The Duke Blue Devils (4-2 overall) and the No. 12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-0 overall) were both undefeated at 3-0 in conference play when the two ACC programs met in Week 8.
The winner would stand atop the conference rankings after the game, and the loser would fall to the increasing mix of teams with one loss against ACC opponents.
After the Duke defense forced the Yellow Jackets to punt, it looked like the Blue Devils might push their way into the end zone, led by quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper
Barkate.
Darian Mensah's first-quarter nightmare vs. Georgia Tech
However, on a run play that started on the 1-yard line, Mensah fumbled the handoff after sensing pressure from the Georgia Tech defensive line, and defensive back Omar Daniels picked the ball up and returned it all the way for a touchdown.
The scoop-and-score put the Blue Devils down 7-0 after a successful extra point kick. The good news? Duke immediately got the ball back to try to tie the game up once again.
Before the fumble, Mensah had completed five passes for 79 yards, four of those completions going to Barkate. Running backs Nate Sheppard and Anderson Castle had combined for 17 yards on the ground to get the ball within the 5-yard line.
The simple mistake by Mensah (and the impressive return by Daniels) was the only reason the Yellow Jackets were leading in the first quarter, as the Duke defense continued to show up big time for the team.
Head coach Manny Diaz has been touted for his defensive prowess throughout his coaching career, and even with the mistake from Mensah, his team still had all of the momentum thanks to his expertise.