The Chronicle
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MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 | 11
FOOTBALL
Key goal line stand epitomizes Duke’s struggles By Max Rego Assistant Blue Zone Editor
Duke’s tale of two halves continued Saturday in Raleigh. Despite the promise displayed by the Blue Devils at certain points during their in-state showdown with N.C. State, the end result was unfortunately par for the course in what has been a disappointing 2020 campaign. Three interceptions by Chase Brice, an inability to get the run game going on a consistent basis and a missed field goal by Charlie Ham were all developments in the 31-20 31 negative loss, but one sequence stands out above the rest. With 12:55 remaining in the third quarter and Duke ahead 20-14, a fumble recovery by defensive end Drew Jordan gave the Blue Devils the ball on the N.C. State 40-yard-line. After Brice moved the chains with his legs on two separate occasions, Duke found itself in a goal-to-go situation with an opportunity to extend its lead to double-digits. However, the next four offensive snaps resulted in just three yards, handing the Wolfpack possession, and some life. The inability of the Blue Devils to punch it in during that sequence was a microcosm of everything that went wrong Saturday, and it gave N.C. State the jolt it needed to take the lead and eventually finish off its fourth win of the season. “That was a big play—definitely sucked some of the energy out of the team, especially with them driving down and scoring,” junior receiver Jake Bobo said. “We have to put those in to be able to distance that lead and take a little pressure off the defense and Chase too.” Duke had issues all afternoon in terms of getting the ground game going, with Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant combining for 43 yards on 27 carries, a stark contrast from the duo’s 332 yards last week. On first, second and third down from inside the five-yard-line on that sequence early in the third quarter, Jackson was bottled up near the line of scrimmage each time. While those play calls made up only 11 percent of the rushing attempts by Duke’s backfield on the
day, it was pretty indicative of how little room Durant and Jackson had to work with all afternoon. After the turnover on downs, the Blue Devils were outscored 17-0 the rest of the way. Powered by its own running back duo of Ricky Person Jr. and Zonovan Knight, N.C. State cruised offensively despite seeing starting quarterback Devin Leary go down with a gut-wrenching ankle injury. Most would think that the loss of downs served as an energy-depleter for Duke. But redshirt junior defensive end Chris Rumph II didn’t think that was the issue at all, simply responding that he and his teammates on the defensive line could’ve done a better job of putting pressure on Leary and his eventual replacement, Bailey Hockman. “I feel like I had more energy in the second half than the first. Our job is to put pressure on the quarterback, make him feel uncomfortable,” Rumph said. “We don’t always have to make sacks to impact the game or impact the quarterback— us being around him and just hassling him and him always thinking about us [has an impact].” Duke’s offense, on the other hand, was unable to get back into the red zone for the rest of the afternoon after the turnover on downs. Brice threw multiple backbreaking interceptions when it seemed like the Blue Devils were on the verge of something special, something that will lead many to call for backup Gunnar Holmberg to receive an audition under center. But the fact of the matter is that Brice, despite his difficulties throughout the game in the turnover column, helped Duke get its halftime lead in the first place. Furthermore, Saturday’s loss shows that opportunities to build a lead on the road should not be squandered, especially considering the challenges that this team has had with putting points on the board. The decision to go for it on fourth-and-short in that aforementioned sequence made sense from a statistical perspective, and clearly head coach David Cutcliffe felt like he had the right play dialed up. However, N.C. State blew the play up before it could even materialize, shifting the momentum of the contest.
“It’s always a challenge of momentum,” Cutcliffe said. “When you score touchdowns inside the red zone, that builds momentum obviously and it is a challenge—it’s one that you have to address. That’s part of your job as a coach, when the game, or breaks, go against you, you don’t let up, you have to put on more steam.” Duke’s first-half performance was not perfect by any means, but the Blue Devils were in position to snag a pivotal road victory in front of 4,000 booing N.C. State fans as halftime arrived. A touchdown after the Jordan fumble recovery would have been a sign that Duke was ready to pounce on a second straight victory, but now the Blue Devils are left to wonder what could have been.
sports
Courtesy of the ACC
Duke totaled 129 rushing yards on 41 attempts Saturday, a far cry from its 363-yard output last week at Syracuse.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Blue Devils kick off first official practices in Lawson era By Spencer Levy Associate Sports Editor
Although Duke women’s basketball returns nine players from an 18-win season, things are starting to feel a bit like freshman year for even the upperclassmen learning a new system under head coach Kara Lawson. With the season nearing a month away, Duke took its next step in preparation with its first official practice Oct. 14. That being said, the practice did not feel mich different from previous ones in the preseason. Lawson outlined a few more tenants to her coaching philosophy after meeting with the media post-practice. “It was a solid first session, a continuation of what we’ve been teaching throughout the preseason,” Lawson said. “Our players have done a great job of trying to pick up as quickly as possible what we are trying to teach them… and work hard to try to make reads and finish the way we want them to.” In her first season as a collegiate head coach, Lawson is still in the midst of figuring out how her team will play. She continues to assess the team’s strengths and will analyze her opponents to determine the most effective playing style, which may “change on a game-by-game basis.” While the specific system is not yet set, Lawson’s team wants to emphasize taking care of the ball on the offensive end and challenging the opponents without fouling on the other end. The Blue Devils will play both man and zone defenses and will mix in different offensive sets. The coaching staff is also continuing to introduce all of its new concepts and terminology in these practices, and once the players grasp the information, the staff will add on more. Lawson also further explained her teaching philosophy, which centers on the role patience should play in any level of sports. “You have to be patient enough for them to be able to learn it,” Lawson said. “But you have to be willing to be impatient enough and challenge them enough to push them to go a little farther than maybe they’re courageous enough to get to at that point.”
That balance allows her team to improve at a reasonable pace, but at the same time, she is attempting to get the best out of each and every player on the hardwood. This idea coincides with Lawson’s emphasis throughout the preseason on developing meaningful relationships with all of her players, with numerous one-on-one meetings and workouts early on. “As you get to know someone more and more… you start to really understand their capabilities,” Lawson said. “You can almost know if they’re going to pick it up fast or slow before you even teach it to them because you know how their brain works or physically how they move.” Consistency will also be a focal point for this year’s Duke team. Lawson explained that she looks for dependability in both a player’s focus and effort, which when aligned, will yield favorable results.
Courtesy of Reagan Lunn/Duke Athletics
Kara Lawson will lead a veteran Duke squad this season.
“Consistency is one of the hardest things to find as a player,” Lawson said. “If they come in every day and they play with great effort, and if they’re focused on the details of what we’re trying to achieve and the details of our system, then they’re going to set themselves up to be really consistent.” For junior Miela Goodchild, the experience playing for a coach with a WNBA Championship and a gold medal in her pocket has been “awesome.” “She’s literally done everything I’d want to achieve in my life,” Goodchild told GoDuke. “She explains everything, and you just know she knows what she’s doing.” In practice thus far, the Queensland, Australia native has worked on her midrange shooting game by fitting those shots into her mix of long-range treys. She is also working to extend that 3-point range to open up other aspects of her game. Goodchild is among a group of experienced players for whom Lawson can lean on for leadership this season. The head coach also noted the significant role guard Mikayla Boykin will play. “To have an experienced player like Mikayla that’s played in a lot of big games, that has the high-level skill, high-level basketball IQ, that’s really important for us,” Lawson said. “We’re definitely a more settled team when Mikayla’s out on the floor. She’s very confident and she has a good understanding of what we’re trying to do. She also has the skill to be able to execute what we’re trying to do.” With much of last year’s Duke team returning, the players already have a baseline chemistry that will be built upon as the preseason continues. Lone freshman Vanessa de Jesus has been improving on the court, and Jennifer Ezeh, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL and meniscus, is also practicing. Lawson is still waiting on the ACC schedule to be released before she can finalize a non-conference slate. But in the meantime, the Blue Devils will continue to put together all of the lessons they have grasped from Lawson’s tenure with the program.