Roof: Blue Devils can't afford to fall behind again

DURHAM, N.C. - It&#39;s becoming a troublesome pattern for Duke: Fall way behind in the first half, rally in the second and ultimately fall short.<br> <br> ``I wish I could (put my finger on it) so we could get it fixed,&#39;&#39; defensive end Eli Nichols said. ``It&#39;s definitely something we need to work on. The one thing that&#39;s encouraging is how we&#39;ve played in the second half, especially on offense last week (against Vanderbilt). I wish the defense could&#39;ve kept it a little closer.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> After recent comebacks bids against Miami and Vanderbilt were unsuccessful, coach Ted Roof is trying to figure out how to get the winless Blue Devils to play a complete game beginning this week against Navy.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re certainly still trying to drill it in, but I think they get it though, because when you turn on the tape it&#39;s very evident,&#39;&#39; Roof said. ``It&#39;s very evident with our record. We&#39;ve got to take care of everything.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Blue Devils (0-8) have the longest losing streak in Division I-A at 15 games, but their slide could have been history had they not fallen so far behind against the Hurricanes and Commodores.<br> <br> Duke trailed Vandy 38-7 but rallied in the fourth quarter of an eventual 45-28 loss. A week earlier, Miami led 20-2 before the Blue Devils scored the final 13 points, then moved in position for the upset. But Thad Lewis&#39; game-ending pass was intercepted near the goal line, preserving the Hurricanes&#39; 20-15 win.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s something we&#39;ve got to work on every day in practice, coming out as soon as we get out there and getting it fired up and coming out swinging, as opposed to waiting until the second half and having to fight our way back,&#39;&#39; Nichols said.<br> <br> Roof wants his team to start this week&#39;s game with a little more urgency, because the Midshipmen figure to use their prodigious rushing offense to keep the clock ticking and shorten the game.<br> <br> ``We&#39;ve certainly spent a lot of time discussing it as a coaching staff,&#39;&#39; Roof said. ``Obviously, we haven&#39;t gotten it done. Because you&#39;re only going to get eight or nine possessions (against Navy), because the game&#39;s shorter, it puts an increased sense of urgency on each and every thing we do. We&#39;ve got to find a way to take care of the problem.&#39;&#39;