Duke Football: Army hands Blue Devils their sixth straight loss

Army capitalized on Duke errors to build a 21-3 lead midway through the second quarter. It proved too much for the Blue Devils to come back from.

Duke may have scored first and last, but it was all Army in between. The Black Knights scored 21 straight points to build an insurmountable lead, and the Blue Devils lost their sixth consecutive game, 21-16.

Duke stopped Army on fourth down on the game’s opening drive. They then marched down the field. However, the drive stalled inside the five-yard line and they were forced to kick a field goal. From there, Army took over.

As has happened so often this season Army methodically moved the ball down the field thanks to the running of Ahmad Bradshaw and Andy Davidson.  80 yards later, Darnell Woolfolk punched it in from three yards out to give Army a lead they would never relinquish.

The Black Knights blocked Duke’s punt after their next drive went backward. Javhari Bourdeau scooped up the punt and ran it in to make it 14-3.

On the very next drive, Daniel Jones muffed the exchange with his running back after the Blue Devils made it into Army territory, and the Black Knights jumped on it. Bradshaw completed his lone pass attempt of the day for 42 yards and capped the ensuing drive and Army scoring for the day with an 18-yard touchdown run.

Duke finally did answer on the next drive. Jones led an 86-yard 11 play drive that culminated in his lone rushing touchdown of the day.

Duke’s final touchdown drive came at the end of an over six-minute drive that ended at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a1-yard Brittain Brown touchdown run and a failed extra point.

Army chewed up over 10-minutes of the fourth quarter with an 18-play, 75-yard drive, but missed the field goal. However, Duke was not able to capitalize, and Army successfully killed the rest of the clock.

Jones finished the day 19-for-29 for 164 yards and an interception. He was also sacked four times.

What’s Next

The Blue Devils (4-6, 1-5 ACC) are in danger of missing their second straight bowl game. It’s amazing we have gotten to this point. Headed into the Miami game, Duke looked like a surprise in the Coastal. Since then, they have done nothing but lose. They need wins over Georgia Tech at home next week and at Wake Forest to close the season to be bowl eligible.

Next: NC State Wolfpack - Twenty-Six Sacks Later

Army (8-2) on the other hand is having a season for the ages. They have already matched their win total from last season. When Duke was fading the Black Knights were building momentum. They have not lost since Sep. 23. They finished the season undefeated at home. and finish with a game at North Texas and the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia.