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Duke Football

As fans meet the 2010 Blue Devils, Cutcliffe exclaims “It’s personal now.”

"We are Duke!" Coach Cutcliffe to the fans who attended Meet the Devils Day in Durham. Photo Rick Crank/BDN

DURHAM - The Duke Football team held their annual Meet the Blue Devils Day Saturday afternoon in Wallace Wade Stadium as fans turned out to get an up close and personal  look at this years team.  After a two hour practice the Duke players gathered on the Wade concourse to sign 2010 posters for fans.

Despite a 4:00 start fans started arriving as early as 2:45 to catch the action possibly because last years event was canceled due to a the swine flu breakout.  Local radio stations were there for the event and as always posters ans schedule magnets were free of charge.

After Cutcliffe addressed the media below, the third year coach headed up top where he addressed the crowd calling the 2000 plus who were there family.  Cutcliffe is serious too in that all you have to do is want to be a part of football to be accepted.

The Duke Wideouts hold up this seasons poster for BDN. - pixbyric

The hardcore fans in attendance took advantage of opportunities to take photos and talk with current players who also enjoyed the event.  But is was one Cutcliffe statement top the crowd which stood out the most.  "It's personal now," said Cutcliffe in a serious tone meaning that his staff and team would work until they get to where they want to be, doubters be darned.

It's clear to see that the football team is more organized than ever which is a testament to a fine staff and the Blue Devils continue to recruit better players than in years past.  And if you want to support this group of hard working young men, then come on out and join in next years festivities for you will surely be welcomed.

But most of you probably do not want to wait until then, so turn out in force for the home opener against Elon to show your support for all the hard work and dedication this group is putting forth.  Season tickets are now sold out but individual tickets remain for all but the Alabama game but keep your hopes up for there is the possibility that they may bring in additional bleachers at the top of Wallace Wade for that game.

We will have a photo gallery up shortly from Meet the Blue Devils Day and interviews with Coach Cutcliffe, Conner Vernon and Duke's Durham Hillside connection, Corey Gattis and Desmond Scott.  Bookmark BDN now for coverage of the Duke Football beat.

Duke Football

Duke Defense highlights scrimmage

BDN Photo

DURHAM, N.C. – Redshirt sophomore Sean Renfree threw for 163 yards while senior linebacker Damian Thornton registered two sacks to highlight Duke’s 90-play situational scrimmage on Friday night at Wallace Wade Stadium.
 
Renfree completed 12-of-23 pass attempts for 163 yards while rushing for one touchdown.  Seven of his completions covered 10 or more yards including a 49-yard strike to junior tight end Cooper Helfet.  Freshman Brandon Connette was six-of-11 through the air for 56 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions while fellow rookie Anthony Boone was six-of-eight on the night for 94 yards and one score.
 
“Offensively, I think our line did a fantastic job the entire scrimmage,” Renfree said.  “We improved overall as we went.”
 
Four receivers – Brandon Braxton (53 yards), Tony Foster (47 yards), Matt Pridemore (38 yards) and Conner Vernon (43 yards) – each caught four passes while Helfet (53 yards) and Corey Gattis (39 yards) had two receptions apiece.  Braxton had two touchdown grabs covering 19 and 14 yards, respectively. 
 
The Duke ground attack was paced by freshman Juwan Thompson, who picked up 39 yards on nine carries.  Redshirt sophomore Patrick Kurunwune and freshman Josh Snead scored touchdowns on runs of five and one yards, respectively.
 
Thornton added a third tackle for loss with his pair of sacks while redshirt freshman defensive end Justin Foxx chipped in two sacks.  A pair of redshirt freshmen cornerbacks – Ross Cockrell and Garett Patterson – carded one interception each.
 
The Blue Devils will host Fan Day on Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium.  Following an open practice from 4-6 p.m., the players and coaches will sign autographs on the stadium concourse.  Complimentary posters and schedule cards will be available while concession stands will be open.  In addition, the popular Coca-Cola Kids' Zone featuring inflatable games will be set up on the stadium concourse.
 
Duke opens the 2010 season at home against Elon on September 4 at 7 p.m.  Tickets are available and may be purchased online at GoDuke.com/tickets or by calling the Duke Athletic Ticket Office at 1-877-375-DUKE (3853).

Duke Football

Duke Football lands sure handed wideout Blair Holliday

Blair HollidayCoach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devil football program received another commitment for the class of 2011 on Monday evening from Blair Holliday, a 6’3” wide receiver from Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. BDN caught up with the sure-handed receiver shortly after his commitment.

“My interest in Duke was based on the academics, I mean, Duke is one of the most prestigious colleges in the country academically. That’s what drew me to it first,” Holliday explained, “but then when I went for my visit, I just loved the family atmosphere. Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Lubick and the whole staff are such a family – I knew that coming from California to North Carolina, that would be hard and I would need that kind of family atmosphere. That’s when I knew it was for me.”

Prior to his commitment to Duke, Holliday had received offers from Boise State, Cal Poly, Colorado State, Northern Arizona, and San Diego State, and also had interest from Boston College, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, and UCLA, Utah, and Washington. In his junior season, Holliday hauled in 48 catches for 857 yards, including 8 touchdowns and a 17.5 yards per catch average. Highlights from his junior year can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nug31hJ-IU4.

Blair continued to elaborate on his decision to attend Duke: “Coach Cutcliffe and the staff have really turned the program around, they’re only getting better and better. One of their receivers last year was a freshman All-American [Conner Vernon], and as a receiver that gets you excited. They told me, ‘we love to throw the ball,’ and that’s why their receivers can have such success.“

In closing, Blair wanted the Blue Devil Nation to know the following: “I’m excited to be a Blue Devil. Whatever they need me to do for the team to be successful, I’ll do it. That’s how you win as a team.”