Manny Diaz was uncertain about how quickly his new Duke team would adapt to his defensive system when he arrived in Durham.
However, the Blue Devils coach was pleasantly surprised by how well they have been pressuring quarterbacks and forcing offenses into tough situations. This has been a key factor in why the Blue Devils are contending for the Atlantic Coast Conference lead as they prepare to face No. 22 SMU on Saturday.
“In my experience, having installed this defense in various places, we’ve never seen this level of ‘chaos’ plays in the first six games like we have this year,” Diaz said. He previously coached at Miami and was the defensive coordinator at Penn State for two seasons. “Usually, it all comes together around this time of year. I still believe we can reach another level defensively.”
So far, maintaining this pace may be sufficient for the Blue Devils (6-1, 2-1).
Duke is ranked in the top 25 of the Bowl Subdivision in total defense (22nd, 306.7 yards) and scoring defense (17th, 17.3 points). What stands out are the “chaos” plays: Duke is seventh in the nation for sacks per game (3.43) and leads the country in tackles for loss at 9.9 per game, which results in an average of 37.7 lost yards for opponents.
It all began with a strong season opener against Elon, where Duke recorded eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss, the most for the program in a single game since 2007.
“They saw the proof and the evidence, like ‘Hey, we can really be the unit that Coach has been preaching,’” said defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke. “It’s a momentum thing, and they’re believing right now.”
The Blue Devils have continued this success, with linebacker Alex Howard leading the team in both sacks (five) and tackles for loss (11). Defensive ends Wesley Williams and Vincent Anthony Jr. (each with four sacks) and defensive tackle Aaron Hall (three sacks) have also contributed to pressuring quarterbacks.
They demonstrated their skills against Florida State last week, achieving six sacks and 11 tackles for loss to secure their first-ever win against FSU (they were 0-22 previously). The upcoming challenge will be tougher against new ACC member SMU (6-1, 3-0), which boasts the nation’s 11th-ranked scoring offense (40.7 points) and has allowed just nine sacks in seven games.
“They’re a team that plays hard and shows various defenses, including blitzes and dropbacks,” said SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings. “They present a lot of looks, so we need to be sure to prepare for everything before and after the snap.”
