Category Archives: Duke Football

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

Monday Musings – Pro Am, Football Practice and more

Kyrie Irving, pixbyrick.com/BDN

There is always a lot going on if you cover Duke Athletics and as a busy summer around here gives way to September, Duke Football hits the field.  In fact, they hold their first practice this evening where Coach David Cutcliffe will continue to work on getting the Blue Devils to a bowl game.

Duke is picked fifth by the ACC media in their division which features in my opinion, the four best teams.  In fact all of the teams ahead of Duke are ranked in the season's first Top 25 poll.  Before Duke worries about Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami, they will focus on the business at hand which is the opener against Elon.

They will then turn their attention to an early season ACC battle on the road at Wake Forest before coming home to face the nation's number one team in Alabama who returns a ton of talent including last years Heisman Tropy winner Mark Ingram.

BDN will attend practices to bring you our usual coverage, so if you are a football fan be sure to bookmark the Blue Devil Nation.

John Wall and company fall to  Wheel Chair All Stars

Where else can one find the NBA's number one draft pick, John Wall playing hoops in a wheel chair?  The answer is at the N.C. Pro Am, an event that wrapped up another strong season this past Sunday

Wall was unable to participate in a real game due to contractual obligations with the Washington Wizards but he told BDN that he wanted to see what it was like to play without the use of his legs to give him a better understanding of the plight some must go through.

Area participants filled the wheel chair game earlier and Wall joined C.J. Leslie and others to take on the all stars from the first contest.  Several crowd pleasing moments ensued, bringing some light moments.  In the end, Wall and company shot all clankers and were handed a 15-0 loss.

Also there promoting his foundation, Rodney Rodgers, the former Wake Forest star and Durham native spoke to the crowd about his hope to walk again against all odds.  Rodgers was also able to shed light on his foundation which can be found on line by a simple google search for those interested in supporting his cause.

Blue Devils solid at the Pro Am

We'll touch on the N.C. Pro Am's final day a bit here, but an article will follow.  In short, all of the Blue Devils had their moments in the event and we will break down our thoughts on each player in the coming week and talk of off season improvements.  BDN has covered this event since it's inception and will continue to for we feel it is a very positive and good experience for Triangle area fans.

Recruiting

We will focus on Duke Football recruiting more and more now that the dust has cleared on a few things we have been working on behind the scenes.  Cutcliffe and company have the bulk of their allotment filled but there are some key recruits we'll keep an eye on down the stretch.

Basketball is on somewhat of a hold with Coach Krzyzewski and Chris Collins doing duty for Team USA.  Of course, Duke's Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith are with them for now in New York but they will return in a week or so, yet the coaches will be gone another month or so.

As for the Austin Rivers watch, I can tell you that he will not do a thing before the Duke coaches return, so the daily watch to see what he eats for breakfast to provide a sign is fruitless.  We will have an interview up shortly with Amile Jefferson to update his recruitment and will have more on other targets as well.

Vincent Rey makes his mark with the Bengals

Duke will sorely miss linebacker Vincent "Vinnie" Rey this coming season but the Devils loss could be the Bengals gain.  Rey had five tackles in Cincinnati's 16-7 loss to the Cowboys in the NFL's pre season opener.  BDN will keep an eye on his play as the pres season progresses.

Video coming to BDN

We wanted to refine things a bit before we moved into video and in the coming months you will get a taste of vids BDN style.  We are in negotiations with three different service and will inform you when the dust clears.

In closing ...

I admittedly am not a big fan of sites like Bleacher Report where anybody off the streets can pen something good or bad on their team.  Most of the time little research is done on these sites and opinion is often stated as fact, but I think Justin McTeer is the exception and he has a nice piece up on Seth Curry so check it out here.

We'd also like to encourage Duke fans to visit Duke Update and Duke Report, two solid link sites for all things Duke.  Duke Update is one of the original Duke Sites on the net where Jason D'Amico works it as a labor of love not taking one dime from advertising.  Duke Report is the new kid on the block, but they do a great job as well and BDN enjoys working with these two sites. 

 
 

 

Duke Football

Optimism Surrounds Duke Football

Optimism surrounds Duke Football as the third season under Coach David Cutcliffe is set to commence. The Blue Devils will take to the practice field on Monday having won nine football games in Cutcliffe's first two seasons, an accomplishment which may not impress a casual observer, but for a program which won only eight games over the five seasons prior to Cutcliffe's arrival, it signifies significant progress toward reestablishing pride in a program which has deep historical success.

Duke has played in eight bowl games including six New Year's Day games between 1939 and 1961 (actually two of the games were played on January 2nd). Those six New Year's Day bowl appearances include two trips to the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl, and one trip to the Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl. Duke achieved a 2 - 4 record in those six games:

- Rose Bowl (January 2, 1939): Wallace Wade's famed Iron Dukes enter the game against Southern California undefeated, untied, and unscored upon. Duke holds a slim 3-0 lead when the Trogans scored on an 18 yard pass with 40 seconds left in the game to secure a 7-3 victory.

- Rose Bowl (January 1, 1942): The game is played at Durham Stadium (renamed Wallace Wade Stadium in 1967), due to a ban on large crowds on the West Coast, in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor less than a month earlier. Oregon State defeats Duke 20-16 in a thrilling game before 56,000 spectators.

- Sugar Bowl (January 1, 1945): Coach Eddie Cameron's Blue Devils roll up 336 yards of rushing in a 29-26 victory for the Southern Conference Champions over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

- Orange Bowl (January 1, 1955): Returning to bowl action, after a 10 year absence, ACC Champion Duke rolls over Nebraska 34-7.

- Orange Bowl (January 1, 1958): Oklahoma converts six Duke turnovers into touchdowns enroute to a 48-21 victory over the Blue Devils.

- Cotton Bowl (January 2, 1961): the Blue Devils march 73 yards to score with 2:45 remaining in the game to notch a 7-6 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

While returning to a New Year's Day bowl game, or more accurately stated in today's vernacular a trip to a BCS Bowl, is definitely a future goal, the immediate objective for Blue Devil fans is to see their team qualify for any bowl game. Duke hasn't been to a bowl game since a January 2, 1995 appearance in the Hall of Fame Bowl, in which Wisconsin defeated Duke 34-20. Duke's last bowl game victory was the 7-6 win over Arkansas, in the Cotton Bowl, on January 2, 1961.

Coach Cutcliffe has the background to lead Duke to bowl game success. At Mississippi, he compiled a 44-29 record and coached the Rebels in five bowl games, over seven seasons, rolling up a 4-1 record, including a 31-28 victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. Current New York Giant quarterback, and Super Bowl XLII Most Valuable Player, Eli Manning was the signal caller for Mississippi in that Cotton Bowl victory. As the Offensive Coordinator at Tennessee, Cutcliffe coached Super Bowl XLI Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning as well as Heath Shuler and Erik Ainge.

Coach Cutcliffe's success with quarterbacks is a major source behind the current optimism in Durham. Projected starter Sean Renfree has the skills to excell as the leader of an offensive unit with the most talented receiving corps in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Renfree completed 34 of 50 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns as a backup to Thaddeus Lewis last season. Renfree, who redshirted in 2008, has been being groomed by Cutcliffe since his arrival in Durham.

Taking a look at the talented receiving corps, junior Donovan Varner was a preseason All-ACC selection, while sophomore Conner Vernon earned First Team Freshman All-America honors last season. Duke's third wide receiver, senior Austin Kelly, caught 54 passes for 645 yards in 2009. Seniors Brett Huffman and Brandon King give Duke experience at tight end, while redshirt freshmen Tyree Watkins and Corey Gattis provide depth at wide receiver.

Another reason for the optimism in Durham is the potential pay-off from the strategy of redshirting players over the first two years of Cutcliffe's regime. This season there will be 10 redshirt sophomores and 17 redshirt freshmen on the roster. The redshirt strategy provides a program with depth and experience which are critical elements to competing at the Division 1 level. The Blue Devils should start to reap the benefits in 2010.

Duke faces a couple of tough challenges in the quest to qualify for a bowl game in 2010. First, the schedule is very tough. Second, the team lost many key players off last season's squad, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

In the USA Today preseason Top 25 coaches' poll, five Duke opponents show up in the Top 20: Alabama (1), Virginia Tech (6), Miami (13), Georgia Tech (17) and North Carolina (18). Additionally, Navy (38) and Boston College (40) show up in the other teams receiving votes section. With seven of 12 opponents being amongst the 40 best teams in the nation, Duke will need to be ready to play at their best each and every week of the season.

On defense, with the departure of starters Vince Oghabaase (DT), Vincent Rey (LB), Leon Wright (CB), Ayanga Okpokowuruk (DE) and Catron Gainey (S), new Defensive Coordinator Marion Hobby must devise a strategy which accounts for the Blue Devils youth and emphasize speed. The performance along the defensive line will go a long way toward predicting the success of the defensive unit. As the defensive line goes, the Blue Devils go.

The 2010 season will be a challenge as the Duke Blue Devils attempt to turn the corner under the tutelage of Coach David Cutcliffe. In the end, success will depend upon multiple factors, some of which are fickle, but as the season rapidly approaches, optimism is the noun best associated with Duke Football.

Duke Football

Duke Football lands sure handed wideout Blair Holliday

Blair HollidayCoach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devil football program received another commitment for the class of 2011 on Monday evening from Blair Holliday, a 6’3” wide receiver from Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. BDN caught up with the sure-handed receiver shortly after his commitment.

“My interest in Duke was based on the academics, I mean, Duke is one of the most prestigious colleges in the country academically. That’s what drew me to it first,” Holliday explained, “but then when I went for my visit, I just loved the family atmosphere. Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Lubick and the whole staff are such a family – I knew that coming from California to North Carolina, that would be hard and I would need that kind of family atmosphere. That’s when I knew it was for me.”

Prior to his commitment to Duke, Holliday had received offers from Boise State, Cal Poly, Colorado State, Northern Arizona, and San Diego State, and also had interest from Boston College, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, and UCLA, Utah, and Washington. In his junior season, Holliday hauled in 48 catches for 857 yards, including 8 touchdowns and a 17.5 yards per catch average. Highlights from his junior year can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nug31hJ-IU4.

Blair continued to elaborate on his decision to attend Duke: “Coach Cutcliffe and the staff have really turned the program around, they’re only getting better and better. One of their receivers last year was a freshman All-American [Conner Vernon], and as a receiver that gets you excited. They told me, ‘we love to throw the ball,’ and that’s why their receivers can have such success.“

In closing, Blair wanted the Blue Devil Nation to know the following: “I’m excited to be a Blue Devil. Whatever they need me to do for the team to be successful, I’ll do it. That’s how you win as a team.”

Donovan Smith
Duke Football

OL Prospect Donovan Smith talks of his visit to Duke

Donovan Smith is a 6’5” 285 pound OT from Owings Mills, Maryland, and one of Duke’s top remaining targets for the class of 2011. The Blue Devils were one of the first schools to offer Donovan a scholarship, and the four-star prospect was finally able to visit the campus earlier this week. With nearly two dozen scholarship offers, Smith is one of the most sought after lineman on the east coast.

On the field, Donovan has impressed coaches with his quick feet and great knees. He considers himself a fast learner and is always working to improve his strength and footwork. “You can never be too good with footwork, and I’ve been spending a lot of time in the weight room,” he said to BDN.

As he approaches his college decision, Donovan has several criteria he’s looking for in a college. First, “the player-coach bond, the relationships where you can say anything on and off the field,” are really important to Donovan, along with “a family atmosphere – I’m a big family man,” he added. He wants to play for an enthusiastic fan base, and he’d like the opportunity to play early in his career. “I don’t want anything to be handed to me,” he explained, “but I want to be able to earn a spot. I don’t want to be just another name to fill the depth chart.” Of course, academics and a coaching staff are important, as well. In summary, he’s “looking for a program that will prepare me for the next level,” and would prefer to play in a pro-style offense.

As 2010 has progressed, Donovan has continued to receive interest and scholarship offers from more and more schools. “I was hoping to narrow it down to a top 10 or 12 soon, and hopefully by the end of August or early September,” Donovan said when asked about his timeframe for a decision, “and then continue to narrow it down through the fall.” While he doesn’t have any leaders at this point, he did mention six schools that have stood out to him and “will definitely make the cut” in late August: UCLA, Virginia, UConn, Michigan State, Syracuse, and Penn State.

Donovan recapped his Duke visit for BDN: “I got to Duke at about 9 AM and spent about two hours there. They showed me the campus, facilities, and stadium – the regular stuff. I met all the coaches – they were actually in a meeting – and then I sat down with Coach Cutcliffe. He told me what they were about, how he’s preparing his guys to be good in the classroom, and a good father and husband. He told me the importance of a college degree and that even if football doesn’t work out, you’re always going to be a father and a husband. It was a good visit.”

Later that day, he visited North Carolina, where he toured their facilities and met with Offensive Line Coach Sam Pittman, followed by a brief introduction to Head Coach Butch Davis. “He was kind of giving me the eye test,” Donovan said of his visit with Coach Davis. At the end of the day, Donovan made the trip to Raleigh to visit North Carolina State, where he was surprised to meet Head Coach Tom O’Brien, who greeted him with a written scholarship offer.

In closing, Donovan mentioned that he plans to bring his positive attitude to college, and he’ll stay the same person despite the attention, successes, and failures. “I’ll still be me, on and off the field, regardless of what happens.”