What Went Wrong For Duke At Virginia
The Duke Blue Devils were flattened by the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday, losing a resounding 48-14 blowout in Charlottesville.
“From time-to-time you have days that go like this, and in football it is a huge setback for us tonight,” David Cutcliffe said. “To be honest, there is a little bit of a shock factor. Everybody is hurting. It is only a setback tonight. It is a setback tomorrow only if we let it be a setback.”
Cutcliffe pointed out that the Blue Devils still have a chance to go 6-2 in the ACC. There are some troubling patterns that will need to be broken in order for that to happen, though:
Passing game: While Quentin Harris is an effective game manager with the ability to throw deep, he sometimes gets in the habit of relying on short, safe passes instead of taking the top off the defense.
Even in the big win over Virginia Tech, Cutcliffe said he couldn’t wait for Harris to watch film and see what he left on the field, missing deep opportunities in favor of safer routes.
Against Virginia’s pass pressure, the problem was amplified, with Harris throwing short of the sticks on five of six third-down passes at one point.
Pass protection: Overall, the line has been solid most of the year, but in recent weeks, defenders have taken advantage of the young linemen. Against Pitt, it was the right side of the line that struggled, leading to several of the turnovers that cost Duke the game. At Virginia, it was the left side. Cutcliffe changed left guards at one point, but much of the pressure Harris was under came around left end.
Tackling: While the Blue Devils defense has been the stronger of the two units all year long, tackling has been a consistent problem. Cutcliffe pointed that out last week, after the Georgia Tech win, and it was a major factor against UVa.
“Here is the thing that needs to be repaired the most: blocking and tackling,” Cutcliffe said after Virginia. “No matter what you run or call offensively, we did not consistently block them. It was not a schematic issue. We just didn’t get it done, and that is my responsibility. Our defense played terrific at times. The things we didn’t do there were tackle well enough, yards after first contact were way to many and the other is possession down.”
The Blue Devils will need to get back to basics before next Saturday’s rivalry game against UNC, or else the idea of missing a bowl becomes a very real prospect.
