start, but we also need to look at the strength of schedule. Is Duke as good as the record shows? They have played Elon, Northwestern, UConn, MTSU, and North Carolina. They barely squeaked out with a win against three of these five teams. We still haven’t seen the Blue Devils square up against a challenging opponent, so while they are an “under-the-radar” team, are they as talented as some think they could be? This week will be another test to see if they are the real deal in a wide-open ACC conference. They are fired up and ready to play, and we cannot walk into this game sleeping.
The running game needs to get back on track
The Jackets started the season looking like they were going to be a force in the run game, and have since slightly lingered off. Jamal Haynes has floundered the last few weeks, and the offensive line has struggled to create gaps. In our two losses, we have 210 rushing yards combined. In our three wins, we have 190 yards against FSU, 225 against Georgia State, and 190 against VMI. There is a clear correlation between our success and our running game. The Duke defense has been pretty decent when it comes to stopping the run, allowing an average of 133 yards per game. Duke doesn’t have a daunting defensive front, so hopefully this game will allow Buster Faulkner to get creative in both the passing and the run game once again.
Tech is 5-0 when the ACC Network comes to town
Not to be superstitious, but when the ACC Network comes to town, the Jackets always show out. Tech is 5-0 in home games when this crew shows up, and I hope the same thing happens again this weekend. There is a lot of football left to be played this year, and Tech could use some momentum as the schedule gets a little more difficult.