Gainey knows the Jackets rushing attack is as good as it gets
BDN caught up with Duke safety Catron Gainey and got his thoughts on facing the running attack of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Duke faces the nations seventh ranked team this Sunday at noon in Wallace Wade Stadium. All active military personnel and veterans can get up to four tickets for free by showing their I.D.
BDN caught up with linebacker Damian Thornton earlier today and got his thoughts on the UNC aftermath and the seventh ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Harrison Barnes calls for the ball during the NBAPA Top 100 Camp
Well, if you have followed this or any other Duke site closely, you know that the nation's top rated prospect Harrison Barnes will make his collegiate choice this Friday. In this week's Monday Musings we take a look at his pending decision, Duke Football and the start of the regular basketball season -
Devils no match for Tar Heels - Make no mistake that Duke Football has been a pleasant surprise this season, but losing to your rival is always painful. Despite paltry offensive production, Duke was in the game in the fourth quarter against UNC and a couple of better thrown passes and a stop or two late in the game and Duke could have stole a win.
It's really tough to see any positives from the 19-6 loss to the team eight miles down the road. On the way to the game, the Duke buses came in just behind me on US 15-501 and got stalled in traffic. The irony is that Duke's offense stalled as well just over two hours later and the hopes of going to 4-1 in the conference were suddenly gone.
It does't get any easier for Duke Football - After getting beat up in the game, Duke must regroup in order to face the nation's seventh ranked team in the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Last season, Duke's offense looked just as bad against the Jacket's front, so all eyes will be looking to see if they can move the ball. Georgia Tech Coach Paul Johnson turned down the Duke job despite being offered more money, but Duke got the right fit in David Cutcliffe. Still, there is no secret that Johnson has little respect for the Duke program and that he will turn his wishbone loose in an effort to squash Duke's hopes of a post season invitation.
Kelly makes one of just a few catches this past Saturday - BDNP
The basketball season officially gets under way - The countdown to tip off ends this Friday as the Duke Men's Basketball team will open their season against UNC-Greensboro in Cameron Indoor Stadium. This is without a doubt one of the most curious teams Krzyzewski has had in his thirty years. There is little guard depth, yet lots of front court bodies to work with and yes, take it to the bank, you'll see some zone defense this season.
Duke will be led by senior Jon Scheyer and All American selection, junior Kyle Singler this season. But it's the production they receive elsewhere that will be watched. You can certainly depend on Nolan Smith to have his best season in a Duke uniform, but there are some questions as to who will be fourth, fifth and sixth offensive options.
Harrison Barnes set to make his collegiate choice - BDN has been following the Harrison Barnes recruitment closer than any other Duke site on the Internet. We were there from the start when Barnes first received his offer shortly after the 2008 NBAPA Top 100 Camp. This past season alone our staff has seen Harrison Barnes play in 23 games, so we have more than just a little grip on what he can do.
All this week, we'll recap Barnes past and bring it up to the day of his decision. We'll kick it all off with a detailed scouting report and will of course re-visit our many interviews we've had with Barnes. Our premium boards have been hopping and rumors about his recruitment are a dime a dozen.
So, stay tuned to BDN for the latest on Barnes and the best analysis available.
Chapel Hill, N.C. -The Duke Blue Devils three game ACC winning streak came to an abrupt halt as North Carolina sent them home with a 19-6 whipping boosting their record to 6-3 overall in the process.
UNC stayed in Thaddeus Lewis face all day long in their 19-6 win
The game remained close for a long time despite the fact that Duke could not run the ball or pass it for that matter on the Tar Heel defense. Duke was held to a season low 125 yards while UNC rolled up 311 yards with 166 of those coming on the legs of running back Ryan Houston.
"Offensively, what can you say about Ryan Houston and what he did tonight, 37 carries and 164 yards? He was an absolute workhorse. He pounded them and pounded them," said UNC Coach Butch Davis.
It was a day when everything the Devils tried pretty much backfired and Thaddeus Lewis had very little time to try and find his receivers. Duke just got their tales whipped on both sides of the ball and in doing so fell to 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC.
Coach David Cutcliffe had mentioned earlier in the week that Duke didn't match up well with North Carolina and that became obvious as the game went on.
Houston proved too much for Duke rushing for 166 yards
One big sequence happened when Leon Wright intercepted a pass that seem to give the Blue Devils a huge lift, but Lewis returned the favor shortly thereafter misfiring to Charles Brown who returned the ball 54 yards to the Duke 20 yard line. Duke held North Carolina to a field goal making it 9-6, but they never really recovered and continued to sputter on offense.
In short, North Carolina effectively exposed a Duke weakness in pass protection and run blocking with their defensive front. The Blue Devils managed just 12 yards rushing in the contest.
Duke will next turn their attention to a home game with Georgia Tech next week and Cutcliffe stated that his goal was for Duke to play their best football game of the year when they take the field.
Only time will tell if that is to happen, but you can pretty much bet that Duke will be hard pressed to play this inefficiently on offense two consecutive weeks.
Notes - This was the first time this season that the Duke offense failed to score a touchdown. Conner Vernon broke a freshman record for receiving yards with 583 and counting. Jordan Byas blocked punt was the second for Duke this season. Lewis also climbed the career passing charts.
Quote of the day - "We didn't play very well; North Carolina played extremely well. We were fortunate to have a chance there in the fourth quarter to win the game because the bottom line is we got whipped.
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