Even with the Blue Devils losing their first game of the season on Saturday, Duke remains one of the most formidable pass defenses in the country.
Through Week 6, opposing quarterbacks are averaging just 4.9 yards per attempt against defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke and his secondary. Only four FBS teams have been better so far this season, and no other ACC defense is giving up fewer than six yards per pass.
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, one of the most productive signal-callers in the country, completed 74.2% of his passes during Saturday’s win, but he only managed 167 yards on 31 attempts. That average of 5.4 is by far his lowest total of the season, and it was just the second time he finished below nine yards per attempt.
The anaconda-esque nature of Duke’s aerial blockade starts up front with the pass rush. The Blue Devils have already picked up 18 sacks as a team, tied for the sixth-most among Power Four programs, and their lone sack on King last week was the first Georgia Tech had given up all season.
Five different members of the pass rush already have multiple sacks this season, including 3.5 from junior edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr. and 3.0 from transfer linebacker Alex Howard. The Duke trenches have taken over games, finishing with eight sacks against Elon and six against Middle Tennessee.
But even if a quarterback evades the pressure, there’s rarely any space downfield. Duke’s four primary defensive backs (Chandler Rivers, Joshua Pickett, Jaylen Stinson, and Terry Moore) are all upperclassmen, and they’ve played like veteran leaders so far this season.
According to Pro Football Focus, between the 44 times Rivers and Pickett have been targeted, the cornerback duo has given up 22 catches while forcing 11 incompletions. Even if a pass finds its way to the target, there’s a one-in-three chance that the Duke corners ensure it remains a broken play.
Moore already has multiple interceptions this season, reading the quarterback’s eyes and roving around downfield as a constant threat, and Stinson has only missed two tackles this season.
Each member of the four provides an essential skill to the set, and as a result, Patke’s defense forces opposing offenses to abandon big plays. Even without factoring in yards lost on sacks, no team has thrown for more than 251 yards against the Blue Devils, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward might be the only one capable of cracking that trend.
Questions remain about an offense that’s managed just one first-half touchdown in the last two games, but Duke can comfortably win eight games on the back of this defense.