Tag Archives: Duke Football News

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Football

Football Friday: the book light that comes with your Snuggie

If you haven’t joined BDN Premium yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. My wit and insight alone are worth the price of admission. Well, not really. It’s more like you get all of watzone’s scoop, Andrew Slater’s recruiting analysis, a great Duke message board community, and then my column is that last add-on in the infomercial that they throw in to close the deal.  I’m the booklight that comes with your Snuggie. But seriously, it’s April and I can’t find a way to keep these columns any shorter. I guess that’s a good thing, as it means there’s still a lot of activity around Duke football. Thanks for joining us for another thrilling installment of BDN’s Football Friday. [private]

Sorry about the title, I thought it was a good line, until I realized well, it's not. Oh well, let's see you come up with something better.

Best of luck to Abraham Kromah and the rest of Duke's NFL hopefuls this week. -Lance King Images

 

Tyree Glover dismissed from program

This is old news now, but Tyree Glover was arrested on Tuesday in Durham and charged with trafficking cocaine. After a search of his dorm room, he was also found to be in possession of marijuana and was held in jail in lieu of $750,000 bond. Legal experts would know better, but I believe the trafficking charge for the amount of cocaine he possessed is a class G felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 42 months in prison and $50,000 fine. As would be expected, Coach Cutcliffe acted swiftly in dismissing Tyree from the program for “conduct unbecoming of a member of the program.” As a sophomore, Glover played in 11 games for Duke and started the September game at Wake Forest. It’s an unfortunate development for the program, both as a knock on Duke’s reputation and a loss of depth at linebacker. While I hate to try and find a bright side in situations like this, Glover’s dismissal will open up another scholarship this fall, which could certainly help with only 12 players in their final year of eligibility. Though his serious lack of judgment is indefensible, we all certainly hope that Tyree is able to turn things around for himself.

NFL Draft set for Thursday

The Blue Devils sent four players to the NFL in 2010, though none were taken in the NFL Draft. Duke has several NFL hopefuls again this year, and the Blue Devil Nation will be pulling to hear their names called on Thursday. At Duke’s annual Pro Day, DE Patrick Egboh, OG Brandon Harper, TE Brett Huffman, WR Austin Kelly, TE Brandon King, LB Abraham Kromah, CB Chris Rwabukamba, and LB Damian Thornton worked out for NFL scouts, and a few have had additional workout invites in recent weeks. In all likelihood, the Duke seniors may have to work their way into the league again this year via the free agent and training camp invite routes. Next to winning games, establishing players in the NFL is essential to help the Blue Devils recruit elite athletes.

Spring practices wrap up this weekend

The last of ACC spring practices will wrap up this weekend, and the ACC coaches held their spring conference call earlier this week. Since we toured around the ACC in last week’s Football Friday, we won’t do it again. Much of what we discussed last week still holds true: QB battle will head into August in Miami, Virginia Tech expects David Wilson to be very good, etc. Boston College expects to have Montel Harris back for the fall, but he was held out of their spring game for precautionary reasons, so we’ll keep an eye on his health as we head towards September.

As for Duke, Coach Cutcliffe didn’t have much to add, given that Duke wrapped up spring practice nearly a month ago. He reiterated the team’s youth, especially along the defensive front, where 10 of 15 players are underclassmen. He’s excited about the speed on defense and thinks that Coach Knowles did a good job with personnel assignments this spring, which we can only hope will continue into the fall. We’re all excited to see this Duke offense, as it has the potential to be great with an improved and consistent running game, along with three competent quarterback options.

But back to the defensive front, as that’s what makes me lose sleep at night. Coach Cutcliffe reiterated that he hopes to play up to 9 guys along the defensive front, which is an interesting concept. When was the last time Duke had that many ACC caliber defensive linemen? Are there teams that routinely use that many players along the defensive front? Of course, any team with decent depth rotates guys in and out, but I get the impression that Cutcliffe hopes to have 8 or 9 guys who play significant snaps each game. It’s really an intriguing strategy, given the group of players Duke currently has. With so many young first or second-year players up front, and with no clear-cut All-ACC caliber player(s), why not try to get 20-30 good snaps out of each guy? The most obvious benefit is that it will hopefully keep the unit fresh for late in games, but it also reduces the amount of pressure on each individual player. I’m sure there’s both advantages and disadvantages to this potential rotation, but I’m interested to hear your thoughts (message board, anyone?).

Recruiting updates

As you might imagine, we haven’t heard much from the Duke staff this week, as the assistants have been on the recruiting trail. With the opening of the spring evaluation period last Friday, Coach Cutcliffe and the staff made calls to many of the high priority recruits to re-affirm Duke’s interest. It never hurts to be the first coach in a prospect’s ear, and Duke hopes it will pay dividends with some spring and summer commitments. Speaking of commitments, Coach Cutcliffe has mentioned his desire to have the class of 2012 essentially set by the start of the season, which some fans may have concerns about (the author included). We all know that many elite prospects, whether in basketball or football, tend to drag their recruitment out until the last possible minute. If Duke fills up its scholarships in August, it doesn’t leave much room for the January or February commitments. With a small class this fall, Duke doesn’t have a lot of margin for error, so it does make sense for the Blue Devils to try to secure the majority of their class by the fall. I don’t think Duke will be done with recruiting before the season, but it would be nice if they can get their commitment list into the double digits, hopefully leaving the remaining scholarships for some late-deciding elite talent. As we say on the message boards, just my .02.

So last week I name-dropped all over the place with recruiting, but none of it was very Watzonian. There’s so many names in football recruiting and things change so quickly, it’s hard to keep up. Trust me, I know. You talk to a kid from Oregon and he tells you he plans to take some officials in the fall before he makes a decision and then two days later he commits. No names, of course. Anyway, who are some of the players that Duke seems to have a good chance with at this point in the process? Let’s take a look:

With Anthony Boone's play this spring, it may not be essential to take a QB in 2012.

 

QB: With only one offer extended so far, Duke seems to think they have a good chance with Bilal Marshall, and that seems like a reasonable assumption as this point. When we last heard from him, he was favoring Wake Forest, mostly because they were the first to offer and the only school he had really visited to date. That remains the case, though he is mostly wide open. The hope is that Duke can get Marshall on campus this summer, perhaps for Coach Cutcliffe’s QB College, and then go from there. This is a situation not unlike basketball, where if Duke loses out on Marshall, they could have a lot of ground to make up with some of the other QB prospects. That being said, the chance to play for the mentor of Peyton and Eli Manning is still pretty attractive. With the play of Connette and Boone this spring, it’s also not a requirement that Duke takes a QB in this class.

RB: If I said it’s not a requirement that Duke takes a QB in this class, then I have to say that it is a requirement to take at least one RB in this class. So I think we’ve established that Keith Marshall is a long shot, and I would add that Dami Ayoola and Nick Tompkins might be as well, since both already have double digit offers. We heard from Dontonio Jordan and Todd Gurley this week that Duke remains in the mix for them, and there’s still a long way to go in both of their recruitments. As for the South Carolina prospects, Duke is Dondre Brown’s only offer to date, while Jay Jay McCullough has an offer from in-state Clemson, which might be tough for any school to overcome, but we'll hear from him tomorrow.

WR: This is a tough group to really evaluate, as several have yet to visit Duke’s campus, which is never a good omen, though a few are from the West Coast, which makes it more understandable. We’ll hear from Justin Johnson over the weekend, and Duke is very much in the mix for his services. Of those on the East Coast, we’ll also hear from Jared Crump this weekend, and P.J. Harris and Desmond Frye are recent Duke offers.

TE: Duke remains in the mix for Dan Beilinson and already has a commitment from Erich Schneider.

OL: Duke has made a good impression on Andrew Jelks, Eric Olson, and Max Tuerk. In fact, I just heard from Eric that he will be on campus this weekend in Durham. Don't get excited about D.J. Humphries. I'm working on hearing from some of the new OL names.

DT Korren Kirven sounded impressed with Duke, UVA, and VT

 

DL: D.J. Reader and Carlos Wray have made multiple visits to Durham, and Duke has impressed Korren Kirven and Matt Godin, though Godin is a lifelong Michigan fan with a Wolverines offer. We’ll hear from Sheldon Rankins and Nigel Williams this weekend, two other good looking prospects with Duke offers, who appear to have some interest in the Blue Devils.

LB: Deion Williams and Keilin Rayner are at the top of the list and both have Duke near the top of theirs at this point in the process. Would be nice to get one of these guys on board soon.

DB: Dwayne Norman will be making a decision this spring and it looks like it is down to Duke and South Carolina. Derek Jones has a good relationship with Miami’s Larry Hope. Duke was among the first to offer MarQuise Jones, Albert Reid, and Jonavaughn Williams. Would also be nice to get a DB on board soon.

Kicker: I didn’t mention this last week, but I see that it’s up on another site, so I’ll address it. Duke will, in all likelihood, need to take a placekicker in the class of 2012. Two in-state players, Paul Griggs and Brad Pinion, have both visited Duke and like the Blue Devils. With few scholarships available, it would be nice to be able to find a walk-on kicker, but it may be necessary to offer a scholarship in order to get an elite one. We’ll also have to see exactly where Will Monday is with his placekicking when he gets on campus this fall. Monday is expected to challenge Alex King for the starting punter job.

As you can see, the potential is there for Duke to put together a really good class in 2012, with almost all of the prospects mentioned likely to be rated as three starts or higher. The next few months are the critical period, as Duke will look to close out the recruitment with some of these players and receive commitments before the start of their senior year. We’ll do our best to stay on top of football recruiting and bring you the best, most efficient coverage around. Feel free to jump in with your thoughts, questions, etc. on the message board. Until next week, WE ARE DUKE.

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Duke Football

BDN’s Duke Signing Day Coverage

Will Monday signs his NLI at the USA U-19 game in Austin, TX

National Signing Day has arrived, and Duke fans are wondering who will be the impact players in the class of 2011. The Blue Devils received a signing day surprise as Alabama TE David Reeves committed to Duke this morning. Blue Devil Nation's Mark Watson will have coverage today from Head Coach David Cutcliffe's press conference introducing the Duke Football Class of 2011.

Visit our Duke Football section to read recent interviews with the members of Duke's class of 2011.

DUKE FOOTBALL CLASS OF 2011

OL Matt Skura 6'3" 265 pounds Columbus, Ohio

DL Sam Marshall 6'8" 250 pounds - Fredericksburg, Virginia

DL Lucas Fisher 6'3" 245 pounds - Monroe, North Carolina

LB Britton Grier 6'2" 190 pounds - Charlotte, North Carolina

DL Mario Sanders 6'4" 220 pounds - Greer, South Carolina

LB David Helton 6'3" 225 pounds - Chattanooga, Tennessee

OL Lucas Patrick 6'3" 280 pounds - Brentwood, Tennessee

ATH Jamison Crowder 5'8" 180 pounds - Monroe, North Carolina

OL Carson Ginn 6'5" 255 pounds - Belmont, North Carolina

K Will Monday 6'4" 176 pounds - Flowery Branch, Georgia

DL Kyler Brown 6'4" 210 pounds - Charlotte, North Carolina

OL Marcus Aprahamian 6'3" 300 pounds - Brookfield, Wisconsin

DB Tim Burton 5'8" 155 pounds - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

DB Jared Boyd 5'9" 170 pounds - Stone Mountain, Georgia

OL Cody Robinson 6'2" 305 pounds - McMinnville, Tennessee

WR Nick Hill 6'2" 200 pounds - Nashville, Tennessee

DB Chris Tavarez 5'10" 195 pounds  - Atlanta, Georgia

TE David Reeves 6'5" 245 pounds - Greensboro, Alabama

WR Blair Holliday 6'3" 195 pounds - Westlake Village, California

Duke Basketball

BDN’s Monday Musings – MLK, Duke Basketball and Football

LK Images for BDN

Welcome to another edition of BDN's Monday Musings where we roll thoughts out on whatever comes to mind with concerns to Duke Athletics.  To start things off let me wish all of you a happy Martin Luther King Day.  C.B. Caliborne was the first African American athlete to play for the Duke Basketball team and I grew up in those days and can tell you that King ushered in a long overdue era of equality.  I can actually remember a "Blacks Only," restroom in the Durham downtown Belk's and Woolworth's in the sixties.  Being an innocent child in those days, I never understood some of what I saw and had plenty of questions for my parents. 

 I can later remember being on vacation with them in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where I was running about the infamous Ocean Drive arcade when the news came out that King had been shot.  There was no cable or satellite networks in that time, just televisions with rabbit ears or room top antennas.  In short, it certainly wasn't the techno era but everywhere you went a radio was on and televisions showing that motel room balcony.  Even after the tragic death I overheard some good old boys saying  "He got what he deserved," or "He was a trouble maker," when walking around the boardwalk that same evening and it was then I realized I was a part of a change in thinking in America. 

 "It's a great day in America," said one man, glowing in approval and I was appalled at his mean spirited gloating narrowness despite my innocence.  Heck, even a child realizes right from wrong and all I knew is that King was a preacher and a so called activist even though I couldn't have told you what the definition of that word was.  Later that evening,  "I have a dream," rang out from most televisions and radios and I heard nothing but good in the words as I beamed into his infamous speech for the first time. 

Towards the end of that vacation, I had a defined view of what good and bad really was.  And a lot of supposedly good people had some bad views which was clear now that my eyes were opened.  In hindsight, I am glad my eyes were closed to many of the injustices of that time for it would not have made for as good of childhood memories.  But my eyes were truly opened on that tragic day and as they say, you never forget where you were during historical moments.  Here is to equality folks and me learning in my innocence that a man is a man and that we are all in this together.

These Blue Devils are learning

Last seasons national championship team had three seniors in Jon Scheyer,  Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek.  And they had two juniors namend Kyle Singlerand Nolan Smithbacking them up which is in a word experienced.  This season both Singler and Smith returned to lead as seniors,  but they have no experienced juniors behind them.  The bottom line is once you get past Kyle and Nolan, Duke is very, very young.  That means this team is indeed a work in progress with a lot of growing to do before they can make a deep run in March. 

We have remained positive that Kyrie Irving would return this season, but the bottom line is that Duke fans need to focus in on what is on the court at the moment for these are the guys we'll be playing with in the foreseeable future.  Development must take place for Duke to get better and so far, the Blue Devils are still looking for players to step up in a more consistent manner. 

Team chemistry is oh-so vital down the stretch and in the coming days we'll see if some of the players can buck up and produce.  Irving's absence has effected getting the ball into the bigs, so there numbers are down save rebounding, but there are some other players who have yet to step up despite getting major minutes.  It's really quite simple, Duke needs another consistent scorer to step up during conference play.

Hoop's Recruiting

Duke never stops recruiting and this past weekend they had visits from Austin Rivers and Shabazz Muhammad.  BDN's Terry Rains stayed in Florida for Rivers back to back games and we hope you go back and look at the video interviews on site.  We currently have Andre Slater at the Hoop Hall where he is covering the hottest names including a couple of possible new kids on the radar. His reporting continues for premium members on our message board and we will have plenty of interviews coming members way.  It is a great time to join BDN Premium for full site access for the upcoming changes and coverage will set us apart.  Join now and read about Alex Murphy's reaction to his Duke visit in one of our latest offerings.

Football recruiting too ...

BDN supports Duke Football and we cover them with the best, be it game day, weekly press conferences or recruiting.  Duke had a big football recruiting weekend and our Patrick Cacchio will be bringing you all the news on the latest happenings.  Our premium football message board is growing and it allows you to stay in the know as moves happen.  We will continue to offer out football recruiitng articles free to the public through January, so come back and check out what our commitments and prospects have to say.

Props to Sen Renfree

Sean Renfree was named the teams MVP for this past season, thus a shout out for the promising quarterback.  Renfree will be one of the most experienced signal callers in the ACC next season and we'll talk with the rising junior in short time to update you on his off season status.

Support Women's Hoops

The Blue Devils Women remain undefeated against the nations toughest schedule and they return home to play Georgia Tech this Friday.  The Devils are coming off two road wins over Florida State and Virginia Tech.  Duke has but six home games left on their schedule including the season finale against North Carolina on Sunday  February 27th.   Call GoDuke and get your tickets now.

 

Duke Football

UNC vs Duke Football Game Notes

 
 

Lance Images

Durham, N.C.
Stadium: Wallace Wade Stadium
Surface: Natural grass
Capacity: 33,941
TV: ESPNU - Pam Ward (Play-by-Play), Danny Kanell (Analyst)
Radio: Blue Devils ISP Sports Network
Internet: GoDuke.com (Live stats)
Tickets: 1-877-375-DUKE
Series: North Carolina, 56-36-4

Victory Bell on the Line

  • Duke and North Carolina will play for the Victory Bell on Saturday, Nov. 27 when the two teams wrap up the regular season at 3:30 p.m. in Wallace Wade Stadium.
  • The Blue Devils are coming off a 30-20 loss on the road at Georgia Tech while the Tar Heels fell to N.C. State at home, 29-25.
  • The game between Duke and North Carolina will be televised on ESPNU with Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Danny Kanell (analyst) calling the action.

Senior Day for Blue Devils

Late Game Rally Falls Short

  • Duke led 13-6 at halftime, but Georgia Tech scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter and went on to defeat the Blue Devils 30-20 in Atlanta.
  • Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Renfree completed 30-of-41 passes for 334 yards and one touchdown on the day for his fifth 300-yard game of the season.
  • True freshman quarterback Brandon Connette set a school record for rushing touchdowns by a freshman with his seventh of the year on a 20-yard run.
  • Senior wide receiver Austin Kelly caught his third touchdown pass of the season on a 37-yard toss from Renfree.
  • Junior safety Matt Daniels caused a fumble and also had a fumble recovery while recording seven tackles.
  • Redshirt senior linebacker Abraham Kromah tallied 13 tackles for his seventh game of the season with 10 or more.
  • Junior kicker Will Snyderwine made two field goals, including a career long of 52, to move into a tie for second on Duke’s career made field goals list (37).

Duke vs. North Carolina

  • Saturday’s game will mark the 97th on the gridiron between the two schools, with North Carolina holding a 56-36-4 all-time series advantage.
  • The first game in the series came on November 27, 1888 with Duke earning a 16-0 victory in Raleigh.
  • The Tar Heels have won six straight and 19 of the past 20 meetings including last year’s 19-6 decision in Chapel Hill.
  • Duke’s last win over North Carolina in Durham came in the form of a 35-29 decision in 1988.

Game Sponsor
TIAA-CREF serves as the game sponsor for this week’s Duke-UNC game.

Battle of the Blues Presented by Continental Tire

  • The Duke-North Carolina rivalry series continues this year with a new name and presenting sponsor.
  • The Battle of the Blues presented by Continental Tire is the year-long rivalry series between the two schools, with points awarded in 23 sports of competition.
  • The winner at season end will receive the Continental Tire Cup.
  • UNC leads the 2010-11 series, 4-2, with this week’s football game worth two points to the winner.

Duke-North Carolina Ties

  • Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and North Carolina head coach Butch Davis both did not coach during the 2005 season. Cutcliffe was on the staff at Notre Dame in the spring of 2005 but resigned due to health reasons before re-joining the Tennessee staff for 2006 while Davis was in between head coaching positions with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns (2001-04) and North Carolina (2007-present).
  • Blue Devil associate head coach Ron Middleton and Tar Heel offensive coordinator John Shoop were on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff together in 2004. Shoop was a graduate assistant coach at Vanderbilt from 1992-94 when the Commodores fell three times to Tennessee with Cutcliffe on the Vol coaching staff.
  • UNC aide Art Kaufman served on the Ole Miss staff when Cutcliffe was the head coach of the Rebels.
  • Wes Chesson, who serves as the color analyst for the Duke Radio Network, scored on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Marcell Courtillet on the famed “shoestring play” in Duke’s 17-13 victory in 1969.
  • Anthony Dilweg, the Duke Radio Network’s sideline reporter, completed 29-of-49 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns in the Blue Devils’ 35-29 win over the Tar Heels in 1988. Dilweg engineered a game-winning 76-yard drive which resulted in Roger Boone’s six-yard scoring run with just 23 seconds left.
  • Duke director of player development Terrell Smith logged seven tackles and forced a fumble in the Blue Devils’ 30-22 victory over North Carolina in 2003. Smith, a captain on the 2003 club, led the Blue Devils in tackles with 140 that season and received All-ACC honors.

The Last Time
North Carolina 19, Duke 6
November 7, 2009 l Chapel Hill, N.C.

  • North Carolina RB Ryan Houston rushed 37 times for 164 yards to help the Tar Heels to a 19-6 win over Duke in the 96th meeting between the two schools as 59,750 fans looked on at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.
  • The Tar Heels limited Duke to just 125 yards of total offense while securing their 19th win in the last 20 games in the series
  • The teams accounted for two field goals each in the first half before North Carolina K Casey Barth gave the home team the lead for good with a 41-yard effort on the final snap of the third quarter ... North Carolina then scored 10 points over the final seven minutes of the game
  • Duke WR Conner Vernon caught three passes for 21 yards on the day to set a new school single-season record for reception yards by a freshman, breaking the previous standard of 578 yards set by Walter Jones in 1988
  • In the third period, Duke CB Leon Wright posted his fifth interception of the year and the 10th of his career ... Duke S Jordan Byas blocked a Tar Heel punt in the first quarter to set up the Blue Devils’ first field goal

Victory Bell

  • The battle for the Victory Bell began in 1948 with North Carolina earning possession with a 20-0 win in Chapel Hill. Duke head cheerleader Loring Jones and North Carolina head cheerleader Norman Spear decided on the idea of the Victory Bell.
  • Jones designed the model while Spear obtained a bell from an old railroad train. 
  • Red Lewis, Duke’s business manager for athletics, agreed to find money in the budget to pay for the bell.

North Carolina is Duke’s Most Common Foe

  • With 96 total contests played between the two schools, North Carolina ranks as Duke’s most common football opponent.
  • The only schools Duke has played 80 or more football games against are North Carolina, Wake Forest (91) and N.C. State (81).

2010 Marks 89th Straight Season for Duke-Carolina
The Blue Devils and Tar Heels have met every year since 1922.

Notable Games in the Duke-North Carolina Series

  • 1888 — Then Trinity College, Duke wins the first game in the series, 16-0. Stonewall Durham scores the first touchdown in the series.
  • 1935 — Duke’s Jack Alexander rushes for 193 yards as the Blue Devils post a 25-0 victory.
  • 1937 — En route to the Southern Conference title, unranked North Carolina defeats eighth-ranked Duke, 14-6, in Durham.
  • 1939 — In the only meeting when both teams were ranked among the nation’s top 25, No. 13 Duke rallies from a 3-0 halftime deficit to hand No. 7 North Carolina its lone loss of the season. Duke would finish the year 8-1 and win the Southern Conference championship while UNC went 8-1-1.
  • 1949 — The crowd of 57,500, Duke’s largest crowd to date, pours into what is now Wallace Wade Stadium to see Duke lose to North Carolina, 21-20.
  • 1950 — Wallace Wade coaches his final game for Duke and defeats North Carolina, 7-0.
  • 1955 — In its first appearance on television, Duke defeats North Carolina, 6-0, as Oliver Rudy scores on a 35-yard run in the second quarter. The victory clinches the Blue Devils’ third straight ACC title.
  • 1959 — With a national television audience looking on, North Carolina scores on its first three possessions and never looks back, winning 50-0.
  • 1965 — In head coach Bill Murray’s final game, the Blue Devils down North Carolina, 34-7, to give Murray a share of his seventh ACC title. Bob Matheson returns an interception 35 yards for a score while Jay Calabrese contributes three touchdowns.
  • 1970 — Don McCauley rushes 47 times for 279 yards and five TDs as North Carolina wins, 59-34.
  • 1980 — North Carolina’s Amos Lawrence rushes for 143 yards — his fourth 100-yard effort versus Duke — as the No. 15 Tar Heels win in Chapel Hill, 44-21.
  • 1985 — Wide receiver Doug Green catches three second-half touchdown passes — including two in the final two minutes — to guide Duke past North Carolina, 23-21, in Chapel Hill. Green, who finishes with 10 receptions for 152 yards, grabs the game-winning score from Steve Slayden with just 1:10 left in the game as Duke rallies from a 21-3 late third quarter deficit.
  • 1988 — Duke quarterback Anthony Dilweg concluded his outstanding season by throwing for 362 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-29 victory. The league’s player of the year, Dilweg directed the game-winning, 76-yard drive and concluded with Roger Boone’s six-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds left in the game.
  • 1989 — In Chapel Hill, Duke wraps up the ACC title with a 41-0 win over the Tar Heels. The win, Duke’s seventh straight to close the regular season, is highlighted by Dave Brown’s school-record 479 passing yards. The victory marked Duke’s seventh straight of the season after opening the year with a 1-3 ledger.
  • 1994 — With both teams heading to bowl games, North Carolina closed out the regular season with a 41-40 win over Duke on the strength of a late 71-yard TD pass from Mike Thomas to Octavus Barnes. Duke’s Spence Fischer completes 33-of-57 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns in the contest. Duke’s 60-yard field goal try as time expired fell short.
  • 2002 — Dan Orner boots a 47-yard field goal as time expires to boost North Carolina past Duke, 23-21. The Blue Devils had taken a 21-20 advantage with just over two minutes remaining on Adam Smith’s 33-yard TD pass to Senterrio Landrum.
  • 2003 — Duke darts out to a 23-0 halftime lead and holds on for a 30-22 victory in Chapel Hill, snapping a 13-game Tar Heel winning streak in the series. Duke’s Cedric Dargan and Chris Douglas combine to rush for 171 yards and three touchdowns in the triumph while Matt Zielinski sacked Tar Heel quarterback Darian Durant on North Carolina’s final possession to preserve the win.
  • 2007 — For the first time in the history of the rivalry, the two teams decided the outcome in overtime. Following a missed field goal by Duke, North Carolina won the game with a 25-yard touchdown run for the 20-14 final score
Duke Football

Red zone failures haunt Duke in 30-20 loss to Georgia Tech

ATLANTA - It was the tale of two halves for the Blue Devils in Atlanta, as the Yellow Jackets mounted a second half comeback on their senior day for the 30-20 victory. Anthony Allen led the way for Georgia Tech with 165 yards on the ground, followed by Tevin Washington with 94 yards and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). A 3rd quarter red zone interception and two missed 4th quarter field goals ultimately proved to be too much for the Blue Devils to overcome. In the loss, Sean Renfree finished the day with another 300+ yard passing game, as the receiving trio of Vernon, Varner, and Helfet helped to pick apart the Yellow Jackets' secondary.

On a perfect day for football in Atlanta, the Blue Devils jumped out to a 13-6 first half lead behind two Will Snyderwine field goals and a 20-yard touchdown run by Brandon Connette. A fake punt by Alex King helped the Blue Devil offense extend a drive that ultimately resulted in the Connette touchdown run. Duke got off to a sluggish start as Josh Snead fumbled the first two kickoffs staring into the sun, but t/he Duke defense held Georgia Tech to just a field goal while the offense found its momentum.  In all, the defense held the Yellow Jackets to 125 rushing yards and just 1 of 8 on 3rd downs in the first half. With the Yellow Jackets driving into the red zone late in the first quarter, Matt Daniels forced a fumble by WR Kevin Cone, which was recovered by Kelby Brown. Patrick Egboh also helped to keep the Yellow Jackets at bay with 2 first half sacks.

In the second half, Georgia Tech mounted a comeback behind Allen and Washington, taking a 23-13 lead into the 4th quarter. The key 3rd quarter play came on Duke's first possession of the second half, when Duke was threatening to score thanks to two clutch 3rd down completions to Conner Vernon, including a 36 yard reception. In the red zone, Connette was intercepted at the 15 yard line by Mario Butler, who returned it all 85 yards for the touchdown to put Georgia Tech up 16-13 with 7:11 in the 3rd quarter. The Yellow Jackets would add another touchdown late in the 3rd quarter to take their 23-13 lead heading into the final period.

But the Blue Devils fought back, opening the 4th quarter with an efficient drive capped by a 37 yard TD strike to Austin Kelly to make it 23-20 with 14:06 to play. Matt Daniels forced his second fumble of the day on the ensuing Georgia Tech drive and the Blue Devils recovered. The Duke offense drove down the field thanks to a 28 yard strike to Cooper Helfet, but stalled as Connette failed to convert a 3rd and 1. Snyderwine's 34 yard field goal attempt was wide right, leaving Duke down 3 with 9:20 to play. Georgia Tech aired it out on the next possession, as Washington found Stephen Hill for a 79 yard touchdown, stretching the Jackets' lead to 10. On Duke's final possession, Snyderwine tried another field goal, this time from 54 yards, but came up short. Georgia Tech ate up the clock on their final drive, taking the ball 28 yards in 5:50 against a tired Blue Devil defense, sealing the victory and their 14th consecutive bowl-eligible season.

More post-game coverage to come on BDN.

Duke Football

BDN previews Duke at Georgia Tech

Pic courtesy of my pal Lance King of Lance Images

The Blue Devils (3-7, 1-5 ACC) travel to Atlanta to take on the defending ACC Champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-5, 3-4 ACC) on Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN3. Duke is looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Boston College, while the Jackets look to snap a 3 game losing streak and secure bowl eligibility.

DUKE IN WEEK 11
The Blue Devils fell to Boston College, 21-16 last Saturday in Wallace Wake Stadium, as Duke’s late 4th quarter drive came up 4 yards short in the final minute. The Duke defense yielded 103 yards and a touchdown to the ACC’s leading rusher, Montel Harris, but it was the 230 yards and 2 touchdowns for freshman Chase Rettig that made the difference. The Blue Devils’ offense failed to find the end zone all day, and the Duke running game was completely shut down by the Eagles’ defense. Duke’s lone touchdown came early in the 4th quarter, as Walt Canty forced a fumble by Montel Harris at the 5 yard line, which was recovered by August Campbell and returned 95 yards for the score. It proved to be too little, too late, as Luke Kuechly and the Boston College came away with the victory.

GEORGIA TECH IN WEEK 11
The Ramblin’ Wreck dropped a 35-10 decision to the Miami Hurricanes last Saturday in Atlanta. Tevin Washington made his first start for the Yellow Jackets in place of the injured Josh Nesbitt and threw for 101 yards and led the team in rushing with 122 yards. The Jackets’ only touchdown came on a 22 yard pass to WR Kevin Cone in the 3rd quarter. The Hurricanes’ offense, led by freshman Stephen Morris, put up 5 touchdowns and over 500 total yards on the Georgia Tech defense, including 4 rushing touchdowns and a 79 yard catch by Leonard Hankerson.

ANALYSIS
Inspired by Coach Cutcliffe’s “Seven Key Factors to Football Success,” we’ve taken a different approach to breaking down this week’s matchup.

Turnovers
The statistics here are pretty simple. The Blue Devils have forced 6 turnovers in their 3 wins, while giving away just 1; in their 7 losses, Duke has forced just 10 turnovers, and given the ball away 23 times. When Duke wins the turnover battle, they usually win this year (the Alabama game being the lone exception). For the Yellow Jackets, the turnover story has not been as dramatic, and the Jackets enter the game having forced 17 turnovers and committed 17 turnovers of their own.

Sacks
The Blue Devils have struggled to get penetration into the backfield all season, and rank last in the conference with just 9 sacks; however, 5 of those sacks came in Duke’s 3 wins. Georgia Tech has 15 sacks this season, but has not recorded a sack during their current 3 game losing streak. If Georgia Tech continues this streak, the Blue Devils should have success moving the ball through the air and on the ground. If the Yellow Jackets are able to penetrate the Blue Devils’ offensive line, Alex King may have a long day.

3rd Down Production
Offensively, this is another telling statistic for the Blue Devils in 2010; in their 3 wins, they converted on 61.4% of 3rd downs, while in their 7 losses, they converted just 37.2%. On the season, Georgia Tech has allowed opponents to convert about 40% of third down opportunities, and the Blue Devils will have to convert at least that to sustain drives on Saturday. Conversely, Duke has allowed opponents to convert 39.8% of 3rd downs, which is right about what the Jackets average.

Explosive Plays
Unfortunately, this is a difficult statistic to calculate, as Coach Cutcliffe defines an explosive play as a pass of 16 yards or more, and runs of 11 yards or more. For those that have watched the Blue Devils, though, it’s clear that this has been a statistic that has doomed the Duke defense. Last week against Boston College, Duke gave up 3 explosive runs and 6 explosive passes, and these plays accounted for 2 of the Eagles’ 3 touchdowns. Facing a big, physical back like Anthony Allen is not a favorable matchup for the Blue Devils, and they will have to minimize his explosive play ability.

Rushing TDs
Duke has face two option offenses already this season, and gave up 5 total rushing touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets are extremely adept at scoring on the ground, as their #1 ranked rushing attack has accounted for 24 of the offense’s 32 touchdowns this season. The Blue Devils are fortunate in that they will not have to face QB Josh Nesbitt, who leads the Jackets with 10 rushing touchdowns, but will still have their hands full with Allen, Orwin Smith, and Roddy Jones, a trio which has accounted for 12 rushing TDs this season. Offensively, Duke has significantly improve their rushing attack from a season ago, but still rank last in the ACC in rushing. In their 3 wins, the Blue Devils have scored 12 rushing touchdowns; if Duke is able to run the ball into the end zone, the statistics say it will help their chance of winning.

Field Goals
In the event of a close game, missed field goals can come back to cost a team. Luckily for both Duke and Georgia Tech, their kickers have been nearly flawless in 2010. Scott Blair is 12/14 for the Jackets, and Will Snyderwine is 18/19.

Penalties
The Blue Devils have done a nice job of not beating themselves most of the year, entering the game averaging fewer than 5 penalties per game. The Yellow Jackets have averaged over 6 penalties per game, including 16 total penalties in their last two games. If Duke can stay disciplined, Georgia Tech may help to sustain some Blue Devil drives.

PREDICTION
In general, Duke has struggled against the run this season, yielding almost 200 yards per game on the ground, but they have had some success against the option. Anthony Allen is the type of big, physical back that has given the Blue Devils trouble all season, and the trend is likely to continue Saturday. Georgia Tech has struggled at times defensively this year, and the Blue Devils should be able to move the ball with a balanced attack. If Duke is to come away with a victory, they will need to have big days from their Scott, Snead, and Connette, and may need some help from Georgia Tech QB Tevin Washington, who will be making just his second career start.

GT 34
Duke 24