For a sport played on a massive field, it’s funny how often football games get settled by a matter of inches.
Duke came within one play of beating the ranked SMU Mustangs multiple times on Saturday night, and a few bad breaks got in the way of their upset effort. The Blue Devils’ 30-yard field goal attempt on the last play of regulation, which would have won the game, got blocked when Mustangs defensive end Jahfari Harvey jumped over the line and got his hand up in time.
Duke later opted for a 2-point conversion attempt on the first overtime possession, and quarterback Maalik Murphy’s pass to Eli Pancol sailed by for an incompletion. A replay angle on the broadcast showed more contact from SMU defensive back Jaelyn Davis-Robinson than fans would have liked.
Just don’t expect Duke head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] to blame the loss on either of those two plays.
“You should never rationalize away a loss,” Diaz said during his Monday press conference. “Because what’ll happen is, given the unusual set of circumstances that happened on Saturday night, you’ll try to find something that’s outside of your control as to why you lost.”
Diaz, who was hired by the Blue Devils this offseason after spending 2022-23 as the Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator, said the film showed mistakes from the offense, defense, and special teams that could have changed the outcome.
“Everyone who had a role in the game on Saturday night could have played better and could have ensured our victory,” Diaz said. “That’s us taking accountability, that’s us taking control.”