2017 ACC Football: Coastal Division Power Rankings week 8

Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It

I wonder if coach David Cutcliffe thinks about how the season was going.

The undefeated Blue Devils had just beaten their crosstown rivals for a second straight season and looked prime to be in the running for the Coastal crown. Another bowl season seemed to be inevitable after last year’s miss.

Since then, Duke has lost four straight, three of which were at home. Not only is the team still two wins shy of bowl eligibility, but with the Blue Devil’s loss to Pittsburgh, there isn’t a sure win left on their schedule.

Three of Duke’s last four games are on the road and all four come against teams with winning records. Pittsburgh was the kind of team that Duke had beaten earlier this season so handily, and yet they still couldn’t win the game.

In the game against the Panthers, Duke held a lead with 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Their quarterback Daniel Jones threw for over 250 yards and had two touchdowns.

They also had a monster game from T.J. Rahming who finished with eight receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown.

Despite this, they still lost because they were outgained by over 100 yards and turned the ball over twice. Duke’s offense also held possession of the ball for nearly half of the time Pitt did.

Additionally, Duke failed to rush for 100 yards against a defense allowing over 150 rushing yards per game. These things are all a recipe for disaster.

Coach Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils wont have too long to think about how the season has turned as they travel to take on Virginia Tech.