Monthly Archives: August 2008

Duke Football

Duke Football Practice Report #5 – Defensive Front learning to play four quarters

[private]One of the keys to Duke Football success this season, will be the play of Vince Oghobasse (6-6, 300, Jr - DT).  He has slimmed down and has appeared much quicker in the drills this season and more importantly has shown better endurance.  Cutcliffe stated, "Vince has had his moments of greatness.  I would like to see more consistency there, Coach Hobby would say that, but it's been a lot more good from him than bad."

Cutcliffe has liked what he has seen from Brandon Harper and mentioned that his play in practice, namely the scrimmages has drawn notice.  Harper (6-3, 310, Jr - DL) missed almost of of the spring coming back from an injury.  How hard has Harper worked?  At this moment he is ahead of Okpokuwuruk on the depth chart. 

"Wes Ogelsby knows how to give you a day's work." said Cutcliffe.  Ogelsby (6-6, 245 So - DE) had 22 solo tackles last season.  Ayanga Okpokowuruk (6-4, 255, Jr - DE) has been moved back to a more natural position after playing as an undersized nose last season.  Look for his stats to take a big leap from last seasons 7 solo tackles and 16 assists.  You have already heard about and from Cliff Respress in an interview you will find below. 

Coach Cutcliffe hopes to rotate five to seven players.  "We've got some guys that are capable ...we have to show we can play four quarters.  That's obviously been the past history with these kids," said Cutcliffe.  He continued by saying that the defensive front has to learn how to practice to be successful for four quarters.  The staff has put emphasis on teaching them how to go from start to finish in order to gain better practice habits.

Tomorrows scrimmage starts around 10:15 in Wallace Wade and is open to the public.  Of course, Meet the Blue Devils Day will be held after the scrimmage.  Prizes will be given away and you will have the opportunity to meet the new staff and the 2008 players.  The meet and signing period will be held on the track and not Wilson Recreation Center which was reported earlier.[/private]

Duke Football

Quick Hitter #2 – Cliff Respress talks defensive front and practice

[private]Senior Cliff Respress (6-3, 280, DL) has had a good camp.  In fact, Coach Cutcliffe said that he had moved up to first team status by earning it.  Here are his comments after yesterdays practice -

On the competition in practice - Coach Hobby tells us all the time, I want to see you make plays.  That's what he's real big on.  So, everyday we come out and get loose and get after it.  The younger guys are stepping up and coming through ... Hatch (Charlie Hatcher) is stepping up and playing real good.  It's a pretty deep group.

On off season conditioning and the benefits - Most definitely!  We are flying around, getting tot he ball and moving a little but faster.  I watched some of last years film and we looked a little slower than we do right now in practices.  Flying to the ball, get off on snaps ... I feel we are moving a lot faster.  That 25 second clock when they spot the ball -- that's plenty of time to get back  for the snap.

On learning new skills or schemes- I wouldn't say we're learning new skills ... we're still attacking.  The main part is attack.  Being in shape and being stronger definitely helps when you are using those (skills).

On getting reps versus the offensive line and his impressions -  Their off season work and weight lifting has done a lot for them, moving their feet on pass protection.

On James Madison- We are focusing more and more on James Madison.  We break camp on Tuesday and after that it will be all James Madison.[/private]

Duke Football

Quick Hitter #1 – Tielor Robinson talks move to TE

[private]Tielor Robinson (#2) has been through a lot of changes and this season brings about another one.  He has moved to TE and will be counted on in many ways in the new offensive system.  Tielor is a six year senior and wants to leave his mark by helping the 2008 Duke Football team to some wins. The Blue Devil Nation was able to speak with Robinson after practice.

How are you coping with the position change from running back to tight end?

At first the on the line stuff was pretty hard because there is more steps.  The more you do it, the more you understand why and the process behind it and that's pretty important -- to understand the concepts of the play.

How does this enable you to take advantage of your versatility?

I think I'm pretty strong, so it helps to take advantage of that being a former full back.  That's what made the transition easier, because I was so strong.  I'm short ... I like to say I'm six foot, but I'm closer to the other side of five eleven.  But it's easy to get under people, which is necessary going against big defensive ends.  Everything else is the same.  When you catch the ball you need to know how to run routes.

Even blocking, you know what it feels like having played as a back.  I know what they want to see.  They want me to knock a guy on his back to make it easy for a back to come behind me.  When I catch the ball, I turn right back into a running back.

Obviously, there has been some backfield injuries.  Has there been any talk of moving you back?

Not to me.  I've thought about it a little bit, but I think that this team needs me more at tight end where we also have injuries.

Which position do you prefer?

It really doesn't matter to me.  If they decided to move me at center, I'd do it because they know what's best for the team.  I'm just there to do what is best for the team.

There have been some time in the past where I wanted to be involved a little more.  Being a tight end you're involved in every play.  It's good, you like to be in the game.  When the games over you want to feel like you had a big part whether we win or lose.

The Blue Devil Nation will continue to be your destination for Duke Football Practice Reports leading into the season.  We have decided to offer our analysis to all Duke fans instead of limiting it to our premium subscription section.  Our goal is to cast a bright light on the program.  We encourage all fans to turn out for the season opener on August 31st vs James Madison.  And don't forget Meet the Blue Devils Day which includes a scrimmage this Saturday in Wallace Wade at 10:30!  Further details can be found at GoDuke.com, the official site of the Duke Blue Devils.[/private]

Duke Basketball, USA Basketball

Team USA exacts revenge on Greece 92-69

BEIJING (AP) -- The U.S. Olympic team stopped the pick-and-rolls -- and just about everything else Greece tried. These Americans, who looked so lost two years ago in the World Championship, appear to have found their Olympic defensive way.

Batting away balls or swatting shots on seemingly every possession late in the second quarter, the Americans broke open a close game and went on to a 92-69 victory Thursday night to clinch a spot in the medal round.

The Americans were also able to find the range on jump shots when the Greeks went to a zone defense to slow them down. Kobe Bryant, who entered the game shooting just 37 percent in the first two games, was 7-for-14 from the field and finished with 18 points.

Chris Bosh also had 18 points, Dwayne Wade added 17 and LeBron James had 13 for the United States (3-0), which moves on to a matchup of Group B unbeatens Saturday night against world champion Spain. The winner will earn the group's top seed for the quarterfinals.

Greece stunned the Americans two years ago in the semifinals of the 2006 world championships, shredding the U.S. defense for 63 percent shooting with clinical execution of its pick-and-roll offense in a 101-95 victory.

This time, the Greeks hit just 41.3 percent (26-for-63) from the field and just 4-for-18, 22 percent, from 3-point range as the Americans used a suffocating defense to extend a seven-point lead to a 19-point cushion in the final 51/2 minutes of the first half.

After the previously slumping Bryant finally knocked down a 3-pointer, James blocked a shot that led to Bosh's three-point play for a 44-30 lead with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter. James came up with a steal less than 30 seconds later and threw down a reverse dunk.

Bosh swiped at a ball that led to another Greece turnover, and James found him on the next possession for another three-point play and a 49-30 bulge. The Greeks then turned it over again, with James keeping his balance while nearly falling down to take an outlet pass and convert a layup, and Bosh blocked the final Greek shot of the half to make it 51-32 at the break.

And after stubbornly sticking to what wasn't working in the game two years ago, the Americans showed the Greeks different looks this time. They picked up full court on one early possession, then fell back into a zone defense on another.

Unlike their easy victory against Angola two nights earlier, the Americans kept up the defensive intensity after halftime. Dwight Howard smacked away a shot right into Kidd's head, leading to a shot clock violation, and James and Bosh had rejections on the same third-quarter possession a few minutes later.   The Americans still struggled from the free throw line and 3-point arc. They were 7-of-20 on 3s and just 13 of 23 at the line.

Greece (1-2), which lost to Spain in its opener, faces winless Angola before closing pool play against China.  Box Score Link  Next up - Spain

Duke Football

Practice Report #4 – Duke holds scrimmage

Today's Duke scrimmage started with a penalty, but as the session went on, some positives emerged. 

Quarterback situation -  It has become obvious that Zack Asack will push Thadeus Lewis which is a good thing in that competition generally makes for a better starter.  Lewis was 9 of 13 for 92 yards.  He showed accuracy and stayed in the pocket.  Asack wasn't nearly as accurate going 6-14 for 67 yards.  However, one of those passes was for a T.D.  He also had 4 carries for 55 yards thanks to one big play.  If he can get a little better with his footwork and confidence in the pocket, he will be a nice dual threat.

Running Backs- Duke lacked depth at this position coming into the season.  It has gotten worse.  Boyette was penciled in as the starter but is out indefinitely.  To make matters worse, Clifford Harris is nursing an unknown knee problem and sat out the scrimmage.  Cameron Jones had a nice 35 yard burst on one play.  Jay Holligsworth a true freshman got some reps as well gaining a team 54 yards high on 10 carries.  Tony Jackson added 5 totes for 22 yards and Patrick Kurunwune, another freshman rolled off some blocks well with a couple of runs.  The team was better hitting the holes on the outside than the interior.

Tight Ends- In another depth challenged position, Tielor Robinson could be a go to guy.  He had 2 catches for 11 yards.  Brett Huffman also contributed with a couple of nice catches.  Brandon King is still sidelined and there is no timeline established for his return.

Receivers- A relatively quiet day for Riley who played sparingly.  Raphael Chestnut had 2 catches for 18 yards.  Jeremy Ringfield had an 18 yard scoring reception.  There were a couple of single catches as well.

Offensive Line- The team mixed and matched some linemen today in an effort to get players acclimated to playing together.  Upper class men played well.  They held up more often than not, but sometimes missed assignments which led to the QB.  Of course, this could also be blamed on the backs who may have missed their assignments.

Defense- Eddie Morgan (S) recovered a fumble and fellow safety Adrian Aye-Darko had an interception.  I focused mainly on the offense today.

Kicking Game-  Before the scrimmage, I saw some pretty good punts which showed increased hang time from last season.  During the scrimmage, Surgan continued his struggles from last season, missing one long field goal and a short one.  In fact, Cutcliffe as promised went for two on one XP situation and it was converted where Tony Jackson ran it into the end zone.

Freshman watch - Jay Hollingsworth averaged over 5 YPC today.  Also, Johnny Williams has really impressed me so far.  You can bet that freshmen will play big roles in the running game.

Cut Quotes -  Overview of the scrimmage - "I think we got what we wanted out of this scrimmage.  We had some two minute drills which were pretty dynamic.  We got some goal line work, we got a lot of third down work.  The offense took the ball right down the field making big plays but they turned it over in a forced error by the defense.  One big glaring thing right now is we've got to find somebody to run the football."

On current running backs - "Tony Jackson hasn't had a lot of practice at running back, because I moved him in spring practice from defense.  Jay Hollingsworth, Patirck Kurunwune and Cameron Jones are behind that, but nobody at this point has asserted itself.  So, I am kind of scouring the team looking at every situation to try to find help in that position."

On injuries - "I just don't dwell on injuries in football.  It's an unhealthy thing to do and I learned that early in my career.  We won't ever do that as a team."

On Vince Oghobasse - "Vince is a very talented player that was injured after he came.  When we came, to be quite honest with you, he wasn't in good enough shape to play like I think the guy can play.  He's now coming around.  Conditioning is a little challenging for him with his health status, bet he's coming around to becoming a pretty disruptive football player.  I'm real anxious to see what kind of year he has."

On the quarterbacks- "Thad has his best day today.  He's really done a good job getting a grasp of the offense.  His conditioning level is way beyond what it was.  Zack has shown he can make big plays.  What Zack has to do is show me more consistency in managing the offense and putting guys in the right place and more consistent running the football.  He's very capable of doing that."

USA Basketball

Wade leads USA to 97-76 win over Angola

[private]Team USA cruised to an easy victory to go 2-0 in pool play by defeating Angola 97-76.  Dwyane Wade led his team in scoring with 19 points.  Team USA struggled from the free throw stripe and hit just 23% of it's threes.  In the end, there was simply too much talent for Angola to overcome.  Team USA will need to play a bit tighter against their next foe Greece, a team that defeated them in the semi finals of the World Championships a mere two years ago.

Coach K on the upcoming game with Greece - Our team knows a lot about them.  I’m very close friends the coach.  He’s actually come to Duke and spent time with me.  One of the assistant coaches, Nick, has spent the whole year with us.  We have great respect for them.  They play as hard as anybody we can play against, especially on the defensive end of the court.  Their offensive schemes are well conceived.  I think their team starts with their guards.  They really have three point guards and all three of them can be in at the same time.

They value possessions.  You have to play them possession by possession.  You have to play them with great intensity for 40 minutes.  Our guys already know that but we’ll reinforce that.  It’s a great game for us to play too to get ready for the medal round because we feel Greece has a good chance as anybody.  That’s how much we think of them

Box Score Link[/private]