Blue Devils fall in overtime to SMU, 28-27

As we've seen all season, Duke's defense was quite good Saturday night against SMU, but the offense struggled.

Duke had three critical situations late in the game that the Blue Devils were unable to capitalize on: First, there was a missed field goal attempt by Todd Pelino. Second, Pelino had another attempt from 30 yards, a potential game-winner as time was running out and the Mustangs blocked him. And third, in overtime, Duke went for a two-point conversion after a touchdown that narrowly missed, giving SMU a 28-27 win.

Duke forced six turnovers in the game, including three interceptions, and put tremendous pressure on SMU, especially in the fourth quarter, but the offense simply couldn't capitalize. Of course it's a defeat, but we've seen time and time again that this is a strong group that sticks together and competes. Look at it this way: Despite the offensive problems, this team is two points from 7-1 and not far from 8-0.

After the loss, the Blue Devils will play at #6 Miami next Saturday. That's sure to be a tough question, but there are a few motivating factors: First, Duke knows it can play at a higher level, and second, Miami fired Diaz in 2021: All in all, a pretty solid incentive. If you take a tough loss, you can be pretty sure Duke will hit hard at the Canes next week.