Defensive Grades From Duke's Week 8 Loss

Manny Diaz was hoping to place his team at the top of the ACC standings, following Miami's upset loss, and take down the undefeated Yellow Jackets.

He can still be proud of the defensive effort through three quarters, but some of the missed opportunities offensively allowed Georgia Tech to continue to run the ball and wear down the defense in Durham.

According to Pro Football Focus, a couple of defensive Blue Devils stood out, even despite the poor rushing defense at the end of the game.

As far as grades go, this was not the best game for the Duke defense. Here are the top five highest graded Duke defenders from Saturday's loss. (minimum 30 snaps).

5. CB Landan Callahan

Callahan only allowed one catch on the lone target he received against the Yellow Jackets. Despite that, he was a bit inconsistent in coverage away from the play at times, and it was a much quieter day for him in the box score against the run.

The Duke defense is still hoping to add Terry Moore back to the secondary soon, but Callahan has played admirably opposite of Chandler Rivers.

According to PFF, Callahan earned an overall grade of 63.1, with a 63.1 grade against the run, a 62.2 grade in coverage, and a 76.2 tackling grade after a pair of tackles.

4. S Caleb Weaver

Weaver has had some good and some bad showings this season, and Saturday's game falls somewhere in the middle. He made 10 tackles, with two coming for a loss, but he also missed a pair of tackles against the run. He was also targeted twice, both being short completions. Weaver shined as a last line of defense in the air, and nothing from Haynes King went deep over the top.

According to PFF, Weaver had an overall grade of 65.4 with a coverage grade of 74.3, a run defense grade of 50.0, and a tackling grade of 59.3.

3. DT Aaron Hall

The fifth-year Blue Devil defensive lineman was one of the bright spots against the run, dominating the B-gap and keeping runs from bouncing outside the tackle box. He made three tackles in the game and was credited with two "stop" plays by PFF, which indicate tackles that caused a failure for the offense.

According to PFF, Hall had an overall grade of 67.7, with a run defense grade of 72.4 and a tackling grade of 71.9.

2. DT Josiah Green

Green had possibly his best all-around game of the season from the interior of the defense live for Duke. He made five tackles, with credit for half a tackle for loss, and made two hits on King as a passer. He did have one penalty, but the performance on the ground was admirable factoring in his rotation amongst the room.

According to PFF, Green earned an overall grade of 70.9, with run defense grade of 74.1, a tackling grade of 72.4, and a pass rush grade of 69.4.

1. CB Chandler Rivers

Once again, Rivers shined in the secondary which is still running thin without Moore. Rivers graded out as the best defender of the day for the Blue Devils, making seven tackles and a pair of pass deflections.

He continued to balance his snaps between corner and the slot, though he allowed three catches for 15 yards. He also record one hurry while rushing the passer.

According to PFF, Rivers earned an overall grade of 71.9, with an 84.6 tackling grade, a 69.5 coverage grade, and a 69.4 run defense grade.

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