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Controversial missed FG gives Duke first bowl win since 1961

graham watson

Duke finally earned its first bowl victory since 1961.

The Blue Devils rallied from a touchdown down late in the fourth quarter to defeat Indiana 44-41 in overtime of the Pinstripe Bowl.

But the victory was not without controversy.

Duke hit a field goal in the first overtime and then forced Indiana to settle for one as well. The 38-yard attempt by Griffin Oakes appeared to soar over the top of the right upright and was declared missed. Since the ball went over the upright it was not reviewable despite Indiana protests.

The Duke win was its first in six attempts since the last victory — a 7-6 triumph over Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.

Duke jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before Indiana stormed back to take a 14-10 lead. Then the teams traded scores (and turnovers) throughout the rest of the game. Indiana took a lead with 4:03 remaining, but Duke marched 78 yards down the field in 13 plays to tie the score with 41 seconds remaining.

Indiana made a valiant effort to kick a game-winning 56-yard field goal, but the laces on the ball weren’t turned out and the kick was badly missed to force overtime.

Indiana appeared to catch a break in overtime when starting quarterback Thomas Sirk had to leave the game with injury and the Hoosiers defense forced the field goal. However, the Duke defense put pressure on Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld and made it difficult for the Hoosiers offense to gain any momentum.

Indiana did get a big game out of running back Devine Redding, who was filling in for injured star back Jordan Howard. Redding finished with 35 carries for 227 yards and a touchdown.

Sudfeld finished the game completing 28 of 51 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had two interceptions.

Sirk, who took several vicious hits from the Indiana defense throughout the game, completed 17 of 37 passes for 163 yards, a touchdown and two picks. He also rushed 20 times for 155 yards and two scores.

For more Duke news, visit DevilsIllustrated.com.

For more Indiana news, visit Peegs.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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