The Duke Blue Devils came within one play of something exceptional on Saturday night.
After six wins in his first seven games as the Duke head coach, [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] welcomed the No. 22 SMU Mustangs, his former assistant Rhett Lashlee, to Durham for a Week 9 battle set to reshape the conference championship race.
Despite falling behind by 14 points late in the third quarter, the Blue Devils tied the game and took possession across midfield with a chance to take the lead three different times in the final nine minutes. Quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] threw for a career-high 295 yards, including 11 completions for 138 yards to senior receiver Eli Pancol.
Instead, two empty field goal attempts (one missed and the other blocked) resulted in a trip to overtime, and a failed 2-point conversion kept Diaz from a seventh win in his debut season.
Here are the best photos from the Week 9 battle at Wallace Wade Stadium.