Chandler Rivers Reflects on loss to Georgia Tech

The Duke Blue Devils' loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday was a difficult result to accept, especially when considering how dominant Duke was for the majority of the contest.

It was a well-rounded performance by Duke on both sides of the ball, but the major component of this game was the Blue Devils' defense versus Georgia Tech's offense.

Veteran cornerback Chandler Rivers has established himself as one of the main components on the defensive side with so many younger players entering the fold this season.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils tight end Landen King (0) celebrates with running back Chandler Rivers (5) before the first half of the game against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Rivers' Thoughts

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference on Saturday, Rivers explained his takeaways and reactions from the contest.

"It hurts. That's pretty much all you can say," Rivers said. You prepare for a team how we prepared; it hurts."

Before this game, Duke had an extra week to dissect and study Georgia Tech's tendencies. That extra time seemed to have served the Blue Devils well, but costly mistakes cost the team in fully taking advantage of those circumstances.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz looks on during the first half of the game against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Duke is entering another bye week, but Rivers wishes the team could play again on Saturday and prove to themselves and everyone what this team is capable of.

"After a loss, you want to get back out there and play and get a win, get things back going," Rivers said. "Luckily for us, we get to sleep on this loss."

As much as Rivers wants to play this week, but he understands and values what the bye offers for the players and coaching staff.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils linebacker Kendall Johnson (42) tackles Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) during the first half of the game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"It will help us if you have any nagging injuries or whatever, it will help you get back feel like yourself," Rivers continued. "Just having more time to prepare for the next opponent."

The game was a tale of two halves, but Rivers feels like nothing drastically changed from the first to second half, in terms of the Yellow Jackets' philosophy and game plan.

"They didn't do anything differently, they just executed better, honestly," Rivers said. "In the second half, they just executed better than us."

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Andrel Anthony (1) wearing Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month during the warmups of the game against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Duke's long-term aspirations for this season may appear bleak after this loss, but Rivers believes this team can still achieve what they set for themselves this season.

"I feel like it's on us older guys to let the young guys know that we still have life this season. We can still do what we want to do this season," Rivers said. There's a lot of teams in the ACC with one loss in [conference play. So, as long as we don't get another loss, and we just keep moving forward, keep winning, keep preparing how we are supposed to prepare, we will be fine."

Following the bye week, the Blue Devils will enter a daunting road atmosphere against the Clemson Tigers on Nov. 1.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE