By Graham Hill, 99.9 FM The Fan

Florida State Seminoles	3
Duke Blue Devils	17
ESPN2 | 2nd – 06:59

Durham, N.C. — Duke football coach Manny Diaz joined 99.9 The Fan’s “Next Up” with Paul Ihander and Graham Hill on Thursday morning to discuss the team’s game against the Florida State Seminoles (Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2).

The Blue Devils (5-1, 1-1 ACC) are looking to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season, a 24-14 defeat against Georgia Tech.

With the team coming off a bye week, Diaz shared insights into the Blue Devils’ preparation and the importance of finishing the remainder of the season strong, starting by facing the struggling Seminoles (1-5, 1-4 ACC) at Wallace Wade Stadium.

The Blue Devils have had an impressive start to the season, highlighted by a strong defense and an efficient offense. Their momentum was halted by Georgia Tech in their last outing. Diaz acknowledged the lessons learned from that game, stressing the importance of maintaining focus throughout the season.

“We’re midway through October and we control our destiny in the ACC, there’s not a lot of teams that can say that,” Diaz said. “We understand the challenges we have moving forward, including a Florida State team on Friday night.”

Diaz said the team used the break to rest and to refine key areas ahead of the Florida State game.

“We took our defensive staff and they evaluated our offense, and our offensive staff evaluated our defense as if we were getting ready to play against them,” Diaz said. “When you do self-scouting, you’ll watch yourself, but might not quite see your schemes through the eyes of an adversary.”

Florida State (1-5) has had a challenging season. The Seminoles went undefeated in the regular season last year and won the ACC championship.

Diaz emphasized that his team is not taking the Seminoles lightly. Despite their record, Florida State has talented players and can be dangerous if overlooked.

“They’re a very talented football team,” Diaz said. “They’re a good team with a bad record. They’ve been finding their chemistry, they feel like they have a spark, that maybe you didn’t see in the four games previous. When you’re at a place like Florida State, you’re going to have skill around you.”

Duke’s defense, which has been a cornerstone of their success this season, will again be critical in slowing down the Seminoles’ offense now led by backup quarterback Brock Glenn, who provided a spark in last week’s loss to Clemson. Diaz highlights the importance of continuing to apply pressure and force turnovers, something that has been a key factor in their victories.

“I feel like we’ve got a lot of guys stepping up at all three levels of the defense,” Diaz said. “We’ve been able to go about 10 deep on the defensive line. Guys have been very unselfish, which allows them to stay fresh and play hard. To be good in college football in this area, you have to be good in the secondary.”

As for the offense, Diaz will be looking for consistency from Duke’s quarterback, Maalik Murphy.

“He’s getting better and better. This is still his first year as a full-time starter. Our last game (Georgia Tech) was his first loss as a starter,” Diaz said. “He’s improving. I think what we’ve worked on with him during the bye week is consistency, in terms of our accuracy.”

Friday’s game at Wallace Wade Stadium offers a crucial opportunity for Duke to strengthen its position in the ACC standings, and Diaz is confident in his team’s ability to respond to their first loss of the season. With a chance to pick up their sixth win and become bowl-eligible, the Blue Devils will be aiming for a complete performance against Florida State.

Play-by-play coverage is on 99.9FM HD2, or 620 AM Buzz Sports Radio, with pregame coverage at 5:30 p.m.

Source: wralsportsfan.com