Through the first four weeks of the college football season, nobody has an answer for the Duke pass defense.
Middle Tennessee quarterback Nicholas Vattiato, fresh off a 456-yard performance against Western Kentucky, managed just 127 yards on 33 attempts against the Blue Devils.
He became the fourth straight quarterback that Duke has held under five yards per attempt, and no offense has thrown for more than 156 yards against first-year head coach Manny Diaz, defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke, and their experienced secondary. Through Week 4, the Blue Devils are giving up just 132.0 yards per game and 4.2 yards per attempt through the air with more interceptions (three) than passing touchdowns allowed (two).
Any nightmarish defense starts in the trenches, and it seems like Diaz and his staff assembled one of the best four-man fronts in the conference. Duke sacked Vattiato five times and backup quarterback Roman Gagliano once, boosting the team total to 15 for the year.
Edge rusher Wesley Williams notched two sacks and a forced fumble by himself on Saturday, and he’s now one of three Duke defenders with at least 2.5 sacks in 2024. Liberty transfer Kendy Charles and team captain Aaron Hall disrupted the MTSU offense constantly from the defensive interior, combining for four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
If you factor in sack yardage, the Blue Raiders finished Saturday’s game with 87 net passing yards.
Even if an opponent reaches the second level, Youngstown State transfer linebacker Alex Howard waits for them. One of the most unheralded stars in the Power Four this season, Howard led the team with eight tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss on Saturday.
Even when that pass rush doesn’t get home, however, the vice grip of this experienced secondary doesn’t loosen. Starting defensive backs Chandler Rivers, Joshua Pickett, Jaylen Stinson, and Terry Moore are all upperclassmen with starting experience, and each one has already made multiple game-changing plays. Pickett has broken up five passes, Moore has two interceptions, and Rivers forced a fumble against Connecticut one week after a huge open-field tackle for loss in overtime against Northwestern.
Between that veteran discipline and a deep pass-rush rotation, it’s hard to find the answers for opponents even with conference play on the horizon. Five of the team’s eight ACC opponents already average fewer than 230 yards per game through the air, including the North Carolina Tar Heels. If Duke can maintain this form, it could be the difference between six wins and eight.