DURHAM - Duke Head Coach David Cutcliffe addressed the media after his Blue Devils' knocked off the Miami Hurricanes 48-30 in Wallace Wade Stadium on Senior Day. The win puts Duke at 8-2 and in control of the ACC Coastal Division race.
Monthly Archives: November 2013
Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood talk Duke win
Duke had little problem in defeating Florida Atlantic last evening and Blue Devil Nation caught up to star players, Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood afterwards to get their thoughts -
Dre all Night – Dawkins helps Duke to win over FAU
Dre all day is what the Cameron Crazies love to cheer when he's knocking down those long range shots. Andre Dawkins has become a Duke fan favorite. He's been through a lot and when he has success on the court, all Duke fans are elated. Dre, as he is known to his teammates, knocked down 19 points in the Blue Devils 97-64 win over FAU. During the post game presser, Coach K said that Dawkins had been recovering from an injured back and that he was once again rounding into shape. Anyhow, here is what an happy Dawkins had to say post game -
Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor Package Goes to Duke
Cameron Indoor Stadium will be a extra lively tonight but not because there is a game against Florida Atlantic. Just a couple of hours prior to tip-off, the nations top center Jahlil Okafor and the top point guard Tyus Jones committed to play their college careers at Duke University.Now that the anticipation is over and the two have become the package deal they said they would, Duke will turn its attention to superb wing Justise Winslow.
Okafor and Jones made their decisions on ESPNU, each from their high school. The Blue Devils were fully involved throughout their recruitment with Coach Mike Kryzewski taking on a huge role.
In Okafor, Duke gets the post player it covets and he'll allow players on the roster to move to their more natural positions. Okafor is a dominant post player with the ability to anchor a defense all by himself.Jones is the ultimate team player and a point guard who found his Howard Pulley teammates in an effortless manner on the AAU circuit.
Jones and Okafor made a recent trip to Duke for their official visit and they also attended Countdown for Craziness the season before last.
While a lot of hype surrounded their recruitment, the two became a package deal as they said they would.
The Blue Devils were always in strong with the duo and they never let up their efforts to make them know how coveted they were.It was quite simply, a huge day for Duke Basketball recruiting.
Know the opponent: Miami Hurricanes
It's Senior Day in Durham on Saturday, but the Blue Devil senior class has some unfinished business left on the field. Duke hosts Miami in a matchup of ACC Coastal Division leaders. The Blue Devils now control their own destiny to Charlotte, and a win on Saturday would go a long way towards a possible Coastal Division Championship. Duke rides a 5-game winning streak into the matchup, while the Hurricanes have dropped 2 in a row. To get an inside look at Miami football, BDN welcomes in Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald. His work can be found at the Eye on the U blog, and on Twitter.
Miami enters Saturday's contest on a 2-game losing streak, having recently lost two of their top offensive weapons in WR Phillip Dorsett and RB Duke Johnson to significant injuries. Can this offense be as explosive without those two playmakers? What adjustments do you expect to see from QB Stephen Morris and the offensive staff?
There's no question Miami's offense missed Duke Johnson last week against Virginia Tech. The Canes only ran for 28 yards on 24 attempts and could never really establish a running game, making them one dimensional. Stephen Morris actually played well against the Hokies. What hurt him were the drops by his receivers. They've actually had 11 combined drops in the last two weeks including a pair that would have gone for touchdowns. Allen Hurns has done a real nice job stepping up in Dorsett's absence. Freshman Stacy Coley has had his moments of brilliance. But there's no doubt this offense has missed Dorsett and Johnson and will miss them Saturday.
The Hurricanes' are holding opponents to just 23 points per game on the season, but are coming off a game where they allowed a struggling Virginia Tech team to put up 42 points and 549 yards of total offense. What is the source of their recent defensive struggles?
I definitely feel like there was some carryover from the Florida State loss with Miami's defense. They can't afford to have any this week and know it. The biggest issues have been missed tackles and blown coverage assignments the last two weeks. Watch the film of the last six quarters and it's a horror show. The honest truth is this defense is average at best. What helped them mask their deficiencies for the first seven games of the season were turnovers and sacks. They also were much better on third down earlier this year. Over their last 3 games opponents are converting at a 60 percent clip against Miami. Over the first six games nobody did better than 40 percent against the Canes.
The Blue Devils have dropped 9 games in a row to the Hurricanes; entering this year's matchup, Duke and Miami both sit atop the ACC Coastal Division standings at 7-2. What do you expect to be the keys to victory on Saturday?
Turnovers. Turnovers. Turnovers. It's quite obvious both of these teams live and die with them. Last week, the two fumbles by Miami on special teams completely changed the momentum of the game. If the Canes win the turnover battle they will win this game. If they don't, Duke is going to end that nine-game losing streak.
Miami at Duke Preview
Miami at Duke
3:30 PM ET
Saturday, November 16
Wallace Wade Stadium
Durham, NC
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Blue Devil IMG Sports Network
Duke in 2013: 7-2 (Defeated N.C. State 38-20 last time out)
Miami in 2013: 7-2 (Lost to Virginia Tech 42-24 last time out)
DUKE INJURIES
PROBABLE – Ross Cockrell (CB), Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo (DE), Dwayne Norman (S)
OUT – Jared Boyd (CB), Thomas Sirk (QB), Jonathan Woodruff (DE)
OUT FOR SEASON – Tanner Stone (OT), Jamal Wallace (DT)
MIAMI INJURIES
DOUBTFUL – Phillip Dorsett (WR)
OUT – Alex Figueroa (LB), Danny Isidora (OL)
OUT FOR THE SEASON – Duke Johnson (RB), Hunter Knighton (OL)
Duke is riding a five game winning streak, while Miami has lost their last two ball games after jumping out to a 7-0 start to the season. The two teams have faced two common opponents Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech with Duke having beat Virginia Tech while losing to Georgia Tech, and Miami beating Georgia Tech but losing to Virginia Tech so the common opponent comparison is a wash.
HOW DUKE CAN WIN
Stop the run! The past two weeks when Miami lost they were held to 83 and 24 yards rushing by Florida State and Virginia Tech respectively. In seven victories, Miami averaged 214.7 rushing yards per game.
Duke must create 3rd and five yards or longer to go situations in order to force quarterback Stephen Morris to throw the ball. With Duke Johnson out, it is easy to jump to the conclusion Miami cannot run the ball, but that would be an incorrect assumption. Dallas Crawford rushed 33 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns against North Carolina when Duke Johnson left the game during the 1st Quarter after taking a knee to the head. To beat Miami, one must successfully stop the run.
On offense, Duke needs to establish the run game with their running backs. Against Virginia Tech, quarterback Anthony Boone led the team in rushing with 44 yards on 11 carries, while quarterback Brandon Connette was the Blue Devils leading rusher against N.C. State gaining 40 yards on eight carries. Duke has too much talent at running back for the quarterbacks to lead the team in rushing two consecutive games. The running backs must be heavily involved in the offense against the ‘Canes.
Once the running game is established, the quarterbacks, plural because the expectation is both will see significant action, can work in the play action pass and short quick pass scheme Duke has achieved success with this season.
HOW DUKE CAN LOSE
Turnovers! Duke quarterbacks committed eight turnovers in the wins over Virginia Tech and N.C. State, seven Anthony Boone interceptions and a Brandon Connette fumble. Sloppy quarterback play against Miami could be fatal. The ‘Canes have a speed and size advantage over Duke so the Blue Devils cannot give Miami extra opportunities with the ball.
For the season, Duke’s turnover margin is even; however, the credit goes to the defense for creating 18 turnovers which is tied for sixth most in the conference. If the offense does not value the ball every possession on Saturday against the ‘Canes it will be a tough evening.
A team cannot turn the ball over four times and expect to win.
WHY DUKE WILL WIN
The offense will find its groove and execute, while the defense will continue to play as an inspired unit. Simply stated, Duke has struggled on offense 10 of the last 12 quarters played, with the exception being the final two quarters in Charlottesville when they scored 28 points against the Cavaliers.
Coach David Cutcliffe pulled quarterback Anthony Boone in the 3rd Quarter of the N.C. State game after Boone tossed his third interception. Boone will be motivated to demonstrate he deserves to be the starting quarterback and team leader. Coach Cutcliffe will substitute Brandon Connette into the game in key short yardage situations and Connette will be equally motivated to demonstrate he belongs in the game so look for solid quarterback performances by both Boone and Connette this Saturday.
With the quarterbacks executing up to standards, Duke’s other playmakers will make things difficult for Miami’s defense. Creating opportunities for talented wide receiver Jamison Crowder without forcing the ball to him will pay huge dividends as Duke turns in a solid, balanced offensive performance.
BOTTOM LINE
Duke will jump out to a quick lead, build on it, and hold off a furious Miami comeback bid in the 4th Quarter to extend their winning streak to six games.
Duke 30, Miami 28
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