The Most Concerning Aspect of Duke's Struggles

The Blue Devils were stopped in the red area twice on Saturday by Georgia Tech, which turned out to be the difference in the game. Was it a one-time gaffe, or something to be worried about?

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils tight end Landen King (0) catches the ball and celebrates a touchdown 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

A 27-18 home loss to the last undefeated team in the ACC has to sting. Georgia Tech's relentless ground attack was tied down as much as possible, but it finally broke through late in the game and led to a score less indicative of how close the game truly was.

Duke had plenty of opportunities to pull through, but a couple of costly plays in the red area cost the Blue Devils the points that might have led to a win on Saturday.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) runs with the ball 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

On Duke's first drive of the day, Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate were on fire, connecting for 71 yards on a drive that spanned nearly six minutes and 92 yards. The Blue Devils were one yard away from taking an early lead when everything flipped.

Mensah tried to pull the ball from running back Anderson Castle on a second-down option play, but he might have made his decision too late, as the ball got stuck in Castle's arms and then came loose in the backfield. Georgia Tech's Omar Daniels scooped it up and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown and deflating all the momentum the Blue Devils were building early on.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Anderson Castle (4) runs with the ball 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

On their next possession, the Duke offense stalled in the red area again and came away with no points after a mishandled hold resulted in a turnover on downs on a field goal attempt.

It's fair to question offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer's play-calling at times, but on Saturday, the Duke offense couldn't get out of its own way.

How Duke's Red Zone Offense Ranks

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz runs out 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

The Blue Devils' offense near the goal line this season has been all-or-nothing. 19 touchdowns from inside the opposing 20-yard line is good for fourth-most in the ACC. However, Duke is overall converting 77.4% of its red zone trips this season into points, which is second-worst in the conference and 111th in FBS.

It could have been the fact that it was a tough matchup, as well. The Yellow Jackets have allowed just 12 touchdowns in the red zone, two of which came from Duke on Saturday, and only allow scores on 73.9% of trips.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Cooper Barkate (18) celebrates a play 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

Mensah has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country this season in terms of driving his team down the field. There will be games like Saturday, where there are unexplainable miscues that derail drives, but when there aren't, can you count on the Blue Devils to find the end zone?

The Blue Devils are still among the highest scoring teams in the ACC during conference play, but the lack of a run game against the Yellow Jackets really put Mensah in a difficult spot as a passer. Georgia Tech knew, given the score and the lack of efficiency on the ground, that Mensah would be forced into the constant dropback game.

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) tries to break a tackle by Syracuse Orange defensive lineman Nathan Nyandoro (30) in the fourth quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

As good as he is, and as good as Duke has thrown the ball this year, that's not the offense they want to be.

Another bye week will allow the coaching staff to look over what went wrong, and some of the errors in the red zone could be solved by a more reliable running game. Whether that's loading the line with bigger packages or finding creative ways to get Castle and Nate Sheppard out wide, Duke needs to be more balanced in scoring positions.

Aug 28, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) comes running out onto the field before the start of the game against the Elon Phoenix at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Duke has 11 passing touchdowns from the red zone, showing they haven't run the offense well once the field shrinks. Hopefully a week off gives the offense some more power in the red area when they travel to Clemson.

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.