Where's Dook?

Well ...There They Are, 5-0 And Atop The League

The question of where is Duke is meant to be a gently derivise poke at the proud Blue Devils. It's meant to emphasize an occasion where Duke is no longer in a tournament that's ongoing, especially if their arch rivals from Chapel Hill are still in the mix. And most often it has to do with basketball , because historically Duke's football success has been quite sporadic.

In the present moment , though, this question is turned on its head. Where is Duke if they're not at or near the bottom of the ACC standings? And the answer is , they're at the top.

Ok, technically Duke is in second place in the ACC. With their 1-0 record in the Conference, they sit just behind Clemson at 2-0. And they are tied with Miami, along with four other teams.

But those details dim the real news. We are into October and Duke is undefeated . That was not the expectation.

It's true that three of those wins were over Elon, Middle Tennessee State and UConn. The other two were narrow wins over Northwestern and UNC. But a win is a win. And here the Blue Devils are, approaching bowl eligibility as the season nears the halfway mark.

Their road gets tougher this Saturday night in Atlanta. Georgia Tech is 3-2, and both losses are in the league. They cannot afford another .

Tech Coach Brent Key said the bye week came at a good time. " We were able to heal up and get our energy back", he said.

True. And Tech feels frustrated at 3-2. They know that both losses could have been wins and thus there was an air of disappointment when they fell to Louisville in a game that featured two defensive touchdowns by the Cardinals to account for the 12 point margin.

Goals for the off- week for Key and his troops have included repairing the run game, finding a way to bolster the pass rush, and shoring up the placekicking (they are 3 of 6 on field goals , not counting one that was blocked).

Those tasks are readily apparent. The solutions are more elusive. For example, defensive schemes altered to augment the pass rush can bring vulnerability to the back end. Quarterbacks like Kyle McCord can have a big day under that set of circumstances.

Likewise, improving the run game takes pressure off the passing game, but it has to be consistent. No offense is routinely productive if the defense is reliably able to predict the run/ pass call.

What's clear is that Georgia Tech must make improvements in the above areas in order to make a run at an improved record for 2024 vs last year. On the remaining schedule, Tech will be a heavy underdog vs. Notre Dame ( "home" at Mercedes Benz Stadium) and on the road against Georgia. The remaining five games ( Duke, UNC, Virginia Tech, NC State and even Miami) are up for grabs.

How the Jackets fare across that schedule will depend heavily on 1) the run game, 2) the pass rush and 3) the kicking game.

The 2024 ACC title is still in play for Brent Key and his team.

Patrick Conarro

RamblinSports.com