Duke has managed to figure out enough difficult situations in every game to be successful in each outing this season.
Now the Blue Devils will encounter a different type of task — living up to heightened expectations — when visiting Georgia Tech for Saturday night’s Atlantic Coast Conference game in Atlanta.
Duke (5-0, 1-0 ACC) rallied Saturday from a 20-point hole to defeat North Carolina 21-20, matching the second-biggest comeback victory in program history.
The Blue Devils are 5-0 for the first time since 1994.
“Over five weeks, I think that we’ve shown we can handle adversity and overcome adversity,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “Now we’re faced with a very diffident kind of adversity, which is the adversity of success. Being told how great we are, that comes with a different type of adversity.”
Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2) hasn’t played since losing 31-19 on Sept. 21 at then-No. 19 Louisville. This will be the Yellow Jackets’ first ACC game in Atlanta because the designated home matchup vs. Florida State was contested in Ireland.
“The bye week really couldn’t have come at a better time for us. We were able to heal up and get our energy back and a pep in our step,” Georgia Tech coach Brent Key told reporters Tuesday. “We had a lot of mental reps in practice last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Those were big days of focusing on ourselves, corrections, adjustments, personnel and situational football.”
Duke wants to be in more big games, so turning attention to the Yellow Jackets is crucial after conquering a longtime rival in a game that ended with Blue Devils fans rushing on to the field to celebrate.
“I think we have a pretty mature football team that (knows) the goal now is to move on to the next game,” Diaz said.
Duke’s defense has made a habit of collecting tackles for losses (10.4 per game) and pressuring opposing quarterbacks. That might be a challenge against a Georgia Tech team that hasn’t allowed a sack this year.
“We’ve got a real challenge awaiting us in Atlanta that our guys are excited for,” Diaz said.
Georgia Tech outgained Louisville 410-326, losing a game for the first time since the 2023 opener when outgaining its opponent.
“This team plays hard,” Key said of the Yellow Jackets. “Playing hard and preparing the right way gives you a chance to have success. It guarantees you nothing.”
Quarterback Haynes King is 10th in Georgia Tech program history in career total offense with 5,069 yards.
Duke running back Star Thomas has reached the 100-yard rushing mark in three consecutive games.
