Courtesy GoDuke.com
DURHAM – A late score by Georgia Tech with under a minute remaining separated the Yellow Jackets from Duke, 31-27, Saturday afternoon at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Duke held a 27-24 lead late in the fourth quarter, but a six-play, 88-yard drive by Georgia Tech found the end zone with under one minute to play. The Blue Devils’ final drive was thwarted by an interception at the Yellow Jacket 20-yard line which sealed the win for the visitors.
Senior running back Mataeo Durant set a school record with 43 rushing attempts in the contest as he accumulated 152 yards and one touchdown. His 152 yards pushed him over the 2,000 career rushing yards milestone, becoming the ninth player in program history to do so.
Georgia Tech scored on its opening two drives to jump in front 14-0 early in the opening quarter. The Blue Devils responded with their first touchdown of the game after graduate student quarterback Gunnar Holmberg connected with senior wide receiver Jake Bobo for a 37-yard catch-and-score. The reception was the North Andover, Mass., native’s first touchdown of the season and third of his career.
The Yellow Jackets added a 25-yard field goal early in the second period to extend their lead, but Durant muscled one in from one-yard out to pull the Blue Devils to within 17-14 at the break.
Six minutes into the second half, redshirt sophomore kicker Charlie Ham tied the game at 17-all following a 35-yard field. Georgia Tech responded with a touchdown during its next drive though to pull back in front at 24-17 with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the third frame.
Duke again had an answer when Holmberg found sophomore tight end Nicky Dalmolin on 4th-and-2 for a seven-yard score. The touchdown handed Dalmolin his first career score and knotted the game at 24-24 early in the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils took the lead for the first time in the game with a little over five minutes remaining after Ham connected on a 22-yard field goal. Unfortunately, Georgia Tech’s score with 51 ticks left on the clock proved to be the game winner.
Durant recorded his fourth consecutive 100-plus yard rushing performance, ranking second in program history. The Plum Branch, S.C., native has now scored at least one touchdown in five of Duke’s six games this season.
Graduate student defensive end Ben Frye led the Blue Devil defense with seven tackles. Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward and junior safety Jalen Alexander chipped in with 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups, respectively.
Redshirt junior Jeremiah Lewis and redshirt senior Leonard Johnson both recorded an interception in the contest, marking the third time this season Duke has tallied two-plus picks in a game.
The Blue Devils next travel to Virginia to face off against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va. The contest is slated for 12:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on RSN.
