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Georgia Tech Football:Duke a dangerous team in 2019

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 05: Deon Jackson #25 of the Duke Blue Devils stiff-arms Cam Bright #38 of the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half of their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Pittsburgh won 33-30. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 05: Deon Jackson #25 of the Duke Blue Devils stiff-arms Cam Bright #38 of the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half of their game at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Pittsburgh won 33-30. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Saturday travel to Durham, North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils as they look for win No.2 on the season.

This weekend, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets look to break their three-game losing streak against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

To learn more about the Blue Devils in preparation for Saturday’s game, we caught up with our friends at BallDurham.com and Duke expert Kevin Connelly to learn more about the Blue Devils in their first season under Mack Brown.

YJU: Duke’s offense outside of their season opener against Alabama has looked pretty good in 2019, what’s been the key to the Blue Devil’s success? 

"KC: Duke has the most success when the offense is consistently running the football. The offensive line play has been outstanding this season and with All-ACC running back Deon Jackson along with dual threat Quentin Harris, the Blue Devils running game is the key to the offense because it then sets up the screen game and play action passing game."

YJU: Duke had a tough game against Pittsburgh last week as they may have caught a hot Pittsburgh team at the wrong time, what went wrong against the Panthers last weekend? Are those struggles that have been prevalent this season?

"KC: The Duke offense was uncharacteristically bad against Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils have started slow in some games this season on offense, but they never turned the ball over, except against Alabama. In the loss to Pittsburgh, Duke had a span where the offense turned the ball over three times in four plays, no one is going to win a football game that way, except the Blue Devils almost did. Duke’s offense won’t make the front page of ESPN or Sports Illustrated, but it’s a lethal offense that shouldn’t be taken lightly."

YJU: We saw Duke’s defense have tough games against Alabama and Pittsburgh but in between those two, the defense looked really good during their three game winning streak. What are the Yellow Jackets looking at defensively with the Blue Devils and what should Tech fans be ready to see with Duke’s defense. 

"KC: Duke’s defense was projected to be suspect to begin the season, especially without All-ACC cornerback Mark Gilbert. Duke also lost a dynamic duo at linebacker but the play of the defensive line has really made up for that, clogging up running lanes and getting after the quarterback. The best way to attack the Blue Devils is through the air and try to hit multiple deep shots throughout the game."

YJU: Who is a player on Duke’s offense that Tech fans should know heading into Saturday’s game? What about the defensive side, any particular standout that is causing chaos for opposing offenses?

"KC: Outside of the quarterback Quentin Harris, Georgia Tech fans should be concerned about tight end Noah Gray and running back Deon Jackson. Jackson can do it all, he’s a dynamic runner, an above average pass catcher, and he’s extremely dangerous in space. On defense, fans should be on the lookout for Koby Quansah and Tre Hornbuckle. Quansah is a linebacker and leads the team in tackles and Hornbuckle is a defensive end that leads the team in sacks."

YJU: What will need to go wrong for Duke on Saturday for Georgia Tech to have a chance to pull off the upset? 

"KC: If Georgia Tech wants to upset Duke on Saturday afternoon, the Yellow Jackets will have to win the time of possession battle and force the Blue Devils into uncharacteristic turnovers like Pittsburgh did last week."

YJU: What’s your prediction for Saturday’s game? A presumable Duke victory? Will the Blue Devils cover the nearly three touchdown spread?

"KC: I think the Duke Blue Devils will win this game and rather comfortably. While the spread is big, I think Duke could win by around 20 points."

We would like to thank Kevin Connolly for his time, make sure to go check out BullDurham.com to read more about this week’s game from a Duke perspective. The Yellow Jackets and Blue Devils will kickoff on Saturday at 12:30 PM and the game can be watched on the ACC Network.