What worries me about Duke

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Josh H

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Before I post this, I have to admit that I did not see Duke's game vs. Navy, but there are a few things that stand out:

- They held Navy to 36 yards on 21 carries in the second half, including a stop on 4th and 1.
- They held Navy to 31% on 3rd down conversions
- Navy scored on 4 of their first 6 possessions, only once in the last 7 (thanks to the ajc for pointing out that stat..)

If I was Duke, I would sell out to stop the Triple Option and the running attack, and make Jaybo beat them with his arm. I hope Jaybo can make all the necessary throws. I think Duke will prevent the huge plays on the ground in the TO, so we're really going to need to make a few plays in the passing game.

Hopefully, our defense will play very strong and make all of this unnecessary. That's the real key. If we get into a shoot-out then it becomes much harder to win.
 
Don't be worried. They mustered 258 total yards against UVA. 258!

We have a much better D than UVA too.
 
It saddens me that I won't get to watch the game because its on ESPNU (no DVR), and I have obligations to a bachelor party that day. Not my planning.
 
Josh H said:
Before I post this, I have to admit that I did not see Duke's game vs. Navy, but there are a few things that stand out:

- They held Navy to 36 yards on 21 carries in the second half, including a stop on 4th and 1.
- They held Navy to 31% on 3rd down conversions
- Navy scored on 4 of their first 6 possessions, only once in the last 7 (thanks to the ajc for pointing out that stat..)
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I'm worried about Duke too, but I take comfort in what PJ said about Duke: “They’ve seen this offense a lot. It’s going to help them. I’ve also seen them. I think it’ll help me.”

With no disrespect intended to Navy, this offense isn't just a magic wand you can wave. It's a living breathing thing. The guy designing the gameplan before the game and calling the plays from the sideline makes a difference just as much as the talent on the field does. We are significantly better than Navy in both categories.

Duke could beat us, and I'm as cautious as any Tech fan about expecting a win, but I wouldn't worry too much about being held to 1.7 ypc in either half of the game. If they beat us, they'll have to keep up their 30+ ppg and create some turnovers.
 
Josh H said:
It saddens me that I won't get to watch the game because its on ESPNU (no DVR), and I have obligations to a bachelor party that day. Not my planning.
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A bachelor party...during the day...on a Saturday...that doesn't involve football? What kind of guy is this?
 
The only thing that worries me about the Duke game is how we play.

If we play our game then we win and there is nothing Duke can do about it.

If, however, we start fumbling or getting away from our gameplan or taking Duke lightly then we do stand a better chance of losing to this Duke team as compared to previous editions of Duke.

The outcome of this particular game is 100% dependent on Georgia Tech.
 
gth816f said:
A bachelor party...during the day...on a Saturday...that doesn't involve football? What kind of guy is this?
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A UGA fan... :( Also sadly my older brother.

In all defense it is whirly ball that is during the day. And then of course the late night hot chocolate and bible study.

Edit: A friend of mine just summed this up succinctly for me. I think I am trying to create Duke drama, in order to give me a compelling reason to watch the game. Tech should take care of business, bottom line :).
 
What I am worried about Duke is absolutly nothing.

What you stats don't show is that Navy's QB and BBack went out in that game to injury. So, Duke could then effectivley shut down the dive on the TO and just cover the edges.

Also, We know Shaw will start and I would be willing to bet that Shaw is better than Navy's number 1 Qb. Our O-line is miles above Navy in talent and size, Dwyer is way ahead of any B-Back on Navy, Our A-Backs are faster and more elusive than Navy's, and Our Recievers are Taller and Faster.
 
And there is a small differential in the DLine. ;)
 
I am not worried one bit about Duke.

Duke will move the ball some between the 20s but will struggle mightly in the red zone. They will pass for over 250 yards but will get less than 65 on the ground. Most of the passing yards will come in the second half against our second team.

They will not stop our run game and we should see some wide open receivers in the pass game. We will pass for 150 yards in this game and rush for about 350. We will also get a pair of picks on defense (one by Burnett).

We lead 28-9 at the half. When we get up 38-9, Johnson calls off the swarm. Duke gets its first TD in the 4th quarter. Our second/third teamers kick a field goal.

GT 41
Duke 16

** Overlooked the prediction thread
 
00Burdell said:
And there is a small differential in the DLine. ;)
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Just a little bit :). Massive difference in defense in general. I hope Burnett adds to his interception total.

Also, I knew about Kaipo going out, but didn't know about the B-back. It's also been pretty widely established that PJ is one of the best game-day coaches and Navy is missing his 2nd half adjustments.
 
Josh H said:
- They held Navy to 36 yards on 21 carries in the second half, including a stop on 4th and 1.
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Keep in mind Navy's depth compared to ours. My guess is they just gave out. That added to the fact another poster stated - Navy's QB and BBack left the game early. This may end up being close to the point spread (14 last I saw), but I'm expecting a bigger gap.
 
Good chance that with the exception of A-back Shun White, none of Navy's starters would start at GT. They make up for a lack of speed and size with really good technique. Plus they've been running only that offense for many years.

GT will be faster and more physical than Navy, and I think you'll find that there's a much bigger drop off from Navy's #1 to #2 than there is from Nesbitt to Shaw.
 
I too share your concern. It wouldn't be the first time Duke has taken down a physically better 3O Tech team - Pepper took a team highly ranked nationally in rushing offense and scoring into Durham and somehow managed to lose 0-9. Maybe we're just not comfortable yet with the idea that Tech might be shedding the vulnerability to Chan-esque upsets that have dogged prior seasons?
 
No question we're better than Navy, but the midshipmen were good enough to beat WF last week. That was mostly due to WF turning the ball over 6 times, but it sort of legitimizes Duke's win over Navy. They are much more respectable than we've seen in a long time from the basketball school. We should be prepared for a real opponent on Saturday, and deserve some credit when we win.
 
Josh H said:
....If I was Duke, I would sell out to stop the Triple Option and the running attack, and make Jaybo beat them with his arm....
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And they would be fifth team this season to try to do that. Standard operating procedure...
 
wrek said:
And they would be fifth team this season to try to do that. Standard operating procedure...
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Point taken :)

Jacksonville State definitely did, and PJ said the only reason we didn't throw more was because we were so far ahead.

VT probably did the best job out of all the teams as far as stopping the TO. I believe most of Nesbitt's long runs came off scrambles.
 
Josh H said:
Point taken :)

Jacksonville State definitely did, and PJ said the only reason we didn't throw more was because we were so far ahead.

VT probably did the best job out of all the teams as far as stopping the TO. I believe most of Nesbitt's long runs came off scrambles.
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No, I think GT stopped the TO in that game...
 
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