DURHAM - Duke's Desmond Scott showed what Blue Devil fans have to look forward to during the recent spring football game. BDN's Patrick Cacchio was there to take in the action and talk with Scott.
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DURHAM - While a lot of attention has been payed to the Duke Basketball team for good reason, Coach David Cutcliffe wrapped up Duke spring football with their annual game on Saturday. Here are Coach Cutcliffe's post game comments -
The Duke Blue Devils held their annual spring football game on Saturday in sunny Wallace Wade Stadium. The game featured the first-team offense (white) against the first-team defense (blue). The blue team emerged victorious with a convincing 24-3 victory, which showcased the team’s improved running game. Speed and youth were apparent on both teams, though neither offense managed to get into a rhythm through the air. The blue team was able to control the game on the ground and won the field position battle.
The blue team was led by freshman QB Brandon Connette, who finished the day 8/19 for 67 yards through the air and 91 yards on 13 carries on the ground. Sophomore RB Desmond Scott paced the blue offense on the ground, finishing with 97 yards on 13 carries. Redshirt freshman WR Tyree Watkins scored the game’s first touchdown on the blue team’s second possession in the first quarter when Connette found him open in the corner of the endzone. Redshirt sophomore RB Patrick Kurunwune and Connette each added a touchdown on the ground, and Paul Asack connected on a 24 yard field goal for the blue team.
The white team, led by redshirt freshman QB Sean Schroeder, struggled on the offensive side of the ball. The white team jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a first quarter field goal by senior K Nick Maggio, but were unable to put together a scoring drive again. Schroeder finished 4/20 for 23 yards. Freshman RB Josh Snead paced the white team rushing attack with 99 yards on 9 carries.
On defense, redshirt sophomore DE Kenny Anunike led the way with 9 tackles, including two for a loss. Sophomore LB Austin Gamble tallied 8 tackles, followed by 5 for junior S Matt Daniels and 4 for redshirt freshman LB Kevin Rojas. Despite a few shaky snaps and overthrown passes, the defense was unable to force any turnovers during the scrimmage.
At halftime, the spring practice awards were announced. The most improved players on offense were freshman QB Brandon Connette and redshirt freshman OT Perry Simmons. The most improved defensive player was redshirt freshman LB Kevin Rojas. The heart award went to junior S Jeff Faris.
Duke hosted over 160 prospects and their families on campus this weekend, who all took in the spring game and joined the team on the field for the post-game discussions.
March Madness is in full swing for the Blue Devil Nation, and this weekend is no exception. The men’s and women’s basketball teams will both hit the hardwood in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, hoping to punch their tickets to the Final Four by the end of the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, the Blue Devils will hit the gridiron in the annual spring football game at Wallace Wade Stadium. The event is free to the public and starts with the Blue Devil Walk at 11:00 AM, followed by 4 quarters of football, kicking off at 1:00 PM. After a late night of basketball, come out for a first look at the 2010 football team, and a first chance to support Coach Cutcliffe in his decision to stay at Duke, on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Durham.
Spring Game Preview
The spring game will cap off the 2010 spring practice schedule for the Blue Devils, one that started over six weeks ago and included 14 intense practices. Coach Cutcliffe and his staff are beginning to build depth within the program, and competition at several positions has kept spring practices physical and lively. There is palpable enthusiasm around the program, and obvious talent, though inexperienced, on the field. Overall, Coach Cutcliffe is pleased with the progress this spring: “I like where this team is right now. There are some big questions to answer. I like the personality of the team, but the fact is that we’re young. Facts are that we’ve been consistently inconsistent. It doesn’t surprise me. But we’ve also really shown flashes of excellence in a lot of areas, and we have a lot more athletes on the field – that’s evident to anybody that’s watched us play this spring.”
Three newcomers will be highly visible during the spring game in TE Cooper Helfet (#81), RB Josh Snead (#9), and QB Brandon Connette (#18). Helfet, a 6’4” junior college transfer, joins a talented group of tight ends in Brett Huffman and Brandon King. The tight ends will supplement Duke’s already strong receiving corps, which returns three 50-catch receivers in Donovan Varner, Conner Vernon, and Austin Kelly. Tyree Watkins has also shown flashes this spring, after an injury-shortened redshirt year in 2009. Snead, a January enrollee from nearby Smithfield, NC, has impressed with his speed and will likely share some carries in the backfield on Saturday with Desmond Scott and Jay Hollingsworth. Connette, another January enrollee, has shared the quarterback responsibilities this spring with Sean Schroeder in Sean Renfree’s absence. After some inconsistency in early spring practices, Brandon stood out in last Saturday’s scrimmage. “You couldn’t but notice Brandon Connette’s play and his running,” Coach Cutcliffe noted. “He’s one of those young players I’m talking about flashes, and in this scrimmage did a much better job of taking care of the ball.” Also look for new faces on the defensive side of the ball, including a familiar face in Johnny Williams, who has won the starting cornerback job after transitioning over from wide receiver this spring.
On Saturday, expect the team to continue to show flashes of its potential, led by the group of star receivers – Donovan Varner, Conner Vernon, and Austin Kelly. Fans should notice an overall increase in speed and playmaking ability across the board with this year’s team, which should make for an exciting Saturday afternoon. “I want people to come out and watch us because I’m going to let them play football,” said Coach Cutcliffe, “Very similar to what we’ve been doing – probably our best units against our best units. And I’m anxious to see if we’re as crisp and quick and as fast as I think we’ve become. I want to see us play that fast.”
Spring Practice Recap
The Blue Devils started spring practice early this season, hitting the field on February 14. At the start of practice, Coach Cutcliffe spoke with the Blue Devil Nation about several points of emphasis for the team this spring. Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights:
1. New defensive schemes: Marion Hobby takes over this year as the Defensive Coordinator, and the emphasis has been on pressure. With only 6 defensive starters returning, we can expect to see some new faces on the defensive side of the ball. Johnny Williams has done well in the transition from wide receiver to cornerback and has been playing with the first unit from day one of practice. The secondary has shown flashes of playmaking ability this spring, led by Williams, Chris Rwabukamba, Matt Daniels, and Anthony Young-Wiseman. Look for the young linebacking corps, led by Damian Thorton, to try bring pressure from all angles. With the departures of Vince Oghobaase, Vincent Rey, and Leon Wright, Duke will need a new group of leaders and playmakers to emerge on defense. As to what to expect for Saturday’s scrimmage, Coach Cutcliffe said, “I want to see how well our defense attacks taking the ball away, as opposed to how well our offense protects it – that’s been a big emphasis this spring. So that’ll be a culmination of a lot of work in that regard.”
2. Kicking game: Coach Cutcliffe is looking for consistency in the kicking game this spring. With a young team, field position will be a key to success this fall, and this starts with a veteran group of kickers, led by Will Snyderwine, Nick Maggio, and Kevin Jones. Similarly, kick returns need to become a strength for this young team, which showed flashes of potential at times last year. Expect returning lettermen Desmond Scott, Conner Vernon, and Johnny Williams to be given the first opportunities to win the return jobs, though several other speedsters will get an opportunity.
3. Running game: There’s nowhere to go but up for Duke’s running game and this has been a significant point of emphasis this spring. With the likely starting QB Sean Renfree sidelined as he recovers from ACL surgery, the ground game has received plenty of reps, led by returning lettermen Desmond Scott, Jay Hollingsworth, Patrick Kurunuwe, and newcomer Josh Snead. With some uncertainty at the quarterback position and four starters returning along the offensive line, the running game needs to become a serious threat for the 2010 Blue Devils.
It’s already been a busy spring for the coaching staff, hosting dozens of recruits and already locking up four commitments for the class of 2011. BDN will have more coverage of the incoming class of 2010 and an early look at the class of 2011 in the coming weeks.
DURHAM, N.C. – Safety Jordon Byas and defensive end Justin Foxx scored defensive touchdowns as the Blue Devil defense forced five turnovers to highlight Duke’s 75-play scrimmage on Wednesday morning at the Brooks Practice Field.
Byas scored the morning’s first touchdown by intercepting a Brandon Connette pass and returning the football 41 yards to the end zone. Foxx later scooped up a fumble and darted 35 yards for a score. Defensive end Kenny Anunike had one fumble recovery while defensive tackle Sydney Sarmiento and cornerback Ross Cockrell carded one interception each.
“We had good work today; a lot of things happened,” said Duke head coach David Cutcliffe. “We made it very game-like; played field position; played the game. The best thing that happened was our defense taking the ball away. Jordon Byas intercepted a pass early, took it back for a score, and kind of set the tempo of the game.”
Linebacker Abraham Kromah spearheaded the defensive attack with four tackles for loss including one quarterback sack. Anunike, Foxx, linebacker Austin Gamble and linebacker Tyree Glover also secured sacks while nose guard Curtis Hazelton was credited with two tackles for loss.
“I really like what we’re doing as a defense right now,” Kromah said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys learning the system and making plays. It’s exciting.”
On offense, running back Patrick Kurunwune rushed 13 times for a game-high 82 yards with one touchdown while Josh Snead added 56 yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts. Snead’s 44-yard touchdown run marked the longest play from scrimmage on the day. In addition, Jay Hollingsworth chipped in 46 yards on the ground on 10 carries.
Quarterback Sean Schroeder completed 10-of-20 passes for 116 yards including a 36-yard touchdown pass to wideout Conner Vernon. He was intercepted once and added a seven-yard touchdown run. Connette finished the day eight-of-16 through the air for 97 yards with two interceptions and a two-yard scoring strike to tight end Cooper Helfet. Both quarterbacks converted two-point PAT attempts via the air with Schroeder hooking up with Austin Kelly and Connette finding Tyree Watkins.
Kelly caught a scrimmage-best four passes for 36 yards while Watkins had three grabs for 33 yards. Kurunwune and Vernon had two receptions apiece for 24 and 45 yards, respectively.
“It was great to see our receivers, who, with our young quarterbacks, probably haven’t been used as much,” noted Cutcliffe. “Our receivers got quite a bit more in the ball game and got more involved – kind of back to playing Duke offense in that regard. And then Jay Hollingsworth and Kurunwune and Josh Snead were all contributing some runs. We’re going to learn a lot from it. The thing I came out here today hoping to see was, number one, see us compete a little better. I thought we did that. Number two was to play with better feet all the way across the board. I’m hoping we did that, and I hope we played lower. We’ll look at the tape and see where we are.”
Kicker Will Snyderwine booted a 47-yard field goal and three extra points.
“I’m excited about the nine days that we’ve had,” said Cutcliffe. “They deserve a little spring break time, and then when we come back, we’re going to pick up right where we left off and have two good weeks. I’m excited – hopefully the weather will be a little friendlier and we won’t be the frozen tundra anymore.”
Duke’s next spring practice is set for Wednesday, March 17. The annual Spring game will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 27 in Wallace Wade Stadium.
The Blue Devils open the 2010 season at home against Elon on September 4. Season tickets may be purchased online at GoDuke.com or by calling the Duke Athletic Ticket Office toll free at 1-877-375-3853. The Duke Athletic Ticket Office is located in Cameron Indoor Stadium and open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Here is part two of a preview of the 2010 Duke Football Schedule. And here is the link to part one of the 2010 Duke Football Schedule preview
Week 7: October 16
Miami (9-4, 5-3 ACC)
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the ACC and the country, including 4 straight games against ranked opponents to open the season, the Hurricanes finished the year at 9-4 overall, capped by a 20-14 Citrus Bowl loss to Wisconsin. For the second straight year, the Blue Devils gave the Hurricanes a scare, taking a 16-13 lead into the 4th quarter, but surrendered three unanswered 4th quarter touchdowns to fall 34-16 at Sun Life (Land Shark) Stadium. In 2010, Miami will have to replace three starters on the offensive line and will again take on a challenging schedule, including two Thursday night non-conference matchups in September at Ohio State and at Pittsburgh. QB Jacory Harris will return for his junior year and should be fully recovered from off-season surgery to fix the injured thumb that bothered him late in 2009. Miami is loaded with athletes on both sides of the ball, but their performance has been inconsistent in recent years. The keys for the 2010 Hurricanes will be the development of the offensive line and consistency in the running game; Harris alone is capable of making big plays, but he needs help from RB Graig Cooper and RB Damien Berry for the Hurricanes to compete for an ACC championship. Miami hosts Florida State in a big rivalry game at home in Week 6, and with two weeks to prepare, expect the Blue Devils to challenge Miami yet again in this matchup.
Week 8: October 23
@Virginia Tech (10-3, 6-2 ACC)
Trips to Blacksburg rarely have been much fun for ACC teams and the Blue Devils are no exception, having never won a game at Lane Stadium. The Hokies have won 9 straight meetings between the two schools overall, including last year’s 34-26 win in Durham. Virginia Tech will feature a talented offense in 2010, led by QB Tyrod Taylor and two 1,000 yard rushers in RB Ryan Williams and RB Darren Evans, who returns after missing all of 2009 with an ACL tear. In a change from recent Hokie teams under Frank Beamer and DC Bud Foster, the offense may have to lead the way behind their senior QB, as the Hokies will be replacing six starters on defense, including 3 out of 4 spots on the defensive line. Duke will travel to Blacksburg as part of the Hokies’ four-game mid-season homestand, which starts with relatively easy matchups against Central Michigan and Wake Forest. The final game in the homestand will be a Week 9 rematch with 2009 ACC Champion Georgia Tech, and the Hokies might be tempted to look ahead. The Blue Devils' young defensive line will have to slow the Hokies’ rushing attack if they want any chance to escape Blacksburg with a win.
Week 9: October 30
@Navy (10-4)
Navy is a team that is flying under the radar heading into 2010 after a 10-win season in 2009, which was capped by a 35-13 drumming of Missouri in the Texas Bowl. The Midshipmen return 15 starters in 2010, including senior QB Ricky Dobbs, who both threw and rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2009. This will be Duke’s second of three tests against the option offense in 2010. In their last meeting at Wallace Wade Stadium in 2008, the Blue Devils defeated the Midshipmen, 41-31, behind three touchdowns from Thad Lewis and Eron Riley. The 2010 matchup will be televised by CBS College Sports Network and will serve as Navy’s homecoming game. Navy’s 2010 schedule features three games against ACC opponents, with a trip to College Park scheduled for Week 1 and a trip to Winston-Salem in Week 6. The Blue Devils will travel to Annapolis a week following Navy’s nationally-televised (on CBS) matchup with Notre Dame at the New Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. This game comes at a key stretch in the Blue Devils’ season and a win would significantly improve their postseason chances.
Week 10: November 6
Virginia (3-9, 2-6 ACC)
After two straight wins against the Cavaliers, the Blue Devils were sad to see Al Groh leave, and may be even more disappointed to see former Richmond coach Mike London on the sideline. However, after a disappointing 2009 that resulted in the dismissal of Al Groh, the Cavaliers have even more question marks in 2010 thanks to the departures of key players and the arrival of an entirely new staff. Virginia loses their top four rushers from 2009 in Jameel Sewell, Vic Hall, Mikell Simpson, and Rashawn Jackson. Marc Verica is the only returning quarterback with experience, and he may be challenged by four freshmen quarterbacks in the 2010 class, including early enrollee Michael Strauss. With the new staff, there is new energy in the program, and the Cavaliers have several key returners on the offensive and defensive lines, so there is a structure to build upon. Their schedule won’t do them any favors, however, with a potentially awkward season-opener against Richmond and a Week 2 cross-country trip to Pasadena to face Lane Kiffin’s Trojans. As the season progresses, the development of the many new faces, especially at the skill positions, will likely determine Virginia’s success in Mike London’s first season. The Blue Devils will need to continue to assert their dominance over the new-look Cavaliers if they hope to climb in the ACC Coastal Division standings.
Week 11: November 13
Boston College (8-5, 5-3)
Duke will face an unfamiliar foe in Week 11, as Boston College makes a rare trip to Wallace Wade Stadium. In fact, the two programs have faced each other just four times overall (1927, 1928, 1929, 2006), with the Eagles holding a 3-1 series advantage. Thanks to the unbalanced ACC schedule, the Blue Devils and Eagles last met all the way back in 2006 in Chesnut Hill, with Boston College claiming a 28-7 victory. Both programs have since gone through coaching and roster changes, so it will be a new test for both teams. 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich will make his return to the 2010 Eagles, after missing 2009 with Ewing’s Sarcoma. If Herzlich can continue his inspirational story by returning to his 2008 form and leading this defense, the Eagles will compete for their third Atlantic Division title in four years. The Eagles overachieved under Frank Spaziani in 2009, and with most of the team returning, including 26-year old sophomore QB Dave Shinskie, they will be a tough test for the young Blue Devils.
Week 12: November 20
@Georgia Tech (11-3, 7-1)
After a two-game homestand, the Blue Devils will make the trip to Atlanta to face the defending ACC Champions at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Coach Paul Johnson will have his work cut out for him as he and the Yellow Jackets prepare to defend their title in 2010. Georgia Tech will have to replace their leading rusher, leading receiver, and top two defenders in Jonathan Dwyer, Demaryius Thomas, Derrick Morgan, and Morgan Burnett. On the offensive side, they do return All-ACC QB Josh Nesbitt, and B-Back Anthony Allen (and his 9.7 yards per carry in 2009). They’ll likely need to replace three starters on their offensive line, and have to find a receiver to replace Thomas to keep opposing defenses honest. The biggest changes, however, will occur on defense, where former Virginia head coach Al Groh takes over as coordinator and will switch the Jackets from a 4-3 to 3-4 scheme. The defense will need to make the transition smoothly to allow the Ramblin’ Wreck option-attack to control the game. In recent matchups, including last year’s 49-10 defeat, Duke has failed to match the physical play of the Georgia Tech linemen; this will be Duke’s third test against the option-style offense, and it will be important for Duke’s young linemen to be able to match the speed and strength of the Yellow Jackets this year.
Week 13: November 27
North Carolina (8-5, 4-4)
This rivalry matchup returns to its traditional spot on the schedule, as the Blue Devils will close out the 2010 regular season with the Tar Heels in Durham. Though the Tar Heels have dominated the series in recent years, the rivalry has still provided memorable games, including last year’s 19-6 loss in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels traded field goals through the first three quarters, with North Carolina taking a 9-6 lead into the 4th quarter. The Tar Heel defense and strong running of Ryan Houston were too much for Thad Lewis and the Blue Devils to overcome, as they failed to find the end zone, finishing just 2/13 on third downs, and gave up a total of 192 rushing yards to North Carolina. The 2010 Tar Heels will again feature one of the nation’s top defenses, thanks in large part to the return of 4 All-ACC defenders, who all elected to defer the NFL draft and return for their senior season. The biggest questions will be on the offensive side of the ball, where the Tar Heels will need to score points more consistently to compete for an ACC Championship. Tyler Yates will enter the spring as the starting QB, but if he struggles, redshirt freshman Bryn Renner may be given an opportunity. The Tar Heels will also need to replace two starters on the offensive line in front of Yates and RBs Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn. Led by LB Bruce Carter and DT Marvin Austin, the Tar Heels will try to repeat their 2009 success against the Blue Devils with pressure and physical play at the line of scrimmage. The Tar Heels will play one of the toughest overall schedules in the ACC in 2010, and there is a good chance that the winner of this heated rivalry could claim both the Victory Bell and a bowl bid.
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