Category Archives: Duke Football

Duke Football

BDN’s Cacchio previews Duke vs. Miami

Photo by Lance King

Duke (1-4) begins the second half of their season at 1:00 on Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium, where they will take on the Miami Hurricanes (3-2). With basketball season kicking off Friday night, the Blue Devil Nation will be out in force in Durham this weekend. BDN previews Saturday’s matchup with the Canes and what it will take for a Blue Devil victory.

Duke in Week 5
The Blue Devils’ last game was two weeks ago in College Park, where they fell to the Terrapins, 21-16. The Blue Devils outplayed the Terrapins for much of the game, but the key factors in the loss were red zone offense, turnovers, and special teams. Duke traveled to the red zone 4 times in the first half, coming away with only 9 points, and a 9-7 halftime lead. An 84-yard kick return for a touchdown and a 71-yard touchdown pass put the Blue Devils in a second half hole once again. The offense rallied, but came up short, ultimately failing to overcome their 2-0 turnover deficit. During the bye week, the Blue Devils underwent a thorough self-examination, and expect to see some personnel and schematic changes as they take the field on Saturday.

Miami in Week 6
The Hurricanes put forth their worst effort of the season last Saturday evening, falling at home to the rival Florida State Seminoles 45-17. The Canes were dominated from the start, and found themselves in a 21-0 hole early in the second quarter. The team failed to consistently match the Seminoles intensity and physical play, which resulted in many fans and analysts questioning their coaching and leadership. The previously-dominant Hurricanes’ defense gave up an astonishing 471 total yards, including 298 on the ground. Jacory Harris finished the day just 19/47 for 225 yards and an interception. Damien Berry paced the ground game with 101 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.

Analysis
Miami is a team of big, physical athletes that will challenge the Blue Devils in all areas of the game. Duke should be near full strength after a week off, and the Hurricanes expect Jacory Harris to play, despite a recent groin pull. The Hurricanes enter the game at the top of the ACC in total defense, giving up just over 300 total yards per game, and also first in pass defense, giving up just 143 yards through the air per game. The defense is effective in bringing pressure, already totaling 11 sacks and 11 turnovers on the season. Perhaps the most telling statistic is tackles for loss, where the Hurricanes lead the NCAA with 48 total tackles for loss. The Hurricanes will get after the Blue Devils from all angles, led by LBs Sean Spence and Colin McCarthy. On the defensive front, the pass rush will be led by Olivier Vernon and Andrew Smith, each with 3 solo sacks on the year. The Hurricanes’ secondary is fast and physical and has already grabbed 7 interceptions on the year.

Offensively, Miami has several weapons, most notably RB Damien Berry and WR Leonard Hankerson. Berry is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, while Hankerson enters the game 2nd in the ACC in receiving at 92 yards per game and 6 touchdowns. RB Graig Cooper is healthy again after a week 1 injury and will bolster the Canes’ rushing attack. The slowly improving Blue Devil defense will have to contain these explosive weapons to keep the Hurricanes out of the end zone. Jacory Harris enters the game averaging 220 yards passing and a total of 10 touchdowns. That being said, Harris has continued to be plagued by poor throws and interceptions. If Duke can apply pressure and good coverage, they should be able to force Harris into turnovers and keep themselves in the game. Miami also enters the game last in the ACC in penalties, averaging 68.6 yards per game, which could help sustain Blue Devil drives and stall the Hurricanes. The advantage should go to Duke in the kicking game, where Will Snyderwine is 9/10 on the year, while Miami’ s Matt Bosher enters the game just 5/8.

The keys to the game are fairly obvious for the Blue Devils:

  1. TURNOVERS: Both QBs have been plagued by interceptions this year, and the team that takes care of the football will win this game.
  2. BIG PLAYS: Duke has been burned by several big plays, including 2 in their last contest against Maryland. Miami has the athletes capable of torching the Blue Devils if given the chance.
  3. SPECIAL TEAMS: Miami features two explosive returners in Travis Benjamin and Lamar Miller. Both have already returned kicks for touchdowns this year, and will be looking to do so again if the Blue Devils have any lapses in coverage.

BDN Prediction
The Blue Devils have given the Hurricanes a scare in recent years, forcing Miami to win the last two contests in the 4th quarter. Those Duke teams showed a mental toughness we have yet to see from the 2010 Blue Devils, but a victory over a top 25 caliber opponent would be just the boost this team needs. Duke’s overall effort has improved in recent weeks, particularly on defense, and will have to take another big step forward on Saturday to compete with “The U.”
BDN staff consensus pick - Miami 40 Duke 23

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

More Monday Musings to kick off the week

Duke is set to hang a new banner in Cameron! BDN Photo

Good Monday morning Blue Devil Nation!  Talk about a big week ahead for Duke athletics, hey?  It doesn't seem like that long ago when I was coming back from Indianapolis having followed the men's basketball team on their magical run to the national championship, yet the reality of a new season is here.

It's been almost hard to put the 2010 season behind me in that it was such a special and at times surreal ride.  One can only hope that this year's team, talented as it is can produce similar moments for there are many factors which go into getting a team to come together at just the right time.  There will be no Z-Beard, no energy bunny Lance Thomas and "Steady-Eddie" Jon Scheyer on this seasons team. Those three seniors left Duke as champions but it wasn't always a walk in the park.

Winning national championships is not an easy thing to do folks!  How many times has the pre season number one ranked team failed to win the big enchilada?  The answer is more often than not for expectations can create some serious pressure, especially down the stretch.  The saving grace is that Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith opted to return for their senior seasons and that means Duke will once again have some steady leadership in the senior class.

The season kicks off this Friday evening with the much anticipated Countdown to Craziness II invades Cameron Indoor Stadium.  The event is becoming a religious experience for true blue Duke fans in that it brings you up close and personal with the players and coaches.  Last seasons event was off the charts fun from beginning to end and in serves in memory as the starting point on the road to Indianapolis.

Despite last season's successful event, this years will be just as good and very likely better.  A much hyped freshman Kyrie Irving will be making his CIS debut where he'll join newcomers Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton as well as redshirt sophomore Seth Curry.  Then there is the welcoming of the returning aforementioned senior players who will all get their national championship rings as a new banner is unveiled in the backdrop.

In the stands will be a bevy of future Blue Devils and their most recent get in Austin Rivers and special guests will be making an appearance as well.  All of the faithful will be gathered in the Holly Temple that seats just over 9000 fans elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder.  Seriously, what else can be said and how much more hype does this event need?

Meanwhile, the football team will take on a mad bunch of Canes as Miami invades Wallace Wade Stadium.  Duke is playing for the future, one which is brighter than it might seem as this time.  Duke has nothing to lose the rest of the way and there are still winnable games on  the schedule.  Take away a couple of mistakes and Duke would have two ACC wins over Wake Forest and Maryland and games.  And  with Virginia and Boston College on the home schedule it's looking like the Blue Devils have a shot to garner a few more wins.  Please continue to support this young team and they will in time give you reason to cheer loud and proud.

Stay tuned to BDN for full CTC and Duke-Miami coverage.

Duke Football

BDN checks in with future Blue Devil Lucas Patrick

Future Blue Devil Lucas Patrick

Lucas Patrick is a 6’4” 285 pound senior offensive lineman from Brentwood, Tennessee who committed to the Blue Devils back in May. He checked in with BDN this week to update Duke fans on his senior year and his commitment.

 

 

“We’ve had a great start and are 5-2. We’ve beaten everyone in our district and we have a tough 3 game stretch coming up,” he told BDN. “The team is really coming together and it’s been really great so far.”

 

As one of the top ten college prospects in the state of Tennessee, Lucas has anchored the offensive line for the Bruins, even filling in at center for an injured teammate. “I feel like I’ve really improved at everything,” he said as he gave BDN a midseason evaluation of his personal performance. “My versatility is better; I filled in at center when a guy went down and ended up grading out at 94% for that game. I’ve been consistently in the 90s most of this year.” He was named the BancorpSouth Player of the Week for his efforts at center in Brentwood’s 42-0 Homecoming win over Gallatin. Lucas added that he may start at center again next week against Hillsboro due to injury, and with the graduation of senior Bryan Morgan, don’t be surprised if he takes some snaps at center during 2011 training camp at Duke.

 

Despite the 1-4 start, Lucas has really liked what he’s seen from the Blue Devils so far in 2010, and was even able to take in the week 2 game at Wake Forest. “My sister goes to Wake Forest, so I was actually able to see that game, which was a great game to watch,” he explained. “Duke never gave up and they showed they’re a tough team. I was then able to watch the Alabama game on TV and saw the same thing. They never stopped fighting, which was really cool to watch.” Lucas has kept in close contact with the Duke coaches, most notably Coach Luke, Coach Hardegree, and Coach Roper through phone calls and emails.

 

One of the factors that originally impressed Lucas about Duke was his comfort level with the Duke players and coaches, and that has continued to grow after his commitment. “I keep in touch with the other offensive line commits – Matt Skura, Carson Ginn, Marcus Aprahamian, and Cody Robinson,” he told BDN. “It’s really cool that we already have an early friendship. I’ve also stayed in touch with [Duke freshman lineman] Dave Harding.”

Lucas plans to take a visit to Duke next weekend for the Miami game with his family, and confirmed that his only visits this fall will be to Duke. The Blue Devil Nation can look forward to seeing Lucas graduate in the spring and join the Duke program in the summer of 2011 as part of an impressive offensive line class for Coach Cutcliffe.