This Duke football defense is scary good
By Hugh Straine
Duke defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke has had his defense out to a fantastic beginning to the 2024 season, and it was on display again last night. Especially in the first half, the front seven got to the quarterback with ease and plowed through the Huskies defensive line.
After giving up a big opening play off a UConn QB run, the Blue Devil defense was lights out from that point, giving the Huskies absolutely no room to breathe and keeping them from finding ways to get in the scoring column early on.
Duke forced punts on the first three Huskies possessions before forcing a fumble on the fourth that Duke would recover. Cornerback Chandler Rivers blitzed the pocket and was able to get around the defender to strip the ball free, and linebacker Tre Freeman was able to come up with it to get Duke's offense back on the field. Duke then forced three more punts on UConn's next three possessions, holding the Huskies scoreless in the first half. Connecticut did put seven points on the board, but that was due to a pick-six.
UConn was able to bring a bit of a surge after the break, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second half, but the Blue Devil defensive front shut this momentum down quickly. After forcing a punt, safety Terry Moore came out of nowhere to pick off a deep shot thrown by UConn, giving Duke possession again. Duke then held Connecticut scoreless for the rest of the game.
Duke held the Huskies to just 314 yards of total offense and forced two turnovers. It allowed just 135 yards through the air.
Rivers has been a massive part of the defense in the secondary as he's involved in what looks like every play. His contributions don't always appear on the stat sheet, but the way he makes things difficult for opposing teams and gets involved in plays so consistently has made him one of the catalysts for this Blue Devil defense.
This defense and its consistency through the first two games of the season will put Duke in position to compete with the best teams in the ACC and potentially bring the first ACC championship to Durham since 1989. It's tied for the lead in the ACC in fumbles forced (3) and ranks fifth in points allowed per game (14.7), fourth in passing yards allowed per game (133.7), fourth in sacks (9), and fifth in red zone defense.
This defensive front has been able to keep Duke in position to win each of its games when the offense goes cold, consistently keeping the other team out of the scoring column and getting them off the field quick. If this domination continues, it will put Duke in a realistic position to finish atop the ACC, especially as the offense continues to improve and consistently score.