I remain convinced a team must successfully run the ball to consistently compete to win. After rushing 45 times for 142 yards in the win at Navy, Duke followed up by rushing for 230 yards on 45 attempts with six rushing touchdowns in Saturday’s 55-48 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers. So far in 2010, through nine games, Duke is averaging 132.8 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 85th out of 120 Football Bowl Series teams. Last season, Duke finished 120th in rushing.
On Saturday, Desmond Scott rushed for 97 yards on 17 carries including the decisive 35 yard touchdown scamper on a toss sweep. Brandon Connette was Duke’s second leading rusher gaining 78 yards on 12 carries, followed by Sean Renfree who gained 22 yards on 10 carries. Connette and Renfree each scored two rushing touchdowns.
Wide Receiver Donovan Varner was the fourth Blue Devil to score a rushing touchdown when he went in motion out of the slot, received an inside hand-off from Connette on a QB option, and darted off tackle for nine yards into the end zone. Varner gained 14 yards on two carries.
Improvement in the ground attack is a positive indicator Duke continues to progress toward turning the football program into an ACC contender.
It is no coincidence Duke has a plus five (+5) turnover margin in their three victories while being minus 14 (-14) during the six losses. Turnovers kill a team’s ability to win games. Duke remains last in the ACC in turnover margin at minus nine (-9) so if they are to extend their current two game winning streak they must value the football.
With all the success Duke has had running the ball recently, make no mistake, the Blue Devils remain a pass oriented offense. Duke is third in the ACC in passing offense averaging 261.3 yards per game. Sean Renfree has passed for 2270 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Conner Vernon (5.4), Donovan Varner (5.2) and Austin Kelly (4.4) are first, third and eighth in the ACC respectively, in receptions per game. With Austin Kelly out for the game and Conner Vernon injured returning a kick-off, tight end Cooper Helfet stepped up and caught seven passes for 126 yards against the Cavaliers. Helfet has 20 catches in eight games this season for a 2.5 receptions per game average. He was named one of the ACC players of the week for the second consecutive week.
On Duke’s game winning drive, Donovan Varner converted the critical first down when he caught a 26 yard pass on fourth and 18.
The kicking game is another phase of the game where Duke is excelling. Will Snyderwine is ranked number three in the ACC in scoring (kick) with 72 points. He has made 15 field goals out of 16 attempts plus all 27 extra points attempted.
Duke has attempted six onsides kicks this season and been successful four times.
Lee Butler averages 9.5 yards per punt return, which is fifth in the ACC. His longest return this season is 33 yards and he returned one punt for 26 yards in this week’s victory.
Desmond Scott is sixth in the ACC in all purpose yards with 957. Scott has rushed for 489 yards, gained 260 on kick returns, and caught 22 passes for 208 yards this season.
On the defensive side of the ball, Abraham Kromah ranks second in the ACC in tackles per game at 10.1. Kelby Brown is eighth with 7.6 and Matt Daniels is tied for eleventh with 6.9.
Injuries are starting to mount and could become an issue over the last three weeks of the season so I’m awaiting Thursday’s injury report with trepidation. Duke seeks to extend their winning streak to three games when the Boston College Eagles visit Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday.
Here are two post game interviews with Sean Renfree and Ross Cockrell who both made some hugh plays in Duke's win over Virginia this past weekend. Stay tuned for more from these two and other players on the upcoming game with Boston College.
Former Duke standout Clarkston Hines will enter the College Football Hall of Fame in December and BDN took part in a Q & A with the former wideout this past Saturday. So, take time to catch up with Hines and hear his memories of his days at Duke and take on the team in another BDN audio clip.
Our cheerleader of the week shares a smile for you this Monday morning. BDN salutes the team behind the team be it the cheerleaders, mascot or those who contribute their effort to support Duke Athletics - BDN Photo
The Duke basketball and football teams both play in what will be a busy weekend ahead for Blue Devil fans and both games should prove to be quite interesting. In this weeks edition of Monday Musings we'll take a look at the week ahead, offer thoughts on the programs and of course there is our Cheerleader of the Week.
Where were the students?
On a crisp Autumn day in Wallace Wade Stadium, the Duke football team was going back in forth with Virginia in what was an exciting offensive showdown where the Blue Devils came out on top 55-48. At the start of the game, there may have been 50 students max in the stands and some in the press box thought that number would grow and it did, by maybe 100 and I do mean maybe 100 more. Meanwhile the football team played with a lot of heart and won a thrilling victory in the last minute of the ball game and they deserved better support. Despite the lack of students, the ones who there in faith were shown appreciation as the team and Coach went over to celebrate their victory. I have attended games for a long time and the students were not born for some of them. With that in consideration, I can tell you that I have never seen such lack of support as was witnessed this past Saturday. We live in a day when Duke practically has to bribe and coddle the student body to get them to show up at what should be a traditional gathering. And the scary part is there seems to be no obvious solution. If you are a student and reading this, how about supporting Duke against Boston College for a win would give the Devils a three game winning streak and their second straight ACC win. It'd be a lot easier to accomplish if there were more support.
Meanwhile, Duke opens the men's basketball season
During the ACC Media Day in Charlotte, North Carolina I asked Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski if it were hard to put last season behind him, thinking his answer might be yes. Nah! He's beamed in and ready to embark on the 2010-11 season where the Blue Devils will this time start the season where they left off, that being number one in the country. Duke will miss graduated seniors Brian Zoubek, who attend the exhibition win over Cal Poly, Jon Scheyer who by the way suffered a really devastating eye injury since and Lance "Hustle Bunny," Thomas. But the Blue Devils reloaded with guy named Kyrie Irving, a really talented, sometimes dazzling point guard, Josh Hairtson and Tyler Thornton to go with the returning cast which features All Americans in Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. The first victim will be Princeton this coming Sunday in a game televised by ESPNU which starts at 5:00. Duke will then turn right around and take on Miami of Ohio on Tuesday. Do you think the aforementioned students will be in Cameron for the opener?
Before the tip off to the basketball season, Boston College invades Wallace Wade
In the pre-season I picked Boston College second in their division [and I wasn't alone] for there was a lot of returning talent on the team. The Eagles stumbled early on, but they are now talking bowl and winning out and they are licking their chops thinking they'll take care of business starting with Duke. Does it seem like it's been a long time since the schools played? Well, it has for Duke has played them one time since their conference arrival, a 28-7 loss in 2006. Anyhow, this is a key contest for both schools in many ways. Duke wants to close out the season with some momentum while Boston College wants to atone for early season woes. The Eagles have won two straight ACC games with their latest victim being Wake Forest, a team which Duke lost a heartbreaker to.
Duke Basketball will be tested early
This seasons edition of the men's basketball team will face several early tests in November and early December. Not that we want to overlook some teams but games with Marquette, Gonzaga or Kansas State, Oregon on the road for Kyle Singler's homecoming all in November. And December brings the #2 Michigan State into Cameron and a rematch with Butler in East Rutherford, N.J. That's two top 10 teams and two top 25 teams and two just outside of the rankings in short time.
And there will be great catastrophes and rumors of ...
This past weekend an ESPN Insider speculated on a certain Duke guard transferring. Not long ago, the media giant started running rumors across the ticker. Rumors set forth tremors in fan bases and the sky is falling crew just know there has to be something to every little whim, right? Well, of course they do and that fuels other fans paranoia more often than not. The mere fact that some rumors are proven to be true seems to justify each and every one be examined under a microscope, despite the fact that the majority of them, like 90% or better are just bunk. I mean opposing fan bases are constantly planting stuff about one another on the wild, wild west like world wide web. This especially holds true on the recruiting front where a certain anonymous poster can say something and it ripples through message boards like fire in a dry forest.
And if you run a web site, you will find that no matter how ridiculous some of them are, you are expected to acknowledge each and every rumor to the tune of numerous questions and the aforementioned "Chicken Little" fans. Oh, and they can be justified for this poster on so and so's board got one right. Folks, I am here to tell you that people have selective memories. If you are in my position, they only remember the very few things I have gotten wrong. Heck, sometimes people even say I gave them a guarantee from lack of comprehension and again, they read what they want to and can reconstruct what you say to fit their selective views. So facts? What are they and do people even care anymore?
The BDN staff starting having to address rumors from other message boards, so much so that we started a separate "rumors," board for unsubstantiated blurbs in an effort to keep fact and fiction apart. Our policy is if there is something out there we'll let you know asap, but if not, or it is another ridiculous rumor we simply will not address the issue and that serves as a message there is nothing to it. But just as some want to remember your misses and or supposed misses others want to just see rumors as being true, by not only overlooking but avoiding some of the facts. When ESPN starts running rumors over the ticker wire, it just opens the flood gates for others to do so and we hope they reconsider before they to have to start a separate rumor central area like we have done. Our motto has long been we deal in fact not fiction and we'll stick by that by stating if what we say is speculation it'll be clear to you and when we are emphatic about say a recruiting or other tidbits, you can take it to the bank.
In closing, thanks for your continued support and visiting the Blue Devil Nation for we all make up that nation. Have a good week ahead, support the Blue Devils and check back in next week for another edition of Monday Musings and of course the Cheerleader of the Week.
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Duke's Donovan Varner makes a play - Photo GoDuke, Duke Photography
The Duke Blue Devils earned a win on the football field in Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday afternoon by scoring 55 points, the most of any team in the past decade. While it is true, the defense struggled to stop Virginia, the real story was that these Blue Devils had no quit in them no matter the circumstances. There were a lot of positives to come out of the game and we'll discuss those in our weekly BDN Sunday Quarterback article.
An ACC win and hindsight
Duke got a much needed conference win and in the process now have a three game winning streak against Virginia, a team which was coming off a win over Miami. One cannot help but look back at contests with Maryland and Wake Forest, two other games the Blue Devils could have easily won had the ball taken one extra bounce. That would put them at 5-4 on the season. While fans cannot dwell on that, it is a sign that Duke, at least on offense has improved and that they are playing their best football this season after Saturday's effort.
Sean Renfree continues his great play
With 6:07 to go in the fourth quarter, Sean Renfree broke down the field for a 37 yard run and a touchdown, but it was his throw on 4th and 18 from the Duke 13 yard line to Cooper Helfet that really put the Blue Devils in position to win an exciting game. Renfree beamed with confidence in the post game press conference and it's safe to say that he has turned another corner on the learning curve.
Duke Tight Ends, Helfet left - BDN Photo, Rick Crank
Speaking of Cooper Helfet ...
The Duke tight end made some big time catches and led his team 7 catches for 122 yards. With Conner Vernon knocked out of the game, he became the playmaker and all his catches were huge. UVA clamped down on Vernon and Donovan Varner so Coach Cutcliffe used the big tight end to get Duke out of a lot of jams. Meanwhile, he got Varner in the game with a 9 yard run off the left tackle which scored.
And then there was Brandon Connette
Renfree looked like he had been in a prize fight after the win with some bloody nicks on his face and Connette was no different. Connette, a true freshman was a load for the Cavaliers defense rushing for 81 yards on 12 carries. On one drive Connette and Duke had the ball on the 46 yard line. The tough nosed youngster ran the ball the first five plays from scrimmage until the ball was on the Virginia nine yard line before the aforementioned Varner went untouched into the end zone while the Cav's defense was prepping for another Connette run. By the way, both Renfree and Connette scored two rushing touchdowns apiece. Now go see when the last time two QB's did that in one game at Duke via the record books. Oh yeah! And his two rushing touchdowns ties Chris Douglass as the most from a freshman.
A third quarterback from St. Louis played a role as well
I am an on the field guy when covering the games but the weather kept me in the press box during the first half. But once entering the battle zone in the second half, I got to talk to and see Thaddeus Lewis, Duke's record setting quarterback who is now with the NFL's St. Louis Rams. I came to know Lewis over his four years at Duke and his character hasn't changed one bit. When Varner scored, he came up to Lewis who was by my side and the two exchanged pleasantries before he went back to the bench. Lewis was yelling encouragement to his ex teammates all game long and in crunch time he rolled into the bench area for support.
The game was physical and for men
The two teams were laying down some hits all game long and the play from up close was very physical in nature. After one defensive stand, Duke nose guard Charlie Hatcher came off the field right beside me and was punch drunk. I put my hand on his shoulder pad and pointed him the direction of the bench and about that time a teammate came up and got him there. Hatcher was a warrior in the middle and came right back and made plays including a shoe string sack of UVA quarterback Marc Verica.
Picture from GoDuke, Duke Photography
Desmond Scott and Duke ran the ball well
The last time Duke gained 259 yards rushing was against NCCU last season but it was 2003 when Chris Douglass played that Duke gained as much against an ACC foe. Desmond Scott fell 3 yards short of 100 yard for the day but his touchdown as time was winding down will be long remembered. I just happened to be standing at the pylon near the endzone andthat meant I had an incredible birds eye view of the play. Scott ran wide with the ball and just when you thought he was down and Duke was close to allowing Will Snyderwine to be a hero, but the sophomore had other plans. Scott made a move and then tight roped his way down the sideline jumping and stretching toward the pylon two feet in front of me for the score. His effort was tremendous and he grew up even more as a running back on a play I can still see in my minds eye.
Ross Cockrell is a playmaker
There were times when I wondered what Cutcliffe had seen in his redshirt freshman defensive back for he has learned on the fly by trial and error this season. Cockrell had a coming out game versus Virginia with two interceptions and he was so close to a third that was called a dropped ball when nobody in the stadium saw it as such. The replay was insufficient for the angle was bad, but many feel he made the play, but why harp on that with a huge Duke victory? For what it's worth, Thaddeus Lewis said he was going to be the real deal and used his name in the same sentence as other great Duke DB's like John Tally. The lessons learned this season will make Cockrell one of the best at his position as his career moves ahead.
You should have been there, you really should have been there
Duke has just under 23,000 in attendance and those who missed this game, missed a good old fashioned offensive shoot out. I cracked on the students via our twitter game updates in that there may have been 30 there for kickoff and that number went to maybe 120 for the game. The students who were there were supportive and warriors and are to be commended but for others to not support a team playing their hearts out late in the season is a tad tacky if not selfish. The students there were shown appreciation by Cut and the team when they ran over to greet them after the game and it was emotional in a most good way. Cutcliffe would later say he appreciated their support, calling them and those around for the celebration their real fans. It would be nice to see the place full for the Boston College game this coming week where Duke can win their third straight game and pick up another ACC win.
Closing the season on a high note thus far
After many early struggles, this Duke team has showed they have no quit in them. Duke wants togo into the off season with momentum and they have a chance to do that in their remaining three games, two of which are at home. Duke had several recruiting prospects at the game and word is they were impressed by the direction the Blue Devils are going in. Many of the Dukies return a season from now and the rebuilding process is on track in a year when they lost key defensive players. Cutcliffe said their goal was to get better each day in practice and that hard work is starting to pay off. But nothing is sweeter than a win and yesterday Duke reached deep and won in exciting fashion. See you in Wade for the Boston College game and when I do let me see the friend you invited by your side. BDN supports Duke Football and so should you!
Big win for Coach Cutcliffe and Duke over UVA, the third straight time he has beaten them. BDN Photo, Mark Watson
DURHAM - A very happy Coach David Cutcliffe took to the podium just a short time ago and found it hard to pin point any particular player or play for there were so many which were vital to Duke's 55-48 win over Virginia. Here are the post game comments in their entirety courtesy of BDN Audio.
I remain convinced a team must successfully run the ball to consistently compete to win. After rushing 45 times for 142 yards in the win at Navy, Duke followed up by rushing for 230 yards on 45 attempts with six rushing touchdowns in Saturday’s 55-48 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers. So far in 2010, through nine games, Duke is averaging 132.8 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 85th out of 120 Football Bowl Series teams. Last season, Duke finished 120th in rushing.
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