Monthly Archives: September 2011

Duke Football

BDN College Football Predictions – Al Featherston picks against our staff

The BDN staff isn't afraid to take on some of the toughest match ups in the country, week after week. Some say the opening week can be the hardest to predict, and let's hope that holds true.

Here are our standings after one week of our college football picks:

T-1 Bob  Green
T-1 Andrew Slater
T-3 Mark Watson (-1)
T-3 Patrick Cacchio (-1)
T-3 Guest (-1)

The week 2 slate is highlighted by Alabama's trip to Penn State to take on JoePa and the Nittany Lions. BYU traveled to Ole Miss and came away with a tough road win last week against an SEC opponent, and will have another challenge as they take on Texas in week two. After some week 1 blowouts, many BCS teams will face their first BCS opponent in week 2, which is always a recipe for an upset. The SEC kicks off their conference season with Mississippi State traveling to defending national champion Auburn, who escaped a week 1 scare from Utah State. The marquee SEC game will feature Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks traveling to Georgia in what many consider a must-win game for Mark Richt and UGA. The ACC conference opener features an in-state match-up between NC State and Wake Forest. College football is in full swing!

This week, we welcome in veteran Duke writer, Al Featherston.  Al is one of the most knowledgeable folks out there when it comes to Duke and sports in general.  His work can be found at GoDuke.com and the ACC Sports Journal and he writes previews for Blue Ribbon.  Last week, our guest, Bob Harris, tied Patrick and Mark and they are glad somebody stumbled along with them.  Again, we pick the ten toughest games each week, so no gimmes here!

Mark Watson - Duke will try and stave off an Alabama like defeat against Stanford.  When talking the Cardinal, one thinks of Andrew Luck, the nations top QB.  However, Stanford is littered with offensive stars and that'll prove to be the difference. I do think  Coach Cut will right the ship, but it will not be this week.  Duke is simply too young on the defensive front to challenge Stanford.  Stanford 42, Duke 17

Bob Green - Duke will recover from their opening night stumble and play sound fundamental football against Stanford.  The game plan will look to involve Conner Vernon and Donovan Varner early and often as Coach Cutcliffe realizes he has to have the ball in the hands of his primary play-makers.  Unfortunately, the Blue Devils just don't have the horses to compete with the Cardinal so they come up short and fall to 0-2.  Stanford 47, Duke 24

Patrick Cacchio - The Blue Devils will put together a better effort than in week one, but it will still come up woefully short against #6 Stanford. Andrew Luck will pick apart the Duke secondary with his deep group of talented receivers, particularly at tight end, which will cause significant match-up problems. With a banged up group of running backs, Duke will have to try to stretch the field and use some tricks to move the ball consistently against a Stanford defense that has yet to give up a touchdown. Expect a slightly more competitive game than a year ago against Alabama, but the Blue Devils ultimately won't be able to keep it within three scores. Stanford 45, Duke 16

Andrew Slater - While targeting primarily WR Chris Owusu and TE Coby Fleener, marksman QB Andrew Luck should have a field day with the Duke defense and look to develop some Heisman highlights. Given the likely blowout, Stanford will be able to work in some of its young receivers and get them reps against BCS competition. Defensively, they continued last year's stout run defense (120 yds per game) by limiting their opening week opponent San Jose St. to 27 yards on the ground. Against Duke's banged up running back corps, the Cardinal staff will be able to concentrate on using LB Skov and SS Howell to mitigate the impact of Duke's relatively good receivers. Stanford 38 Duke 17

Al Featherston - I'd like to think it will be closer, but after last weekend, it's hard to be optimistic ... I think the Duke offense will have some success, but I don't see how the Blue Devil defense can even slow Andrew Luck and company. The best hope is that there will be enough positives in this game to carry Duke's young players into the next week's game with a beatable Boston College team. Last year's loss to Alabama left the staff and the team shell-shocked -- it showed the next week against Army. It's hard to imagine an upset -- it would be monumental, the biggest Duke win since Clemson in 1989. More realistic would be a better showing than against Alabama last year. Stanford is where Duke wants to be ... but the Cardinal are 3-5 years ahead of the Devils in the climb toward the top.   Stanford 47, Duke 24

 

 

Duke Football

BDN’s Q&A preview of Duke’s matchup with #6 Stanford

Duke hosts Heisman favorite Andrew Luck and Stanford in week 2

After an opening week loss to the Richmond Spiders, things will get a lot harder for the Blue Devils in week 2, as they welcome the #6 Stanford Cardinal. Led by Heisman favorite Andrew Luck, the Cardinal have quickly become one of the top programs in the country with a physical style of play. In September 2010, Duke welcomed another top national program to Durham in Alabama, and fans would prefer to forget the result on that afternoon. The young Blue Devils will have to learn from last year’s experience and greatly improve on last week’s performance if they plan to compete with Stanford.

After putting up 57 points on San Jose State last week, the Cardinal will be expecting a similar outcome this Saturday. BDN is pleased to welcome back Hank Waddles of GoMightyCard.com for his view from the Stanford perspective. As always, please be sure to visit their site to read the BDN half to our weekly Q&A exchange.

 

BDN: Duke football fans love to use Stanford's success as a benchmark for their own program. From the Stanford perspective, how would you compare the two schools and their football programs? What similarities do you see, and where do you think they differ?

The similarities between Duke and Stanford are obvious. Both are prestigious academic institutions, first and foremost, and the admissions requirements that go along with that don't always mesh with the building of athletic powerhouses. (Stanford fans, however, are fond of pointing out that the Duke admissions office seems to be more lenient than Stanford's.) Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby has publicly stated that he wants every Stanford sports team to be among the best in the nation, and recently that edict has even extended to the football program. The past two seasons have shown that a school like Stanford -- or Duke -- can field a competitive football team, something that didn't seem possible as recently as five years ago. Stanford has acted on that belief by rebuilding their stadium, upgrading practice facilities, recruiting relentlessly, and making a commitment to a coach we all hope will stay for quite a while. I'm not sure if Duke has done any of that yet.

BDN: With a top ten ranking and the Heisman favorite at quarterback, the Cardinal isn't going to sneak up on any opponent. Which teams do you expect to be the toughest match ups for Stanford this season and why?

Last year was interesting. Those of us who watched the team week in and week out were rarely surprised when they won, but those who were getting beaten always seemed shocked. This year should be different, as Stanford will likely be favored in every game they play. That obviously guarantees nothing, however. If you'd asked me this question last week, I'd have told you I was worried about the back half of the schedule: USC, Oregon, and Notre Dame, plus a trap game at Oregon State in the middle of all that. This past Saturday, though, USC didn't score a point in the second half and struggled to beat Minnesota at home, Oregon didn't look themselves against LSU, Notre Dame lost at home to South Florida, and Oregon State lost to an FCS team. Even so, I'm guessing those teams will all put things together enough in the next couple months to present significant challenges for the Cardinal.

BDN: Despite putting up 57 points and 373 yards on former Duke DC Mike Macintyre and San Jose State, the Stanford coaches and players felt their offensive effort could have been better. What are the areas of concern, other than Andrew Luck diving all over the field?

This will sound strange, but if you watched the game, it definitely didn't feel like a fifty-four-point win. San Jose State helped out a lot with a handful of turnovers, and the game was never in doubt, but the offense wasn't as dominant as the score might indicate. Over the last two seasons Stanford fans had gotten used to watching their offensive line steamroll the opposition, but that didn't happen on Saturday. Three starters from last year's team are gone, and this new group wasn't nearly as dominant, as the offense rushed for only 141 yards. The line will be under a microscope the rest of the way, and I'm especially interested to how they develop over the next few weeks.

BDN: After an inexcusable opening week loss to Richmond, the Blue Devils are reeling. What advice would you give Duke coaches, players and fans as they prepare for a top ten Stanford team? As a team with nothing to lose, how should they attack the Cardinal?

As Duke gets ready to face the Stanford offense, they should probably do their best to force the Cardinal to run. As detailed above, Stanford had a hard time running the ball last week. The problem with this, though, is that they'll probably be spending this entire week working on the running game and will likely come out looking to establish the ground game. But if the Blue Devils can make the Stanford offense a bit one-dimensional, that would obviously be a good thing. As for the Stanford defense, that's a more difficult proposition. The defensive line was dominant last weekend, almost completely shutting down the San Jose State running game, and the defensive backs were almost as good. In between are the linebackers, who are rapidly developing into one of the best units in the nation. You might not know Shayne Skov and Chase Thomas, but you'll hear their names a lot on Saturday afternoon.

BDN: Stanford opened as a 22 point favorite on the road this Saturday; any chance you think Duke fans should take the points?

Only twenty-two points? That's a trap. Look for the Cardinal to win by at least thirty.

BDN: Thanks for your insight, Hank. Good luck!

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

BDN Premium talks with Duke prospect Tony Parker

When it comes to big physical big men in the 2012 high school recruiting class, not many are bigger and stronger than Georgia big man Tony Parker. Parker has long been on the Blue Devils wish list for 2012 recruits to try and get that bruising cog to man the middle. Parker, who stands 6’9 and 260lbs, has had the Blue Devils high on his list for as long as many remember. However, many Duke fans are struggling to fully emerge themselves into the twisting and turning of Parker’s recruitment. In recent interviews Tony hasn’t exactly made glowing comments about Duke, but they haven’t been comments that fans would like to hear. The Duke brass has showed Tony plenty of film on former Blue Devils Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, and Shelden Williams to display their use of big men and what they can achieve when they commit to play for the storied program. Whether the perception of Duke being a guard school is right or wrong, the Blue Devils have to consistently combat that view to land that low post bruiser that fans have long been clamoring for. BDN got a chance to briefly speak with the highly touted big man and get some of his thoughts.

BDN: How was it playing against the pro’s in the Elite 24?

TP: It was good. It was fun. But you know we play against pro’s back home in Atlanta, they’re local pro’s, but playing against pro’s from all over was cool. You know they had top draft picks, it was fun.

BDN: Most difficult aspect?

TP: It was just, you know, their moves are so quick and they’re real controlled. It’s just really playing defense. It’s not about scoring, everybody out here can score, it’s just playing defense.

BDN: What’s [private] their advantage that puts them where they are?

TP: Obviously you know their bodies, the way they play and how strong they are. How quick they are on their feet, it’s a real big difference.

BDN: How does it feel to be selected to the Elite 24?

TP: You know it’s a great experience to be selected to the Elite 24. I’m really happy for me and my family to be able to watch me on TV and everybody just coming out to support us is real cool.

BDN: Did you have a toughest opponent you played against?

TP: Probably Derrick Williams.

BDN: What official visits will you be taking soon?

TP: I should be taking one on September 9th to Ohio State, October 15th to probably either Georgetown or Memphis.

BDN: Have you figured out a schedule yet for Duke?

TP: I haven’t set that up yet but I’ll probably set that up soon.

BDN: Some say you've cooled on Duke.  Is that the case for it seems you mention other schools more often these days.

TP:  Not really.  They've been in my top 3 from the start, so ...

BDN: Do you have a front runner?
TP: I mean, I like Memphis and Ohio State a lot, but they're all about equal right now.

BDN: What are you ultimately looking for when you make your decision?

TP: I’m just going to be looking for an all around good school, some place to play, some place where they have a good basketball atmosphere, and a great place to just have fun. A place that has good guys and good coaching.

BDN: What is important with concerns with a coach?

I just want somebody that has a good track record and gets along with his players.  I mean a lot of things will go into my decision but the coach is a big part of it.  I want somebody I can talk and relate to.

BDN: Are you waiting to see where other prospects go before deciding?

TP: No, not really.  I mean, it could have some bearing. [/private]

Duke Football

Monday Morning Quarterback – A Blue Monday for Duke Football Fans

 

BDN Photo

This weeks Monday Musings has morphed into Monday Morning Quarterback.  I promise musings will return with a lot of basketball tidbits next week and further football coverage.

Duke loss to Richmond resonates

If you've been around Duke Football long enough, this past weekends loss to Richmond probably doesn't even make the top ten list of bad losses.  However, it is clear from reading the various experts and fans offerings that this was the worst loss in the David Cutcliffe era.  Looking back on the game, it's hard to fathom that Duke couldn't have found a way to win in a game which seemed like Richmond just wanted to keep it close.  So many opportunities were squandered on Saturday evening, but perhaps none more damaging than to have fans in the stands only for the football team to seem as if they left 30% of their mojo in the locker room while changing into those awful black uniforms.  Seriously, it didn't even look like Duke without that royal blue and white we're accustomed to.  In hindsight, it was a total program breakdown, meaning no one player or coach could be blamed for starting out 0-1 against an FCS team, again!  I said this was a must win all summer long and the reason was that Duke had made improvements off the field but they had to show them on the gridiron.  With most of the offense back, Duke looked like a shadow of itself a season ago and that is disturbing.  Where was the offense we saw against Virginia?  Where was the reckless nature of play we saw in that game?  Is it possible Duke thought they had the game won by putting on all black?  There are enough questions to eat up a 7000 word column.  There are enough answers to fill a 70 word column.

Burning questions

What if Desmond Scott, who led the team in rushing, did not get sidelined?  He was rolling along until injured as was Juwon Thompson who was also sitting at the end of the game.  Duke wanted to run the ball and they did a good job, but was the cost of injuries too steep and will these players miss a week or more?  With Josh Snead already sidelined, a strength has now become a weakness if the injury report is bad.  The next question is can our field goal kickers become consistent again?  How long do you stick with Will Snyderwine if he misses another chip shot for this was a major issue early in his career.  The third question is why didn't Duke stretch the field on offense?  It felt like Duke wanted ball control drives and that's all fine if you score.  If you don't get some long shots here and there, the margin for error on long short pass sustained drives lends itself to more turnovers.

A closer look at the Defense

Kelby Brown, Matt Daniels and Ross Cockrell all showed up on defense and played very well as individuals but there were some team issues on that side of the ball.  Richmond started to read the Duke blitz packages and burned the Blue Devils on big drive saving plays right down the middle of the field to wide open receivers.  A closer look at a major preseason concern, the defensive front, shows that the starters had a combined zero solo tackles.  When Duke did blitz, they got some pressure but never a sack, so that is once again an issue for the team.  If you can't get a sack against Richmond, they are likely to be few and far between this season and that means pressure on the defensive backs.

What is the Duke identity on offense?

We saw some wildcat, three quarterbacks and a bevy of short passes.  Duke also ran the ball, a lot.  From my vantage, there was no identity on the offense.  This caused some serious breakdowns in that they seemed to be trying to do too much at times.  The running quarterbacks worked on the goal line but you cannot help but wonder if they have no confidence in Sean Renfree inside the 15 yard line.  There were very few throws which went to wideouts in the end zone and that meant players would have to make a move to produce a score.

Coach Cutcliffe, his staff and players are not quitters, so they will be back and they will play better football.  To do so, players must play with more of a chip on their shoulder as the team is certainly circling the wagon after a devastating loss.  You can bet that the staff has had little rest with Stanford on the horizon trying to find a way to avoid the blowout to a ridiculously talented and physical team.  There will still be a good crowd for the game with the Cardinal if for no other reason than Andrew Luck is the top NFL prospect at quarterback in all of college football.  BDN is not a part of the knee jerk reaction crowd out there but we are concerned about this past weekends performance.  We'll be there again this Saturday for full game coverage and to bring you more highlights.  If you haven't done so, check out our first attempt at highlights which has a bit more of a mutual fill than we hope to have in the future.  On a side note, Standford is now a 22 point favorite over Duke in this weekends spread - that is awfully close to last seasons Bama game.  All eyes will be on Duke to see if they can ward off a huge defeat.   Let's get out to Wallace Wade and support a very young Duke team that has five total seniors on their depth chart.  Yes, Duke is still very young and we can only hope that they will round the learning curve sooner than later.

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Julius Randle stoked about his upcoming visit to Duke

The state of Texas has long been known for football and rightfully so. However, there have been plenty of hoops stars coming out of the Lone Star State. One of the future bright stars of the state? Julius Randle, a 6’8 220lbs combo forward that is oozing with potential. The Texas product uses his strength to have his way with his competition and has found himself at the top of every coaches wish list. There is no shortage of coaches waiting for Randle’s commitment. However, his commitment likely won’t be announced for at least a year, so until then we can enjoy coaches scrapping and clawing their way to the top of his list. Randle, who says his number one spot to visit for Midnight Madness is Duke, played exceptionally well during his four day visit to Venice Beach for the Boost Mobile Elite 24. Often grabbing a rebound and going coast to coast for an emphatic jam, Julius displays plenty of skills at this stage but with loads of room to grow. Currently he sits right near the top of every scouting service one can name. BDN got a chance to speak with the skilled combo forward and hear his thoughts on a number of subjects.

BDN: Tell me a little about the experience of playing against the pro’s last night.

JR: Oh it was fun. It’s always fun competing with the guys who have been in the same position as you and now they are pro’s. So you can take a lot away from that.

BDN: Was this the first time playing [private] against a pro?

JR: No, no, I play against pros all the time.

BDN: What is it that puts them where they are compared to where you are?

JR: Just their work ethic you know. I mean they have a lot more time to work out than us. I guess pretty much their work ethic.

BDN: Is there any aspect of your game you have been working on a lot lately?

JR: Just my pull up game. One dribble or two dribble pull ups. Just working on that and trying to get it right.

BDN: I have heard you say you feel like you are a combo forward, do you take notice of schools that develop that position well?

JR: Yea of course.

BDN: Any school specifically that you feel does that well?
JR: Ohh not really. There’s a lot of schools that do that well, but I mean I don’t really have a list because I don’t really think about it too much right now. I just take what everyone says, I take it all in and I’ll make the decision from there.

BDN: Being one of the few juniors here can you talk about the selection to this all-star game?

JR: Oh yes, it’s a great honor to be here as a junior. It’s mostly a senior event so to be here as a junior is a great honor. There’s a lot of legacy that comes through here , it’s great to be able to add on to it.

BDN: What are you looking to show on Saturday for the game?

JR: Just to dominate my opponent.

BDN: You are a very player, unafraid of anyone?

I'm going to play my game and my game is not to back down from anybody.  I liked going up against the best players regardless of class this summer.

BDN: Are you always the best player on the court?

JR: (laughs) Uhh that’s what I feel like when I’m on the floor.

BDN: You have that mindset.

JR: Oh yea.

BDN: If you could play with one player from your class to play with, who would it be?
JR: Probably Kasey Hill. I like Kasey.

BDN: Are you close with him off of the court?

JR: Yea.

BDN: You’ll likely be taking some visits coming up soon. You stated that you want to visit Duke for Midnight Madness, is that confirmed?

JR: That’s not confirmed. It’s my number one option because I’ve never been to Duke so it’ll be my first visit.  I'm looking forward to visiting and seeing the Cameron Crazies and the players.  It'll be a great time.

BDN: You always bring up some tasty sounding recipes, can you elaborate on why you love cooking?

JR: Yea, I mean my mom stopped cooking for me when I was in like 6th grade so if I wanted to survive I had to learn to cook.

BDN: Thanks a lot for your time, Julius.
JR: Alright, no problem. [/private]