Category Archives: Duke Football

Duke Football

Resilient Blue Devils down Wahoo’s 55-48 in a barn burner

Scott extends to score - Photo courtesy GoDuke.Com and Duke Photography

The Duke Blue Devils came out on fire scoring 21 first quarter points and they ended the fourth quarter with another 21 points in a thrilling 55-48 victory over Virginia.  In between those quarters was an offensive showdown but in the end Desmond Scott danced down the sidelines for a 35 yard run for a touchdown shortly the possession after he fumbled the ball after a solid Virginia hit.

Demond Scott was quite simply resilient but he was not alone, for several Blue Devils stepped up to the plate and willed Duke to their first ACC win of the season and their second straight win.  Scott would finish with 97 yards rushing on the day and the Blue Devils ran for a total of 230 yards, the most since 2003 against an ACC school.

Duke back up quarterback Brandon Connette had 78 yards rushing himself and two rushing scores, his first a 2 yard run and his second an exciting 20 yard jaunt.  And then starting quarterback Sean Renfree ran for two scores as well including a 37 yard run for a score putting Duke up before the Cavaliers scored two touchdowns of their own, the last one a Keith Payne 6 yard run which put the Cavaliers up 48-47.

The Blue Devils were working on field goal position but Scott's aforementioned run worked out just fine and according to Duke Coach David Cutcliffe, the play was just installed this week.  The Duke defense then held after letting up 643 yards of total offense to the Cavaliers.

Another Duke star was tight end Cooper Helfet who pulled in 7 passes for 122 yards, a team high and a score.  His play and the play of Duke's wideout depth helped offset the loss of Conner Vernon who was knocked silly on a kickoff return.

The way Duke won was incredible in that it looked as if they were going to lose a heart breaker.  With just over a minute Duke got the ball back and trailed by a single digit.  Renfree was sacked by the Virginia defense in his first two plays and Duke was forced to use their last timeout and the next play was an incomplete pass to Helfet.

That sat the scene for a 4th and 18 play where Renfree hit a streaking Donovan Varner for a 32 yard completion to the UVA 47 yard line and just when you were thinking a Duke field goal to win the game Duke found the end zone and smiles abounded from cheerleaders, fans and players for Duke won a bonafide thriller.

There was so much action it's hard to emcompess it in one article so we'll have more coming your way shortly as Duke goes to 3-6 on the season with Boston College coming into Wallace Wade Stadium next week.

Full Stats Here

Duke Football

BDN Previews Virginia at Duke

The Virginia Cavaliers (4-4, 1-3 ACC) travel to Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday to take on the Duke Blue Devils (2-6, 0-4 ACC) in an ACC Coastal Division matchup. The Blue Devils are looking to build momentum coming off a win in Annapolis, while the Cavaliers are riding a two-game winning streak after an impressive victory over the Miami Hurricanes. The game will kickoff at noon ET and will be televised on espn3.com; tickets are still available at GoDuke.com. The Blue Devils will be honoring former standout WR Clarkston Hines at halftime on his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame; many other Duke football alumni, including St. Louis Rams' QB Thad Lewis, will also be in attendance. 

Duke in Week 9

The Blue Devils put together a near perfect first half of football in Annapolis last Saturday, jumping out to a 24-0 halftime lead against Navy. QB Sean Renfree returned to his early-season form, completing 17 of 18 first half passes for 180 yards. Duke scored on its first four possessions, starting with a 30 yard Will Snyderwine FG on the opening drive, and then adding three rushing touchdowns, one by freshman QB Brandon Connette and two by Renfree. The defense forced a fumble on Navy's opening drive and then held the Midshipmen to just 67 yards of offense in the first half.  

The second half was a story of survival, as the Midshipmen began to move the ball through the air with little resistance from the Duke defense. QB Ricky Dobbs ended the day with 227 yards through the air and 83 yards on the ground, almost all of which came in the second half. He connected with his receivers for 2 second half touchdowns and added another on the ground to put Navy within 3 points in the closing minutes. On Navy's final drive, a key tackle for a loss by Matt Daniels helped the Blue Devils' defense force a turnover on downs and sealed the 34-31 victory. 

Virginia in Week 9

The Cavaliers jumped out to a big lead of their own last Saturday, taking a 24-0 lead early in the 4th quarter against Miami in Charlottesville. After knocking out QB Jacory Harris early in the game, the Cavaliers finished with 5 total interceptions, including two each for S Corey Mosley and CB Chase Minnifield. RB Keith Payne ran for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns, while QB Marc Verica threw for 176 yards and a touchdown. The Hurricanes did not go down without a fight, however; QB Stephen Morris led a furious 4th quarter comeback, scoring 19 points in the final 10 minutes. The rally fell short in the closing minutes as the Miami defense failed to get a needed stop, allowing Virginia to pick up two crucial first downs on their final drive of the game. The Cavaliers were able to run out the clock for a 24-19 upset victory. 

Analysis

In the standings, this is a matchup between the bottom two teams in the Coastal Division, but on the field, this is a compelling game. Duke and Virginia are two programs on the rise in the ACC, both looking to sustain winning streaks into November. Both teams are coming off their most impressive victories of the season, and the teams matchup well. Duke boasts the 2nd best passing offense in the conference, while Virginia features the conferences' second best passing defense, led by standout CB Chase Minnifield. The two teams frequently go head-to-head on the recruiting trail, and much will be at stake on Saturday afternoon in Wallace Wade. 

This is not the same Virginia team that has fallen to Duke the last two seasons, and it will take a solid 60 minute effort for a Blue Devil victory. Virginia's two-headed rushing attack leads their offense, featuring 6'3” 255 pound RB Keith Payne (69 yards per game, 12 touchdowns) and speedy sophomore Perry Jones (58.5 yards per game, 5.0 yards per carry). Fifth-year senior Marc Verica takes the snaps under center and enters the game 4th in the conference at 208 yards per game passing. Junior WR Kris Byrd has been Verica's favorite target, ranking 3rd in the conference in receiving yards per game at 72. The Cavaliers, like the Blue Devils, have had some turnover problems of their own, having thrown 10 interceptions (5 in the red zone) and lost 6 fumbles on the season. After giving up 15 sacks in their first 5 games, the offensive line has allowed just 2 sacks in the past 3, which has opened things up for Verica and the running game. 

Defensively, Virginia has switched to a 4-3 defense from Al Groh's 3-4 scheme, with mixed results. They rank second in the conference and 17th in the country in passing defense, but rank second to last in the conference and 111th in the country in rushing defense. Sophomore linebackers LaRoy Reynolds and Ausar Wolcott lead the team in tackles with 49 and 41, respectively, but it is the secondary that is the strength of this unit. CB Chase Minnifield leads the ACC in interceptions and is second in passes defended. Junior DE Cam Johnson anchors the defensive front and leads the team with 10.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. On special teams, Minnifield is a dangerous punt returner, and Raynard Horne has a kick return for a touchdown this year. Placekicker Robert Randolph missed his first 3 FG attempts of the season, but has connected on his last 6, and Jimmy Howell ranks fifth in the conference in punting. 

The keys to this game for Duke are:

    Defensive fundamentals: Duke has to stay disciplined on defense - make tackles and defend the ball. If Duke is unable to bring down Virginia's running backs, particularly Payne, it will be a long day for the Blue Devil defense. After getting torched by Ricky Dobbs, the secondary will have to step up and make plays.
    Offensive line: Duke has several injuries along the offensive line, but will have to control the line of scrimmage to allow Renfree time to make accurate throws. If he is rushed, the Virginia secondary will take advantage.
    Special teams: In what may be a close game, mistakes on kick or punt coverage could swing the momentum. Will Snyderwine is having an impressive junior campaign and will have to continue to put points on the board for the Blue Devils. 

BDN Prediction

This is an old-fashioned conference matchup that should be won or lost in the trenches for Duke. Despite injuries along the offensive line, Duke will have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to compete with the Wahoos. If the Virginia backs are able to find running room, Duke will have a tough time slowing the Cavaliers offense. Virginia's defense has been most vulnerable to the run, and Duke will need to have big days from Desmond Scott and Jay Hollingsworth to open things up for Sean Renfree and the passing game. The Blue Devils will have to put together their best 60 minute effort of the season to come away with their first ACC win in 2010. 

Duke 30

UVA 28

Duke Football

Duke & Virginia Q&A Exchange

In anticipation of this Saturday’s matchup with Virginia, BDN checked in with the Sabre to get an update on the Cavaliers’ 2010 season. Kris Wright was gracious enough to entertain our questions after UVA’s big win against Miami last week.

BDN: With a new coaching staff, there are always some growing pains. What have been the biggest changes you have seen, on and/or off the field?

Kris: There is a long, long list of things that have changed over the past 11 months since Coach London was hired in December 2009. On the field, UVa has switched from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 scheme and reverted back to a pro-style offense after an experiment with the spread in recent seasons. Off the field, Coach London is much more accessible beyond his media obligations, much more forthcoming with information on things like injuries, and much more enthusiastic as a coach than we have seen in the past few seasons here at Virginia. Beyond that, the team had its highest team GPA in a decade this past spring. That’s the ‘in a nutshell’ version, but rest assured, UVa fans and the administration are very happy with how things have gone with this coaching change.

BDN: Virginia is just 3 wins away from bowl eligibility, after a total of 3 wins last year. What were your expectations for Mike London in his first year, and how would the fan base evaluate the season so far?

Kris: I wouldn’t say there were many expectations in terms of total wins, bowl chances, and the like. I think most people wanted to see progress on and off the field, but not necessarily in win totals. If you looked at the schedule before the season started, you could pick three wins out of there easily (Richmond, VMI, and Eastern Michigan) and other possible wins if things go well that week (Duke, Maryland, Boston College). Beyond that, no one was expecting anything other than improving week to week, which this team has been doing during the back half of October en route to that big win against Miami last week.

BDN: The Virginia offensive line gave up 15 sacks over the first 5 games, but just 2 sacks in the past 3 games. What has caused the improvement that has opened things up for QB Marc Verica and RB Keith Payne?

Kris: It is hard to pinpoint any specific thing other than added experience together. There was a shuffle on the line due to an injury to Landon Bradley, who was the starting left tackle but missed the past couple of games with a hand injury (he is expected to be available this week). That moved right tackle Oday Aboushi to the left side and true freshman Morgan Moses into the starter’s spot at right tackle. Overall, however, I think it’s just a gelling and growing process unfolding with the players and their new coaches.

BDN: The Cavaliers' defense has several NFL-caliber players, led by junior CB Chase Minnifield. How has this group handled the transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3? Do you think the new scheme is a better fit for the personnel?

Kris: The defense has been up and down throughout the season. It had two really good outings against Southern California and Miami, but really struggled against Florida State, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech. There have been other in-between games too. The transition issues have been turning up in the form of big plays as everyone on the schedule (except VMI) has put up a handful of big gainers and nearly everyone has put up long scoring plays too. I think that’s a sign of being over aggressive within the attacking 4-3 defense - losing pursuit angles, breaking down with rushing lanes, missing tackles, and things like that. With that said, I think the new scheme is a good fit for the personnel that UVa will be able to recruit.

BDN: Under Coach Cutcliffe, Duke has had Virginia's number, winning both of the last 2 matchups, though UVA had won the previous 8 meetings. What do you expect to see on Saturday when the Blue Devils' passing attack faces the physical Cavaliers' secondary?

Kris: Every game is about match-ups and you picked out the big one, Duke’s passing offense vs. UVa’s pass defense. I think the key there will be open field tackles, though. The Blue Devils spread it out horizontally and throw quick passes a lot so Virginia will need to be sound with one-on-one tackling duties in open space. If the Cavaliers can do that, I think they will win the match-up and I don’t think the Blue Devils’ defense is consistent enough to contain the Virginia offense on the other side.

Duke Football

Sean Renfree talks the Navy game and UVA ahead

Renfree hopes to continue his hot streak versus UVA this weekend - Photo by Lance Images for BDN

DURHAM - Duke Quarterback Sean Renfree hopes to build on his steller performance against Navy when Virginia visits Wallace Wade Stadium this weekend.  BDN caught up to Sean during this weeks media day and got his thoughts on the upcoming game and more -

Just press play -

Duke Football

Stats Update: Sean Renfree has record setting performance in win over Navy

Sean Renfree (right) and Conner Vernon (left) were key performers in Duke's win over Navy.
Duke beat Navy 34-31 on the strength of a record setting performance by Sean Renfree and a strong first half by the entire offense; however, the defense played great and acknowledging true freshman linebacker Kelby Brown's 12 tackles, along with Abraham Kromah's 11 tackles, and Matt Daniel's huge tackle on 4th down is appropriate. The defense dominated Navy for three quarters and provided many key performances in the victory.

The Top 8 Statistics in Duke's Win over Navy:

1. Sean Renfree set a single game pass completion percentage record with his 28-30 (93.3%) performance. Renfree didn't set just a new Duke record or an ACC record, he set a new NCAA record, for games with a minimum of 30 passes thrown, by besting Steve Sarkisian's 31-34 (91.2%) performance for BYU against Fresno State on November 25, 1995.

2. Zero turnovers for the Blue Devils. Multiple turnovers doomed Duke in losses against Wake Forest (four), Army (Five) and Miami (seven). The importance of not turning the ball over cannot be overstated. Entering the game, Navy was ranked tied for fourth nationally in turnover margin, while Duke was ranked 119th.

3. Two for two on onside kick recoveries. Navy attempted two onside kicks in the 4th quarter but first Conner Vernon and then Cooper Helfet foiled Navy's attempts by successfully catching the ball for the Blue Devils. Navy's offense was hitting on all eight cylinders in the 4th quarter and these two key plays by Vernon and Helfet prevented the Midshipmen from gaining extra possessions.

4. Duke's vaunted receiving corps earned their accolades: five receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown by Conner Vernon, seven receptions for 69 yards by Cooper Helfet, five receptions for 57 yards by Donovan Varner, five receptions for 49 yards by Desmond Scott, four receptions for 23 yards by Austin Kelly and two receptions for 26 yards by Brandon Braxton. Fifteen of Duke’s 21 first downs were achieved on pass receptions.

5. The defense dominated Navy’s triple option offense until the 4th quarter. Kelby Brown recorded 12 tackles including three solo and Abraham Kromah had 11 tackles with five being solo. Patrick Egboh was credited with 1.5 sacks.

6. Time of possession. Duke mounted multiple long drives and controlled the ball for 36 minutes and 57 seconds. The drives included: 10 plays for 68 yards resulting in a field goal, 14 plays for 76 yards resulting in a touchdown, 10 plays for 45 yards resulting in a touchdown, eight plays for 64 yards resulting in a touchdown, 10 plays for 70 yards resulting in a touchdown, and 12 plays for 60 yards resulting in a field goal.

7. Conversions on 3rd and 4th down. Duke was two for three on 4th down and 8 for 15 on 3rd down. Converting on these plays allowed the offense to mount multiple sustained drives, which kept Navy's offense off the field.

8. Duke rushed 45 times for 142 yards and six first downs. Desmond Scott was the leading rusher with 42 yards including a key 17 yard run during Duke’s opening drive. Quarterbacks Sean Renfree and Brandon Connette combined to rush for 61 yards and three touchdowns.