By BRYAN STRICKLAND

bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671

DURHAM -- Duke coach David Cutcliffe knows his team can run the ball better, but he also has accepted that the Blue Devils are better off throwing it.

"It's a difficult matchup for us right now, so we're doing what we think we have to do," Cutcliffe said. "Duke will run the football eventually; how well we can run the football right now remains to be seen. It's somewhat of a challenge for us with the ingredients that we're playing with, but we can run it better than we have.

"You don't fret about it; you just find other ways to generate points."

After netting just 12 rushing yards in Saturday's loss at North Carolina, the Blue Devils have slipped to 119th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in rushing, averaging 68.2 yards per game heading into Saturday's key home game against No. 7 Georgia Tech (noon, ESPN2).

Duke rolled up 233 yards rushing against Division I newcomer N.C. Central but has netted a total of just 381 yards over its other eight games.

"To run the football, you have to make blocks at the point of attack," Cutcliffe said. "You've just got to maintain blocks, and we're struggling with that. We have to block the line of scrimmage better.

"Once we get started on runs, we've been effective, but we've had too many zero or minus-1 runs."

Duke's longest run from scrimmage for a running back against a Football Championship Series opponent is a 17-yarder for Re'quan Boyette at Army, one of just six runs by running backs of at least 10 yards against FCS opponents.

Freshman Desmond Scott out of Hillside High School is the team's leading rusher with 174 yards on the season.

"I think we have some ability there, but there's probably a confidence issue on their part," Cutcliffe said. "We've had a lot of injuries there, so it's been very difficult."

Still, even without a real threat from the running game to keep defenses honest -- designed draws for quarterback Thad Lewis have been the most effective running plays over the past month -- Duke still ranks 11th in the nation with 301.6 passing yards per game.

UNC's pass defense, ranked fifth in the nation, slowed Duke's passing attack, but Georgia Tech ranks 68th in pass defense.

"Some teams have had passing success against them," Cutcliffe said. "When players see somebody have success, it gives you hope and hope isn't a bad thing.

"But the bottom line is that you have to go and execute on that given day."