An injury to Tommy DeVito, bad showing on both sides of the ball, and a double -digit loss isn’t exactly what Orange fans expected this past Saturday. Here’s what to takeaway from SU’s 38-24 loss to Duke:
Tommy DeVito Could be Done for the Year
If you watched or followed Saturday’s contest you’ll know, DeVito went down with a brutal injury. He was carried off the field, and later came back in a boot and on crutches, neither of which are good signs. As of right now there’s not much word on whether he’ll play again this season, but if a guess had to be made, it’s not likely. That’s brutal for the Orange. Regardless of how much criticism he’s under, it’s widely accepted that the kid from Jersey is better than his backup, Rex Culpepper. DeVito’s absence is a huge hit for this team to take, especially while missing Andre Cisco on the other side of the ball as well. The only possible silver lining is there’s a possibility of some young arms like Dillon Markewicz. JaCobian morgan, Luke MacPhail or David Summers get a chance to show their worth.
Vegas was Right
Coming into Saturday’s matchup against winless Duke, SU was a 2.5 point underdog. A line that had many scratching their heads. However, it turns out Vegas was right. After beating Georgia Tech in week 3, Orange fans were excited, maybe a tad too excited for this team. There are definitely pieces that have the potential to put forth some great production for the Orange, but as a whole they just certainly aren’t there as of now. This upcoming week, Liberty comes to town. The Flames are currently favored by 3, which would’ve seemed blasphemous a couple weeks ago but now without DeVito and a horrible showing from this defense, that line seems more accurate than not.
Defense Didn’t Perform
Despite forcing four turnovers against the Blue Devils, the Orange defense simply didn’t play well. Chase Brice threw two touchdowns on 270 yards, which may not seem impressive, but what is, is his 7.1 yards per attempt. That’s a number you simply can’t afford as a defense. That number indicates every time a Duke receiver caught the football, they were early at the first down marker. From there it wasn’t difficult to cross, their run game had a field day too. David Cutcliffe’s offense ran all over SU. 363 yards and a couple touchdowns established Duke as the better team on the field. Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant both ran for upwards of 160 yards, that’s unacceptable. It’s clear that both this front 7 and secondary aren’t exactly what SU fans thought they were.
