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Duke beats Maryland 17-13
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Published: October 24, 2009
DURHAM -- Don't look now but the Duke Blue Devils are making waves in the ACC.
And they made quite a few waves in a steady downpour at soggy Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday afternoon in beating Maryland 17-13. Winning their second straight ACC game for the first time since 1994, which was also the last time they were in a bowl game, the Blue Devils moved to 2-1 in the ACC and 4-3 overall.
"Defense loves the rain," said linebacker Damian Thornton of the Blue Devils. "The offense hates the rain, so we knew it was going to be a grimy game with the weather conditions, and it was about manning up and doing what we had to do."
Except for one mistake in the third quarter when Maryland quarterback Chris Turner hit Davin Meggett on a screen pass that turned into a 67-yard touchdown, the Blue Devils made all the right plays on defense and special teams to secure the win.
"Everybody is trying to get to that next level where we can get to a bowl," Thornton said about the Blue Devils who need seven wins to qualify. "It's a week-by-week thing and if we can do those things it will take care of itself."
The Blue Devils rode the hot hand of quarterback Thaddeus Lewis early to build a 7-0 lead. Lewis hit Donovan Varner for a 24-yard touchdown pass on their second possession of the game.
Lewis, who wasn't as sharp as he was two weeks ago in a rout of N.C. State, managed the game pretty well despite a fumble and throwing his first interception in his last 130 attempts. He threw his second touchdown pass, this time a 1-yard pass to Danny Parker, the third-string tight end, on a third-and-goal in the third quarter.
The touchdown made it 17-6 in favor of the Blue Devils, and it gave them enough breathing room and a chance for the defense to come alive.
Wide receiver Austin Kelly of the Blue Devils said: "Our defense came up with big plays and Vinny (Rey) came up with that big interception at the end and it pretty much sealed the deal. We expect them to play that way and they expect us to put the ball in the end zone."
The Terps cut the margin to 17-13 with Meggett's touchdown, but that's as close as they would come.
Rey had the biggest play for the defense with 4:09 left when he stepped in front of a Turner pass, his ninth interception of the season, at the Maryland 36. The Blue Devils were forced to punt, but Tony Logan muffed the punt and the Blue Devils recovered with 1:42 left, and ran out the clock.
Rey, a senior linebacker who had his second career interception, read the play perfectly as he back peddled while reading the eyes of Turner.
"My body kind of took me to the window where he usually throws it," Rey said. "I don't know if I was thinking about that at the time, but after practicing that all week he threw it right to the window where I was going to be and I was able to hang on."
Coach David Cutcliffe of the Blue Devils said that with about seven minutes left in the game he said there was a feeling on his sideline that they were going to win.
"That's a change," he said about the team's attitude. "I don't know what it means long term…"
One of the telltale signs that the Blue Devils might have arrived was the way they celebrated after the win. There wasn't a lot of hoopla or shouting about beating the Terps (2-6, 1-3) and halting a five-game losing streak to them.
The Blue Devils had three turnovers and a season-high 12 penalties.
"We made some mistakes," Lewis said, "but in the end we were fortunate enough to come out on top. Maryland has a good football team… Our defense came through when we needed them. They were huge."
With the field becoming a mud bath in the second half the footing was difficult, but the push that the Blue Devils' defensive line was getting was crucial.
"You can't say enough about the defensive line and the push, and they played great and as linebackers we just plugged the holes," Thornton said. "It's about playing a full 60 minutes. We can't let up and it's about coming out and doing what we needed to do to win the game."
Coach Ralph Friedgen of the Terps, whose team's bowl chances took a severe hit with their third straight loss, said that the Blue Devils' offense was too good.
"We had opportunities to get interceptions – there were balls in the air hanging around, but we just didn't come down with them," Friedgen said. "…I told the kids the only thing we can do is keep working. It's disheartening."
The Blue Devils, who need three more wins out of the last five games to qualify for a bowl, will play at Virginia on Saturday.
"It doesn't change anything," Cutcliffe said about a two-game win streak in the ACC. "Virginia is an extremely talented team, and they are a great looking physical team, one of the better teams that I've seen."
One thing that Cutcliffe is excited about is the fact that despite not playing well the Blue Devils pulled out the victory. "It's good for Duke to win ugly for a change," he said.
-jdell@wsjournal.com. 727-4081
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