No. 16 Blue Devils Drop 38-20 Decision at No. 4 Florida State

Saturday, October 21

Tallahassee, Fla.

7:30 p.m.

Duke University

5-2 , 2-1

[4] Florida State

7-0 , 5-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Duke

Florida St.

No. 16 Blue Devils Drop 38-20 Decision at No. 4 Florida State

10/22/2023 12:29:00 AM | Football

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TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – No. 16 Duke dropped a 38-20 decision to No. 4 Florida State on Saturday night in front of 79,560 spectators at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Seminoles scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

The Blue Devils led, 20-17, at halftime and were outscored 21-0 in the second half to fall to 5-2 on the year and 2-1 in ACC play. Florida State remains unbeaten at 7-0 and 5-0, respectively.

Junior running back Jaquez Moore rushed for a career-best 110 yards on 16 carries with one score to lead the Blue Devils offense. Sophomore cornerback Chandler Rivers added an interception return for a touchdown, while sophomore kicker Todd Pelino converted on 45- and 33-yard field goals to close out Duke's scoring.

Senior linebacker Dorian Mausi collected a team-best 14 tackles with 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

How It Happened

Jaquez Moore started the scoring by scampering into the end zone from 42-yards out early in the opening frame before a Pelino 45-yard field goal awarded Duke a 10-0 edge with a little under seven minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Seminoles answered with a seven-yard touchdown reception by Caziah Holmes from Jordan Travis to cut into the lead at 10-7.
Just two minutes into the second quarter, Rivers found pay dirt when he intercepted Travis and returned it 13 yards into the end zone to create a 17-7 gap between the teams.
On the ensuing drive, Florida State returned the kickoff 99 yards for the touchdown to make it a 17-14 ballgame.
The Seminoles would pull even at 17-17 a few drives later after Ryan Fitzgerald converted on a 32-yard field goal.
Just before halftime, Duke added an additional field goal, this time from 33-yards out, to take a 20-17 advantage into the break.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Seminoles closed the game by scoring 21 unanswered points in the final frame to register the win.

Notables

Jaquez Moore posted his first career 100-yard rushing game and added a 42-yard touchdown score, his longest rush of the season.
The score marked the Live Oak, Fla., native's third rushing touchdown of the year.
Starting quarterback Riley Leonard finished 7-of-16 passing for 69 yards with one interception and one rush for 13 yards before leaving the game with an injury.
Jordan Moore led the receiving corps with 26 yards on two receptions.
Rivers registered Duke's first pick-six since Brandon Johnson returned an interception for a score against Miami on Oct. 22, 2022.
Mausi registered double-digit tackles for the second time in his career.
Wesley Williams secured his first career sack and finished with 1.5 tackles for loss.
Graduate student cornerback Al Blades Jr. tied his career high in tackles after finishing with eight.
Pelino converted on two field goals in the same game for the fifth time in his young career.

Up Next

The Blue Devils head to Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, Oct. 28, for another ACC matchup with Louisville. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Cardinals had an open week on Saturday and bring their 6-1 overall record and 3-1 mark in ACC play into the contest with Duke.

For more information on Duke Football, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeFOOTBALL".

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