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Duke Football

Duke Coach David Cutcliffe addresses the media

BDN Photo

COACH CUTCLIFFE: Good afternoon. It's a good opportunity for us to have this open date week. Preparation, we need a little extra time for Miami, but more importantly a little extra time on Duke.

Its somewhat like spring practice around here right now. We have a lot of things to show up and a lot of people to grow up, try to get better one practice at a time. With that, I'll take any questions.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Coach, I wanted to ask you about recruiting in the sense that you have a class now that's your fourth-year seniors and your third-year juniors that's very low in numbers for various reasons. How difficult is that to overcome in a program where you have a near hole in your progression of recruiting classes? 

COACH CUTCLIFFE: Well, it is sometimes a little difficult. You try to balance those numbers out. We've looked at that closely.

We're in a situation where we can sign - and the number may vary - but over 20 this year. Next year, looks like the number is going to be real low. Our scholarships are really tight. It puts you in a little bit of a bind. You don't want that to keep reoccurring. It's hard to get out of that.

Between redshirting some, playing some freshmen, that's kind of how we'll balance it over a period of time. We're okay right now. We have a predominantly young football team, as I've said before. 99, including our walk-ons. We've tried to revitalize the walk-on program. We had 99 guys out there in August, and 51 of them were either true or redshirt freshmen.

Q. Isn't that a function of what should be a core class, being small, that you don't get a lot out of what should be one of the guys that are really producing and leading right now?

COACH CUTCLIFFE: Oh, no question. We had some of that left. It didn't work out. Unfortunately, a little bit of dismal circumstances, so it depleted it pretty rapidly. We're not a junior college recruiting program. That's the other way you try. I've been a part of that before, where we had to beef up some lean classes with JC guys. Cooper Helfet certainly helped that with the junior class. That's not going to happen very often at Duke.

Q. David, how is your tight end position evolving this year? Looks like Brett has missed some time with injuries, but other guys moved up on the depth chart in that area.

COACH CUTCLIFFE: Brandon King and Cooper Helfet are doing the bulk of the play. Brett has been out for some time now with a knee. He was injured in practice. So he's missed three ballgames. Hopefully we get Brett back.

But Brandon and Cooper are a little different model. Coop is more of the lean receiver and can run. Brandon is a little bit of a fullback/tight end type guy. We have a lot of guys that play a lot of positions for us and play versatile positions for us. It's one that we're growing the model. Not quite where we want to be, but I'm pleased with those guys and certainly what Coach Middleton has gotten done with that position.

Q. Is it possible Brett will be back for your next game?

COACH CUTCLIFFE: We're kind of day to day. I mean, between this open day, he has a little bit of running in today for the first time. I don't know if that's going to compute in him being able to get back out and practice, but there's a chance he'll play..

Q. On Miami ...

COACH CUTCLIFFE: Miami is a large amount of time, two-back big personnel. Kind of have to look at both worlds a little bit against them. But it's something we do like. It's something we did a lot at Ole Miss with great success. We're hopefully kind of going to be able to grow that model with young guys like Anthony Young-Wiseman, Jordon Byas, Taylor Sowell, some other safety types that are guys that are physical enough to play in linebacker, but yet can play man-to-man coverage and do a lot of things in the secondary as well for us.

Duke Basketball

Singler and Smith top Wooden Award List

Los Angeles- The John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list was announced today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club.  The list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. The Women's Preseason list will be released later this week.

Returning players from past Wooden Award ballots include four seniors: Duke's Kyle Singler (2009, 2010), Robbie Hummel of Purdue (2008, 2010), Kalin Lucas of Michigan State (2009, 2010) and BYU's Jimmer Fredette (2010). Singler was the MVP of the 2010 Final Four, leading the Blue Devils to the NCAA title in averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds his junior season. Hummel was a 2008 and 2010 All-Big 10 selection, and also a two-time Academic All-Big 10 pick who averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 2010. Lucas is considered among the nation's top point guards after leading the Spartans in scoring (14.8 ppg) and assists (4.0 ast) during their Final Four campaign a year ago. Fredette was his team's top scorer (22.1 ppg) and playmaker (4.7 ast) and was an All-MWC player as a junior.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason
list. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be
evaluated and considered for December's Midseason list and the official
voting ballot released in March. The National Ballot consists of
approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they
are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a
cumulative 2.0 GPA.  The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced
the week of the "Elite Eight" round during the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue (Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore) was the only school with
three players named to the Wooden Award preseason Top 50. Five schools had
two players chosen to the list: Colorado (Alec Burks, Cory Higgins); Duke
(Singler, Nolan Smith); Gonzaga (Steven Gray, Elias Harris); Michigan State
(Lucas, Durrell Summers); Syracuse (Kris Joseph, Brandon Triche).

Eleven conferences are represented on the Wooden Award Preseason List.
Leading the way is the Big 10 (10), followed by the ACC (8), Big East (7),
SEC (3), Big 12 (7), Pac-10 (6), Atlantic 10 (3), Mountain West (2), West
Coast (2); and Conference USA, and the Horizon League with one apiece.

The 35th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement
of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, a special tribute to Coach
Wooden and Wooden Award founder Duke Llewellyn, and the presentation of the
Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take
place the weekend of April 8-10, 2011.
About the John R. Wooden Award

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball.  It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and
maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA.  Previous winners include such
notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Blake
Griffin ('09) and Maya Moore of Connecticut ('09). Ohio State's Evan Turner and Connecticut's Tina Charles won the Award in 2010.

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a
million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of
the All American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000
underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the
Award's name.   Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament.  The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on the Friday prior to the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.

Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by
logging on to www.WoodenAward.com.  For more information on the John R.
Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5206 or email at woodenaward@laac.net.

2010-11 John R. Wooden Award
Preseason Top 50 List

Name    Height  Class   Position        University      Conference
Ty Abbott       6-3     Sr.     G       Arizona State   Pac-10
Lavoy Allen     6-9     Sr.     F       Temple  Atlantic 10
Kevin Anderson  6-0     Sr.     G       Richmond        Atlantic 10
Talor Battle    6-0     Sr.     G       Penn State      Big Ten
Kenny Boynton   6-2     So.     G       Florida SEC
William Buford  6-5     Jr.     G       Ohio State      Big Ten
Alec Burks      6-6     So.     G       Colorado        Big 12
Randy Culpepper 6-0     Sr.     G       UTEP    Conference USA
Malcolm Delaney 6-3     Sr.     G       Virginia Tech   ACC
LaceDarius Dunn 6-4     Sr.     G       Baylor  Big 12
Kim English     6-6     Jr.     G       Missouri        Big 12
Corey Fisher    6-1     Sr.     G       Villanova       Big East
Jimmer Fredette*        6-2     Sr.     G       Brigham Young   Mountain
West
Austin Freeman  6-4     Sr.     G       Georgetown      Big East
Ashton Gibbs    6-2     Jr.     G       Pittsburgh      Big East
Steven Gray     6-5     Sr.     G       Gonzaga West Coast
Jordan Hamilton 6-7     So.     G/F     Texas   Big 12
Elias Harris    6-7     So.     F       Gonzaga West Coast
Jeremy Hazell   6-5     Sr.     G       Seton Hall      Big East
John Henson     6-10    So.     F       North Carolina  ACC
Cory Higgins    6-5     Sr.     G       Colorado        Big 12
Tyler Honeycutt 6-8     So.     F       UCLA    Pac-10
Robbie Hummel*  6-8     Sr.     F       Purdue  Big Ten
JaJuan Johnson  6-10    Sr.     F/C     Purdue  Big Ten
Kris Joseph     6-7     Jr.     F       Syracuse        Big East
Kawhi Leonard   6-7     So.     F       San Diego State Mountain West
Jon Leuer       6-10    Sr.     F       Wisconsin       Big Ten
Kalin Lucas*    6-1     Sr.     F       Michigan State  Big Ten
Shelvin Mack    6-3     Jr.     G       Butler  Horizon League
Demetri McCamey 6-3     Sr.     G       Illinois        Big Ten
E'Twaun Moore   6-4     Sr.     G       Purdue  Big Ten
Marcus Morris   6-9     Jr.     F       Kansas  Big 12
Jacob Pullen    6-0     Sr.     G       Kansas State    Big 12
John Shurna     6-8     Jr.     F       Northwestern    Big Ten
Kyle Singler*   6-8     Sr.     F       Duke    ACC
Chris Singleton 6-9     Jr.     F       Florida State   ACC
Nolan Smith     6-2     Sr.     G       Duke    ACC
Tracy Smith     6-8     Sr.     F       North Carolina State    ACC
Durrell Summers 6-5     Sr.     G       Michigan State  Big Ten
Jeffery Taylor  6-7     Jr.     G/F     Vanderbilt      SEC
Isaiah Thomas   5-9     Jr.     G       Washington      Pac-10
Trey Thompkins  6-10    Jr.     F       Georgia SEC
Klay Thompson   6-6     Jr.     G       Washington State        Pac-10
Joe Trapani     6-8     Sr.     F       Boston College  ACC
Brandon Triche  6-4     So.     G       Syracuse        Big East
Nikola Vucevic  6-10    Jr.     F       USC     Pac-10
Kemba Walker    6-1     Jr.     G       Connecticut     Big East
Derrick Williams        6-8     So.     F       Arizona Pac-10
Jordan Williams 6-10    So.     F       Maryland        ACC
Chris Wright    6-8     Sr.     F       Dayton  Atlantic 10
(Based on a preseason poll. Players listed alphabetically.)
*indicates player chosen to the 2010 Wooden Award ballot

Duke Football

BDN’s Sunday Quarterback

Special to BDN from Lance King Images

The Duke Blue Devils dropped to 1-4 on the season with a 21-16 loss at Maryland and BDN takes a look at the game -

Turnover issues haunt Duke

Coach Cutcliffe has made it clear that Duke must win the battle of turnovers to win and once again Duke had two critical interceptions kill drives.  The worst one was a third down  interception at the Maryland 17 yard line with Duke leading 9-0 with minutes left in the half.  Maryland went on a long drive as time ran out where they score a touchdown and take momentum into the locker room.  Had Duke played it safe and gone for the field goal, they would have had a 12-0 lead and later in the game a field goal would have sent it to overtime.  Then again, a 16-0 lead would have crushed the Terps confidence.

Failure to take advantage of red zone opportunities

Duke was in the red zone four times in the first half and scored just 9 points.  The Blue Devils are having trouble finding the end zone of late and if just one of those went into the end zone it would have changed the complexion of the game. 

Another tough third quarter showing

The half ending touchdown allowed Maryland to seize momentum in the 3rd quarter and Duke only adjusted as the period was running out.  Not sure what to make of this other than until they win the battle in the third the spiral will likely continue.  Maryland outscored the Devils 7-0.

Duke outplayed the Terps

Duke outgained the home team 399-294 yards and 70 of those came on one big play.  Duke also had 21 first downs to Maryland's 14.

Big plays were brutal

The punt return for a touchdown and a big pass play both resulted in Terp touchdowns.  Nuff said.

Special teams not so special

We talked about the punt coverage where the lead gunner was faked out and the rest of the team offered no support.  The Devils punted 4 times for a net average of 23.5 yards.

Take away one big play and the defense was solid

The Duke defense stymied Maryland for most of the first half and take away the big pass play for a touchdown and the D held their opponent to just over 200 total yards, a vast improvement.

Youngsters made big plays

True freshman Kelby Brown was in on some key 3rd down stops and Walt Canty played his best game of the season.  Another freshman, Brandon Braxton had two key receptions on drives and Sydney Sarmiento played wel on the defensive front.

Snyderwine back in the groove

After struggling in the pre season, Will Snyderwine had a sweet stroke on his three made field goals.

Off week ahead

Duke will have a chance to gain more practice reps and rest for the ACC's highest ranked team in Miami two weeks down the road. 

 

Duke Football

BDN Previews Duke at Maryland

Duke Running Backs - BDN Photo

Duke (1-3) will travel to College Park for the first time since 2003 on Saturday to try and put a stop to their disappointing 3-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Maryland Terrapins (3-1) will look to extend their winning streak to 3 games, while avenging last season’s loss in Durham. The showdown in Byrd Stadium presents the young Blue Devils with an opportunity to overcome their early season struggles and turn their season around as they head to their bye week.

Duke in Week 4
Duke fell to Army, 35-21 in last week’s Homecoming game in Wallace Wade Stadium. Turnovers were the story of a forgettable day for first-year starting QB Sean Renfree, who threw three interceptions and added a fumble. The Blue Devils finished with five turnovers, and were just 1 of 8 on third down. Conner Vernon continued his strong start, finishing with 8 catches for 129 yards and a late touchdown, though he also added a fumble of his own. The defense showed improvement from earlier contests, holding the potent Army rushing attack to 3.8 yards per carry, but did give up two big touchdown passes in the 3rd quarter, which sealed the win for the Black Knights. After a strong performance against Alabama, freshman LB Kelby Brown continued his strong play, leading the Blue Devils with 10 tackles.

Maryland in Week 4
Filling in for the injured Jamarr Robinson, ACC Freshman of the Week Danny O’Brien led the Terrapins to a 42-28 victory over Florida International. The redshirt-freshman QB finished 18 for 27 for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Terrapin offense scored on 4 plays of greater than 50 yards, including big runs from Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett, and a 68 yard strike to standout WR Torrey Smith. It was a mixed day for the Terrapin defense, which came away with two interceptions, held FIU to 2.9 yards per carry, but gave up 355 passing yards.

Analysis
Momentum appears to be in the Terrapins’ favor, who have already eclipsed last year’s 2-win mark and are thirsty for revenge after a sloppy 17-13 loss to Duke in 2009. The Army loss was deflating for this Duke team and its fanbase, but a win in College Park would go far to restore the confidence of this team and the Blue Devil faithful.

The Terrapin offense will present a significant challenge for a struggling and banged up Blue Devil defense. Maryland boasts one of the most balanced offenses Duke will see in 2010, entering the contest at 4th in the ACC in scoring, while also averaging an almost even 160 yards rushing and 160 yards passing per game. While O’Brien, a player Coach Cutcliffe recruited, has earned the start, Robinson is also expected to be available, giving the Terrapins a dynamic passing/rushing tandem under center. The duo of Scott and Meggett lead the rushing attack, which has averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored 7 touchdowns in 2010. The best way to contain the Terrapin offense, however, would be to find a way to slow Torrey Smith. Smith already has 5 receiving touchdowns on the year (including 4 in his last two games) and is second in the ACC in receiving yards behind Duke’s Conner Vernon. Duke’s defense is allowing 237 passing yards per game and has already given up 10 receiving touchdowns. While they don’t turn the ball over, the Terrapins do lead the ACC in penalty yards, a trend the Blue Devils hope will continue on both sides of the ball Saturday.

In summary, defensive keys for Duke:

1. Limit big plays for the Terrapins by slowing Smith and finishing tackles against the run.
2. Bring pressure. The Terrapins gave up 8 sacks in week 3 to West Virginia.
3. Play tough on 3rd down. Maryland enters the game last in the ACC in 3rd down conversions.

Just as Duke will have its hands full with the Maryland offense, the Blue Devil offense should bounce back and challenge an inconsistent Terrapin defensive unit. The game will feature the ACC’s top red zone offense (Duke, 13/13) against the ACC’s top red zone defense (Maryland, 10/18). Florida International demonstrated that it’s possible to throw the ball against the Terrapin defense, which is allowing 186 passing yards on the year (which includes a game against run-heavy Navy). The defense is anchored by an impressive group of linebackers, led by senior Alex Wujciak, who enters the game second in the ACC in tackles at 12.2 per game. The Terrapin defense has forced an impressive 10 turnovers on the year, but has just 5 sacks, allows nearly 200 rushing yards per game, and ranks last in the ACC in 3rd down defense.

In summary, offensive keys for Duke:

1. Take care of the football. Turnovers doomed the Blue Devils last week and the Terrapins defense is hungry for takeaways.
2. Keep the offense balanced. Renfree to Vernon has been a pretty thing to watch so far in 2010, but Duke’s other receivers have been inconsistent. Duke needs to get a few more of their receiving weapons going while also allowing Scott and Snead to break some big runs to really open things up.
3. Move the chains and convert in the red zone. This looks like a game where 3rd down and red zone conversions will be the deciding factor.

In closing, the Blue Devils should also be wary of Tony Logan, the ACC’s leading punt returner, who took one to the house last week for 85 yards. In contrast, Coach Cutcliffe insists the Blue Devils have been close to a return TD themselves, and a big special teams play will swing the momentum.

BDN Prediction
Every week presents an opportunity for the young Blue Devils to turn things around, and the trip to College Park would be as good a time as any with a bye week looming. After showing improvement on defense against Army, the defense will face a stiffer test in a balanced Maryland attack. Allowing big plays and turning the ball over are trends that need to be reversed for the Blue Devils to stay competitive. Coach Cutcliffe has praised the character and work ethic of his young team, and it will have to be on full display in a hostile environment Saturday evening. The margin for error is slim, but the BDN consensus is that the Blue Devils will pull together for a hard-fought and much-needed conference win.

The BDN Football staff split 2-1 in favor of Duke on this one and the consensus pick was Duke 34  Maryland 33

Duke Basketball

Countdown to Craziness Tickets Set To Go On Sale

Single Game Tickets Go On Sale Oct. 6

Can Nolan Smith bring the house down with his antics again this season? The only way to know is to be there! - BDN Photo

DURHAM, N.C. -- Tickets to the Duke men's basketball season opening event, Countdown to Craziness, on Friday, Oct. 15 are on sale now at www.GoDuke.com/tickets <http://www.GoDuke.com/tickets> . Countdown to Craziness begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be shown by ESPNU during its Midnight Madness coverage.

ESPNU's Midnight Madness special will feature extensive whip-around coverage from top college basketball programs around the nation beginning at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU HD. ESPN platforms have been covering Midnight Madness events since 1993, with this season marking the fifth consecutive year on ESPNU.

Countdown to Craziness will feature the annual Blue-White game, a dunk contest, performances by several campus groups, new videos from Duke University Improv, as well as videos highlighting Duke's storied basketball tradition and the unveiling of the 2010 National Championship banner.

Single game tickets for the Cal Poly Pomona (Nov. 4), Elon (Dec. 20) and Alabama-Birmingham (Jan. 5) contests go on sale online at www.GoDuke.com/tickets <http://www.GoDuke.com/tickets>  on Wednesday, Oct. 6 at 8:30 a.m.

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