Duke football loses heartbreaker in final minute against Notre Dame

DURHAM – Duke football was dealt a pair of devastating blows in its 21-14 heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame on Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium.

The 17th-ranked Blue Devils were ahead 14-13 in the final minute before the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish had a fourth-and-16 conversion on a run by quarterback Sam Hartman, followed by a Audric Estimé touchdown run with 31 seconds left.

Duke (4-1, 1-0 ACC) hasn't beaten Notre Dame (5-1) in Durham since 1961. The Blue Devils took a 14-13 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Irish rallied for the road win. To compound the loss, Duke quarterback Riley Leonard appeared to suffer an ankle injury on the final drive.

Here are observations and takeaways from the Blue Devils’ loss against the Irish.

Explosive plays from Riley Leonard, others gets Duke’s offense on track

Duke had three explosive plays in the second half to energize its offense. Running back Jaquez Moore gave the Blue Devils some juice with a 34-yard run late in the third quarter that led to a touchdown. Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and wide receiver Jordan Moore added two more on the Blue Devils’ first drive of the fourth quarter. The duo connected for the go-ahead touchdown with just under 10 minutes left.

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Tre Freeman was everywhere for Duke’s defense

Durham native Tre Freeman, a redshirt sophomore linebacker for the Blue Devils, was maniacal as a defender with 13 tackles to power Duke’s defense. Notre Dame punted on three of its first four drives of the second half and was limited to three points before things unraveled on the final drive.

Duke’s less-than-ideal start

Duke’s fans were rowdy and ready to go at kickoff, but the Blue Devils’ start led to loud “Let’s go Irish!” chants from the green-clad fans scattered throughout Wallace Wade Stadium. A trio of special-teams miscues – a fake punt that led to a touchdown and two missed field goals – contributed to Duke’s poor first half. Despite those gaffes, the Devils’ defense kept things from getting out of hand. Notre Dame led 10-0 at halftime.

Duke gets break before NC State comes to Durham

Duke will get a week off before welcoming Tobacco Road rival NC State (3-2, 1-1 ACC) to Wallace Wade Stadium on Oct. 14.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke football loses heartbreaker in final minute against Notre Dame