BDN talked with Duke center Bryan Morgan about the upcoming season in an exclusive interview. BDN offers more than just a subscription service in that a good many of our articles are free. Please feel free to link our football coverage. We hope you enjoy the chat -
The Blue Devil Nation caught up with Duke senior running back, Re'quan Boyette during the teams recent visit to the Durham Rescue Mission. We hope you enjoy the interview -
This is Mark Watson with Blue Devil Nation here with Re'quan Boyette. You're back in the saddle again!
Yes sir, yes sir. It feels good, it feels good to be back with my teammates on the field and being able to lead them on and off the field.
Was it tough sitting out last season?
Yes sir, it was but I tried to stay positive throughout the whole thing and just try to keep a level head and lead off the field since I wasn't on the field. I tried to do everything I could off the field to be a part of the team. I was still a part of the team and just wanted to feel like I was contributing to the wins and success.
What do feel like you bring to the table as a senior leader this year?
I feel like I'm a leader and that the guys look up to me and to me for leadership and encouragement whether it's on the offense or defense. I feel like I bring a lot of experience to the backfield where we are kind of young and inexperienced. So, I feel like I bring a lot of experience that can help the guys now and later in their careers.
The offensive line has to rebuild this season. How are they looking to you?
They're looking great. During the spring they made progress. That was the main thing, we just wanted to go in day by day and make progress. Everyone is looking good, they moved Brandon Harper over to the offensive line and he's doing well and I really like him as a guard. As long as we work hard every day and get better as a team, it'll be fine.
You have Richmond coming into Wallace Wade in just over six weeks. You were at Duke when they lost 13-0 under Roof.
Yes sir, I was there. It was my sophomore year and we were shut out at home. It still sits in our minds but we are a different team now than we were back then. There have been a lot of changes throughout the program and we are simply a different team.
Having gone through that, have you been able to tell the guys, these guys are tough, won the national championship and return a solid nucleus ...
Yes sir, they [team] already know they won the national championship last year and we are not looking past them just as they are not looking past us. We are all ready for September 5th and we know it's going to be a hard fought game.
Can you describe yourself as a football player in your own words?
(laughs) Uh, I'm a leader first and foremost. As far as skill sets, I feel I bring a combination and speed and power with my game. I'm a good receiver out of the backfield for Thad and able to pick up blitzes and able to read defenses. I feel like I have patience and explosiveness. That's what you need, a lot of patience as a running back.
What has it been like since Coach Cutcliffe and his staff have been at Duke?
Oh, it's been great. They came in and changed a lot of things. Helped us with our bodies and get ourselves together. They helped us get our confidence back and we are in better condition and were able to see those changes last year. This year we just want to build on what we created last year and just get better.
If you had a message for the Blue Devil Nation [fans] about the coming season, what would you say to them?
I would just tell them that we are looking to build on last year. We are not setting any goal on wins, but we want to be better than last year. As long as we continue to get better we'll be okay and it will be satisfying. Come out and see us in the opener against Richmond.
The Duke Football team went to the Durham Rescue Mission on Sunday afternoon to feast with kids and parents in yet another effort to reach out to the Duke Community. BDN was on hand and able to procure a few comments from Coach Cutcliffe about the upcoming season. Season tickets and plans may be purchased at GoDuke.com. The beginning of the interview was with other media members, but there is a break when I was able to talk to the coach one on one. Enjoy the interview and support Duke Football -
"When we come out here there is no question who benefits the most, we do. This is an uplifting experience for our players and certainly I see the children thrilled, their moms thrilled ... this is an event we will continue to do every year." said David Cutcliffe.
Since you have come to Duke, you have stated you want to be Durham's team and this is but another example ...
Yeah, it is. One of the things I want our players to realize that when they are out in Durham, how positive of a place it is. This facility here is surrounded by beauty here. The players recognize that there are quality things going on in Durham. The rescue mission and women's rescue mission both. I want our players to realize it's a bigger picture than just playing in Wallace Wade. There is a Duke community, a Durham community and a social community and our players do a good job.
You are getting ready to start the season ..
We start August 6th, we report August 5th. This team is prepared, I know they are in condition, I know they are hungry , I know they are eager. We've got a big challenge in front of us where we open with last year's national champions in the football play off sub division. Richmond is a big challenge right off the bat, but I think this team is ready and it is going to be interesting.
On N.C. Central ...
Well, Mose Risen and I have become friends and our assistants have had relationships with him. So, we went to lunch and started talking about what it would mean to his program and what it would mean to Durham to have a classic game between our two major institutions in Durham, so as we talked about it, I went to Kevin White and Stan Wilcox in our administration and told them it was something I would like to pursue. It'll be a great thing. Everywhere I go in Durham, the Central fans are telling me we are going to get beat. There is a lot of interest, even with our employees on Duke campus who have been around Central for years. It's amazing that the two have finally got together and I think it is going to be a lot of fun. It's a 7:00 kickoff and I hope we get great weather late in September, a September evening can be wonderful and I really pray that Wallace Wade doesn't have enough seats. I want to see standing room only and a great night of fierce competition between two fine football teams.
On being Durham's team ...
We have a great community and being such a small institution, the numbers, just crunch the numbers, we've got the best bargain in town. No offense to Central, no offense to the Durham Bulls, but we have the best bargain in town. It's a great family experience, six or seven home games, fun for kids, fun for wives and husbands. I want people to understand that it is wide open and there is a great opportunity to follow a great football program. We go out into the community, I do a lot of speaking in the community, go to a lot of churches and civic organizations. We want to be a part of Durham. We love Durham and being a part of it.
(BDN questions from this point on) Will a game like Central give you an opportunity to show Durham fans that this is a team that wants your support.
If they come, they will have a lot of fun. There is not a bad seat in Wallace Wade, it's really relatively easy in and out. I have been told, but I haven't eaten one, that we have great hot dogs and concessions. We have improved the rest room facilities for the coming season and there is an on-going process to make our stadium even more fan friendly. We have blow-ups for kids, tailgating, whatever you want to eat and enjoy a Saturday afternoon. And our ticket prices? You can get a family four pack, or four tickets for a 199.00 for the entire season. You can have a blast being a part of Duke Football. My thought is if we can continue to get our players out in the community people will grow to love our kids just like I have. We have the finest young men around and I want people to realize they are pulling for a bunch of great young men that are a positive part of that community.
Coach, you seem to be instilling that in your players. Do you have a sort of prerequisite that you expect your guys to adhere to?
Absolutely, you know how important it is to all of us. It's in our staff and in our team room it's faith, families and future in front of football. We put our faith, family values and the future in all that we do and it is all a part of a life lesson. I have always done that in 34 years of coaching and I am not about to change now. They can call it old-fashioned, they can call it boring that you should be focused totally on winning games, but I believe that helps you win football games. When you have a gut check in the fourth quarter and you care about each other and you have made it family, then I believe you are willing to fight a little harder and a little longer for victory.
Coach, you've got a 100 yard practice field down there now. It looks really good ...
Huge!
Can you comment on what it means to have better facilities now and on the way?
Well, I said this comically but not comically - we would get to the 25 yard line and not know what to do, we had 75 yards of field. We were the only program in America without a 120 yard practice field, so it is huge. I can conduct a practice like we like to practice on one field if need be. If we get rain or the grass field is too wet, we can put our team there and operate and absolutely be good to go. And recruiting? The practice center is just about finished down there and we can go in and we'll have special teams meetings, real good visual effects and Coach Middleton will get them pumped and into it and we can go straight on to the field right from there and execute it. We love to have special teams meeting prior to practice and the good part of it is this is just phase one and we are going to continue this. People also realize that Duke Football is here to stay.
Coach, the freshman are in, the kids are on campus. How do the guys look overall?
Really good. A good looking group of freshman. We have 27 scholarship freshman, a few more walk-ons who have come in and gone to school. We will have a few more walk-ons in August. So our squad is going to have about fifteen more players on the squad than what we had a year ago. And that is significant in how we will practice. The conditioning level of our team? It's as good as any I have been around. I couldn't say that a year ago. My hat is off to Noel Durfey, Sonny Falcone (strength and conditioning) and their staff.
So, there is a firm foundation and the guys are adhering to that?
Absolutely.
... and that's the way it is going to be with Duke Football?
This is what they expect, we've really made them understand, it is not going to be easy. Nothing about playing football at Duke is going to be easy. It's not an alternative to where you think you are going to win, those days are past, it's all history. The only reason why we want you is because you are a winner on and off the field and if you are not don't even consider coming to Duke.
The staff is almost ready to go ...
Our coaches are just coming off vacation and everybody reports the same day. The reporting date is officially August the 5th and we are on the field the 6th. I don't think I have ever been so anxious to see how this squad throws, catches it, runs, intercepts it, breaks on the ball, all of those things. I can't wait to see what this team looks like.
Coach, you are making great strides in recruiting in state. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Relationships! We've got a lot of long time relationships with coaches in this state whether it is myself or Jim Collins, Scottie and others. I started recruiting this state as an assistant in 1982. That's a long time ago now, unfortunately longer ago than I want to remember. Being a communicator with our coaches and being proud to be a part of the state of North Carolina. I promise you, if you can play in this state, we are going to recruit you. Obviously, we have certain needs but we are out there knocking the doors down and we continue to do that.
Can you comment about the off-season quarterback college and the camps?
We had our quarterback college and the camps and little guys camps. It was as a big a success that I have been around. I don't know the exact numbers but we taught them Duke football and Duke strategy. We don't run those camps just to recruit. I tell our coaches all the time, that I don't want a bunch of hugging and pats on the back. I want coaching and want them to understand what Duke Football is about and, as I said, it is not going to be easy. So, we work them as hard as we can and it gives those kids an idea of what is happening here. And I tell our coaches, the good players know you are serious about it and the reason they can be good is that these guys can coach so there is a side benefit. I love what we are doing in camp right now and the kids will go and tell that we are serious about football.
Do you know how many days remain before kickoff against Richmond?
I don't keep up with that, but my secretary Peggy is sure to remind me. All I know is that we have 29 practices to prepare and we'll be ready.
Duke Football continued it's momentum on the football recruiting trail snagging yet another in state prospect in Kelby Brown. At 6-2, 208 pounds, Brown has established himself as one of the state of North Carolina's top linebacker prospects at Charlotte Christian Academy, who won the state title a season ago.
Duke's newest verbal commitment chose the Blue Devils over Arkansas, Boston College, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, UCLA and Wisconsin and had many suitors beyond that list. Brown points to the combination of football and academics at Duke University as being a key part of his decision. Brown carries a solid 5.0 GPA in the class room.
In a recurring theme, his relationship with the Duke Football staff played a huge role besides Duke's academic prowess. Brown recently attended the Duke Football Camp and came away knowing where he wanted to play during his college football career.
Brown becomes the tenth verbal commitment for the class of 2009.
Here is part two of our interview with Duke quarterback, Thaddeus Lewis -
You are heading into your senior season, your last go round at Duke. Are you feeling any pressure?
It's no pressure. You know what? I cherish every day of it and every single day you have to go out there and work hard and not slack around because this is it. My first summer session is already gone and now I'm in my last summer session. There is no pressure at all. I just have to go out there and do what I can do to help this team, no more and no less. As long as this team wins, I've done my job. I can throw for 5 yards or 500 yards but as long as we win it doesn't matter. The one thing I want to do is be the leader and help these young guys coming on so this program can be where it needs to be now and in the future.
You're going into your second season under the Cutcliffe regime. Are there any differences going into this coming season than past years?
Everybody is into it. People can't wait for football season to come around. All around this campus and outside of campus, I think Coach Cutcliffe has done a good job of reaching out to Duke Nation and the community, even the faculty. I think that helps out this football team a lot in that he's the head coach. Some coaches might be untouchable but he's easy to reach. He's reaching out to people and they take to that. So, they are excited about it. He's a great coach and a great guy and the success we've had last year has carried over into this season. So, I'm pretty sure the expectation of Duke Football is a notch higher than it was last year.
Thaddeus, you've been around the school and program for four years now. You've seen kids come and go and recruits come in to visit. What do you see different in say, when a recruit steps foot on campus now as opposed to previous years?
We are not just going after guys or giving up, saying like Florida is recruiting him. We're going after the top players in the country, bring them in, not scared of recruit against anybody. The faith and belief of these coaches in what they know they can do, well, he's just doing a great job. It's no back down with Duke recruiting anybody. We're going to recruit the best and we want to go against the best, so that's what it is all about. Even today, it's a prime example that we had 27 freshman come in. We ran 25, 75 yard sprints today. Who would have expected those guys to come out there and run them today? There is no complaining, no moaning and no crying, the guys ran them and they are in shape and that let's you know we are bringing in football players. They were sent a packet and told what to do and they did it. It was obvious they had been working and the type of players this staff is bringing in are going to be good for this program.
The Richmond Spider on 9-5-09. You've played them before and you guys didn't score a point. They are the defending national champions and have seven or eight of their top tacklers back and a solid offense. Are you already thinking about those guys?
Oh yeah, no doubt. We watching film on them already and it's just the beginning of the summer. I remember 06 when I was a freshman and I got in the third series of the game and was so nervous that I forgot the first play I called, but then settled down. To see them back on the schedule, you never forget what happened on 06. Richmond is a good football team and those guys can play. It's the home opener and they are the defending national champions, so they are a really good football team. They will come in and play hard and we have to match that intensity.
You had a similar situation last season when James Madison came in ranked #2 in the nation in their division. I think Duke caught them a little off guard in a sense and they were like, wow, what hit us. With Richmond this year, Duke will not be able to sneak up on them because people are saying, hey, Duke is really turning themselves around.
Yeah, I heard that they said they're not taking us lightly. To hear that is kind of like a slap in the face. But it's okay.
What will Thaddeus Lewis do as a captain to tell the team, hey, just because we beat James Madison like that, doesn't mean this game will go like that. How are you preparing your team and letting them know they'll have to come to play in the opener?
I'm just letting those guys know I remember what happened in 06 when Richmond came in here and put it on us. A lot of people circled that game as a win and we lost that game. I remind the seniors that were there with me, that we lost that game and remember what we went through and we'll tell the younger guys just follow us and we'll show you how to get this done and tell them to just stay hungry.
Your mom is your biggest fan - is she looking forward to this football season more so because it is her son's swan song?
This is her last season, but I think her thing is that her son is graduating and getting a degree from Duke University. (smiling widely) She is excited about this last season and she'll be here every game cheering me on.
Thaddeus Lewis, thanks for you time.
Thank you.
Working hard and taking classes. Working out and getting better for this upcoming season.
What is it like going into your second season under Coach Cutcliffe and his system?
Easy. This will be my first time going into a season with the same offensive coordinator and staff. I know the offense more and what they expect out of me, so I can go with the flow now.
Have you been working with some of your receivers?
We get together with all the recievers. After we run on Tuesday and Thursday running 707's, we interact with the defense a little bit to keep everybody going. Also, we get together sometimes by position and go watch film, so we can be on the same page and teach the younger guys the system. That way, once summer ball comes around, we'll be ready.
Will Duke have any new wrinkles in the offense this season?
I would think so. I haven't really talked to coach like that, but they're working hard and may have a few tricks up their sleeve. We'll see some new things with Duke Football this season ... I'm pretty sure, pretty sure. The mastermind Kurt Roper will have something up his sleeve this season.
How does it feel to have Brandon King back at the tight end spot?
That will help a lot. The tight end is the x-factor in the offense and a lot of people don't give them the credit. I mean, that guy blocks, catches balls, gets back at the fullback position. With Brandon King coming back and Brett Huffman and Danny Parker stepping up, that allows you to do different things with your offense. You can go a double tight end sets because you have that dual threat and that will help raise this offense to another level.
Have any new guys stepped up around you?
Johnny Williams and Donovan Varner have stepped up. The freshman Conner Vernon has come in and done a good job. The other freshman just got here. Corey Gattis has done a good job working out with us and Desmond Scott has come out there catching passes and he can run routes. So, everybody is contributing and we had a trial run today with the incoming freshman. Sean Schroeder went out there and threw it pretty well and the other freshman Tyree Watkins came in, so they sent out there and did a tremendous job. It looks like it'll be interesting with the competitive nature of this football team going into the summer camp. Everybody has to come and bring it and I'm pretty sure that will happen and we'll better ourselves as a team.
Duke suffered some key losses on the offensive front. Are you worried about some inexperience across the front?
The guys we have coming back actually played a little bit last season, so I'm not worried at all. With the addition of Brandon Harper there and the growth of Brian Moore and the rest of the guys on that line ... and the keys of the offensive line coming back, Bryan Morgan, he's kind of the captain of the ship down there. So with him coming back his knowledge and experience will help bring the other guys along. With this offense and how we operate you can't hold it longer than a few seconds and I think they'll do an outstanding job this upcoming season.
Check back in this weekend for several more questions and answers in part II of BDN's interview with Thaddeus Lewis.
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