The Duke Blue Devils are 0-5 against the Pittsburgh Panthers since November of 2015, but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Duke and Pitt will face off in an ACC battle at noon ET at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Blue Devils are out to stop a five-game streak of losses at home.
Duke was pulverized by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 45-7 last week. Duke was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 28 to nothing. One thing holding Duke back was the mediocre play of QB Gunnar Holmberg, who did not have his best game: he passed for only 110 yards on 18 attempts.
Meanwhile, the Panthers scored first but ultimately less than the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in their game last week. Pitt was within a late touchdown of stealing the win, but they took the "L" against Miami (FL) 38-34. A silver lining for Pitt was the play of QB Kenny Pickett, who passed for three TDs and 519 yards on 55 attempts.
Duke is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Those betting on them against the spread shouldn't have high expectations for them since the team is 1-3 ATS when expected to lose.
Duke is now 3-5 while the Panthers sit at 6-2. Two defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: The Blue Devils are stumbling into the contest with the 232nd most passing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 15 on the season. Pitts have had an even harder time: they are 163rd worst in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, with nine on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.