Tag Archives: Duke Football

Duke Football

Duke looking to win back-to-back road games

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Duke travels to Winston-Salem this Saturday for an afternoon showdown with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Wake enters the game as a 7.5 point favorite despite coming off back-to-back losses to Maryland and Miami. The Demon Deacons have lost three of their last four games after opening the season with three victories. Wake Forest has been ranked as high as number 15 in the USA Today poll this season, but fell out of the top 25 after their Week 8 loss to Maryland. Duke will be attempting to win back-to-back road games for the first time since the 1994 season.

Both teams enter the game with four wins and three losses, and they have played two common opponents: Navy and Miami. Duke beat Navy, 41-31, in Durham, while Wake Forest lost, 24-17, at home in Winston-Salem. Both teams lost to Miami. Duke dropped a 49-31 decision at home, while Wake Forest lost, 16-10, in Coral Gables. In discussing the game, Duke Coach David Cutcliffe said, "The challenges continue to get bigger – we’re playing a Wake Forest team that’s very talented, a very experienced team. They can beat you a lot of ways, they can beat you with their defense, they can beat you with their kicking game, and they can certainly beat you with their offense."

Wake Forest is struggling on offense and is currently last in the ACC in scoring at 17.4 points per game. The Demon Deacons are ranked 10th in total offense averaging 303.7 yards per game. Like Duke, they have struggled to run the football. Wake is 10th in rushing offense averaging 109 yards per game on the ground. Over their first six games, Wake Forest ran out of the spread offensive set, but against Miami they shifted to the Power I and rushed the ball 52 times for 195 yards. Tailback Josh Adams ran for a career high 111 yards on 21 carries. This complicates Duke's defensive preparation for the game as they must be prepared to defend both offensive sets on Saturday.

The Wake Forest players held a players only meeting this week to discuss the recent tough losses and ensure everyone was focused toward the five remaining games. At Tuesday’s press conference, Coach Jim Grobe discussed the meeting, "Our seniors are running out of time. We’ve got five games left. I think they feel a little bit of pressure right now to perform down the stretch." Coach Grobe also discussed the spread offense saying it hurt them against Navy and Maryland, and then stated the offense wasn’t diverse enough in the loss to Miami. "A little bit of balance would be good."

Duke has allowed opponents to score 21.1 points per game while gaining 341 yards. They have given up an average of 193 yards through the air and 148 on the ground per game. Duke’s defense gave up over 200 yards on the ground to Georgia Tech (224) and Navy (207), but was much stingier in their other five games by allowing an average of 122 yards rushing per game. Shutting down Wake’s rushing game will be a priority so Duke can win the Time of Possession battle and keep the defense rested and effective through the Fourth Quarter.

Linebackers Michael Tauiliili and Vincent Rey are number one and three in the ACC, respectively, for tackles. They will need big games this weekend to ensure the Demon Deacons continue to struggle offensively. Duke has 11 interceptions on the year but injuries are starting to take a toll on the secondary. Leon Wright aggravated a hamstring problem against Vanderbilt and Lee Butler is banged up. Defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk recorded two quarterback sacks in the Vanderbilt game and he and the rest of the defensive line are going to have to apply pressure to Wake Forest Quarterback Riley Skinner. Duke has recorded 13 sacks on the season.

Duke has struggled in the Red Zone this year and must improve in this area to be successful in November. Over the first seven games of the season, Duke is last in the ACC in red zone offense scoring 18 times out of 29 opportunities. Coach Cutcliffe has stated this team will be defined by their performance in November and if Duke is going to win games against ACC opponents in November they must take better advantage of scoring opportunities. Last week Duke blocked a punt and took possession on Vanderbilt’s 13 yard line and ended up with zero points after a missed field goal. Earlier in the game, Michael Tauiliili intercepted a pass in Vanderbilt territory, but Duke failed to convert the turnover into points.

In an earlier interview with Blue Devil Nation, Duke Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis discussed the game, "I think consistency and execution will be the key in this game and the team that has the fewest mistakes will win." It might be more accurate to say the team that takes advantage of their opponent’s mistakes will win.[/private]

Duke Football

Quick Hitter – Thaddeus Lewis talks Vandy win and Wake looming

[private]What do you think about what happened two years ago at Wake Forest?

Heartbreaking.  We thought we had it in the bag.  As a freshman, I didn't think much of it because I knew I had three more years.  It probably hurt those seniors that year, but looking back on it - it hurt going down the stretch that season.

Do you consider Wake a rival?

I would think so.  Going back to the last two games we played against Wake Forest - losing by one point and losing by five ... I remember all that.

With the two bye weeks, Duke hadn't tasted a victory in a month going into the Vanderbilt game.  Was this on the team's minds or did you see any sign that the team could get back to their old way of thinking with concerns to confidence?

Not at all.  Coach Cut is not going to let you get back to your old ways.  The first thing he said was we are not going back to the old ways around here.  One thing he said was emphasizing how we came out of the tunnel against James Madison - believing we could win.  He told us to go back to that moment and we came out that same way against Vanderbilt.  He also told us to remember what it felt like to go back in with a victory.  We have some seniors stepping up and they want to go out with a bang,

Is the team thinking bowl at this point?

Not at all.  You know, coach always says it's a one game season and we focus on that team.

Wake has got off to a good start against Duke in the past.  Is there an emphasis on coming out of the gate quick this week?

It's not about just getting off to a good start, but staying hot the whole game.  We got off to a good start my freshman year, but we ended the game poorly.  We had to come back the next season.  I think consistency and execution will be the key in this game and the team which has the fewest mistakes will win.

You had a couple of receivers missing, did that effect the game plan versus Vanderbilt?

Not at all.  We expect that if one person goes down, that another steps up.  So, we didn't alter the game plan or anything like that.

You suffered a few sacks in the Vandy game.  Was that the line, the receivers routes ... a combination of things?

The line was doing what it had to do.  Me knowing my protection and knowing where I'm hot (apt to take hits) came in to play.  I moved out and I have to be accountable for that.  It was a learning experience because we haven't faced a team that blitzes that much.  I'm pretty sure teams will watch the film and incorporate all those things, but we watched films to and I know what's coming and that I will have to be accountable for those things if the protection breaks down.[/private]

Duke Football

Cutcliffe talks win over Vanderbilt, injuries and preparation for Wake Forest

[private]Cutcliffe's opening statement - It's easier to recruit after a win, I can tell you that!  I'm real proud of our team.  We made a lot of errors and I will take the credit for those which good football teams never make.  I think if you ask our players though, the game was never in doubt.  We played with tremendous grit and determination.  Whatever adversity we might have faced - they were up for it.  The kicking game was off the charts, the defense tremendous and some very timely offense.  Again, if we hadn't of had the errors it could have been a really well played game - it should have been a very well played game.

 You talked about recruiting ... can you elaborate a little bit on what this means for recruiting?  (Mark Watson, BDN)

I think people that are out there in general, whether it's high school coaches or prospects understand that things are changing and that it's going to continue to change.  It means I'm proud of this team and what it's doing.  There is a lot of work left to do, we all know that, but I think people can see that we are going to have success here at Duke and that encourages a lot of people that want to see this program do well.

How important was it in terms of taking steps and progressing for those guys to be able to win that game on the road after back to back losses?  (Heather Dinich, ESPN)

I think it refers to everything we preach.  The more difficult it is, the better the opportunity.  We kind of take that approach in practice in that it's difficult to get through it.  There was never a doubt in mind that we were ready to play.  They took the challenge.

With injuries to Wright and Butler, did you have enough players to go to a Dime (defense) if you needed to? (Lucie Chavez, News and Observer)

We were really limited to five (defensive backs) that we have to play with .  We are looking into adjustments with concern to the rest of the season.  There are a lot of circumstances we have where we are thin.  We are thinning as the season progresses.

Are you getting any idea of how the injuries ...

We're getting some images on Leon (Wright) and Lee (Butler) That's all still day to day.

Are there other position groups where you are in that groove now?  (Brian Strickland, Herald Sun)

Well, we didn't take two receivers to Nashville, Chestnut and Kelly.  We have a few bumps and bruises there as well.  You just hope people stay well.  Eron has a torn ligament in his thumb and we are just going to be thin in a few places.  It's that time of the year.  I just told our team a little while ago that this is when we are all defined in college football.  Every team has injuries and some of the other kids don't feel great. This is the time of year where you have to be at your best.  Whatever teams that have some backups step up in key roles - that's the team that will be successful down the stretch.  Chris Rwabukamba did that for us on Saturday and he got a standing ovation for doing so.

On relationships with the media ... (Ben Cohen, Duke Chronicle)

I've had a good relationship with most of the media.  You get a lot of good people, intelligent people that you work with and I admire talented people.  The only thing I don't like is sarcasm.  I think people that are consistently sarcastic probably don't have much else to say in their life.  That's just a real negative way to do business.

These kids haven't won this many games in their entire career.  How long do you let them enjoy this win before you move on to Wake Forest? (Mark Watson, BDN)

We've already moved to Wake Forest.  We had a team meeting and I visited with them about that game.  We watch a tape on offense and defense.  After that's put to bed, it's 100% Wake Forest.  We'll go out tonight and work on Wake exclusively.  We might correct some mistakes where we are working on Duke tonight, because we had a number of them.  We are going to jump start into the kicking game and some situations with Wake tonight and then we will do a few two minute drills.  I want them to enjoy the win and hopefully they did it the right way.  Today should be a little bit upbeat.  They should have a little bounce in their step.  They've worked out with weights already.  I think we'll run them tonight ... I think after we run them that they'll move forward.  They're always looking forward to moving on after a Sunday night run.[/private]

Duke Football

Gridiron Devils serve notice with win at Vandy – Hoops can wait!

[private]Normally this time of year marks the beginning of basketball season in Durham.  The stage was set once again when the Duke Men's Basketball team walloped Virginia Union on Saturday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Just seconds after that win, the Duke Football team received the kickoff in Nashville, Tennessee against previously ranked Vanderbilt.

The Commodores had Duke in as a supposed sacrificial lamb for their homecoming and were ten point favorites.  A win would make Vandy bowl eligible and they had quite a streak going against the Blue Devils.  The majority of the fanbase and the nation thought it would be business as usual and that Duke would sport a losing record at days end.

Nobody told David Cutcliffe that it was basketball season.  Nope, he didn't get that memo.  Nor did anyone tell him that football usually folds up in late October.  Instead he served notice to the aforementioned fans and the nation that it's still football season in Durham.  Duke held on for an important 10-7 victory on Saturday pushing their record to 4-3 on the season.

The game certainly wasn't a work of art but the bottom line is that Duke dug down deep in a hostile environment and did what it takes to win.  In the process, Duke showed it is far from done and that they still have some fight left for the stretch run.

You can't blame some of the fans for their apathy.  If one were to add the bye weeks in with losses to Miami and Georgia Tech, they would realize it had been four weeks on Saturday since Duke tasted victory.  Many felt it would be hard to stop the slide in that they are still hanging on to a losing culture.  That's something fans were familiar with having been through more winless seasons in one decade than any school should go through in their history.

That said, make no mistake, the victory in Nashville is huge in many ways.   All of a sudden, Duke is going into next weeks Wake Forest game with spring in their step and there is reason to believe that it's indeed the "Dawn of a New Day."  Duke has now won on the road and defeated a team that has been playing good football.  It's the kind of spark which can carry over into November where Duke takes on its three in state rivals.  More importantly, it's a game where they can point to when on the recruiting trail.

So, let's get a good crowd on the road to Winston Salem this week and win or lose, let's pack the stadium when NC State comes to town.  Basketball season can be put on hold for a few weeks and in case you haven't noticed Duke is over .500 more than halfway through their season.[/private]

Duke Football

Tough defense drops Vanderbilt 10 – 7

[private]Chris Rwabukamba intercepted a Mackenzie Adams pass at the one yard line with 46 seconds left in the game to thwart a Vanderbilt comeback attempt and preserve a 10 - 7 Duke victory. With the road victory, the Blue Devils improve to 4 - 3 on the year and end a six game losing streak against the Commodores. For Coach David Cutcliffe, it is his first road victory since taking over the helm at Duke.

Duke was unable to capitalize on Vanderbilt mistakes throughout the game. Michael Tauiliili intercepted Adams on Vanderbilt's third play from scrimmage but Duke fumbled the snap on a field goal attempt and came away with zero points. Just before halftime, Duke blocked a Vanderbilt punt and took possession on the Commodores 13 yard line. A fumbled snap and penalty on the offense were followed by a missed 43 field goal attempt. In the third quarter, Vanderbilt fumbled a punt resulting in Duke starting off from the Vanderbilt 15 yard line. Duke failed to move the ball as Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis was sacked but this time Nick Maggio converted the field goal and Duke expanded their lead to 10 - 0.

Duke's defense shutdown Vanderbilt's offense for most of the game with the Commodores only points coming on a 79 yard pass from Adams to wide receiver Sean Walker. For the game, Duke held Vanderbilt to 291 total yards and held the Commodores to 81 rushing yards. Duke was able to consistently pressure Quarterback Adams sacking him four times to compliment the two interceptions.

On offense, Duke achieved success with the short pass play. Thaddeus Lewis was 21 - 36 for 222 yards and a touchdown. Four Blue Devils caught multiple passes: Eron Riley caught nine passes for 83 yards, Johnny Williams caught four for 39 yards, Tony Jackson caught three for 74 yards and a touchdown, and Donovan Varner caught two for 12 yards. Duke struggled to run the ball and was held to 28 yards on the ground. Thaddeus Lewis was sacked five times for 37 yards with the yards being counted against the running game.

This was a big win for the Duke football team. With five games remaining the Blue Devils need at least two more wins and possibly three wins in order to secure a bid to a post season bowl game. If Duke is going to win those two or three more games this season, they must continue to improve week-to-week. The red zone offense is one area where Duke struggled today and Coach Cutcliffe will certainly address that issue in practice this week.

Next up for the Blue Devils is a trip to Winston-Salem to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-3). Duke has not won a conference game on the road since beating North Carolina 30 -22 on November 22, 2003. Duke has already broken a couple of streaks this season and they will be looking to end the road conference game losing streak against Wake Forest next Saturday.[/private]

Duke Football

On the road again…Duke at Vanderbilt

[private]Duke (3-3) takes to the road this weekend for a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores. This will be Duke's second road game this season. Vanderbilt (5-2) opened the season with five straight victories but has dropped back-to-back in conference road games the past two weeks. There are still tickets available for $22 so anyone interested in traveling to Nashville to root on the Blue Devils should call (615) 322-GOLD.

The Commodores are averaging 23 points and 249 yards of offense per game. They have executed 399 plays from scrimmage with 65 percent being running plays and 35 percent pass plays. Vanderbilt has scored 19 touchdowns with 12 coming via the run and seven via the pass. Quarterbacks Mackenzi Adams (4) and Chris Nickson (3) have also thrown seven interceptions. Nickson has also rushed for six touchdowns this season. Adams replaced Nickson as the Commodores starting QB prior to their game against Georgia, as Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson attempted to improve Vanderbilt's passing game. Vanderbilt is last in the SEC in passing offense and total offense. Adams threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions in the 24-14 loss to the Bulldogs.

Vanderbilt has a big offensive line. Right guard Eric Hensley and left tackle Kyle Fischer recently joined the starting line-up and each are listed as 6'6" and over 300 pounds. In post game interviews, after the loss to Georgia, Coach Johnson stated, "Our offensive line played a whole lot better...We were a lot more physical…We've got some guys in there that sort of understand what we're trying to get done on the offensive line...We're looking for people that want to do what we're suppose to do..."

On the defensive side of the ball, Vanderbilt leads the SEC in interceptions (13) and sacks (19). They are also the least penalized team in the SEC, and ranked second in both Red Zone offense and defense. The Commodores have a +7 turnover margin. Their defense has yielded 17.4 points and 318 yards per game this season.

As far as Special Teams are concerned, Vanderbilt punter Brett Upson was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 44.6 yards on seven punts against Georgia.

For Duke, last Saturday’s second half meltdown against Miami marked the second game in a row in which the Blue Devils did not execute in the second half. Coach Cutcliffe stated in post game interviews that he wouldn’t allow anyone to back off the throttle and that he didn’t plan on being very patient.

With Vanderbilt seemingly in position to contain Duke’s passing game, it is paramount that Duke is able to run the ball. Against Miami, Duke ran the ball for 144 yards and they’re going to need to replicate that performance against Vanderbilt. This is a game where Duke must run to setup the pass.

Team health is a question mark for Duke going into the weekend so this week’s injury report is invaluable information. At wide receiver, Eron Riley is nursing a bad thumb and Johnny Williams missed the Miami game with a dental abscess. Having both these receivers healthy and available would be nice.

The match-up against Vanderbilt will be tough and Duke must execute for 60 minutes on both sides of the ball in order to leave Nashville with a victory. The game is going to revolve around the standard clichés: controlling the line of scrimmage, turnovers, and taking advantage of opportunities. If Duke can play for four quarters, they have an opportunity to win, but any performance less than stellar could very well result in a long afternoon for the Blue Devils.

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