Duke Loses To Pittsburgh Putting Bowl Eligibility On Hold

For the second straight week Duke lost putting bowl eligibility on hold.

In a back-and-forth offensive battle, Pitt scored the last strike, with Kenny Pickett hitting Maurice Ffrench five seconds left in the game to beat Duke, 54-45 on Saturday. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

Pitt had leaned on its rushing offense for most of the game, but Pickett came through in crunch time, hitting Rafael Araujo-Lopes on a 17-yard pass, Tre Tipton for six yards and then an 11-yard scramble just before the game-winning pass to Ffrench. Pickett finished 8 of 18 for 150 yards and two touchdowns, with three of his eight completions and 78 of his passing yards coming on the final drive. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

Pitt (4-4, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved to within a half-game of first-place Virginia in the ACC Coastal division, while Duke (5-3, 1-3) missed an opportunity to secure bowl eligibility and climb into contention within the division.”according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

In a game full of offense, Pitt's defense got an elusive stop late in the fourth quarter, with defensive tackle Amir Watts sacking Daniel Jones on a fourth-and-long to get the Panthers the ball back. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

Both teams eclipsed 600 yards of total offense. Duke did most of its damage in the air, with Jones setting career highs with 396 passing yards and four touchdowns. Deon Jackson set a Duke record with 403 all-purpose yards. Pitt's 484 rushing yards were the second-most in program history. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

Duke did not punt until the fourth quarter, with an early turnover on downs and a Jones fumble standing as the only two stops for Pitt's defense until the final frame. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

Ffrench's game-winner was his second touchdown. He also scored on a 50-yard catch in the second quarter. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

Freshman defensive back V'Lique Carter, playing in his first game, made an impact on offense, with scores from 31 and 16 yards out. He finished with 137 yards on seven carries. Regular running back Qadree Ollison had 149 yards and a score on 18 rushes. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

For Duke, backup quarterback Quentin Harris scored on a pair of short runs and slot receiver T.J. Rahming had a pair of short touchdowns. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=211777853

Duke will return to the road next Saturday when they visit Miami.

Kick-off is set for 7:00pm from Hard Rock Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2. “according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1843&SPSID=22666