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3rd Quarter Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Duke looks much better today on their home field. They have jumped out to a 20-13 lead against Pittsburgh.
Duke came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.
Preview
Pittsburgh is 7-0 against Duke since November of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Pittsburgh Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Duke Blue Devils at 12:00 p.m. ET at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. Pittsburgh will be strutting in after a win while Duke will be stumbling in from a defeat.
Pittsburgh finally caught a break after four consecutive losses. They walked away with a 24-16 win over Boston College on Thursday.
Nate Yarnell and Rodney Hammond Jr. were among the main playmakers for Pittsburgh as the former rushed for 24 yards and a touchdown and the latter rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries. Hammond Jr. was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 66 yards.
Another reason for the win was Pittsburgh's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. Dayon Hayes was especially locked on to Boston College's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Duke last Saturday, but the final result did not. They fell just short of Virginia by a score of 30-27. Duke has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Jaquez Moore, who rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on only nine carries. Grayson Loftis had a good game too, finishing with 278 passing yards and two touchdowns in total.
Pittsburgh's win bumped their record up to 3-8. As for Duke, they bumped their record down to 6-5 with that defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Pittsburgh is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: Pittsburgh is playing on the road, but their 0-4 record against the spread as such isn't exactly encouraging.
Pittsburgh skirted past Duke 28-26 in their previous meeting back in November of 2022. The rematch might be a little tougher for Pittsburgh since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
