Preview: Duke Football Versus Florida State
Tomorrow (Oct. 14) will mark the 20th anniversary of an ACC showdown, as the Duke Blue Devils (4-2, 1-2 ACC) look to have a winning comeback, while taking on Jimbo Fisher’s Florida State Seminoles (1-3, 1-2 ACC). Because of unique scheduling, the Blue Devils haven’t played the Seminoles since 2011 at the ACC Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Blue Devils look to make a comeback after losing recently to both Miami (31-6) and Virginia (28-21). The Blue Devils have not been successful when playing the Seminoles. In fact, since 1992, the Seminoles have lead the series 19-0. While the Blue Devils have constantly struggled on both sides of the ball, they have a winning record during the month of October. Since 2008, under the reign of head coach David Cutcliffe, the Blue Devils have a winning record of 17-16.
Florida State recently played in a nail biter, where the Miami hurricanes defeated the Seminoles, 24-20. Before the matchup, the Seminoles have had the upper hand, winning the last seven games played against the Canes.
The Blue Devils come into the game with a 4-2 record, where the Seminoles are 1-3. When playing Virginia, Duke quarterback Daniel Jones completed 14-of-42 passes, along with one passing touchdown and two interceptions. His competition percentage has been dropping constantly in the last couple of games and Duke is struggling to convert on third down to stay on the field.
In my honest opinion, I think that the Blue Devils have this one in the bag. Daniel Jones will need to complete more passes on third down and keep the chains moving in order to pull off the victory. Speaking of quarterbacks, Florida State’s starting quarterback Deondre Francois was injured and out for the season when tore his patella tendon in the season-opener against Alabama. The injury in my opinion has put a halt on the team’s playoff contention. Current quarterback James Blackman came in and took control of the offense, where he threw for 17-28 completions, threw for 203 with two passing touchdowns and threw two interceptions in the loss to Miami. This was the first lost for Jimbo Fisher against the Canes since becoming the head coach in 2010.
Will the Seminoles prevail or will the Blue Devils make history? Check out the game on ESPN2, on Saturday, October 14th at noon at Wallace Wade Stadium.