Looking Back on Duke Over Tulane

This was game was much closer than the final score indicated.  Outstanding play from Duke Special Teams coupled with some of the worst I have seen this season on the other side of the ball, led to multiple scores.  But take away the last long run from Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk late in the game and the Blue Devils and Green Wave had even yardage.  The good news is that Duke came away 4-0 with a 47-13 win but the score is not indicative of the fact that this was a close game in some ways.  The bright spots player wise  for Duke, was the play of Deondre Singleton, Jeremy Cash, David Helton and Jamison Crowder.  Our game ball goes to the special teams all the way around.

Expect Duke To Drill The Team In Protecting The Pigskin

The Blue Devils had their first lost fumble of the season in their win over Tulane.  But there could have been more. on close calls. Duke will likely focus their energy this week on protecting the ball.  They came away luck a few times and turnovers can drastically alter games moving forward.  Duke also had their first interception of the season, but there could have been more there as well for some passes went right into the pouch of Tulane defenders who muffed chance at a turnover.  The Duke passing game struggled mightily with consistent play and that is something that could also catch up to them as they enter the meat of their schedule.

Positives Too

Okay, so it sounds like I am being a little negative, huh?  Despite Duke freshman Shaun Wilson putting the ball on the ground for the first fumble of the year, he continues to be the best option via numbers in a solid four man rotation in the backfield.   He followed up his monster performance against Kansas with a 10 yard per average carry with just seven carries.  His production per touch may earn him even more touches moving forward but the staff seems to want to bring him along at the proper pace for a kid playing straight out of high school.  It is also worth noting that Duke has played some incredible football with Anthony Boone as their starter and that means his leadership is there even when his passes are a bit off the mark,  Did I mention that Duke is 4-0?

The Miami Challenge

You simply cannot overlook intangibles when looking at match ups.  Yes, Duke is ranked 23rd in the nation and Miami is unranked, but there is a reason the Canes come in as six point favorites in that they were picked by the ACC media to win their division.  Miami has lost to two stout opponents in road trips to Louisville and Nebraska and they stand at 2-2, but you can bet that their ears will be pinned back come 7:30 on ESPN 2 this Saturday.  They are a dangerous and talented team with their backs against the wall where they stand to go 0-2 in the ACC with a loss.  They will also be extra pumped after Duke thumped them a season ago in Wallace Wade in one of the Blue Devils best efforts in recent memory.  They also benefit from the return of running back Duke Johnson.  Duke has defeated some not especially strong teams to date and this will be their first true challenge of the young season.  Miami is by far the best team they have played to date and they are a strong, physical and quick football team.  What a measuring stick this will be for both teams and a fun game to watch.

In Defense Of K

A lot of people came to the forefront in supporting Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski after a critical article from Yahoo Sports.  This has all died down now after varying outlets lambasted what seemed like a borderline personal attack.  The man known as Coach K was honored on the field this past weekends football game, alongside Jeff Capel and he got a deserving adoration from the fans.

Off The Plane And On The Road

The Duke Men's Basketball staff visited several prospects last week, straight off their flight from Spain.  This week they take in Tyus Battle on Wednesday and Dennis Smith Sr. and Brandon Ingram today.  These are some of the top remaining prospects on the board and the Blue Devils are focusing in on their true targets now.  For the record, the visits are to workouts or open gyms which is the allowed procedure from NCAA rules.

What a weekend it was for Duke fans.  The football team goes to 3-0 on the young season with a stunning performance from a true freshman running back, Shaun Wilson.  Add to that, more Gold thanks in large part to Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the royal blue has never looked better.

Mission Accomplished

Most folks forget the moribund state USA Basketball was in before Mike Krzyzewski took over.  The program needed leadership and he sacrificed his time for country more than anything else, in that the man is a true patriot.  Team USA rolled to a Gold Medal and in a most impressive way, doing so with what many coined a "B," team.  While I am not too fond of that phrase, what is obviously impressive is that it didn't take a team of out very best to be molded into a unit that played together.  Coach K has a long and obvious history of helping men grow and despite the age of some of his players, how many on the roster didn't get better in some way?   It'll be a long time before Coach K takes to the court again for Team USA, but he will be plenty busy with his family back in Durham while teaching  his Duke Blue Devils how to come together as a team in similar fashion.  In today's media, there is more than ample criticism no matter what some folks do but most of the time hater articles are designed for hits with many facts going to the wayside out of convenience.  You will see some of the said type of articles manifest, but you thankfully there are more appreciative ones.  Krzyzewski should be celebrated for what he has done for his country and USA Hoops.  He is one of the main reasons USA Basketball is once again the dominant force it should have always been.  Some want to take away NBA players who want to represent their country from playing, others see the benefits.  My guess is no matter the change or format allowed to rosters, with Coach Krzyzewski in charge that the results would be the same.

And then there was Kyrie ...

Kyrie Irving came away with MVP honors for the FIBA tournament and deservedly so.  While talking heads strangely never mentioned him when talking candidates as USA was thumping Serbia, it was clear that he was Team USA's most consistent guard.  In reality, this should have been a team reward for no one player stood out above the rest in what was a true balanced team concept.  Irving likely benefitted form his final performance where he busted the game open with his quickness on the court and it's an another award, one of many to come, he will cherish.

Haters gonna hate ...

Adrian Wajnarowski is an NBA writer for Yahoo Sports.  For some reason is took aim at Coach Mike Krzyzewski in his morning column which is all over the place with concern to a point.  It seems like he tries to pit John Calipari against Krzyzewski as his distaste for the Duke coach is more than a little obvious.  If you want to read his diatribe, you can search for it.  Anyhow, a good or valid point is lost in the article due to said hate with concern to the USA program possibly going with younger NBA players.  Whatever he was trying to say, other than Krzyzewski used USA Basketball as a recruiting tool was lost.  A normally grounded media type, lost his composure by not spewing facts but opinion in a way that may be designed simply for hits.  Honestly, I don't know if Krzyzewski may have accidentally stepped on his toe when leaving the media room or if he just hangs with the haters.  Anyhow, he seemingly seeks the company of those who would agree with him more than he does a fair and balanced offering.  Oddly, or maybe not so much, he has a history of  different stances if one does a simple search, but he conveniently avoids trying to explain why he's changed his mind.  That said, Krzyzewski obviously must have stepped on his toe on the way out of the media room one night;)

Still buzzing over Shaun Wilson's performance

If you have been living under a rock, you may have missed that a true freshman running back, Shaun Wilson, broke the all time single game rushing record.  When the game was 20-3 and the tenth punt of the day was booted, the match up with Kansas was in a word, boring.  Then came Shaun Wilson, who dazzled on lookers with his speed and smooth running abilities on his way to 245 rushing yards.  Wow.  Anyhow, Duke fans are still buzzing over that performance and so is Athlon Sports who coined the performance the best of the week among freshman.  By the time most of you will have read this, I fully expect more honors to have come his way.

Not to go unnoticed ...

After moving to the inside as a slot receiver this season, Max McCaffrey caught two touchdown passes from Anthony Boone.  It was the first time he had multiple touchdown catches in a game for Duke and his game was a bit overshadowed from the aforementioned Wilson.

Not to go unnoticed II ...

The Duke defense has quite the game plan making Kansas quarterback Montell Cozart look just awful on his way to 89 yards passing.  The Blue Devils played their best defense of the season where Kansas barely threatened in this contest.  A couple of interceptions and steady play from Jeremy Cash and David Helton helped pave the way to holding the Jayhawks to a paltry three points.

Next up Tulane

Duke Football takes on the Green Wave of Tulane this coming weekend with a 12:30 kickoff.  The Blue Devils have opened as a 17.5 favorite.  This will be the last game that Duke will be a significantly favored to win in the near future.

Next Up, Kansas

Players come and go with collegiate athletic teams, but fans can have long memories.  The last time Duke took on Kansas, they got thumped 44-16 back in 2009.  David Cutliffe was at the helm that day as the Jayhawks offense had their way.  But a lot has changed with Duke Football since that loss and you can bet that Cut and the fan base will seek some retribution this coming weekend in Wallace Wade Stadium.  Duke has a much deeper team now and that should bode well against the Charlie Weiss led team which comes in 1-0.  The Blue Devils also have a chance to defeat a Big 12 team and that too should add incentive.  The Blue Devils need to take care of business in a game where they tabbed an early 17 point favorite.  And make no mistake, despite that large spread, Kansas is the most talented team they've played to date.  In fact, they are littered with a lot of seniors who would love to pull off the upset on the road this weekend.

Time For Team USA To Bring Their A-Game

Duke Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski continues to rebuild USA Basketball dominance, but it's time for his team to bring their A game to the front.  Thus far, Krzyzewski has been able to play many players but that bench could shorten if they take care of business and ultimately face Spain in the final.  There has been obvious off the court chemistry and a lot of the players will certainly be better in their NBA seasons after some tutelage under Krzyzewski.  Make no mistake that USA Basketball is here to stay and that players, despite unfortunate injuries will continue to play.  In December, a 436 million dollar project gets under way in Tempe, AZ which will serve as a projected urban show place in a formerly neglected area of the city.  This will be a state of the art and top notch facility that will serve the program for years to come.  Next up for Team USA is a match with Slovenia in the quarter finals which tips tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.

ACC Coastal Division Looking Tough

Duke was picked second in the pre season by the media and they're the defending Coastal Division Champions, but this was before injuries to two All ACC players.  Since that time the division foes are all off to good or decent starts.  Virginia gave UCLA, a team some national types picked to win it all, fits.  They then walloped Richmond.  Pitt has looked especially strong and focused with a road win over B.C. as their latest victim to go 2-0.  UNC rallied to go to 2-0 as well on the young season against San Diego State.  Add to the undefeated teams, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets who still have that grind it out maddening offensive style that has given Duke fits.  Miami, picked to win the division in the pre season, bounced back to win big last week as teams making noise.  Perhaps the most impressive team in the Coastal though, is Virginia Tech who soared into the top 25 after defeating Ohio State in their backyard and you can see how competitive each and every division game can potentially be.  Duke will learn much about its team early on as their first two ACC games are on the road against Miami and Georgia Tech.

A Work In Progress

Blue Devil Nation will continue to make some cosmetic changes, so be patient, the current version is not the finished project.  You can get to all our football or basketball articles by simply going to "Duke Football," etcetera in the links inside the top of the articles on the main page.  In time, we'll have this as a more usable feature.  Also, be sure to check out our strong social media presence on Twitter and Facebook where we have a fan group and a regular page.  Thanks for your patience as we get to changes which should make your fan experience better.

Solid Opening Day Performance

You couldn't ask for much more from the Duke Football team and their  52-13 opening day win over Elon.  The first thing they did was take care of business while other teams around the country struggled with lesser opponents.  Across the board, the Blue Devils looked solid in every phase of the game save two which we will speak to as you read on.  Duke had a solid opening day crowd and it was clear to many when students started chanting "Football School," that things have indeed changed.

Cut Points To Needed Improvements

As I stated above, the Duke football team graded out nicely against Elon, but post game and during yesterdays chat with David Cutcliffe, he stated concern over special teams. If you are a stat hound, you may ask what he is talking about.  After all, Will Monday punted twice for and impressive 51.5 yard average and kicker Ross Martin drove home a 49 yard field goal.  But the coverage on kickoffs and such bothered Cutcliffe where he said they were not physical nor did they run their lanes properly on coverage.  According to the head man, this will be addressed in practice this week and changes could be made.  The other area I felt could have been better was the fact that Duke got little pressure on the quarterback.  While Duke came away with two sacks, there seemed to be ample time, but that is something the film will help to address as well.

Troy Trojans Are Next

I can almost hear many whining that this game will only be televised by ESPN 3 as many of us seem to still be streaming challenged due to spotty connections world-wide.  Anyhow, this game is dangerous.  Why you ask in that Troy got trounced by UAB?  Well, for that very reason.  Troy has a tradition of playing good football and they were flat-out knocked back this past weekend in a road game that turned many heads.  Troy held the series edge going in and still do despite the loss.The Trojans were not supposed to lose like that and it was their worst defeat ever on many fronts.  A season ago, Troy gave Duke fits on the defensive end and Cut made sure to mention that they'd have their ear pinned playing on their field named after their long time coach and would be playing for pride.  Duke, slated and early 18 point favorite, will playing in the epitome of a trap game, but this will also be a test to see if they can handle expectations and play the opponent while not get caught looking ahead or patting themselves on the back after a solid win over Elon.

Foundation More Solid Than Some Think

I was really surprised that the ACC Sports Journal said in an article in their pre season magazine authored by David Glenn, that Duke was listed as having the 14th best foundation in the ACC moving forward.  When I look around the program I see stadium improvements on the verge of happening, recruiting getting better and better, retention or maintaining a solid coaching staff at all times and wins.  Perhaps Glenn thinks this is all an aberration but it looks to me as if Duke is dedicated to football in a way they never have been before and that fans are enjoying the turnabout.  Prospects are contacting Duke now and that didn't happen in the past and there is little reason to not think that Cutlciffe will not remain a vital part of the ascent even after his eventual retirement which is a long ways away.  In fairness the Sports Journal did pick Duke to win the Coastal Division, but 14th in the conference moving forward for long-term football success?  Really?  I like David Glenn and think he's quite grounded and the best of the local radio personalities but in my humble opinion he's way off the mark with his assertion with concern to Duke Football and it's future.

Duke Hoops Is Around  The Corner

There is a lot of excitement as always as September moves in for Duke fans start thinking basketball is not far away.  By all accounts this years team will be oh-so exciting and a mix of some key veterans and youth.  I can tell you I am as excited as I have ever been to see what this crop of freshman bring to the table.  Jahlil Okafor has totally reshaped his body and gotten stronger and Tyus Jones is just a guy that knew how to win on the AAU trail.  And then there is the surprisingly freaky athletic Grayson Allen and a hard nosed, play all phases of the game well, Justise Winslow.  Duke has had so many great classes past, but I can say having covered AAU Basketball for many years that this is hands down the most mature bunch or class I have seen to date.

USA Basketball

So far, so good for Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Team USA.  With football in full swing, it's hard to keep up with this as maybe we should around here but we are sure watching every game.  It's great that Jeff Capel was able to go with the team while Nate James and Jon Scheyer hold down the fort in Durham.  And then there is a Duke flavor in the games with Kyrie Irving starting and Mason Plumlee coming off the bench.  Duke fans are so fortunate to have a living legend in Mike Krzyzewski at the helm and he sure seems to be focussed on the task at hand and advancing.  It will be fun to follow Team USA as they close things out in the month of September and to start talking more hoops around Blue Devil Nation.

Meet the Blue Devils was a hit

The annual Meet the Blue Devils Day was held this past Saturday at the Paschal Field House on the campus of Duke University.  There was a record turnout for the occasion and it's clear that the program is riding the momentum of last season where Duke won the most games in their schools history.  Fans waited in a line close to 100 yards for a chance to meet Coach David Cutliffe and the players were quite popular as well.  I am sure that there was a moment when Cutcliffe reflected a bit on how far the program has come and most certainly most fans in attendance did the same.  The program has a lot of momentum and it seems like only the start as improvements abound and the future looks bright.  What was evident is that the program seems here to stay and for those long time fans, that is sweet music to their collective ears.  A season ago, many fans were almost stunned by the turnabout after a 2-2 start and some even had to pinch themselves as the team took them on what to that point had been a rare ride.  This seasons team seems poised to show that last seasons run was not by accident and that hard work will take care of any concerns.  Be sure to visit our gallery from this event at out Blue Devil Nation Open Facebook Page.

Kelby Brown is as good a spirit as possible

After his emotional and devastating injury, Duke linebacker and defensive team leader, Kelby Brown was present at the Meet the Blue Devils Day and Photo Day held Sunday.  Brown seemed to be in good spirits with concern to his future outlook but stated that he has yet to decide whether he will petition for another season at Duke.  Brown is currently in the Duke Divinity School and professes that he has had a calling to enter the field of endeavor.  He will rehabilitate his knee as if he were to play claiming that was the only way to go.  I may be getting ahead of myself here, but it's hard for me to imagine the competitive Brown not attempting to return once the dust clears.  After all, he could play beside his brother Kyler Brown a defensive end for this seasons team who will be a senior next season and close out their careers together.

Coach K busy with USA duties

Team USA has been riddled by departures and injuries but Coach Mike Krzyzewski seems up to the challenge of getting his team to where it needs to be.  Former Dukies, Kyrie Irving and Mason Plumlee remain on the team that has to cut down their roster before going overseas, but not to worry for assistant Jeff Capel will remain in Durham to keep an experienced and watchful eye over this seasons team.  On a side note, key Duke prospects Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum performed quite well helping to lead their USA U-17 team to the championship podium.

Site facelift is a work in progress

As you can see our front page view is changing and this is not the finished product.  What already helps is that if you access the site via mobile where a slider is already working. We will eventually go to a slider/hybrid.  We will also be adding a feature making it easier for brief updates which in the past was difficult in the old format.  So, stay tuned as we refine the site to better serve you.  Our goal is to make access easier to access and read.  This will take a bit of time and trial and error for the only way to make the changes was to take the initial changes live.  It is also worth noting that two-thirds of our staff will be on vacation in the next two weeks.  Any feedback is appreciated on what you like and don't like, suggestions etc.

Recruiting

The basketball and football teams are almost finished with their recruiting for next seasons classes.  In fact, both programs are having great success and each are moving on to the next class.  Duke Basketball will likely sign one more prospect this season and an offer currently stands for Brandon Ingram who recently visited campus.  Ingram will trim his list by months end and will make a decision around October or the start of his basketball season.  Duke could get involved with others in that time.  Football had two top-notch visitors over the weekend and we'll talk more of that soon.  Duke most recently signed a big time front court player in Chase Jeter.

Picture Fun

Here is one from the archives of a quite light moment with Coach Mike Krzyzewski during Countdown for Craziness.