Tag Archives: Duke Football

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

BDN’s Monday Musings – Hoops starting, recruiting, KI and more

A Monday Musings tradition is our Cheerleader of the Week selection and it has been a hit amongst fans of BDN. Image by my pal Lance King

Good Morning Blue Devil Nation!  It's a rainy day here in the Triangle but that will not stop another edition of Monday Musings.

Basketball is here

When Duke has struggled in football there has been an on going blurb that hoops starts quicker in Durham than anywhere in the country.  Well, when you are the reigning national champion and have a long tradition of kicking butt on the hardwood, return Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler and add Kyrie Irving to the mix, the football team could be 4-0 and the excitement would still be there. 

Countdown to Craziness

You can get tickets to this cherished event by hitting up the Duke Box Office on October 6th and I expect tickets will go quickly.  The event itself is on October 15th and if it is anything like last years and we here it is, it'll knock your royal blue socks off.  I've been around the program for a very long time but I can honestly say that this is as relaxed you'll ever see the coaches and players.  It's a night to celebrate all things Duke but this year, you'll see the new national championship banner making it even better than last seasons event.  Extreme intimacy permeates Cameron Indoor Stadium and you'll be flush with royal blue leaving the event stoked for what should be another great season.

Recruiting continues

Duke will be in home with point guard Quinn Cook tonight and they've made their rounds of late.  We've listed attendees for CTC and talk of recruiting non stop on BDN Premium, so why not join our dedicated members and chat about the latest happenings.

Excitement surrounds the Women's team as well

We'll preview the Duke Women shortly and their is a ton of excitement surrounding the best recruiting class since Alana Beard and company.  This years team will be a mix of young and old and that should make for some exciting moments.  BDN supports the women and will even cover their recruiting in the future, a first among sites.

Football needs some breaks

Duke Football simply needs a few things to go their way on the field against Maryland this weekend where they open as 7.5 underdogs.  The Terps match up very well with this years team, so to win, Duke will have to cut down on those five turnovers against Army.  The Duke defense is rebuilding and the offense needs to take care of the ball and if the team can just get a couple of breaks their way, they can ride those and good things will start to happen.

Kyrie Irving

Well there has been little hype surrounding the New Jersey native these days.  Yeah, right.  It's the fact that Irving is a smoking point guard that has fans excited for he is the best they've had at the position since another Jersey native.  Still though, I think one should temper their expectations for there is a learning curve no matter how talented you are and Krzyzewski alluded to that in a recent press conference.

Pre Season Magazines

Duke is everybody's number one with the exception of TSN who tabs Michigan State, a  team that visits Cameron in December.  Don't be so harsh on Mike DeCourcey thought for he is just trying to be different and this has been their practice in the past when their is a consensus favorite.  There was a time when preview magazines were a big deal and fans would wait their arrival but times have changed thanks to the Internet.  I like a traditional hard copy on occasion but they increasingly come out so late that there is no news we do not know about in them.  Blue Ribbon is a great preview but I am not going to plunk down the bucks to read it when the season starts a week after it hits the stands.  The same goes for those glossy overpriced yearbooks where there is little information fanatical fans do not already know.  I see them more as collectibles these days and if I want to read a preview, I want to do it before Countdown for Craziness and not after.  I highly recommend the championship commemorative put out by Duke Planet though.  It's well worth the money and serves as a reminder to a magical season.  The rest is on line and articles of Duke Basketball are a dime a thousand these day, up a lot since they were a dime a dozen.

Duke Football

BDN’s Sunday Quarterback – Game Review and Thoughts

Photo - Lance King

It was one of those days for the Duke Football team this Saturday, one which the team, coaches and fans want to move on from as soon as possible.  BDN takes a look at yesterday's 35-21 loss to Army and we share some idle thoughts.

You cannot turn the ball over and win

Texas turned the ball over against UCLA yesterday and that helped the Bruins shock the nations fourth ranked team in their own backyard.  Duke turned the ball over five times to Army losing two of two fumbles and throwing three interceptions which all led to scores.   To make matters worse, Army lost three fumbles and recovered each and every one. The bottom line is that you simply cannot win the game shooting yourself in the foot with critical turnovers while the other team does the opposite.  "We have to play mistake free football to compete or win," said Duke Coach David Cutcliffe," and he's absolutely right about that. 

Growing pains for Sean Renfree

That early Army interception of Sean Renfree set up a quick 7-0 deficit for the Blue Devils and a hole they would never recover from.    It was a harbinger of things to come as Renfree had two more interceptions.  It took the second half before he found wideouts besides Conner Vernon and that was the first time we'd seen that kind of performance from him.   Chalk it up as his first tough lesson and remember he is not Thaddeus Lewis who started for four seasons and is now with the St. Louis Rams.  Renfree will learn on the go this season but there are few who doubts his abilities.

Youth is served

You could still mistake Duke freshman Kelby Brown as a high school student and many of the post game media had to ask him who he was.  Brown led the team with six solo tackles and he was in on four assists.  The Duke linebacker showed off what fans can look forward to in the future.  Brown was originally scheduled to redshirt in his first season but has been forced into action.  Leaving the post game press conference I spoke briefly to his parents asking his Dad if he thought the experience of playing as a freshman would lead to future leadership.  We'll have more on that this week. 

Who will step up on the defense?

The Duke defense has struggled early on yet showed better against Army.  One of these kids needs to take on a leadership role.  In short, Duke needs playmakers, guys who create their own breaks.  Duke is sorely missing the big O's on the defensive line, Vinnie Rey behind them and Leon Wright. 

The talked about punt

Duke elected to punt the ball with just under ten minutes to go in the fourth quarter, down 35-21.  It brought about a for the first time, a few boo birds and I pondered the choice myself.  But then you have to think about the fact that the defense had actually played it's best game of the season and that they had to deal with the five aforementioned turnovers and a short field all day long.  Add to that the fact that Duke was struggling moving the ball and Renfree had just thrown three incompletions.  Mix the ingredients and I think Cutcliffe made the right choice.  Had Duke failed to pick up a first down, the Duke defenders who were on the field all day from the lack of offensive continuity would have suffered again and why break that units confidence? 

Next up Maryland

This isn't an ideal match up for Duke in that Coach Friedgen is fighting to keep his job and he has his Terp's off to a 3-1 start.  They are chomping at the bit for revenge from last seasons 17-13 Duke win and want win number four which could set up the kind of season that is needed to save his job.  In order for Duke to compete in this game, I give way to Coach Cut's theory on turnovers and this years squad.

Be patient

Duke fan must show patience with this young team for things will get better but it may be tough  getting there at times.  Duke is rebuilding this season and trying not to burn more redshirts which are critical to long term success.  If they hang in there and we do the same, eventually some good things will happen.  There is talent on this team that simply needs to come together.  We'll see how the team looks when a couple of early breaks go there way and opponents begin to overlook them.

Duke Football

Turnover prone Devils drop a 35-21 decision to Army – Cutcliffe post game audio

Photo courtesy of Lance King Images

DURHAM - You simply cannot turn the football over five times in a game and compete and the Duke Blue Devils learned that the hard way today in a 35-21 loss to Army.  An early Sean Renfree interception led to a quick Army score and the Blue Devils could never regain their footing to stay in the game or later mount a comeback.

You could point to many areas where Duke lost this game and if they had simply protected the ball, they would have been in the game with a chance at victory.   While the season is far from over, it has become obvious that Duke is rebuilding after dropping to 1-3 on the season.  During the post game press conference Cutcliffe stated that this team would now play each game one at a time as if it were a new season.

Considering that Army chewed up 39 plus minutes of the clock, the Duke defense improved on the day alllowing 17 first downs and 333 yards.  Conner Vernon was the stadout stat leader for Duke with 8 catches for 129 yards and 1 touchdown, but it was Renfree's inability to find other recievers which hampered the offenses effort.

Below is Coach Cutcliffes comments via BDN audio.  We'll have more on the game in our Sunday Morning Quarterback edition.

Press play for post game with Cutcliffe -

Duke Football

BDN Previews Army vs Duke

LK Images, BDN Photo

It's Homecoming at Duke, and the Blue Devils will try to end a 2-game losing streak with an important win against a physical Army team on Saturday at 3PM in Wallace Wade Stadium. Tickets are still available through the

Duke Ticket Office and active military personnel can receive two free tickets. The game will also be available on espn3.com. Blue Devil Nation encourages all Duke fans to cheer on the Blue Devils in what should be an exciting rematch of week 2 in 2009. Please note that due to the expected high temperatures at kickoff in Durham, Duke has put the Heat Management Plan into effect. 

Duke in Week 3 

The Blue Devils suffered a lopsided defeat at the hands of the #1 ranked, defending national champions Alabama Crimson Tide. The Duke defense struggled for the third straight week, giving up a total of 62 points and 626 yards of total offense. The Crimson Tide put the game away early, racing to a 28-0 lead, led by the potent offensive combination of Heisman winner RB Mark Ingram (154 yards, 2 TDs), powerful RB Trent Richardson (189 all-purpose yards, 2 TDs), playmaking WR Julio Jones (106 yards, 1 TD), and undefeated QB Greg McElroy (258 yards, 3 TDs). The Duke offense struggled out of the gate, as QB Sean Renfree struggled to find open receivers for big plays to answer the Crimson Tide offense. WR Conner Vernon faced double teams nearly all day, which essentially took him out of the game. There were several bright spots, most notably in the backfield, where the tandem of freshman RB Josh Snead (186 all-purpose yards) and sophomore RB Desmond Scott (128 all-purpose yards) were able to break through the high-pressure Alabama defense. 

Army in Week 3 

The Black Knights are coming off a dominating performance at West Point last Saturday, shutting out North Texas, 24-0. It was Army's first shut out since 2005 and came after giving up 31 points in a loss to Hawaii in week 2. In the second year under head coach Rich Ellerson, the Black Knights' triple option offense and double-eagle flex defense are hitting full stride. Army rushed for 292 yards against North Texas and controlled the clock to pull out the victory. QB Trent Steelman leads the offense, and rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown, along with 75 yards from RB Brian Cobbs. The Black Knights' defense forced two turnovers in the game, an interception and a fumble recovery, holding the Mean Green to 201 yards of total offense. 

Analysis 

Despite the defense's struggles, the Blue Devils enter this game as 6 point favorites. In 2009, Sean Renfree led the Blue Devils to a comeback 35-19 win at West Point. This bodes well for the Duke offense, as Renfree has been praised for his preparation all season, and will now be facing a defense he has seen before for the first time in his young career. For the first time in the past three seasons, Duke appears to have a balanced offensive attack, and it will be essential for the Blue Devils to build on the recent success of their young running backs. Big games for Scott and Snead will take some pressure off the Blue Devil receivers (who have been struggling with drops of late) and most importantly, will keep the Army triple-option off the field. To win this game, Duke must control the game with its offense, and the Blue Devils now have the weapons to do it. An early Duke lead would put the Black Knights offense in an uncomfortable hole; conversely, falling behind early will allow Army to control the game on the ground. 

Army will test the Blue Devils physically on both offense and defense. The Black Knights will try to force turnovers with their unique defensive scheme, led by standout DE Josh McNary. The Blue Devils offensive line must neutralize McNary's pass-rushing ability in order for the offense to be successful. The undersized senior leads the team with 5 sacks and 16 tackles through the first 3 games, after finishing 2009 with 12.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss. The Blue Devils must control the line of scrimmage on offense in order to be successful against the Army defense. 

The biggest challenge is whether the Blue Devils will be able to stop or even slow the Army triple-option. It's no secret that Duke is struggling both physically and mentally on the defensive side of the ball, and the Army option is designed to wear a defense down. The defense has done a fair job of slowing the run off the edge, but has provided little resistance to runs up the middle. Opponents like Army will seek to exploit that weakness; the Black Knights enter the game 7th in the country in rushing at 283 yards per game. With 7 players who have already received more than 10 carries in 2010, Army is loaded with the weapons to wear down a banged-up Blue Devil defense. The burden will be on the linebackers to close the holes and finish tackles; if not, it will be another long and disappointing day for the Duke defense. 

BDN Prediction

Both offenses are likely to have success in imposing their will on the opposing defense, and it will likely be another back-and-forth game for the Blue Devils. Special teams and red zone efficiency could be a big factor in this game, and the Blue Devils will need to continue to make plays in these areas. After a disappointing effort against Alabama, we will learn a lot about the resolve of this Duke team against a physical Army team. If Duke can match the physical play at the line of scrimmage, build an early lead, and come up with a big defensive stand, they might just be able to get back to .500 heading into College Park. 

Duke 35

Army 31

Duke Football

Stats Update: Josh Snead and Lee Butler Shine

Except the lopsided final score, Duke survived the Alabama game from a statistics perspective, which goes a long way toward validating the humorous saying often quoted, “Liars, damn liars, and statisticians.” There is more to football than numbers. However, that is equally true of the final score, which was the result of being overmatched against the best team in the nation. As Coach Cutcliffe stated when he addressed the media, “After getting into the game tape, multiple times, I’m more encouraged than discouraged about our athleticism, future, immediate future…we have some athletes…we have capabilities in place…”

There are several legitimate positive takeaways from Saturday’s loss starting with one offensive category not addressed in last week’s article: rushing offense. Duke is averaging 155.7 yards per game on the ground, which places them at number eight in the ACC and number 61 in the nation. The significance of these rankings is the improvement over last season when Duke was ranked number 120 or last in the FBS. With three games under their belt, all indicators show Duke will be able to run the ball in 2010, a fact with serious implications for defensive coordinators of future opponents who now must prepare a defensive game plan to counter a balanced offensive attack by the Blue Devils.

Desmond Scott and Josh Snead have both shown they can successfully run the ball, and the offensive line has demonstrated the ability to run block. Snead’s 83 yards from scrimmage against the Crimson Tide and Scott’s 129 the previous week against Wake Forest provide Coach Cutcliffe with a tailback tandem to factor into future game plans. Teams which successfully run the ball routinely feature two running backs. Duke has rushed for 467 yards in 2010, which is more than two and a half times the 184 yards Duke totaled during the first three games in 2009.

Punt and kick-off return performance are two more areas which were not addressed in last week’s article. Lee Butler is ranked number 15 in the nation in punt returns. He is averaging 15.25 yards per punt return after three games by returning four punts for 61 yards. Butler is also Duke’s leader in tackles with 21 on the season including six against the Crimson Tide.

Josh Snead is ranked number 31 in the nation in kick-off returns. He is averaging 25.75 yards per kick return by returning four kick-offs for 103 yards. Kick return performance is an area where Duke can gain an advantage over opponents in the critical starting field position statistic.

All statistical rankings quoted throughout this article are from www.theacc.com and www.ncaa.com.

Offensive statistical categories which remain impressive:

1. Total offense: Duke remains impressive in the total offense category by averaging 443.7 yards per game, which ranks number three in the ACC and number 27 in the nation. Performance in this category will climb with the Alabama game in the rear view mirror.

2. Time of possession: At 32 minutes and 27 seconds per game, this statistic is a bit misleading due to Alabama scoring on quick strikes. Duke is number one in the ACC in this category.

3. Third down conversions: successfully converting on 23 out of 48 opportunities (47.9%) is good for a number three ranking in the ACC and number 27 in the nation.

4. Red zone offense: Duke remains at 100 percent success in the red zone scoring eight touchdowns and four field goals in 12 opportunities.

5. First downs: Duke remains number one in the ACC with 71 first downs. The Blue Devils have rushed for 22, passed for 43, and been awarded six via penalties. These numbers result in Duke being tied with Notre Dame at number 16 in the nation.

Defensive statistical categories still need to improve:

1. Total defense: Duke ranks last in the ACC and number 117 in the nation by allowing 510.7 yards of offense per game to opponents.

2. Scoring defense: It is no surprise Duke is last in the ACC giving up an average 47.7 points per game. Those numbers rank number 118 in the nation. This is the statistic Duke must correct as the season moves forward. A defense can afford to bend as long as it does not break; however, Duke has given up way too many points so far this season.

3. Opponent first downs: Duke’s defense ranks last in the ACC and number 115 in the nation by giving up 75 first downs. Opponents have rushed for 33, passed for 36 and been awarded six via penalty.

4. Red zone defense: Opponents have scored on Duke in 13 out of 14 red zone opportunities, but the good news is Duke stopped Alabama once last Saturday. Duke is number nine in the ACC and number 98 in the nation.

5. Turnover margin: With a three to one turnover advantage this past Saturday; Duke now has a plus two (+2) in turnover margin, which is ranked number five in the ACC and number 33 in the nation. While the turnover advantage was irrelevant against Alabama, this remains a key statistic to follow for success on the gridiron.

Noteworthy individual performances:

1. Sean Renfree’s passing efficiency rating dropped to 135.6, which ranks number seven in the ACC and number 51 in the nation. His efficiency rating along with his conference and national rankings should climb moving forward. Renfree threw for 144 yards this past week dropping his season average to 284 yards per game, which is number two in the ACC and number 13 in the nation.

2. Conner Vernon was held to 10 yards on two receptions so his individual national rankings fell. He is number two in the ACC in receiving yards per game at 106.7 and tied with Donovan Varner for number two in the ACC in receptions per game at 6.7. Those numbers rank number 13 and 21, respectively, in the nation.

3. Desmond Scott remains at number two in the ACC in All-purpose yards but drops to number 23 in the nation with 153 yards per game. While he only rushed for 41 yards this past weekend he returned four kick-offs for 59 yards and had 28 yards receiving to total 129 all purpose yards. Scott fell from number one in ACC to number five in rushing yards. His 79.3 yards per game is currently number 54 in the nation.

This week’s contest against the Army Black Knights is a crucial game as the Blue Devils attempt to even their record at 2-2. All eyes are focused upon the defense after they’ve given up 116 points in the previous two games. If Duke is to record a victory over Army, the defense must step up and stop the Cadets offense. Be sure and check back with Blue Devil Nation next week for an updated stats report where we hope to report about improvement on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.