2. Duke deserves more national respect after taking down Georgia Tech
The Blue Devils are incredibly underrated, but after they took down Georgia Tech (No. 20) on Saturday, this needs to change. With a record of 3-1 — the only loss coming against a very tough Northwestern (No. 17) squad — Duke is well on its way to earning a bowl bid later this year.
In Week 4, the Blue Devils impressively shut down the powerful rushing attack of the Yellow Jackets to the tune of just 173 yards, allowing just 2.9 yards per carry. This was better than what Notre Dame was able to do in Week 3, and considering the Yellow Jackets averaged 377 yards per game prior to Saturday to lead the nation, it was an especially noteworthy accomplishment.
Running back Shaquille Powell was extremely proud of the team’s performance.
“We showed ourselves that we can step it up when we need to, and how we need to be to compete for championship sand win the ACC,” Powell said, via ESPN.com. “It showed the team that we can do something great.”
If Duke can continue pounding the rock and playing outstanding defense, then Powell’s goal of winning the ACC is certainly achievable.