QB Anthony Boone led the Blue Devils to a 42-17 victory over Virginia - BDN Photo
DURHAM - The Duke Blue Devils are now one game away from gaining bowl eligibility for the first time since 1994, as they dominated the second half in their 42-17 victory over Virginia. With redshirt-senior QB Sean Renfree sidelined with an elbow injury suffered last week at Wake Forest, redshirt-sophomore QB Anthony Boone made his first career start and did not disappoint, finishing 18/31 for 212 yards and 4 touchdowns. In the win, Duke senior wide receiver Conner Vernon became the ACC's all-time receptions leader, finishing the day with 7 catches for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns.
After a fast start that saw the Blue Devils score quickly on their first two possessions, Duke found themselves trailing at 17-14 at halftime. The second half, however, was all Duke. The Blue Devil defense held the Cavaliers to just 2 yards rushing in the entire second half, while shutting them out on the scoreboard. The Duke offense took over from there, as Juwan Thompson scored two second half TDs, and freshman Jela Duncan added his second career TD. Duke finished the game with 394 yards of total offense, balanced between 212 passing yards and 182 yards on the ground.
Walt Canty led all players with 14 tackles, including a crucial stop on 4th and 1 in the 3rd quarter. Jordon Byas added 11 tackles, and freshman Dwayne Norman, filling in for the injured Brandon Braxton, finished with 8 tackles. Tony Foster, who saw increased time in place of another injured Blue Devil in Lee Butler, came away with the game's first turnover with a first quarter interception of Virginia QB Phillip Sims. Fellow CB Ross Cockrell added an INT of his own in the second half. Virginia finished just 4/16 on 3rd down and 0/3 on 4th down for the day.
The Blue Devil players celebrated their victory with their fans after the game.
St. Louis Rams' safety Matt Daniels claimed the week 5 victory with an impressive 9/10 performance. All four Blue Devil Greats and all four Blue Devil Nation staff members correctly picked the Blue Devils to snap their 12-year losing streak to Wake Forest last Saturday. At 4-1, the Blue Devils have a crucial showdown with the Virginia Cavaliers this week, and despite a number of injuries, our experts are all confident Duke will find a way to win again this week.
Here are the overall standings:
In week 6, we're closing in on the halfway point of the college football season, putting us deep into the heart of conference play. The SEC gets top billing this week with two huge conference matchups, as #4 LSU travels to #10 Florida, and #5 Georgia heads up I-20 to take on #6 South Carolina. Urban Meyer will look to stay unbeaten at Ohio State as they host Big 10 rival Nebraska, and in the Big 12, Geno Smith and the explosive West Virginia Mountaineers head to the Lone Star state to face the Longhorns. Way out west, Washington hopes to pull off another big upset against Oregon.
The Triangle plays host to three big matchups on the ACC schedule this week. Down 15-501 in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels will look to send the Hokies back to Blacksburg with another loss, while over in Raleigh, NC State looks to upset #3 Florida State. Duke looks to get to 5-1 with a win over Virginia in Wallace Wade Stadium. Elsewhere in the ACC, Clemson hosts the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech and Miami travels to Chicago to take on Notre Dame.
Here are this week's picks:
Patrick Cacchio: There is no love lost in this matchup, as the two teams clash in another critical ACC contest. The Blue Devils will have to keep their emotions in check, but the extra motivation UVA provided with their past unsportsmanlike play will have Duke ready for revenge. Expect Sean Renfree to play and have a big day along with Conner Vernon, who will become the ACC's all-time receptions leader with his first catch of the day. Virginia will have success moving the ball in Phillip Sims' first college start; it will be up to the depleted Duke secondary to come up with another critical turnover to set up Ross Martin for the game-winner. Duke 38, UVA 35
Bob Green: Quarterback is the main consideration for everyone analyzing this week's match-up. Duke's starter, Sean Renfree, hurt his elbow against Wake Forest and Virginia's back-up Phillip Sims hurt his leg against Louisiania Tech. Throw in the fact Virginia starter Michael Rocco is the only QB in the ACC with more interceptions than touchdowns and the QB situation for both teams is as clear as a country road in heavy early morning fog.
I've seen some reports Virginia desires to open their playbook up and air the ball out this Saturday afternoon. With the success Duke has had pressuring opponent's quarterbacks so far this season, tied for second in the ACC with 14 sacks, I'd say that strategy would be playing straight into Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles hands, or more accurately stated, straight into Kenny Anunike and Dez Johnson's hands.
My expectations are for an extremely tight contested ball game that is decided late in the fourth quarter by a field goal. If my scenario comes true, Duke fans have to be excited to have the accurate leg of freshman Ross Martin to pin the outcome upon. Duke 34, Virginia 31.
Andrew Slater: In arguably Duke's biggest game in more than a decade, they'll face a UVA coming off of an embarrassing loss to Louisiana Tech. With Renfree listed as a game-time decision, the fate of the Blue Devil may fall on the shoulder of Anthony Boone, who did a great job in the final quarter against Wake Forest, and a severely banged up defense to slow down an aggressive and versatile UVA offense now featuring Phillip Sims, the Alabama QB transfer. I'm sufficiently concerned about the Blue Devil defense, but am hoping that somehow they can slow down the equally pass-happy Cavaliers through schematics, the collective will of the players, and an energized fan base looking at potentially Duke's first bowl game in eighteen years. It'll be interesting to see if weather plays a factor in this afternoon game as both teams have struggled to establish the run this year. 34-31 Duke
Mark Watson: This is am important game for both teams moving forward and it will be a battle of wills. If the Blue Devils do not get complacent or play from behind, they'll win this game and be one win shy of bowl eligibility. Duke 37 Virginia 30
Bob Harris: The Blue Devils will handle whichever QB takes the field for the Cavs. Duke has an attitude now, and 5-1 is coming and UVA heads home at 2-4. Final Duke 45 - UVA 27.
Matt Daniels: Duke is on fire right now, snapping a 12 game losing streak against the Deacs and about to regain a winning streak vs the struggling Cavaliers. Duke wins on offense against a young Virginia secondary 31-14.
Thad Lewis: Duke has to stay healthy and continue to play all around football; defense, offense, and special teams must continue to play consistently.
Vinny Rey: I see Duke's defense being able to cause key turnovers to be the difference in the game, along with an explosive offense. Duke 27 Virginia 13
Duke: 4-1 (1-0 ACC), beat Wake Forest, 34-27
Virginia: 2-3 (0-1 ACC), lost to Louisiana Tech, 38-44
Last year: Virginia defeated Duke, 31-21
DUKE INJURIES
PROBABLE: LB David Helton (leg)
QUESTIONABLE: CB Lee Butler (lower body), QB Sean Renfree (arm), DT Jamal Wallace (lower body)
OUT: CB Jared Boyd (leg), S Brandon Braxton (upper body), LB Kelby Brown (leg), NG Jamal Bruce (foot), TE Braxton Deaver (leg), DE Justin Foxx (hand), S Chris Tavarez (leg)
OUT FOR SEASON: TE Jack Farrell (leg), WR Blair Holliday, DE Allen Jackson (shoulder), S Corbin McCarthy (shoulder), S Taylor Sowell (leg)
VIRGINIA INJURIES
PROBABLE: Oday Aboushi (upper extremity), Will Hill (medical), Brandon Phelps (upper extremity)
DOUBTFUL: Tim Smith (lower extremity)
OUT: Billy Schautz (lower extremity), Buddy Ruff (medical), Darius Lee (lower extremity)
OUT FOR SEASON: Pablo Alvarez, Adam Caplinger, Marco Jones, David Marrs, Mario Nixon
HOW DUKE CAN WIN
A healthy Sean Renfree, officially a game-time decision, would go a long way to helping the Blue Devils get a win on Saturday. Renfree and the Blue Devil receivers should have been salivating this week as they watched film on the young and porous Virginia secondary. The Blue Devils have to capitalize on their strength through the air and the weakness of the Wahoo defensive backs. Virginia ranks 110th in the country in sacks and 118th in tackles for loss, which means that the Blue Devil offensive line should be able to provide plenty of time for plays to develop downfield. Mix in a few big runs by Thompson, Snead, and Duncan, and this could be another opportunity for the Blue Devils to eclipse the 40 point mark at home.
Defensively for Duke, Virginia has moved the ball through the air, but has been inconsistent on the ground, despite a big offensive line and a veteran running back in Perry Jones. I think that Duke has to trust their defensive backs to continue to make plays, and focus on keeping Jones in check. With a QB making his first college start and an offense that has thrown 8 interceptions and lost 5 fumbles through the first 5 games, the Blue Devils simply have to come up with a few turnovers. As has been the case all season, the injury-depleted Blue Devil defense may give up points and yards, but someone will have to step up to make the plays to win the game late. If they can give the Duke offense an extra possession or two, the Blue Devils should be able to come away with a victory.
HOW DUKE CAN LOSE
Given the amount of talent and experience that Virginia lost from their 2011 team, Duke enters the 2012 matchup with a slight edge in talent and experience compared to the Cavaliers. In other words, if Duke plays well, they should win, but there are three primary ways Duke can lose this game.
First, given the recent history of this rivalry, Duke can become too emotional and lose their focus. If the Blue Devils are more interested in their egos and exacting revenge for last year's mistreatment, they may struggle to execute. Intensity in this game will be important, but it must be channeled appropriately.
The opposite is also true. The Blue Devils, at 4-1 and 3-0 at home, are feeling good about themselves after a big road win at Wake Forest, and look across the field at an opponent who has dropped three games in a row. Duke cannot come into this game expecting Virginia to hand the game to them. When the Blue Devils traveled to Stanford, we saw firsthand what a little complacency can do to this Duke team. This game is every bit as important to UVA's season as it is to the Blue Devils. It will be an intense, hard-hitting battle, and the Blue Devils will have to play with a high level of intensity for a full 60 minutes Saturday.
The final way Duke can lose this game comes down to fundamentals. In their win against Wake Forest, Duke managed to win the turnover battle. They have to continue to take care of the football on offense, and find ways to force Phillips Sims into turnovers in his first college start. If Anthony Boone is forced into action in place of Renfree, he will have to be smart with the football, but also not afraid to challenge the Virginia secondary. Duke's defense has to be prepared to face a big and strong Virginia offensive line, and a running back who has given them trouble throughout his career in Perry Jones. North Carolina native Kevin Parks has emerged as another weapon in the Cavalier backfield, and Phillip Sims can be dangerous on the ground as well. Virginia has a number of wide receivers capable of making big plays, including Tim Smith, whom Duke fans may remember from his shove of a Duke coach on the sideline in Charlottesville last November.
Duke and Virginia look headed for another thriller in Wallace Wade Stadium -Lance Images
WHY DUKE WILL WIN
Duke and Virginia are by no means each other's biggest rival, but they have played a number of high intensity games over the past few years. Coach Cutcliffe is 3-1 against the Cavaliers, and after the disrespect shown by Virginia's Chase Minnifield, Tim Smith, and even Mike London last year, expect to see a heated battle on Saturday. The Blue Devils will come out with a lot of emotion and look to reclaim their dominance over the struggling Wahoos.
Given how important this game is for the Blue Devils, it's hard to imagine that Sean Renfree will not play, especially if his MRI showed no significant injury as has been reported. I think the Duke staff has been playing a little coy with Renfree's status, and I expect to see him out there on Saturday, though certainly not at 100%. Conner Vernon will become the ACC's all-time leader in receptions with his first catch on Saturday, and he'll put up big numbers against a team that has taken some shots at him throughout his career. Jamison Crowder and Desmond Scott will present even more troubles for the struggling Virginia secondary. The depleted Duke secondary will also give up its share of yards, but will again come up with the key turnover that gives the Blue Devils momentum. This game looks like it will be another intense shootout, much like Virginia's last trip to Durham, which means that the impressive play of Will Monday and Ross Martin on special teams just might be the difference. Duke 38, Virginia 35
DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke men’s basketball team will be in Fayetteville on Oct. 15 for a preseason training and practice session at Fort Bragg. The Blue Devils will stay in the barracks on Sunday, Oct. 14 in preparation for a day of military-style training and practice.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to train and practice at Fort Bragg,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “It will be a unique experience for our guys to go through PT and the obstacle courses. We are looking forward to the training session as well as practicing in front of the military personnel.”
Duke will participate in morning formations, flag raising and physical training along with roughly 20 soldiers from the base. The PT session will include a stretch, push-ups, sit-ups as well as a two-mile run and will be led by a sergeant major from Fort Bragg. The team also will tackle a pair of obstacle course on the base prior to holding an afternoon practice at Funk Gym.
The final hour of the practice will be open to military personal and Krzyzewski is expected to address the crowd following practice. He is also scheduled to talk to a group of roughly 300 military leaders at the Pope movie theatre prior to returning to Durham.
Duke opens the 2012-13 season on Friday, Oct. 12 with its annual preseason media day and an evening practice.
BDN caught up to Duke Defensive Backs Ross Cockrell and Tony Foster earlier this week to get their thoughts on football and the big game against Virginia this weekend -
The Blue Devils look to improve to 5-1 with a win against Virginia on Saturday.
Duke (4-1, 1-0 ACC) has an opportunity to pull within one game of bowl eligibility as they host the Virginia Cavaliers (2-3, 0-1 ACC) on Saturday at 3:00 PM in Durham. The Blue Devils are riding a 3-game winning streak, while UVA is coming off three straight losses. After a 2011 season that saw them challenge for the ACC Coastal Division crown and finish 8-5, the Wahoos are off to a disappointing 2-3 start in 2012. As we do each week, BDN brings in a resident expert to give us an inside look at the opponent.
This week, we are honored to have Jerry Ratcliffe of The Daily Progress in Charlottesville join us for our opponent scouting report. Known to many as simply "Hootie," Ratcliffe came to The Daily Progress in 1982 as sports editor and columnist. He has served as the sports editor of six daily newspapers during his career. His work has been recognized by the Associate Press Sports Editors Association, the College Football Writers Association, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the Virginia Press Association as well as the Middle Atlantic PGA (recipient of the Earle Hellen Award in 2007). Ratcliffe has won more than 55 writing awards, including the most recent, first place nationally in the APSE writing contest, which he shared with Whitey Reid on a basketball recruiting project. Ratcliffe has served as president of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association and has penned one book: The University of Virginia Football Vault, a history of the Cavaliers program. He has been named the state of Virginia "Sportswriter of the Year" on four occasions by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
Not only an outstanding journalist and editor, Jerry is one of the top authorities on Virginia football. We are so glad to have his help this week!
Virginia lost ten starters from last year's surprising 8-5 team. What were the expectations coming into the season for the Cavaliers? What have been the primary concerns during their 2-3 start in Mike London's 3rd season in Charlottesville?
I think most of the media's expectations, at least the writers who cover the team and those who follow ACC football strongly, differed from that of UVa's fans. Seemed as if most anytime I was asked over the spring and summer what I thought about Virginia's prospects and I answered, "worst case 5-7, should be very happy with 6-6, best case 7-5," I was greeted with moans.
It seemed as if UVa fans expected to be at least as good as last year's surprising 8-5 record, which I will admit, even surprised me. I never expected them to win on the road at Miami and Florida State. I think Mike London, as exhuberent a coach as he is, didn't help himself by talking about how the team hoped to feed off last year's momentum, that once you've tasted a season like that ... you want more. Instead, I think he should have dwelled on how much he lost from last year's team and how the nonconference schedule was much harder than last year's (Penn State, TCU, Louisiana Tech) and that he hoped to just find some way of getting back to a bowl this season, even if it meant breaking even at 6-6.
As far as the primary concerns in getting off to a 2-3 start, they are somewhat surprising in some aspects, totally expected in others. We knew the defense would be a problem because it lost essentially seven starters that included several players who made NFL rosters (Chase Minnifield, Cam Johnson, Matt Conrath, Rodney McLeod). This defense, particularly the secondary, has been shaky. The kicking game featured new guys in all three areas: kickoff, placements and punts, and all three have been fairly steady considering. What no one anticipated was how much the offense, which had most of its guys back, has really sputtered until last Saturday. Teams have simply loaded up the box with 8-man fronts and dared UVa to throw, which it hadn't done so well, again,until Saturday.
One of the positions where the Cavaliers did return a starter was quarterback, with junior Michael Rocco expected to build upon last year's 2,671 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, that hasn't been the case, as Rocco has just 6 touchdowns to 8 interceptions through 5 games. After throwing 3 interceptions last week against Middle Tennessee, Rocco was pulled in favor of Alabama transfer Phillip Sims, who nearly rallied the Cavs to victory. Is it safe to say that Virginia has a quarterback controversy? What is your assessment of the two quarterbacks?
Yes, Virginia has a full-blown quarterback controversy. The most vocal wanted Sims to start last week vs. LA Tech, but it looks like he will start at Duke if his leg is OK. I suspect nothing will stop Sims from getting his first start. I clearly thought Rocco should have started the season. He had experience, knew the offense, had executed it well (particularly the second half of last season) and was on the same brain waves as OC Bill Lazor (who is very good by the way). However, once Sims caught up in the knowledge department and timing, there's no question he throws a better ball: faster release, crisper, more velocity, tight spiral. At least London goes into games knowing he has two pretty good guys he can rely on.
Coming off a 2011 season where their defense ranked in the top third of the ACC in almost every statistical category, Virginia ranks in the bottom third of the ACC so far in 2012. In addition to giving up yards and points, the Wahoos are in the bottom 10 in the country in sacks and tackles for loss. What has been the cause of the defensive struggles? Which players do you expect to see step up over the second half of the season?
UVa's defensive woes are simple to explain. The Cavaliers lost too many good players and the ones who are there to replace them just don't have much experience. In my opinion, UVa's linebackers are slow and have trouble on mismatches in the passing game. The secondary is VERY young, four sophomores starting (three for the first year). Backups are freshmen. They're feeling their way. There really hasn't been much pass rush, although Virginia finished No. 90 in the nation last year in sacks and are even worse this year thus far. Prior to the season DC Jim Reid said his goal was to find a way to make the younger players perform a year above their class and so far that hasn't happened. As the season advances, they are hoping true prize freshmen DE, Eli Harold (a speed rusher) and Mike Moore (son of famed UVa QB Shawn Moore) will give them a pass rush. I belive free safety Anthony Harris will advance quickly and perhaps Maurice Canady, a true freshman backup corner with a lot of potential. Overall, I think this is going to be a mediocre to bad year for Virginia defense.
Over the past few years, the Blue Devils and Cavaliers have played some memorable, hard-fought games. With both teams looking to rebuild their programs and compete in the ACC, it appears that this renewed rivalry will only grow stronger. What are the perspectives of Virginia's fans, players, and coaches with regards to playing Duke?
The UVa-Duke series has been a good one and I imagine that will continue this year and into the future as Coach Cutcliffe continues to build the program. I like what he has done at Duke and I think he's an excellent coach (I've always felt like Southern coaches added something special to the game). It's difficult to gauge how fans, players and coaches perceive this series. While UVa-UNC used to be THE rivalry for the Cavaliers, I think that has faded somewhat in favor of UVa-Virginia Tech. The UVa-Maryland series has gained some status mostly because Al Groh and Ralph Friedgen had no love for one another. While the Duke and Virginia games have been hard fought and there's been some chippieness (Minnifield got a little too emotional last year), I still don't see this series as being viewed as a huge rivalry just because of the fans' emphasis on the aformentioned games. Still, Virginia should consider this a huge game because it may very well determine whether it goes to a bowl game or not, perhaps in the same light as Duke. Besides, Duke had won three in a row until last year and has won the last two in Durham.
Having snapped a 12-year losing streak to Wake Forest last week, the Blue Devils are flying high at 4-1 heading into Saturday afternoon's game with Virginia. With a tough second half schedule that includes both Florida State and Clemson, many feel this is a must-win game for Duke to have a chance at bowl eligibility. Obviously, Virginia will be equally motivated as they try to turn their season around after three straight losses. How do you expect Saturday's game between the Blue Devils and Cavaliers to play out?
I think Saturday's game is going to be a bloodbath. Both teams desperately need this game. In a way, their whole season(s) depend on this game's outcome. From a fan's standpoint, I'm expecting this to be a really good game, perhaps a thriller-diller, and good TV. If it's not, I will be surprised. Virginia's backs are against the wall and they're shuffling lineups a bit, challenging starters this week, changing quarterbacks. Seems to me, they're pulling out all stops to win this game. Duke has been playing well and I guess from the outside, most would say the Blue Devils have beaten the people they're supposed to have beaten, although some thought Wake would win last week. I think this game has all the makings of a terrific game. Personally, I would think Duke has to be favored. I haven't seen a line yet, but if the Devils aren't favored by say, 3 to 5 points, I would be surprised.
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