The new turf field looks great with lines being painted on the field as this article is being drafted. The new field level seats are installed on both the East and West sides of the stadium along with field level benches in the North end zone. Artificial turf has been installed on the sidelines and behind the end zones. The new video scoreboard is huge so fans will have a great view of replays during the upcoming season. There is a lot to be excited about at renovated Wallace Wade Stadium.
Preseason Camp Info:
Jela Duncan's partially torn pectoral muscle and Nico Pierre's subsequent position change to running back are the dominant stories to date; however, there are several additional tidbits available. More on that in a minute. The team scrimmaged last Saturday evening and after the scrimmage, Coach Cutcliffe stated, "This isn't scheme heavy or about moving the ball it is about personnel...Identifying who is going to make plays."
Zavier Carmichael made plays in the scrimmage with an interception and causing a fumble. His performance at Middle Linebacker will be key to the success of the defense as he steps into huge shoes vacated by David Helton and Kelby Brown.
Wide receiver competition is wide open with veterans Johnell Barnes and Max McCaffrey leading the way. Redshirt freshman Chris Taylor projects to be the third starter. There is a laundry list of receivers competing for playing behind the starters including: T.J. Rahming, Trevon Lee, Ryan Smith, Anthony Nash, Terrence Alls (when he returns from suspension), Quay Chambers and Aaron Young.
Depth is always critical so the good news is several redshirt freshmen who were dinged up a year ago are reported to be healthy and ready to go. Cornerback Johnathan Lloyd, defensive end Taariq Shabazz and offensive guard Trip McNeill are examples.
Multiple true freshmen saw snaps in last Saturday's scrimmage including: linebacker Ben Humphreys, receiver T.J. Rahming, defensive end Marquies Price, cornerback Jeremy McDuffie, cornerback Keyston Fuller and receiver Aaron Young. Time will tell if these or other true freshmen see playing time in 2015.
The team will scrimmage again Saturday morning before the Meet the Blue Devils event.
Early Season Schedule:
Duke opens the season on the road for the first time in the Coach David Cutcliffe era with a trip to New Orleans to face Tulane on Thursday night September 3. Duke defeated Tulane 47-13 last season in a game where the Green Wave turned the ball over five times including two Pick 6 interceptions.
Quarterback Tanner Lee has a year experience under his belt now plus he operates behind an experienced offensive line which returns four of five starters. Lee is mobile and dangerous, but prone to throwing interceptions so it will be imperative Duke dials up the pressure to attempt to harrass him into making mistakes. Lee threw 14 interceptions and 12 touchdowns as a Redshirt Freshman in 2014.
The Blue Devils offense rushed for 256 yards on 42 carries, for a 6.1 yards per carry average in 2014, so fans should expect to see Duke come out intent on establishing the running game early in this rematch. Once the running game is clicking, the pass play will be available.
NCCU visits Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 12 for the first of four straight home games for the Blue Devils. The Eagles will be overmatched and barring a complete disaster the Blue Devils should easily win their fourth straight home opener.
Northwestern is dangerous. Although the Wildcats finished up 5-7 in 2014, they beat #17 Wisconsin and #18 Notre Dame along the way. Any Duke fan who has already chalked this one up as a victory is making a mistake. September 19 will be an early season litmus test as a win over Northwestern is going to have to be earned on the field.
The quarterback position is in flux in Evanston with three players vying for the starting job. Senior Zack Oliver, Sophomore Matt Alviti, and Redshirt Freshman Clayton Thorson are all being looked at by Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald. Thorson has the most talent but the least experience.
Duke finishes up September by hosting Georgia Tech on September 26. The Yellow Jackets will arrive in Durham seeking revenge after Duke upset them 31-25 in Atlanta in 2014. Quarterback Justin Thomas rushed for 119 yards against the Blue Devils last season; however, the dominant statistic was his two interceptions.
This contest will be one where Duke has to finish defensive possession by denying Georgia Tech 1st downs. On offense, take care of the ball and make every possession count.
Recruiting Update:
When will "Bang Bang #DukeGang" ring out on Twitter again? Perhaps very soon as decision time fastly approaches for Javon Jackson and Dylan Singleton, two defensive backs who have Duke on their short list.
Javon Jackson (5'11" 180) is a 3-star safety out of Sandy Creek HS in Tyrone, GA. His decision will be between Duke and South Carolina.
Dylan Singleton (5'11" 184) is a 4-star safety, and the brother of current Blue Devil Deondre Singleton, out of Archer High School in Lawrenceville, GA. His decision will be between Duke and Georgia. Singleton is scheduled to announce his choice later today.
Some additional players Duke continues to pursue include:
Prince Sammons (6'7" 260) is a 4-star defensive end from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. He has a plethora of offers and list Duke along with schools such as Oregon, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Penn State and Cincinnati as schools he is interested in attending.
Parker Braun (6'3" 250) is a 3-star offensive tackle from Osceola, FL who will be transferring to Texas to finish his prep career. He has offers from Ohio State, Auburn, Miami, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, South Carolina and Stanford.
Eric Burrell (6'0" 174) is a 4-star safety from McDonogh School in Owings Mills, MD. He has offers from Duke, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Rutgers, Virginia, Virginia Tech and other schools.
Football Friday: Random Ramblings
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