Manny Diaz thinks Duke football's first loss sparked a new energy in the locker room

Duke football sits at 5-1 after suffering its first loss of the season at Georgia Tech two weeks ago, 24-14. After several miraculous comeback-fashion wins for the Blue Devils over the first five games of the 2024 campaign, a loss almost feels like a smack in the face that not everything is going to go your way all the time.

With each win and each close call, especially against inferior opponents that Duke had struggled against, it felt like a matter of time before luck ran out. Duke head coach Manny Diaz had talked in previous weeks how it's important to not let the high's become the focus of attention and always be focused on the road ahead.

The Blue Devils proved that mentality, never seeing themselves as out of contests regardless of what a quarter or half looked like when it wasn't going their way, but now with a number other than zero in the loss column, Duke now has something to prove that it is a legitimate ACC contender.

Diaz touched on the difference in energy that it feels like on the field this week compared to previous weeks.

"If you closed your eyes on our practice field yesterday and today, you would have been able to hear the difference coming off the bye week. It's not that we practiced poorly before the bye, but there's definitely a renewed energy and enthusiasm amongst our football team."

Diaz said how this break came at a perfect time and allowed the players to physically and mentally reset right at the midpoint of the season. Especially after a difficult loss in a game the Blue Devils could've walked away with a win in, it gives the players more time to feel the loss and really evaluate what needs to change.

Blue Devil offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke talked about how important this reset is for the team as well, noting that there's a new recharged energy in the locker room that, naturally, may have not been there over the last week or two. The two emphasized how being able to step away from the game for a few days allowed the players to come back with a new intensity to finish out the second half of the season.

Duke has never beaten Florida State, having an 0-22 record all-time. This upcoming matchup on Friday night looks the part of a defensive onslaught with both the Blue Devils' and Seminoles' above average pass rush attacks.

Patke talked during his media availability on what he's seen from his defense through the first half of the season and what he wants to continue to improve upon.

"Resiliency. Every week I come in here and I talk about the defense and how resilient they are, no matter what has been going on in the game. Last weekend was the first time that we gave up a touchdown in the fourth quarter, that just shows how resilient and tough they are...So we got to do a better job of stopping the run and limiting some of these explosives on the ground."

As the Blue Devils' date with the 1-5 Seminoles creeps closer, it feels like the biggest game of the season for the Duke football program. Being able to come off of a tough loss and a bye and take down an in-conference opponent that you've never beaten before will bring the Blue Devils right back into the upper echelon tier of the ACC.