Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Duke comes up short in must-win situations

DURHAM, N.C. -- The schedule laid out so favorably for Duke, you had to stop and wonder whether the Blue Devils created it on their own.

The defending Coastal champions had three teams either at or below .500 to close out the season. All they had to do was win out, and they would be back in the ACC championship game.

But winning can be elusive. First, Duke lost to Virginia Tech 17-16 last week in a last-second heartbreaker. Then, Duke lost to North Carolina 45-20 on Thursday night in a different type of heartbreaker, one that dashed its hopes at a return trip to Charlotte.

While the complexion of both games was different, there a few common threads. Duke made too many mistakes against the Hokies, and it made too many mistakes against the Tar Heels. With a team that has so little margin for error, those mistakes became impossible to overcome.

So Duke trudged into the home locker room while rival North Carolina stomped on the Duke logo at midfield, then moved to the sideline and spray painted the Victory Bell Carolina blue. The Tar Heels clinched bowl eligibility with their strongest performance of the season, one that has been expected all sesaon.

When the schedule was released in January, the thought was that this game would decide the Coastal between Duke and North Carolina. While the Tar Heels fumbled about for the first half of the season, Duke rose to the top once again. But while last season was a fun adventure for Duke, this one proved to be a little different.

Unaccustomed to being the favorite, Duke could not handle itself in critical must-win situations. While coach David Cutcliffe might disagree, quarterback Anthony Boone said these last several games were more stressful than the stretch run a season ago.

“I think it’s going to be a different mentality now that that pressure of not losing is lifted off our back,” Boone said. “I think it might be a little more relaxed. Obviously, it’s a tough loss. But that Coastal thing, it may have gotten in the way a little bit.”

What is remarkable about the way Duke has turned around its program is that many consider the last two games a disappointment. That is how much expectations have changed around a program that is now used to winning far more than it is used to losing.

But Cutcliffe reiterated in his postgame comments that Duke still has a chance to win nine games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. There is still plenty left for Duke to accomplish, even though Georgia Tech will represent the Coastal against Florida State on Dec. 6.

“I told them, ‘It’s OK ... we’re all going to feel mad, we’re going to feel deep anger, we’re going to feel sad, we’re going to be disappointed but we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves,” Cutcliffe said. “We’re going to help each other. We’re all going to pick ourselves up. It’s tough to lose two games in a row. For us, that’s news. Everybody’s sick to their stomach, but if you don’t like what you’re getting, then change what you’re doing.”

Turnovers have been a factor. In their three losses this season, Duke has turned the ball over nine times. In eight wins, Duke turned it over three times. The mistakes were particularly devastating Thursday night. The first was a fumble on the opening drive, one that showed so much promise until Thomas Sirk coughed up the ball. North Carolina turned that into a touchdown.

In all, the Tar Heels scored 21 points off three turnovers. North Carolina had its share of mistakes, too, committing three turnovers as well. But Duke scored zero points off those miscues.

Duke players also said they could not match the Tar Heels’ intensity, and that won’t win many football games, either.

“We got out competed throughout the whole game,” Duke running back Shaquille Powell said. “UNC played real hungry and we didn’t play like we wanted to go out there and go to the ACC championship and beat these guys so we have to play with more intensity.”

Added linebacker David Helton: “That’s probably the most disappointing for us, knowing they came out and outcompeted us. We thought we had more in ourselves, but we know who we are and we know what kind of team we are and we know what we’ll do.”

Charlotte might be out of consideration, but Duke has no plans to lose out.

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