Hollingsworth and Boyette chat before Saturday's scrimmage - BDN Photo
DURHAM, N.C. --
Quarterbacks Thaddeus Lewis, Sean Renfree and Sean Schroeder combined to complete 23-of-39 passes for 231 yards to highlight Duke's 60-play scrimmage on Saturday morning at the Brooks Practice Field on campus.
"We did a lot of good things out there today," Blue Devil head coach David Cutcliffe said following the session. "Of course I am anxious to see the tape, but I thought we had some guys make plays on both sides of the ball. We were able to get the young players a lot of work as we continue to evaluate their status."
Lewis, a three-year starter and second team All-ACC choice a year ago, hit on nine-of-18 throws for 96 yards while Renfree, a redshirt freshman, was 11-of-18 through the air for 120 yards including a 17-yard touchdown strike to freshman wide receiver Conner Vernon.
Vernon and fellow rookie Tyree Watkins led the receiving unit with four receptions apiece for 44 and 43 yards, respectively.
Renfree finds Vernon
Sophomore Johnny Williams added three grabs for 30 yards. On the ground, redshirt freshman Patrick Kurunwune had five attempts for 24 yards while freshman Desmond Scott carried the ball eight times for 20 yards.
Redshirt senior Re'quan Boyette, Duke's leading rusher in both 2006 and 2007 who missed last year due to injury, had five rushes for 15 yards including a one-yard touchdown.
Defensively, redshirt junior defensive end Jeremy Ringfield posted one interception and one quarterback sack while senior linebacker Vincent Rey and sophomore safety Matt Daniels each registered one tackle for loss.
Duke opens the 2009 season at home against Richmond on September 5. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium. Tickets may be purchased online at www.GoDuke.com or by calling the Duke Athletic Ticket Office at 1-877-375-DUKE.
SCRIMMAGE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Rushing:Patrick Kurunwune 5-24; Desmond Scott 8-20; Re'quan Boyette 5-15
Passing: Sean Renfree 11-18, 120 yards, 1 TD; Thaddeus Lewis 9-18, 96 yards, 1 INT
Receiving: Conner Vernon 4-44; Tyree Watkins 4-43; Johnny Williams 3-30; Danny Parker 2-52; Austin Kelly 2-11; Desmond Scott 2-11
SCORING SUMMARY
Re'quan Boyette 1 run (Will Snyderwine kick)
Paul Asack 41 FG
Conner Vernon 17 pass from Sean Renfree (Will Snyderwine kick)
Here is part two of our interview with Duke quarterback, Thaddeus Lewis -
You are heading into your senior season, your last go round at Duke. Are you feeling any pressure?
It's no pressure. You know what? I cherish every day of it and every single day you have to go out there and work hard and not slack around because this is it. My first summer session is already gone and now I'm in my last summer session. There is no pressure at all. I just have to go out there and do what I can do to help this team, no more and no less. As long as this team wins, I've done my job. I can throw for 5 yards or 500 yards but as long as we win it doesn't matter. The one thing I want to do is be the leader and help these young guys coming on so this program can be where it needs to be now and in the future.
You're going into your second season under the Cutcliffe regime. Are there any differences going into this coming season than past years?
Everybody is into it. People can't wait for football season to come around. All around this campus and outside of campus, I think Coach Cutcliffe has done a good job of reaching out to Duke Nation and the community, even the faculty. I think that helps out this football team a lot in that he's the head coach. Some coaches might be untouchable but he's easy to reach. He's reaching out to people and they take to that. So, they are excited about it. He's a great coach and a great guy and the success we've had last year has carried over into this season. So, I'm pretty sure the expectation of Duke Football is a notch higher than it was last year.
Thaddeus, you've been around the school and program for four years now. You've seen kids come and go and recruits come in to visit. What do you see different in say, when a recruit steps foot on campus now as opposed to previous years?
We are not just going after guys or giving up, saying like Florida is recruiting him. We're going after the top players in the country, bring them in, not scared of recruit against anybody. The faith and belief of these coaches in what they know they can do, well, he's just doing a great job. It's no back down with Duke recruiting anybody. We're going to recruit the best and we want to go against the best, so that's what it is all about. Even today, it's a prime example that we had 27 freshman come in. We ran 25, 75 yard sprints today. Who would have expected those guys to come out there and run them today? There is no complaining, no moaning and no crying, the guys ran them and they are in shape and that let's you know we are bringing in football players. They were sent a packet and told what to do and they did it. It was obvious they had been working and the type of players this staff is bringing in are going to be good for this program.
The Richmond Spider on 9-5-09. You've played them before and you guys didn't score a point. They are the defending national champions and have seven or eight of their top tacklers back and a solid offense. Are you already thinking about those guys?
Oh yeah, no doubt. We watching film on them already and it's just the beginning of the summer. I remember 06 when I was a freshman and I got in the third series of the game and was so nervous that I forgot the first play I called, but then settled down. To see them back on the schedule, you never forget what happened on 06. Richmond is a good football team and those guys can play. It's the home opener and they are the defending national champions, so they are a really good football team. They will come in and play hard and we have to match that intensity.
You had a similar situation last season when James Madison came in ranked #2 in the nation in their division. I think Duke caught them a little off guard in a sense and they were like, wow, what hit us. With Richmond this year, Duke will not be able to sneak up on them because people are saying, hey, Duke is really turning themselves around.
Yeah, I heard that they said they're not taking us lightly. To hear that is kind of like a slap in the face. But it's okay.
What will Thaddeus Lewis do as a captain to tell the team, hey, just because we beat James Madison like that, doesn't mean this game will go like that. How are you preparing your team and letting them know they'll have to come to play in the opener?
I'm just letting those guys know I remember what happened in 06 when Richmond came in here and put it on us. A lot of people circled that game as a win and we lost that game. I remind the seniors that were there with me, that we lost that game and remember what we went through and we'll tell the younger guys just follow us and we'll show you how to get this done and tell them to just stay hungry.
Your mom is your biggest fan - is she looking forward to this football season more so because it is her son's swan song?
This is her last season, but I think her thing is that her son is graduating and getting a degree from Duke University. (smiling widely) She is excited about this last season and she'll be here every game cheering me on.
Working hard and taking classes. Working out and getting better for this upcoming season.
What is it like going into your second season under Coach Cutcliffe and his system?
Easy. This will be my first time going into a season with the same offensive coordinator and staff. I know the offense more and what they expect out of me, so I can go with the flow now.
Have you been working with some of your receivers?
We get together with all the recievers. After we run on Tuesday and Thursday running 707's, we interact with the defense a little bit to keep everybody going. Also, we get together sometimes by position and go watch film, so we can be on the same page and teach the younger guys the system. That way, once summer ball comes around, we'll be ready.
Will Duke have any new wrinkles in the offense this season?
I would think so. I haven't really talked to coach like that, but they're working hard and may have a few tricks up their sleeve. We'll see some new things with Duke Football this season ... I'm pretty sure, pretty sure. The mastermind Kurt Roper will have something up his sleeve this season.
How does it feel to have Brandon King back at the tight end spot?
That will help a lot. The tight end is the x-factor in the offense and a lot of people don't give them the credit. I mean, that guy blocks, catches balls, gets back at the fullback position. With Brandon King coming back and Brett Huffman and Danny Parker stepping up, that allows you to do different things with your offense. You can go a double tight end sets because you have that dual threat and that will help raise this offense to another level.
Have any new guys stepped up around you?
Johnny Williams and Donovan Varner have stepped up. The freshman Conner Vernon has come in and done a good job. The other freshman just got here. Corey Gattis has done a good job working out with us and Desmond Scott has come out there catching passes and he can run routes. So, everybody is contributing and we had a trial run today with the incoming freshman. Sean Schroeder went out there and threw it pretty well and the other freshman Tyree Watkins came in, so they sent out there and did a tremendous job. It looks like it'll be interesting with the competitive nature of this football team going into the summer camp. Everybody has to come and bring it and I'm pretty sure that will happen and we'll better ourselves as a team.
Duke suffered some key losses on the offensive front. Are you worried about some inexperience across the front?
The guys we have coming back actually played a little bit last season, so I'm not worried at all. With the addition of Brandon Harper there and the growth of Brian Moore and the rest of the guys on that line ... and the keys of the offensive line coming back, Bryan Morgan, he's kind of the captain of the ship down there. So with him coming back his knowledge and experience will help bring the other guys along. With this offense and how we operate you can't hold it longer than a few seconds and I think they'll do an outstanding job this upcoming season.
Check back in this weekend for several more questions and answers in part II of BDN's interview with Thaddeus Lewis.
DURHAM, N.C. -- Redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Renfree threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns to lead the White squad to a 24-17 victory over the Blue team in front of 4,162 fans at the annual Spring Football game held Saturday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium.
“The game was crisp with few penalties," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. "No one was sloppy with the football and I thought the game was intense. I told the players before the game that we are a good football team. I thought they played like one today. We had really good execution for the most part throughout the game."
Renfree completed 15-of-24 throws on the day with scoring strikes of 17 yards to wide receiver Matt Pridemore and 17 yards to tight end Danny Parker. Pridemore led the White team with five receptions for 67 yards while running back Patrick Kurunwune paced the ground attack with 66 yards on 13 attempts while hauling in four passes for an additional 67 yards. Running back Tony Jackson added a touchdown run and finished with 34 yards on six carries.
“The passing game is something we have elevated," said Cutcliffe. "We are stretching the field better. There were some nice plays made. I thought the quarterbacks both had a good day. I also thought we ran the ball well. It was encouraging to see the second offense execute as well as they did.”
For the Blue unit, quarterback Thaddeus Lewis hit on 17-of-23 passes for 257 yards while rushing for a pair of one-yard touchdowns. His favorite target was wide receiver Donovan Varner who had six grabs for 116 yards.
“We went out there and executed," Lewis said. "We had some big plays today. The coaches put us in good situations. We can go to the tight ends over the middle and to our shifty guys who can get yards after the catch. If they leave our running backs open we can get the ball to those guys with space and let them do what they do best.”
Cutcliffe announced the recipients of the program's annual spring awards: Jeremy Ringfield (Most Improved Special Teams Player), Pontus Bondeson (Co-Most Improved Offensive Player), Danny Parker (Co-Most Improved Offensive Player), Damian Thornton (Co-Most Improved Defensive Player), Charlie Hatcher (Co-Most Improved Defensive Player) and Vincent Rey (Blue Devil Heart).
SCORING SUMMARY
Blue -- Thaddeus Lewis 1 run (Nick Maggio kick)
White -- Matt Pridemore 17 pass from Sean Renfree (Will Snyderwine kick)
Blue -- Thaddeus Lewis 1 run (Nick Maggio kick)
White -- Danny Parker 17 pass from Sean Renfree (Will Snyderwine kick)
White -- Tony Jackson 1 run (Will Snyderwine kick)
Blue -- Nick Maggio 25 FG
White -- Paul Asack 30 FG
STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING
Blue -- Cameron Jones 10-20, Re'quan Boyette 7-19
White -- Patrick Kurunwune 13-66, Tony Jackson 6-34, Sean Renfree 3-16
PASSING
Blue -- Thaddeus Lewis 17-23, 257 yards
White -- Sean Renfree 15-24, 210 yards, 2 touchdowns
RECEIVING
Blue -- Donovan Varner 6-116, Cameron Jones 2-44
White -- Matt Pridemore 5-67, Patrick Kurunwune 4-67
TACKLES
Blue -- Adam Banks 8, Curtis Hazelton 5, Colin Jones 5, Zack Asack 4, Jeremy Ringfield 4
White -- Matt Daniels 7, Vincent Rey 7, Catron Gainey 5, Ayanga Okpokowuruk 5
DURHAM, N.C. -- Headlined by first team selection Michael Tauiliili, four Duke players received All-ACC honors as the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association announced the 2008 Associated Press football all-conference teams.
Joining Tauiliili from Duke were second team choices Thaddeus Lewis and Eron Riley and honorable mention pick Vince Oghobaase.
A senior linebacker from Houston, Texas, Tauiliili finished the regular season with a conference-best 140 tackles and added 13.0 tackles for loss, four interceptions, five pass breakups, five quarterback pressures, three caused fumbles Tauiliili on Senior Day
and one fumble recovery. A two-time ACC Player of the Week pick and the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week choice after Duke's 31-3 win over Virginia, Tauiliili is the only linebacker in the conference to rank among the top 10 in four different statistical categories. Tauiliili is the first Duke linebacker to earn first team all-conference honors since John Zuanich did so in 1994.
Oghobaase, a junior defensive tackle from Houston, Texas, posted 51 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss and a team-high 6.0 quarterback sacks in 2008. All six of his sacks came in league play as he helped the Blue Devils hold three opponents to fewer than 10 points for the first time since 1976.
Oghobaase and Tauiliili were primary reasons that Duke made significant improvement in scoring defense (-9.8 points), total defense (-67.4 yards), rushing defense (-28.7 yards) and passing defense (-38.7 yards) while facing the 2nd most difficult schedule in the nation -- a ledger that included 10 bowl eligible teams and the top-ranked FCS squad in James Madison.
Lewis and Riley, who teamed up over the past three seasons to form the most prolific quarterback-wide receiver tandem in Duke football history, both received second team honors. The duo hooked up for 19 touchdowns through the air to surpass the previous record of 16 held by the pairs of Ben Bennett-to-Chris Castor and Steve Slayden-to-Doug Green.
A junior quarterback from Opa-Locka, Fla., Lewis completed 224-of-361 (.620) passes for 2,171 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions this year. He ranks second in the ACC in total offense (206.1), passing yards per game (197.4) and touchdown passes while standing third in passing efficiency (122.95). Lewis set school records for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception (206) and most pass attempts in a single-game without an interception (52 vs. N.C. State) and was named ACC Player of the Week after 317-yard, three-touchdown day against Navy. On Duke's single-season records lists, Lewis' 2008 totals stand seventh for pass completions, ninth for pass attempts and tied for eighth in touchdown passes. Lewis becomes the first Blue Devil signal caller to garner all-conference accolades since 1988 when Anthony Dilweg was a first team pick.
Riley, a senior wide receiver from Savannah, Ga., received his second straight second team all-conference citation. In 2008, he hauled in 61 passes for 693 yards and eight touchdowns to rank second in the league in receptions per game (5.08) and touchdown grabs and fourth in receiving yards per outing (57.8). On Duke's all-time charts, Riley finished his career ranking seventh in receptions (144), second in receiving yards (2,413) and third in touchdown catches (22).
The 2008 Associated Press All-ACC football teams are voted on by 67 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.
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]
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