2009 Duke Campus Correspondent

2009 Duke Campus Correspondent N.C. State: 12 Days of ACC Football August 7, 2009 Coach: Tom O’Brien (3rd year at N.C. State, 86-59 overall) Stadium: Carter-Finley, 57,583 (Grass) Wins: Murray St., Gardner Webb, Pittsburgh, Duke, Maryland, Clemson, North Carolina Losses: South Carolina, at Wake Forest, at Boston College, at Florida St., at Virginia Tech Record: 7-5 (4-4 ACC) Bowl Projection: Emerald (ACC #7) Schedule Overview: The Wolfpack gets through their entire nonconference schedule before starting ACC play, so they should be ready to go by then if they can stay healthy. I don’t think they get over being dominated last year by South Carolina in time for the Sept. 3 opener, but they should win the next three against two patsies and Pittsburgh. After that, their home schedule appears easier on paper than their road schedule. Clemson and North Carolina present challenges in Carter-Finley.

On the road, wins at Wake and BC are entirely possible. Honestly, there is an outside chance that State is 7-0 going into a Halloween showdown in Tallahassee. With a win there, they would be well on the road to Tampa Bay. Outlook: It all comes down to avoiding the injury bug for the Pack, in my opinion. They are already without star LB Nate Irving for at least half the season (here’s hoping for a speedy recovery, Nate).

If Russell Wilson goes down, I don’t know if I would be confident that Mike Glennon is quite the savior that he has been proclaimed. That being said, Brandon Barnes, T.J. Graham, and George Bryan make up possibly the best group of underclassmen skill players (with Wilson) in the ACC. When you add RB’s Jamelle Eugene and Toney Baker and WR Owen Spencer, the Wolfpack has plenty of offensive firepower to put up serious points this season.

On defense, the loss of Irving hurts. Fortunately, DE Willie Young passed up the opportunity to be possibly a first round pick in April’s NFL draft to come back to N.C. State. The return of AlanMichael Cash should help shore up the interios. Second-year players Dwayne Maddox and Terrell Manning were highly touted coming out of high school, and are expected to contribute this year.

The defensive backfield has to cope with the loss of projected starting CB Dominique Ellis, but DeAndre Morgan and a slew of younger guys should fill the void. Senior safety Clem Johnson will anchor the backfield on a defense that needs to improve for the Wolfpack to take a major step forward in 2009.

Wake Forest: 12 days of ACC Football August 8, 2009 Coach: Jim Grobe (9th year at Wake Forest, 87-77-1 overall) Stadium: BB&T Field, 31,500 (FieldTurf) Wins: Baylor, Stanford, Elon, N.C. State, Maryland, at Navy, at Duke

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Losses: at Boston College, at Clemson, Miami, at Georgia Tech, Florida St. Record: 7-5 (3-5 ACC) Bowl Projection: EagleBank Bowl (ACC #8) Schedule Overview: Their nonconference schedule is more difficult than it appears to the naked eye, as Baylor and Stanford are both up-and-coming teams in their respective BCS conferences.

That being said, the Deacs should take care of both teams to start 2-0, with a given win against Elon sending them to 3-0. After that, the ACC looms, and I don’t think anyone is still taking a win vs. Wake Forest for granted. A win at Duke should be expected, and home wins against N.C. State and Maryland shouldn’t be impossible. They’re also on a 3-game winning streak against Florida State, who comes to Winston-Salem this year, and I can’t imagine Boston College being too tough this year. 9-3 is not out of the question for the Deacs. I don’t see it, however.

Outlook: If there’s one thing I’ve learned recently, it’s to never count out the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Personnel-wise, however, it’s hard to overlook what they lost on the defensive side of the ball. Gone are All-Americans Aaron Curry and Alphonso Smith, along with five more starters on D. They were 16th in the nation in total defense last year, and will have to rely on an experienced offense more than they were able to in 2008.

The ‘O’ is promising. 3-year starter Riley Skinner returns, looking to get a second ACC title on his resume. 2007 ACC Rookie of the Year Josh Adams returns from an injury-riddled 2008 at running back, along with proven players Brandon Pendergrass and Kevin Harris (136 yards vs. Navy in their EagleBank bowl win). The offensive line returns 5 players with extensive starting experience. I look for the Deacs to score a lot more, and give up a lot more than a season ago. That is a recipe for minimal improvement. 7-5 is my call.

Duke Blue Devils 2009 Preview August 9, 2009 The Duke Blue Devils, who haven’t sniffed the postseason since 1994, are looking to take another major step forward in Coach David Cutcliffe’s second season at the helm. In year 1 of the Cutcliffe regime, the Blue Devils won four games, matching the previous three seasons’ total. There is cause for optimism, led by senior QB Thaddeus Lewis, last season’s second-team All-Conference representative at the position. On defense, tackle Vince Oghobaase and linebacker Vincent Rey both are forces with which to be reckoned. The Devils do have a ton of talent to replace.

Linebacker Michael Tauliili had over 90 tackles in each of his four seasons in Durham. He had 140 last season alone! Receiver Eron Riley led the team in receiving each of the last three seasons, and had 144 catches over the course of his career. While the loss of those two and eight other starters is cause for concern, the fact is that the light at the end of the tunnel hasn’t been brighter in Durham since Steve Spurrier left the team in 1990.

Offense Quarterbacks: The strength of the 2009 Duke team, without a doubt. Thaddeus Lewis is a bona fide stud, as his 62.1% completion percentage and 15 touchdowns should indicate. Backing up the second team All-ACC star is redshirt freshman Sean Renfree. Renfree was highly sought after by many top programs coming out of high school, but chose Duke due to Coach Cutcliffe’s reputation for producing stars at the quarterback position (think Manning, Peyton and Eli).

Running Backs: This position is instantly upgraded by the return of Re’quan Boyette, who missed

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2008 with a torn ACL. Sophomore Jay Hollingsworth returns after leading the team with 399 rushing yards last season. I’d also look for true freshman and local product Desmond Scott, Rivals.com’s No. 5 all-purpose back from the 2009 recruiting class, to get looks at running back, the slot, and in the return game.

Receivers/Tight Ends: Offsetting the loss of Riley will be difficult, but not impossible due to some of the young talent in place. Sophomore Johnny Williams had 30 catches a season ago as a true freshman, and Donovan Varner contributed 21 after moving over from the defensive side of the ball. Another sign of the potential at this position for the Devils is yet another true sophomore, Austin Kelly, who is more of a possession target at 6-3. Look for redshirt freshman Tony Foster, true freshman Tyree Watkins, and junior Sheldon Bell to catch a few of Lewis’ passes, as well. At tight end, junior Brett Huffman is penciled in as the starter.

Offensive Line: Recently, Duke’s offensive line has been downright…well, offensive. Since 2004, the best yards per carry average the Devils have attained was a 3.2 clip in ‘05. Last year, they were 11th in the ACC in rushing offense. The losses of three starters, including three-year starter Cameron Goldberg, will be tough to overcome. Center Bryan Morgan and LT Kyle Hill return, along with a medley of experienced reserves that will fight it out for the other three spots. The good news for these guys is the benefit of continuity in Coach Cutcliffe’s scheme for a second season. The bad news is that they have been porous enough recently, and do not necessarily stand to improve much this season.

Defense Defensive Line: Call this unit the Blue Devils’ ‘O’ unit. Confused as to why? Three words: Oghobaase, Okpokowuruk, Oglesby. The aforementioned Ohgobaase will command double teams in his final season in Durham before a long career in the NFL. Ayanga Okpokowuruk and Wesley Oglesby shared a DE spot last year, with Okpokowuruk emerging after Oglesby was lost in midseason. Together, they will make a solid pair on the end. Look for senior Kinney Rucker to man the nose tackle spot this year. He should have plenty of opportunities to put up numbers playing next to Ohgobaase, the star of this defense.

Linebackers: They have to replace all-time great Taulilli here, as well as strongside ‘backer Marcus Jones. Although this position is a question mark, Vincent Rey is a mortal lock to have over 100 tackles, as he has done each of the past two seasons. Some combination of juniors Damian Thornton, Abraham Kromah, Andrew Holoman, Adam Banks, and Michael Tooley will likely man the other two spots. Freshman August Campbell seems to be the most likely underclassman to emerge at the position.

Defensive Backs: The Devils are pencil thin at defensive back. Senior corner Leon Wright started as a sophomore and junior before getting injured after six games a season ago. His return and the emergence of sophomore Lee Butler give the team at least two reliable corners. Some of the 7 defensive backs Coach Cutcliffe signed are likely to see playing time this season. A familiar face at a new position in 2009 is former starting QB Zack Asack, who now mans the strong safety spot. This assumes he can beat out a slew of underclassmen, including Matt Daniels, who had 22 tackles and an interception as a true freshman, and redshirt freshman Jordon Byas. Free Safety is covered by two-year starter Catron Gainey. The senior had 66 tackles last season as his size is useful in run support.

Special teams: One of Duke’s strengths is its kicking game, as junior Nick Maggio converted 11 of 14 attempts a year ago, and punter Kevin Jones averaged 40.8 yards per punt. Lee Butler has experience at punt returner, but I look for one of the younger skill position players (my money is

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on Desmond Scott) to take over as the primary returner.

Overview: Cautious optimism should be the name of the game for Blue Devils fans. The offense returns loads of talent but loses three 3-year starters on the offensive line. If their replacements can carry their weight, look for the Blue Devils to improve on last season’s 102nd ranked offense.

Defensively, the story is similar. Returning, experienced talent like Oghobaase, Rey, Wright, and Gainey may be just what the doctor ordered, as these seniors will look to go out with a postseason appearance. The fruits of Cutcliffe’s labors on the recruiting trail are a year or two from making any kind of a profound impact on the teams fortunes though, I fear.

My best guess is that Duke goes 4-8 again this season, with one conference win (Maryland), and three cakewalks in Richmond, Army, and N.C. Central. They’ll scare another team or two, and may even win one more (North Carolina should be counting its blessings after the past two seasons’ games), but this just isn’t a team that can reach a bowl game from the ACC. Since this is an older team already that stands to lose a lot of talent after this year, I look at 2011 as the season that the team can look forward to its next postseason bid.

Georgia Tech: 12 Days of ACC Football August 10, 2009 Coach: Paul Johnson (2nd year at Georgia Tech, 54-33 overall) Stadium: Bobby Dodd, 55,000 (Grass) Wins: Jacksonville St., Clemson, at Miami, at Mississippi St., Virginia Tech, at Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, at Duke, Georgia Losses: North Carolina, at Florida State, at Virginia Record: 9-3 (5-3 ACC) Bowl Projection: Gator (ACC #3) Schedule Overview: The Yellow Jackets have a tough schedule, featuring 3 SEC teams and crossdivision rivals Clemson, Florida State, and Wake Forest. They catch Miami early and in a tough part of their schedule, so I have that penciled as a W for the Jackets. I had a tough time picking them over Va. Tech, but I think the defense can win that one for them. North Carolina handled the Jackets pretty easily last season, so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt to do it again in Atlanta. Al Groh could probably hold on to his job for one more year with a big win, and I see the Jackets as a strong candidate to be that victim in Charlottesville. Anywhere from 7-5 to 11-1 seems perfectly plausible for this team.

Outlook: Disputing theories abound about the Yellow Jackets’ chances for success this year. One theory is that the team will be better in their triple option offense after another year of experience.

Another is that other teams will have them figured out, as LSU showed the world what a team with ample time to prepare for them can do in a 38-3 spanking. I think that there will be games where they look unstoppable, and other games where they can’t do much of anything. QB Josh Nesbitt has plenty of weapons at his disposal, including reigning ACC POY Jonathan Dwyer. Wing backs Roddy Jones, Embry Peeples, and Louisville transfer Anthony Allen will all get plenty of touches as well. WR Demaryius Thomas is a preseason All-ACC player as well. I look for the offense to be explosive and more efficient than last year, although well-prepared teams (see North Carolina and LSU last year) will be in good position.

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On D, they lose stud defensive linemen Michael Johnson, Vance Walker, and Darryl Richard.

Fortunately, Derrick Morgan and his 7 sacks from 2008 return at DE. Their whole back seven returns intact as well. Look for junior S Morgan Burnett to have a huge season. I can’t really peg how I think the Yellow Jackets will do this season. They won’t sneak up on people like they did last year, but they should be so much more efficient on offense and still strong on D. 9-3 is a safe call, in my opinion.

Miami: 12 Days of ACC Football August 11, 2009 Coach: Randy Shannon (3rd year at Miami, 12-13 overall) Stadium: Landshark, 75,000 (Grass) Wins: Florida A&M, at Central Florida, at Wake Forest, Virginia, at North Carolina, Duke Losses: at Florida St., Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Clemson, at South Florida Record: 6-6 (4-4 ACC) Bowl Projection: Meineke Car Care (ACC #6) Schedule Overview: Miami has the toughest opening first month in the country. Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech may be the 3 toughest teams on their ACC slate. Then Oklahoma comes to Landshark Stadium the following week. If they can get through that stretch at 2-2 or better, they’ll probably become my favorite to win the conference. I was impressed at ACC Media Weekend by S Randy Phillips’ demeanor regarding the first four games, as he said, “we’re Miami, we will be ready no matter who’s across the ball from us.” After that start, the Canes have a chance to reel off five in a row against Florida A&M, UCF, Clemson, Wake Forest, and Virginia. Only UCF and Wake are road games for them on that stretch. I think they figure out North Carolina this year even though the Heels have won 2 straight against Miami and 3 of 5 since the Canes joined the conference. A road game against USF in Tampa is a very tough way to close the season, and I see them losing that game.

Outlook: If you watched any Miami game last year (especially one with Andre Ware broadcasting), you heard ’swagger’ thrown around many times a game. Both Randy Phillips and Randy Shannon talked about how important it was for Miami to bring that swagger to the field this season. My fear for them is that, as this is still a young team, swagger can lead to a lack of discipline, which can lead to penalties, turnovers, and losses.

Personnel-wise, Miami is close to being back. Great recruiting classes put together by Coach Shannon leave the Canes with as much talent as anyone in the ACC. Offensively, it starts with sophomore QB Jacory Harris, who was impressive in splitting snaps with Robert Marve, who has since left the school. He has a bevy of young WR’s to throw to, as an additional year of experience should lead to more consistency from sophomores LaRon Byrd, Aldarius Johnson, and Travis Benjamin, as well as junior Leonard Hankerson. They’ll miss TE Dedrick Epps this season, as he is expected to miss 2009 with an injury. Their line will benefit from experience, and RB’s Graig Cooper and Javarris James have proved to be capable rushers.

On defense, it’s more speed, more swagger, and more youth. Young DT’s Allen Bailey and Marcus Forston may be the best interior tandem in the league this season. Marcus Robinson has monster potential at DE. Sophomore LB Sean Spence is the leader of the defense, and he can lay the wood even though he’s undersized at 205 lbs. Senior Colin McCarthy is a solid presence at the

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other OLB spot. Joining the aforementioned Phillips at safety are two young players I have huge expectations for, freshmen Ray Ray Armstrong and Vaughn Telemaque. Throw in CB Brandon Harris and there are as many as 8 guys with NFL potential on this defense. I just don’t think they mature quickly enough to be a huge threat this season.

Virginia: 12 Days of ACC Football August 13, 2009 Coach: Al Groh (9th year at Virginia, 82-84 overall) Stadium: Scott, 61,500 (Grass) Wins: William & Mary, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Duke Losses: TCU, at Southern Miss, at North Carolina, at Maryland, at Miami, Boston College, at Clemson, Virginia Tech Record: 4-8 (2-6) Bowl Projection: None Schedule Overview: I don’t have much faith in this year’s Virginia team. I feel like they do just enough each year to keep Al Groh employed, but this is the year where that ends. A relatively tough nonconference schedule brings TCU into Charlottesville and sends the Wahoos to Southern Miss, and I don’t see them winning either of those games. I do think they can spring an upset against Georgia Tech, as that is how the ACC rollercoaster goes these days. Every game is winnable, unfortunately, I don’t see the Cavs pulling too many of them out.

Outlook: I’ve been pretty optimistic about the other 10 teams I’ve previewed so far, because I truly feel that all of them are going in the right direction. I can’t say the same about the Cavaliers.

They do have two experienced quarterbacks in Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica, and Vic Hall will see some snaps in their new spread offense. They also return four starting offensive linemen, but that experience may be moot due to their transition to the spread. Senior Mikell Simpson is a stabilizing force at running back, as he is solid but rarely jumps out at the viewer.

Defensively, the Cavs are the last remaining 3-4 team in the ACC. Sophomore DE Matt Conrath has All-ACC potential, as he started all 12 games as a freshman and made 7 tackles for loss. The secondary is the strength of this team, as Vic Hall and Ras-I Dowling are both players with NFL potential. I especially like Dowling’s game, the physical corner is as good as they come in the ACC. I just don’t like the direction of this football team. When you recruit players to run a pro-style offense, you can’t just expect a transition to the spread to cure the team’s ills. Experience at QB and in the secondary will keep the team competitive, but ultimately I don’t see them being a contender.

Virginia Tech: 12 Days of ACC Football August 15, 2009 Coach: Frank Beamer (23rd year at Virginia Tech, 177-89-2 overall) Stadium: Lane, 66,233 (Grass) Wins: Marshall, Nebraska, Miami, at Duke, North Carolina, at East Carolina, at Maryland, N.C. State, at Virginia

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Losses: Alabama (in Atlanta), at Georgia Tech Record: 10-2 (7-1 ACC; Coastal Division Champions) Bowl Projection: FedEx Orange (ACC Champion) Schedule Overview: The Hokies have easily the toughest non-conference slate in the ACC. The season opener against Alabama is huge for the conference’s image as well as the Hokies’ status as national title contenders this year. Nebraska is another big-name program, and a Thursday night game in Greenville against East Carolina is a revenge game.

Their ACC slate is considerably lighter. While they play tough Coastal Division rivals North Carolina, Miami, and Georgia Tech, they avoid Florida State, Clemson, and Wake Forest from the Atlantic. I don’t think Virginia Tech is the mortal lock to win the ACC that everyone else does, as I see 4, maybe 5 potential losses on their schedule. However, three league titles in five years generates a lot of respect if nothing else, and I want to see them knocked off their perch before I can pick against them.

Outlook: Their offense took a major blow when star RB Darren Evans tore his ACL recently.

Freshmen Ryan Williams and David Wilson are both immensely talented, and I don’t expect to see much of a dropoff in production. We all know Tyrod Taylor can run as well as any quarterback in America, but for VT to live up to lofty expectations, he’s going to have to learn to pass the ball. WR’s Danny Coale, Jarret Boykin, and Dyrell Roberts and TE Greg Boone are all capable playmakers if they get the ball. The offensive line is talented and experienced, and may be a strength as the team adjusts to the loss of Evans.

The defense and special teams, as always, will be exceptional for the Hokies. DE Jason Worilds, LB Cam Martin, and DB’s Stephan Virgil and Kam Chancellor all have All-ACC talent. Defense has been the name of the game since the Michael Vick era. They’ll keep the offense in it and score more points than the offense in some games. The Hokies will not be dominant by any means, but there is nobody who has proven capable of knocking them off their perch in the ACC. I think experience, coaching, and intangibles make them the favorite to win their 4th championship in 6th years.

Lewis Named to Manning Award List August 19, 2009 Lewis Named to Manning Award Watch List DURHAM, N.C. – Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis was one of 38 players named to the 2009 Manning Award Watch List on Monday.

Lewis, a three-year starter from Opa-Locka, Fla., is the leading returning passer in the ACC with an average of 197.4 yards per game in 2008. He currently ranks fourth all-time in Duke history in passing yards (6,735), pass attempts (1,061), pass completions (603), passing touchdowns (47) and total offense (6,609). He currently ranks 20th in ACC history in passing yards.

The ACC has four quarterbacks among the 38 players named to the watch list. Lewis joins Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner, N.C. State’s Russell Wilson and North Carolina’s T.J. Yates.

While the preseason watch list includes just 38 quarterbacks, every quarterback in the nation remains eligible for the honor. Additional quarterbacks may be added to the Watch List after the start of the season. Ten finalists will be determined by a selected panel of national media covering

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college football, as well as each of the Mannings. That list will be released on Monday, Nov. 30.

The winner will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 14.

Listen & Learn - Duke Football on the Radio August 30, 2009 The Duke Football Radio Show with David Cutcliffe live at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club will debut on Tuesday, September 1 at 7 p.m. Hosted by veteran broadcaster Dave Nathan, the one-hour show will originate from the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club and air live on WDNC 620 AM each week throughout the season.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to share our program with alumni, fans and the local community on WDNC,” said Cutcliffe. “Our appreciation extends to the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club for hosting the broadcast and it is our hope that fans join us at the hotel as we discuss Duke football.”

The Season Starts with a Tough Loss September 8, 2009 Duke falls to Richmond 24-16 DURHAM, N.C. (AP) – Tyler Kirchoff rushed for a touchdown and blocked a punt leading to another score to help Richmond defeat Duke 24-16 on Saturday night.

The Spiders, reigning champions of the Football Championship Subdivision, won their 10th straight victory dating back to last season.

Kirchoff didn’t handle the ball much, but he made his touches count. He blocked a punt that teammate Jonathan Mayfield returned 5 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring midway through the first quarter. He then scored on a 1-yard touchdown to put the Spiders ahead 21-9 with less than 10 minutes left in the game.

Thaddeus Lewis completed 34 of 55 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns for the Blue Devils in front of a crowd of 33,311, Duke’s largest at home since 2001. The Blue Devils, who lost their opener for the sixth time in the last seven years, missed a pair of field goals.

Both teams struggled to move the ball on offense in the early going, but they had even more difficulty getting rid of it on special teams. Duke’s first possession ended with punter Kevin Jones leaping to catch a high snap and then having his punt blocked by Kirchoff.

Two possessions later, the Spiders had a high snap of their own. Standing just in front of his goal line, Richmond punter Brian Radford watched the ball sail over his head out the back of the end zone for a safety.

The Spiders went ahead 14-2 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Justin Forte early in the second quarter. Kirchoff kept alive the drive, converting a fourth-and-1 from the Duke 18 with a tough run up the middle.

Duke answered on its ensuing possession when Lewis lofted a long pass that hit Johnny Williams in stride for a 54-yard touchdown.

Lewis also engineered a touchdown drive with 2:13 remaining to cut Richmond’s lead to 24-16.

But by then, most of the fans who entered the stadium excited about the start of Duke’s second

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season under coach David Cutcliffe had departed.

Derek Hatcher recovered the ensuing onside kick for the Spiders, who ran out the clock.

Duke Backup QB Renfree leads Duke to Big Second Week Win September 15, 2009 (AP) – 2 days ago WEST POINT, N.Y. — Duke coach David Cutcliffe knew he was going to play Sean Renfree at some point.

Renfree himself didn’t know until the Blue Devils recovered a fumble at the Army 19 and he got sent out onto the field.

Two plays later, he connected on the first pass of his college career for a 17-yard scoring pass that put Duke ahead on its way to a 35-19 win over the Black Knights.

“I just ran in there, threw that, and just all you can do is be the happiest kid ever and run down there and go celebrate with my team,” the redshirt freshman said.

Renfree replaced starter Thaddeus Lewis, who completed 5 of 16 for 60 yards. Lewis completed his 50th career TD pass, becoming the 14th ACC quarterback to reach that milestone, to bring the Blue Devils to within 10-7 with 5:52 remaining in the first half. It stayed that way until Renfree’s opportunity.

“I had intended to play him last week and didn’t, and I made my mind up we would play him regardless of circumstance,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s not any kind of statement or anything other than just confidence in Sean. … I had decided I wanted Sean in there in that series, unless we’re backed up.”

Leon Wright sealed the game for Duke by returning two interceptions in a 16-second span for touchdowns of 51 and 33 yards in final 1:48 to end any hopes of a comeback by the Black Knights.

Patrick Mealy led Army with 99 yards rushing on 10 carries. The Black Knights outgained Duke, 385 yards to 236.

“Give Army some credit — pretty nasty scheme defensively,” Cutcliffe said.

Renfree gave the Blue Devils a 21-13 advantage on a 31-yard TD pass to an open Donovan Varner to start the fourth quarter.

Army (1-1), in coach Rich Ellerson’s Michie Stadium debut, got a quick touchdown with its triple option offense. But the Black Knights didn’t score another touchdown until time expired.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Ellerson said. “It was well-contested until the wheels came off at the end and we tried to do some things that were, frankly, a bit outside of our personality.”

Army backup Carson Williams completed 8 of 18 passes for 91 yards, all in the fourth quarter, and hit Alejandro Villanueva for the final score.

“You take away those two interceptions, it’s 21-19 and we’re going for 2 to tie the game,” Army linebacker Stephen Anderson said. “It’s a game of inches, and we fell a little short. We know what it feels like to be on the other side, but that’s not going to keep us from fighting back.”

Army drew to within 14-13 on Alex Carlton’s 31-yard field goal late in the third before Duke’s 78yard drive was capped by Renfree’s pass to Varner.

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Mealy ran 55 yards to the Duke 24 line on Army’s first offensive play of the game. The Black Knights needed only four additional plays to score on quarterback Trent Steelman’s 2-yard keeper, capping a 79-yard drive.

“They threw a play we’ve never seen before,” Duke linebacker Vincent Rey said. “They ended up scoring on that drive. But the main thing was for us to recuperate.”

Marcus Hilton’s fumble recovery at the Duke 42 set up Carlton’s 43-yard field goal for a 10-0 Black Knights lead 1:22 into the second quarter.

“We want to grow fast,” Ellerson said. “We aren’t going to accept or make excuses about how young we are or how inexperienced we are. We expect to be right. We expect to be full speed.

We expect to be as precise as we need to be in a game like that. That is what it called for.”

Duke basketball coach — and 1969 West Point grad — Mike Krzyzewski was in attendance. The former Black Knights coach was inducted into Army’s Hall of Fame on Friday.

“I think he was pulling for us — I’ll have to ask him,” Cutcliffe said, smiling.

Leon Wright Named ACC Player of the Week Defensive Back September 15, 2009 *DEFENSIVE BACK – Leon Wright, Duke, CB, Sr., 5-8, 175, St. Petersburg, Fla. (Northeast)* Duke senior cornerback Leon Wright had one of the best defensive games nationally on Saturday as he returned two interceptions for touchdowns, recovered a fumble, and tallied four tackles in Duke’s 35-19 come-from-behind win against Army. With Duke clinging to a 21-13 fourth-quarter lead and Army with the ball with just 1:48 remaining, Wright picked off a pass and returned it 51 yards – the 15th longest return in school history – for the score and a Duke win. Adding insult to injury, Wright intercepted another pass on Army’s next offensive play and took it 33 yards downfield for his second defensive touchdown of the afternoon and third of his career, which places him in a tie for first in Duke history.

Duke @ Kansas Game Notes September 16, 2009 Game Notes: at Kansas, Sept. 19, 12 Noon, VERSUS 09/15/2009

- Duke Sports Information

September 19, 2009 12 noon (ET) Site: Lawrence, Kan. Stadium: Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium Surface: FieldTurf Capacity: 50,071 Television: VERSUS - Ron Thulin (Play-by-Play); Kelly Stouffer (Color); Lewis Johnson (Sideline).

Radio: Blue Devil ISP Sports Network

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Internet: GoDuke.com Tickets: 1-877-375-DUKE Rankings: Duke - NR; Kansas - 22 AP, 23 Coaches Blue Devils Head To No. 22 Kansas Duke (1-1) will be on the road for the second straight week as the Blue Devils take on No. 22 Kansas (2-0) at Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kan. on Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 noon (ET). The game will be televised by VERSUS with Ron Thulin calling the play-by-play, Kelly Stouffer providing the color commentary and Lewis Johnson reporting from the sideline. The Blue Devils are coming off a 35-19 victory at Army while Kansas defeated UTEP on the road, 34-7.

Last Time Out Duke scored 21 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 35-19 victory at Army. Senior Leon Wright returned two interceptions (51 and 33 yards) for touchdowns in the final two minutes to clinch the victory. Redshirt freshman Sean Renfree entered the game midway through the third quarter and completed 7-of-8 pass attempts for 106 yards and two touchdowns. His first collegiate pass was a 17-yard touchdown toss to Brett Huffman. Renfree later threw a 31-yard TD pass to Donovan Varner to start the fourth quarter.

Duke’s Win Over Army Significant notes regarding Duke’s 35-19 win over Army: •

Snapped Duke’s six-game losing streak dating back to last season

•

Pushed head coach David Cutcliffe’s record to 32-8 when his teams score 30 or more points

• Marked Duke’s fifth road win in the last 10 seasons (Navy, 2002; North Carolina, 2003; Northwestern, 2007 & Vanderbilt, 2008) •

Increased Duke’s record under Cutcliffe to 3-0 when scoring a defensive touchdown

•

Gave Duke its first second half, come-from-behind road win since winning at Maryland, 25-22, on October 30, 1999

Duke-Kansas Series The Blue Devils will face the Jayhawks for the first time this Saturday. Duke has a 2-3 record alltime against Big 12 schools with a 12-7 win over Baylor in 1958 and a 34-7 win over Nebraska in 1954. The Blue Devils lost to Missouri (1947), Nebraska (1954), Oklahoma (1957) and Texas Tech (1989).

Inside the Numbers …

•

0 - The Blue Devils are one of 21 teams in the country without an interception thrown through the first two weeks of the season. Duke and North Carolina State are the only two ACC teams yet to throw an interception.

•

3 - Senior cornerback Leon Wright tied the school career record for defensive touchdowns when he returned two interceptions for touchdowns at Army. Coupled with a 24-yard fumble return versus Georgia Tech in 2007, he now has three career defensive scores.

•

4.0 - Duke is tied for first in the ACC for the fewest penalties per game. The Blue Devils have committed just eight penalties in two games to rank tied for 12th in the NCAA.

•

5 - After Wright’s two interception returns for touchdowns, Duke has tallied five defensive

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touchdowns in 14 games under head coach David Cutcliffe. The Blue Devils have three interception returns and two fumble returns for scores in the last two seasons.

•

5 - Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is five touchdowns shy of matching Ben Bennett’s school record of 55 career touchdown passes. Lewis has thrown 50 career TD passes with 10 or more in his first three seasons as the starting QB and is the active leader in the ACC.

• 8 - The Blue Devils have played eight true freshmen through the first two games this season.

Seven players saw playing time against Richmond and August Campbell made his debut

at Army.

•

12.0 - Senior linebacker Vincent Rey leads the ACC and ranks tied for eighth nationally with 12.0 tackles per game. He had 14 tackles against Richmond and 10 at Army to give him 10 or more tackles in 14 career games.

•

14.33 - Duke ranks fifth in the nation in kickoff return yardage defense, allowing only 14.33 yards per return this season. Opponents have started inside the 20-yard line after four of the Blue Devils’ nine kickoffs.

• 21 - The 21 points scored in the fourth quarter at Army are the most in a single period by a Duke team since 2002.

• 30 - Duke scored 35 points in a win over Army, marking the sixth time in 14 games the Blue Devils have scored 30 or more points under Cutcliffe. Duke is 4-2 under Cutcliffe when

scoring at least 30 points.

•

38 - Redshirt senior defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase has started a team-high 38 consecutive games, including all 12 games in each of the past three seasons and the first two games this year. His 38 straight starts rank as the eighth most in the NCAA FBS.

•

50 - Lewis became the second player at Duke and 14th ACC player to throw 50 career touchdown passes, with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Conner Vernon at Army.

•

84 - Wright’s 84 interception return yards rank second in the NCAA this season. He is the only player in the country with two interception returns for touchdowns this season.

•

256 - Senior linebacker Vincent Rey has compiled 256 career tackles and is the active leader in the ACC. He has tallied at least 100 tackles in each of the last two seasons with a team-high 111 in 2007 and 109 last season. Rey is one of only four active players in the NCAA FBS to have 100 tackles in each of the past two seasons.

•

281.30 - Sean Renfree recorded a quarterback rating of 281.30 in his collegiate debut, completing 7-of-8 pass attempts for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Gameday! Duke Vs. Kansas September 19, 2009 Duke (1-1) at No. 22 Kansas (2-0) Duke football coach David Cutcliffe may be looking to project the future after joking with the media about the celebration following the U.S. Open tennis title won by Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro on Monday night.

“It looked like a pretty good party down there (in Argentina),” Cutcliffe said. “I saw some clips of that early this morning, it was still going on. (There was) smoke smoldering and everything else. A

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guy won a tennis tournament. I wonder what they’ll do if Duke beats a ranked team on the road.”

A victory for Cutcliffe’s Blue Devils (1-1) over No. 22 Kansas (2-0) could elicit the same type of celebration from Blue Devil fans ‘worldwide’; or at lease throughout the great state of North Carolina. And it would certainly validate the hard work Cutcliffe & his players have put in to rebuild the program.

Duke players understand the importance of a game like this.

“They have a really good team,” defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk said. “We have to make sure we’re really sound and play up to our potential every snap. … It’s going to be a big challenge for us. But it’s also a big opportunity to show people what we have.”

Kansas however won’t make this easy. Senior quarterback Todd Reesing, who’s averaging 226 yards of total offense a game this year will be a formidable opponent for Duke’s emerging defense.

Cutcliffe showed his respect for Reesing in this week’s teleconference, “He is uncanny at finding people with the ball. He is unbelievably accurate out of a scramble. It’s a big, big challenge.”

“Our responsibility is to bring a good football team to this game,” Cutcliffe said. “They haven’t really played a team that has played well against them. I hope we are that team. We’re not a guarantee by any means. That’s our challenge, to be that football team.”

The Photo History of Duke Football September 22, 2009

via http://www.flickr.com/photos/dukeyearlook/sets/72157606439053682/ The story of Duke football is the story of Duke University. It is replete with highs and lows, great and not so great moves, winners and losers, and players and coaches of mythical proportion.

The following photos represent Duke football from its beginnings in 1888 to the 1970s. For more information on Duke football, visit the following: library.duke.edu/uarchives/exhibits/rose bowl/index.html library.duke.edu/uarchives/exhibits/rose bowl/index.html library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/dsf/ library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/rbms cl/uaftball/inv/

Tomorrow’s Matchup - Duke vs. N.C. Central September 25, 2009

Associated Press Line: No line.

Series Record: First meeting.

Last Meeting: First meeting.

What’s at Stake Bragging rights in Durham. The schools are separated by 5 miles but have never played because the Eagles are newcomers to Division I and in the third year of their move into the Football Championship Subdivision. Duke needs a victory, because a second loss to an FCS member almost certainly would send its season into despair.

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Key Matchup Duke’s pass defense vs. N.C. Central QB Michael Johnson. Johnson makes the Eagles’ passhappy offense go, throwing for 157 yards per game. N.C. Central’s best chance to spring the upset might come if the Blue Devils can’t shore up a pass defense that’s allowing an average of nearly 205 yards.

Players to Watch N.C. Central: This game might mean the most to Johnson, a Durham native who has joked that he grew up rooting for Duke’s rival, North Carolina.

Duke: QB Thaddeus Lewis threw for 184 yards and rushed for a touchdown last week, but was intercepted twice and might need a strong outing to keep hold of his job, with redshirt freshman Sean Renfree being groomed as the Blue Devils’ quarterback of the future.

Facts & Figures Duke is 1-2 in its last three games against FCS schools, with both losses coming against Richmond. … N.C. Central has played at Wallace Wade Stadium before, going 2-1 on Duke’s home field. The Eagles haven’t played there since 1974. … Steve Spurrier is expected to be in attendance as the Blue Devils honor the 20th anniversary of their most recent ACC championship team in 1989.

Duke Football Monday Morning Quarterback September 28, 2009

From our Friend Michael Tomko @ GoDuke.com DURHAM, N.C. - Duke ran for 233 yard on Saturday. They had their first 100 yard runner since Re’quan Boyette did so against Florida State in 2005. That should be praised and deservingly so it was Saturday night.

But what may have got lost in the rain during the Blue Devils 49-14 win over N.C. Central, and what may be the most important thing heading into this week’s home game against No. 6 ranked Virginia Tech, was the play of senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.

Lewis completed 17-of-25 passes for 189 yards and two touchdown strikes, in which he found Donovan Varner on both. He also ran for a score.

“You saw the difference in Thad last night,” David Cutcliffe said. “Thad is really just getting out what he would be getting rep-wise in camp if we had everybody in camp [healthy].”

Lewis was hampered in camp both by illness and an ankle injury, which he tweaked Saturday night, but is expected to be fine for this week’s conference showdown, during camp limiting the number of reps he was able to take under center.

Cutcliffe even went as far as saying that Lewis looked as good as he has seen him look during a game after going over the tape.

He actually was more pleased with his second viewing of the game.

“I was pleased with our second half,” Cutcliffe said. “I said that last night. After looking at the tape I was even more pleased with most of the second half. We improved as a team. We still have miles and miles to go for us to be able to compete in our league play which is upon us finally now.”

The Blue Devils couldn’t have a tougher opponent to kickoff conference play this Saturday from Wallace Wade Stadium scheduled for 12 noon.

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If Duke is able to establish a more consistent rushing attack then Lewis will continue to have success as he catches up on the reps he missed during camp.

“We haven’t run the ball extremely well, and yesterday we had a better match up which gave us a chance to hit some seams and really get more in the secondary then we have had all season long,” Cutcliffe said.

Duke hopes to have a healthy Boyette this week to compliment Jay Hollingsworth, Desmond Scott and Patrick Kurunwune when they line up against the Hokies.

“Desmond Scott has got talent,” Cutcliffe said. “He has a chance to be a really good player. He still is in a learning curve, but he was ready to play.”

“You don’t think you are ever ready for Virginia Tech, but he [Scott] is going to play. How much in the rotation depends somewhat on our health at that position, but he will definitely get the ball and the opportunity to run the football in this game.”

Game Notes for VT Game October 1, 2009 Duke (2-2, 0-0 ACC) vs.

[6] Virginia Tech (3-1, 1-0 ACC) October 3, 2009 12 noon (ET) Site: Durham, N.C. Stadium: Wallace Wade Stadium Surface: Natural grass Capacity: 33,941 Radio: Blue Devil ISP Sports Network Internet: ESPN360.com - Dave Weekley (Play-by-Play), Danny Kanell (Color); GoDuke.com Tickets: 1-877-375-DUKE Duke Starts ACC Play Duke (2-2, 0-0 ACC) will play its first ACC game on Saturday, Oct. 3 when the Blue Devils host No. 6 Virginia Tech (3-1, 1-0 ACC) at 12 noon (ET) in Wallace Wade Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN360 with Dave Weekley calling the play-by-play and Danny Kanell providing the color commentary. The Blue Devils are coming off a 49-14 homecoming win over N.C. Central while the Hokies topped Miami, 31-7, at home last weekend.

Last Time Out The Blue Devils racked up 487 yards of total offense with 233 rushing yards and 254 passing yards in a 49-14 win over N.C. Central at Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke scored touchdowns on its first three possessions with freshmen Patrick Kurunwune and Desmond Scott each scoring their first career touchdowns and Donovan Varner catching the first of two TD passes on the night. Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis accounted for three touchdowns with one rushing score and two passing TDs. Sean Renfree also threw a touchdown pass and senior linebacker Vincent Rey returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown.

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Duke-Virginia Tech Series The Hokies lead the all-time series between the two schools 9-7. Virginia Tech has won the last eight games in the series after Duke claimed the first six and seven of the first eight.

Overall: Virginia Tech, 9-7 First Meeting: Duke, 25-0 in 1937 Last Meeting: Virginia Tech, 14-3 in 2008 Largest Duke Margin of Victory: 49 (55-6) in 1951 Largest Virginia Tech Margin of Victory: 45 (45-0) in 2005 Duke’s Last Win in Durham: 1981 (14-7) Virginia Tech’s Last Win in Durham: 2007 (43-14) Current Streak: Virginia Tech, W8 Last Meeting Duke forced five first half turnovers, but only managed to score three points off the takeaways.

Virginia Tech held the Blue Devils to 136 yards of total offense, including only 20 passing yards.

The Hokies’ Victor Harris returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown with 1:31 remaining and the score 7-3, ending Duke’s chances for a game-winning drive.

Inside the Numbers …

• 3 - Senior linebacker Vincent Rey has three fumble returns for touchdown in his career — a Duke record. Rey had a 16-yard return for a score last week against N.C. Central after

teammate Matt Daniels caused a fumble on an Eagle punt return.

•

3 - Sophomore wide receiver Donovan Varner has caught at least one touchdown pass in three consecutive games.

• 7 - Duke converted seven-of-14 (.500) third-down opportunities last week against N.C. Central. Through the first three weeks of the year, the Blue Devils had managed just nine-of 42 (.214) third down conversions.

• 9 - The Blue Devils have played eight true freshmen through the first two games this season.

Seven players saw playing time against Richmond, August Campbell made his debut at Army

and Desmond Scott played for the first time against N.C. Central.

•

16 - Senior cornerback Leon Wright has 16 career pass breakups and is two shy of a tie for 10th all-time at Duke. He is also two interceptions away from Duke’s career top 10 list.

•

20 & 24 - Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is 20 pass attempts and 24 pass completions away from climbing into third place on Duke’s career charts. Lewis has 1,184 career pass attempts and 675 career pass completions.

• 29.0 - Duke ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring offense, averaging 29.0 points per game this

season. The 49 points scored last week against N.C. Central were the most since the Blue Devils scored 51 against Wake Forest on Oct. 22, 1994.

•

50 - David Cutcliffe registered the 50th win of his head coaching career last week in Duke’s 49-14 win over N.C. Central.

• 50 - Junior kicker Nick Maggio has booted 50 consecutive PATs — the third-longest streak in Duke history. Sims Lenhardt holds the school standard of 62.

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•

52 - Lewis is three touchdowns shy of matching Ben Bennett’s school record of 55 career touchdown passes. Lewis has thrown 52 career TD passes with 10 or more in his first three seasons as the starting QB and is the active leader in the ACC.

• 93 & 100 - With 93 and 100 rushing yards, respectively, redshirt freshman Patrick Kurunwune

and Scott, a true freshman, paced Duke’s ground attack in last week’s 49-14 win over N.C. Central. The efforts rank 14th and 17th on the school’s single-game chart for rushing yards

by a rookie, with Scott’s performance coming in the Durham native’s first collegiate

appearance. Departing spring practice, neither Scott nor Kurunwune were among the top

three running backs on the Duke roster, but injuries (Re’quan Boyette & Jay Hollingsworth)

and dismissal from the program (Tony Jackson) have thrust the tandem into game action.

•

149.4 - Redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Renfree ranks fourth in the ACC with a quarterback efficiency rating of 149.4. The school single-season record for pass efficiency (min. 200 attempts) is 142.45 by Bennett in 1982.

• 200 - Duke rushed and passed for over 200 yards against N.C. Central, marking the first time Oct. 27, 2001, that the Blue Devils have had over 200 rushing and passing yards in a single

game. Duke finished with 233 yards on the ground and 254 yards through the air.

New Grass to Play On This Week!

October 9, 2009 From Wire Reports New turf is down on the Carter-Finley Stadium field following Saturday night’s U2 concert as N.C. State (3-2, 0-1 ACC) prepares for Saturday’s ACC football game against Duke (2-3, 0-1).

“I jokingly say all the time we’ll play in the parking lot,” Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien told the Burlington Times-News on Wednesday. “But there is grass on the field. They’re working on it.”

Months ago, Precision Turf of Atlanta began growing sod to replace about 70 percent of the playing surface that was covered by the concert’s stage setup. Heavy equipment remained on the site as late as Monday afternoon as the process continued from the weekend show.

O’Brien said there are no plans for his team to go onto the field to test the footing before the team’s usual walkthrough today. The Wolfpack holds practices across the street from the stadium at its practice facility.

O’Brien said it should be an even playing surface.

“The only thing is Duke has to play on the field, too,” he said.

It’s Time - Duke vs. NC State Showdown!

October 9, 2009 It’s time for us to step up and show the world of College Football what we’re made of.

We made a statement this past year with our success in recruiting.

We made a statement last week with our tough play against National Title contender Virginia Tech.

Even Kirk Herbstreit gave us some love on College Gameday!

Now, come tomorrow afternoon, we have a chance to make another statement against a solid NC State football team. For Coach Cutcliffe, this is a must win game to solidify how far this

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program has come.

In order for Duke to climb out of the shadow of the strong teams in the ACC, and compete for a place in the ACC Championship, a win against a solid conference opponent like NC State is paramount. Plus, to keep bowl eligible, we have to put another W on our scorecard.

However, this game is about more than the ACC Championship or Bowl Game Eligibility, it’s about proving that all of the hard work, belief and dedication in this program is paying off. We’ve certainly come a long way in a short period of time. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel, AND this game can prove that we are finally emerging from what has been a long, arduous journey through that tunnel to shine once again.

Look for another big game from Thaddeus Lewis, who admitted there are no moral victories left after the VT game - only wins and losses. Emerging defensive star Matt Daniels, who has already forced 3 fumbles this season should also have big play potential. Will Snyderwine’s kicking could also prove invaluable in this game.

A real key to a Duke win - We will need to find a way to slow the elusive and accurate N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson.

“Russell is a very talented athlete,” Cutcliffe said. “He moves. He makes plays. He creates. He does a tremendous job of finding targets downfield off the scramble. You have to mix it up. There is no one way to defend a Russell Wilson.”

NC State Game Recap - Win! October 12, 2009 From the Associate Press View the full recap here RALEIGH, N.C. — Thad Lewis threw for career-highs of 459 yards and five touchdowns in a dazzling one-man show to help Duke beat North Carolina State 49-28 on Saturday.

Lewis also ran for a score for the Blue Devils (3-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who snapped an 11-game losing streak to their instate rival and earned their first road league win in almost six years. Donovan Varner added 154 yards receiving while Conner Vernon had 10 catches and was one of five different players to catch a TD pass from Lewis.

But on this day, everything started with Lewis, a senior quarterback who has until now almost always seen his big passing days go for naught.

He picked apart the Wolfpack’s defense, helping Duke roll to 502 total yards and convert 13 of 19 third downs to dominate the game in front of a stunned home crowd for the Wolfpack (3-3, 0-2).

Lewis was sharp from the beginning, guiding the Blue Devils to touchdowns on their first three drives. And even though the Blue Devils had a few of those only-can-happen-to-Duke mistakes that helped the Wolfpack hang around, Lewis just wouldn’t let the Blue Devils falter.

Duke earned its first ACC road win since beating North Carolina to close the 2003 regular season, ending a 20-game losing streak….read more.

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Captains Named for Maryland Game October 22, 2009 Cutcliffe Announces Captains For Maryland Game Head coach David Cutcliffe has announced the four game captains for the Blue Devils’ upcoming game against Maryland.

Seniors Thaddeus Lewis, Ayanga Okpokowuruk and Vincent Rey and redshirt sophomore Kyle Hill will serve as the four captains for Saturday’s contest.

Lewis will be a captain for a team-high fifth time. He also served as a game captain against Richmond, Army, N.C. Central and Virginia Tech. Lewis earned National Player of the Week honors by the Walter Camp Foundation following his last game when he completed 40-of-50 passes for 459 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-14 win over N.C. State.

Okpokowuruk and Rey will each be captains for the third time this season. Okpokowuruk represented the team against Kansas and Virginia Tech while Rey served as a captain against Richmond and N.C. Central. Okpokowuruk has 25 tackles and a team-high two sacks on the year while Rey ranks fifth in the ACC with 8.2 tackles per game to go with a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss.

Hill has been named a captain for the second time. He also was a captain at Kansas. He has started in 18 consecutive games and has helped Duke rank third in the ACC in total offense and fourth in scoring offense.

Saturday’s game will be streamed live on ESPN360.com. Kickoff in Wallace Wade Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Duke versus Maryland Preview October 23, 2009 It’s been quite some time since Duke has played Maryland (2004 was the last meeting), and this year, this game counts! It’s big for both teams, but the Blue Devils can really make a statement with this win. Duke’s last win against the Terps came in the semi famous 25-22 upset in 1999, so it’s safe to say that the Blue Devil’s a due for a big win this week.

Key’s to the Game - On Defense: The Terp’s rank 11th in the ACC in rushing offense, 6th in passing and 8th in overall offense.

These are the marks of a struggling offense. With only 22.9 points per game, the Terps lack the true firepower many opponents (say VT) Duke has already faced and performed well against this year. Key, is Duke’s ability to keep Maryland out of the red zone. For all of their struggles, this is Maryland’s strong point, scoring 88 percent of the time when they are in the red zone.

The Blue Devil’s secondary must keep third year starter Chris Turner’s passing efficiency (59.1 career) contained. Look for the quickness of Duke’s secondary to challenge Maryland’s receiving core, and situational passing to be difficult. Tony Smith is a threat with his hands and feet, as a receiver, returner and on the occasional end around. Interceptions could be key to forcing the Terps offense into working to (re)establish their struggling running game. Davin Meggett is a short, stalky, shifty back with break away speed. He should challenge, but not succeed against Duke’s stingy defensive line and linebaking core. Look for Duke’s front 7 to challenge Maryland’s bend but try not to break offensive line. With loses to graduation across the board, Maryland’s

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young and inexperienced line could have problems with mixed blitz packages and the shear power of the front four.

Key’s to the Game - On Offense: Maryland has a triple threat of seniors in their defensive line that will need to be kept at bay to establish the line of scrimmage for Duke’s offense. Size, spead and experience will be a lot to content with and should cause for struggles with sacks, pressures and tackles for loss.

Look for Duke to rely on their star quarterback to create space with misdirection and quick hit passing early. This could open up the interior later in the game for counters and draw plays. The philosophy here will be to challenge the line horizontally and not vertically.

This could prove to be a difficult task however, with Maryland’s real strength coming at linebacker and secondary positions.

Prediction: Duke has a lot on the line in this game. Coach Cutcliffe has made it clear that Duke will win at home. With solid performances this year from a team that believes, Duke will keep to that promise.

Duke - 31 Maryland - 21

Duke Holds on for 17-13 Victory Over Maryland October 24, 2009

From Duke Sports Information: DURHAM, N.C. – Duke’s defense forced two Maryland turnovers late in the fourth quarter to preserve the Blue Devils’ 17-13 victory over the Terrapins on a rain-drenched Saturday afternoon in front of 24,650 fans at Wallace Wade Stadium. The win marks the first time since 1994 that Duke has recorded back-to-back ACC victories.

Receiver Donovan Varner caught a season-high eight passes for 120 yards and a touchdown, while freshman receiver Conner Vernon hauled in five passes for 102 yards to become the first Blue Devil to post two 100-yard games in his rookie season. Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis completed 30-of-43 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns, but the Duke defense proved the differencemaker, holding the Terps scoreless in the fourth quarter and limiting Maryland to 259 total yards on the day.

Duke won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick, but went three-and-out on its first possession. Starting on its own 37, Maryland pushed the ball across midfield to the Duke 32, but turned the ball over on downs after a huge stop on fourth-and-one as Duke linebacker Vincent Rey tackled Maryland tailback Caleb Porzel short of the first-down marker.

On its following possession, Duke would need nine plays, covering 69 yards to break the scoreless tie midway through the first quarter. Lewis capped the drive with a 24-yard touchdown strike to receiver Donovan Varner.

But Maryland would respond, driving deep into Duke territory before stalling at the Blue Devil 15-yard line. Maryland kicker Nick Ferrara connected on the 25-yard field goal attempt to pull the Terrapins within four, 7-3, late in the first quarter.

The two teams traded possessions to start the second quarter before Duke took over on its own

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16. After a rush for no gain, Maryland cornerback Cameron Chism picked off a Lewis pass on the following play. The interception led to a 40-yard Maryland field goal as Duke’s defense held the Terrapins to just eight yards after the turnover.

Leading 7-6, the Blue Devils answered, putting together a 73-yard, 11-play drive to set up kicker Will Snyderwine’s 35-yard field goal, and ended the half with a 10-6 lead.

Duke’s offense continued to move the chains on its first possession of the third quarter. Lewis hit Vernon down the sideline for a 44-yard completion to push the Blue Devils down to the Maryland one yard line. Facing third-and-goal after two failed rushing attempts, receiver Tony Foster made a spectacular one-handed grab for the touchdown, and Duke looked in control with a 17-6 advantage with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

However, the Terrapins would need only 59 seconds to respond as quarterback Chris Turner hit tailback Davin Meggett for a 67-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 17-13.

Despite several opportunities, Maryland would not come any closer as the Blue Devil defense came through, forcing a punt and two turnovers in the final four minutes. Rey again came up big for the Devils, intercepting Turner’s pass with 4:09 to go in the fourth quarter, while Brandon King recovered a fumble by Maryland punt returner Tony Logan to seal the victory.

Duke’s Matt Daniels led the way on defense with nine tackles. Rey collected eight tackles and an interception, while Damian Thornton had eight stops and a career-high two-and-a-half tackles for a loss of 11 yards.

Duke returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 31, travelling to Charlottesville, Va., for a match-up with Virginia at 3:30 p.m.

3 Conference Wins for Duke?

October 28, 2009 From GoDuke.com Last season, Duke (4-3, 2-1) notched its first ACC win since 2004 with a 31-3 win over Virginia (3-4, 2-1). The win was the first ACC win for Duke since 2004, the first for head coach David Cutcliffe against a conference opponent, and the first winning streak Duke had put together since 2003.

Now, with the Blue Devils coming off a 17-13 win over Maryland to claim their second straight ACC win of this season, Cutcliffe and company have set their sights on Virginia once again to try and achieve another milestone, one that hasn’t been reached since 1999.

Three wins against ACC opponents in a single season.

“I had never been 2-1 in the conference since I have played at Duke, but we took another step as a football team,” senior Thaddeus Lewis said. “There are a lot of opportunities in front of you, and it is a matter of what you do with those opportunities.”

Saturday’s contest, scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff in Charlottesville, Va. pits two teams who began the season slowly before putting together impressive performances the past few weeks.

“The matchup of our receivers against their secondary is going to be critical,” Cutcliffe said.

“They pushed us around a year ago in that regard. They bullied us pretty good. We will be challenged without a doubt. Then there big offensive front against our defensive front will be very critical, and then the third thing will be the kicking game. They are very good in the kicking game.

They have some excellent return weapons.”

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Cutcliffe has called the Cavaliers defense the hardest hitting that Duke will play this season, with Lewis calling the secondary of the Cavaliers that best we will have faced to this point in the season.

It will be a matchup of conflicting styles with Virginia leading the conference in pass defense, giving up just 151.3 yards per game, and the Blue Devils leading the conference is passing yards.

Duke is averaging 322.6 yards per game through the air this season.

“They can drop eight back and force us to run the ball and try to take away all the passing lanes,” Lewis said.

The Cavaliers play a base 3-4 defense allowing them to run some creative blitzing schemes, but also leaving them susceptible to the run.

“We’re going to run the ball better,” Cutcliffe said. “We had a good day today [in practice] in that regard. I think anybody that looks at us would love to say, ‘we’re going to try to make you beat us running,’ but we’ve got to try to find a way to stay somewhat balanced. But regardless, we’re going to find a way to throw the football. They can try to make it hard and make it a challenge, but that just changes our course of how to throw it. They’ll take some things away because they’re really good, and that will be a little bit of a chess match like it always is.”

In last year’s matchup, Duke racked up 84 yards on the ground versus the Cavaliers.

“This week we have all four backs in the backfield to run the football,” Lewis said. “We have had some success running against those guys last year. It’s pretty much the same defense, so they give you an opportunity to run the ball.”

The last two weeks the running backs have been used more in pass protection than actually carrying the football. Jay Hollingsworth was exceptional against Maryland, filling in for the injured Re’quan Boyette, picking up blocks and allowing Lewis time to throw the football.

“Those guys have done an outstanding job,” Lewis said. “They could have been selfish and not block, but those guys are really doing a great job without the ball in their hands picking up protection. My hats off to the running backs coach for getting it in those guys’ heads that they have to be more than just a running back.”

The Blue Devils defense also played well against Virginia a season ago posting a big second half, outscoring the Cavaliers 28-0 and forcing five turnovers after the game was tied 3-3 at halftime.

Duke caused six turnovers in the game.

But last season’s game was at home, so being on the road will pose a new challenge.

Wins over Vanderbilt and N.C. State on the road have given Duke the confidence to win anywhere.

“I think it is a great confidence booster for this football team, knowing that we can go on the road and win,” Lewis said.

Another Big Day for Duke Football October 31, 2009 We haven’t been to a bowl game in years, but today, we can take another step towards postseason play. In Virginia, we should not only take this step, but hurdle over the many years of trials and tribulations to get where we are and know we can be. Coach Cutcliffe, as we all expected, has driven players, fans and even foes to respect the level of play Duke brings to each game. Our three wins in four games has brought with it a new kind of optimism - and it’s in the fall. Go Duke!

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Duke Takes Down UVA 28-17 November 2, 2009 (AP) -Thaddeus Lewis hit Donovan Varner on a 42-yard touchdown pass with 3:45 remaining and Duke rallied to beat Virginia 28-17 on Saturday.

Will Snyderwine made five field goals for the Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who added a touchdown when Charlie Hatcher recovered a fumble by Jameel Sewell with 3:22 left to clinch it. The victory is Duke’s third in a row - all in ACC play - the first time since 1989.

The victory also kept Duke in the thick of the ACC Coastal Division race. The Blue Devils and No. 11 Georgia Tech each have one loss in league play, and their meeting on Nov. 14 in Durham, N.C., could be decisive.

Virginia (3-5, 2-2) lost its second in a row as its pass defense, ranked fifth in the nation coming in, was unable to slow the Lewis-led sixth-best passing attack in the country.

Lewis was 24 for 40 for 343 yards, despite being sacked six times.

Before he and Varner hooked up for the big play down the middle of the field, the Cavaliers looked like they might pull of a somewhat dramatic victory of their own.

Trailing 12-10, Virginia drove to the Blue Devils 40, where Sewell rolled left and hit Joe Torchia for a 19-yard completion on fourth-and-1. On the next play, they teamed up again, Sewell rifling a pass to Torchia down the middle of the field to put Virginia up 17-12.

The Cavaliers’ chances improved when Chase Minnifield made a diving interception in the end zone to stop another Duke drive, but Virginia went conservative on offense and had to quickly punt. The Blue Devils took over at their 33, and five plays later, Lewis found Varner in one-on-one coverage in the middle of the field and he pulled in the go-ahead pass.

Until then, Virginia had allowed Lewis to move up and down the field with a possession passing game, but forced Duke to settle for field goals of 44, 28, 34 and 25 yards.

The Cavaliers came into the game having scored a total of two offensive touchdowns in three ACC games, and managed just 81 yards of offense and trailed 9-3 at the end of the half.

But Sewell led a 66-yard drive to his 1-yard dive with the first possession of the third quarter, giving the Cavaliers their first lead, and then gave them the lead again later.

The Blue Devils added a late touchdown and field goal after the go-ahead touchdown.

Five Players Selected Captains for North Carolina Game November 5, 2009 Durham, n.c. – Head coach David Cutcliffe has announced five players as captains for this weekend’s game against North Carolina as the two teams battle for the Victory Bell.

Three seniors and two sophomores were picked to represent the Blue Devils in Chapel Hill.

Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis will be a captain for the sixth time this season. He has been one of the top players in the ACC the last month, averaging 383 passing yards per game in four ACC contests. On the season he has thrown for 2,315 yards and 15 touchdowns with just four interceptions.

Lewis will be joined on offense by sophomores Kyle Hill and Johnny Williams. Hill has started all

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20 games of his career, including all eight games at left tackle this season. Williams has tallied 28 receptions for 359 yards and one touchdown as a member of the top receiving corps in the ACC. The defensive captains will be seniors Vince Oghobaase and Vincent Rey. The two players are tied for the team lead with 5.5 tackles for loss this season. Oghobaase has 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup and one quarterback pressure. Rey leads the team and ranks tied for fourth in the ACC with 67 tackles to go with one sack, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPNU. Kickoff at Kenan Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Duke’s Vince Oghobaase Selected For 85th East-West Shrine Game November 6, 2009 DURHAM, N.C. — Duke redshirt senior defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase has been selected to play in the 85th East-West Shrine Game on January 23, 2010 in Orlando, Fla. The contest will kick off at 3 p.m. and be televised live by ESPN2.

A 6-5, 305-pound native of Houston, Texas, Oghobaase has played in and started 42 games for the Blue Devils over the past three-plus seasons. An All-ACC pick in 2008, his career totals of 13.0 quarterback sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss rank fifth and seventh, respectfully, on Duke’s all-time charts. In 2009, Oghobaase has been credited with 26 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as the Blue Devil defense ranks fourth in the ACC and 33rd nationally in total defense.

Oghobaase becomes the 35th Duke player to be chosen for the East-West Shrine Game, joining Elmore Hackney (1937), Ace Parker (1937), George McAfee (1938), Willard Perdue (1938), Tony Ruffa (1940), Ernest Beamer (1943), Al DeRogatis (1948), Bob Pascal (1955), Sonny Sorrell (1955), Wray Carlton (1958), Mike McGee (1959), Jack Wilson (1961), Jay Wilkinson (1963), Mike Murphy (1967), Wes Chesson (1970), Leo Hart (1970), Steve Jones (1972), Ed Newman (1972), Dave Meier (1975), Billy Bryan (1976), Mike Sandusky (1977), Lyman Smith (1977), Carl McGee (1978), Chris Castor (1982), Phil Ebinger (1983), Mike Junkin (1986), Dave Colonna (1989), Robert Baldwin (1994), Ray Farmer (1995), Tawambi Settles (1997), Ryan Fowler (2003), Drew Strojny (2003), Alex Green (2005) and Michael Tauiliili (2008).

Oghobaase joins an elite list of football greats, such as John Elway, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, and 62 NFL Hall of Famers, who have played in the East-West Shrine Game, America’s longest-running college all-star football game.

“The East-West Shrine Game has always fielded players among college football’s best,” said EastWest Shrine Game Executive Director Jack Hart. “With all 32 NFL teams represented by GMs, coaches and scouts during game week, our players have the terrific opportunity to showcase their talents and get their first glimpse of life in the NFL … ‘Just Like on Sunday.’”

While the teams are divided by East and West, the players come together for the beneficiary of the event, Shriners Hospitals for Children, an international pediatric specialty health care system.

“We hope our supporters all over the country will come out and enjoy this exciting game,” said Douglas E. Maxwell, president and CEO of Shriners Hospitals for Children. “Our health care system depends on the generosity of our supporters, and this game is one of our signature events – all proceeds benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children.”

For more information about the East-West Shrine Game, please visit www.shrinegame.com.

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Strong Tar Heels Defense Stumps Duke November 8, 2009 CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Ryan Houston ran for a career-high 164 yards and Jheranie Boyd scored the clinching touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to help North Carolina beat Duke 19-6 on Saturday.

Charles Brown also came up with a key interception late in the third quarter as part of a dominating defensive performance for the Tar Heels (6-3, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shut down Thad Lewis and the prolific passing attack that had carried the Blue Devils (5-4, 3-2) to three straight victories.

Duke finished with 125 total yards and had to fight for every one of them. The Tar Heels didn’t have much offensive success, but they wore down the Blue Devils behind Houston after starting tailback Shaun Draughn went out with an early shoulder injury.

Houston finished with a career-high 37 carries, including 10 on the clock-draining drive that ended with Boyd’s touchdown with 6:57 left.

He also had the lead block on Matt Daniels that allowed Boyd to get to the right pylon on a 3-yard end-around that made it a two-possession game.

Not a bad performance for a guy who typically served as the short-yardage and goal-line back and had never had more than 18 carries or 74 yards rushing in a game. Then again, the Tar Heels didn’t have much choice after Draughn injured his left shoulder on a 9-yard gain on the Tar Heels’ first offensive play and didn’t return.

North Carolina didn’t manage much offense outside of Houston.

T.J. Yates threw for just 119 yards and the Tar Heels had to rely on a career-high four field goals from Casey Barth.

But they’re now one win from bowl eligibility–though their last home game is next week against No. 16 Miami, followed by trips to Boston College and rival North Carolina State to close the regular season.

It was the first meeting in 15 years in which both North Carolina and Duke had winning records, while it was one of the rare times in the rivalry that they weren’t meeting to close the regular season. But it ended much like the rest have, with North Carolina winning for the 19th time in 20 meetings.

The game remained tight until the final period despite the fact Lewis was under constant pressure and didn’t have time to wait for his receivers to get open.

He completed 16 of 33 passes for 113 yards, snapping his streak of four straight 300-yard games. His biggest mistake came when he tried to force the ball to Conner Vernon late in the third quarter only to see Brown jump in front of the pass and return it 54 yards. That set up Barth’s 41-yard kick for a 9-6 lead on the final play of the third quarter.

Georgia Tech Preview November 10, 2009 Coming off of one of the most emotional and gutsy wins of the year, Georgia Tech is primed an in the drivers seat on The Road To Tampa Bay and the ACC Football Championship. But there’s

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one more thing they have to do - Beat a Duke Blue Devils team that has been playing their best football in years. If they can pull it off, Georgia Tech will ride an 8 game winning streak, and a sixth straight win over Duke (5-4, 3-2) to the ACC championship game Dec. 5 in Tampa. This would be Georgia Tech’s first appearence in the game since 2006.

But what about Duke? There’s certainly a high level of respect for the Yellow Jackets from Duke head coach David Cutcliffe.

“They are a great football team and they absolutely destroyed us a year ago in Atlanta,” Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe told the school’s official Web site. “Our defense played pretty well against them most of the ball game. They pose tons of problems. They run their offense extremely well. They have weapons to do that.”

Duke - senior quarterback and overall leader for Duke this year - Thad Lewis will bounce back after Saturday’s disappointing 19-6 loss at North Carolina. Against UNC, Thadeus was less than steller, delivering just over 100 yards passing.

More reason to look at Duke here…Lewis, is second in the ACC with 2,428 passing yards, (and the Yellow Jackets are 10th in the ACC in pass defense), but just came off of his worst game of the season and he is 0-3 in his career versus Georgia Tech. This is a game he should be inspired in.

Duke is 30-45-1 all-time versus the Yellow Jackets and there is no bigger game in this matchup history for both teams.

Captains Named for GT Game November 12, 2009

From our friends at Duke Head coach David Cutcliffe has announced the four players who will serve as captains for the Georgia Tech game with three of the four to represent the team for the first time this season.

Adam Banks, Jordon Byas and Catron Gainey were all named captains for the first time, joining senior Re’quan Boyette as captains for Saturday’s game against the No. 7 team in the country.

Banks and Byas have been two of Duke’s top special team performers this season while also seeing time on defense. Banks is tied for third on the team with eight tackles on special teams, including three as a member of the punt coverage unit. He has also started two games on the year at the strongside linebacker position. Byas leads the Blue Devils with nine tackles as a member of the kickoff coverage unit to go along with a blocked punt at North Carolina. He is the first freshman to serve as a captain this season for Duke.

Gainey ranks second on the team and 10th in the ACC with 7.0 tackles per game. He has 63 tackles with 35 solo stops to go along with three pass breakups Boyette also served as a captain in the season opener against Richmond. He has rushed for 111 yards this season while catching 11 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown.

Saturday’s game will be televised on espn2 with kickoff scheduled for 12 noon.

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Snyderwine Named Lou Groza Award Semifinalist November 12, 2009

From Duke Sports Information Durham, n.c. – Junior walk-on placekicker Will Snyderwine has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2009 Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation’s top placekicker.

Snyderwine is one of the top kickers nationally, ranking tied for seventh in field goal percentage (.917). He has made 11-of-12 field goal attempts this season, including his last 11 attempts since missing his first career attempt at Army. His percentage is the second highest in the ACC while his 1.38 field goals per game rank sixth in the conference.

Nine of Snyderwine’s 11 made field goals have come in two games. He was a perfect 5-of-5 in a win at Virginia and was 4-of-4 against Virginia Tech. His five made field goals are the second most in a single game in Duke history while his four made attempts are tied for fourth most at Duke.

He is a perfect 7-of-7 on attempts longer than 30 yards with four made tries over 40 yards. His career long of 47 yards came against Virginia Tech.

The award is named in honor of one of the all-time great kickers in football history, Lou Groza.

Groza played 21 seasons for the Cleveland Browns setting numerous franchise records, including most games played, most points scored, and an amazing 107 consecutive games in which he scored a point. The 1,608 career points he scored is still a Browns’ franchise record, and he ranks third all-time in league. Groza was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Semi-finalists will be voted on by all Division 1 Head Coaches and SID’s, along with national, regional and local football writers and others who will select the three (3) finalists. These finalists will be honored at the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Awards Banquet on December 8 in West Palm Beach, FL. The winner will be announced live on the nationally televised Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on the evening of December 10, 2009.

Semifinalist http://www.lougrozaaward.com/semifinalists

AFCA Honors MacIntyre With National Assistant Coach Of The Year Award November 18, 2009 DURHAM, N.C. — Duke defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre has been named the National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), announced by the organization on Wednesday.

“Mike is truly deserving of this honor,” said Duke head coach David Cutcliffe. “This recognition is very special for Mike and his family, and also says volumes about our entire defensive staff and our student-athletes. Mike is one of the finest football coaches I’ve been around over the course of my career. I couldn’t be happier for Mike to receive this award.”

Through 10 games this season, Duke ranks sixth in the ACC and 41st nationally in total defense by allowing 342.8 yards per game. For the first time in 15 seasons, the Blue Devils held three consecutive ACC opponents (Maryland, Virginia & North Carolina) to fewer than 20 points. In 2008, the Blue Devil defense allowed 23.4 points per game — the program’s lowest total in 20 seasons — and held three opponents to less than 10 points for the first time since 1976.

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“Coach MacIntyre demands perfection,” said Duke junior linebacker Adam Banks. “He is always ready with a way to help you get there. If he sees something you are having trouble with, he will figure out a different plan to make that play. His passion for football is incredible.”

“Coach MacIntyre is a real energetic and passionate guy,” said Duke redshirt senior defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk. “He pushes us on every snap to get better. Off the field in meetings, he really stresses being prepared, to be on time and take notes. I know a lot of guys have gone on into the business world and taken a lot of those concepts with them to become successful.”

MacIntyre joined Cutcliffe at Duke prior to the 2008 season after five years in the NFL, serving four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2003-06) and one campaign with the New York Jets (2007). Prior to entering the professional ranks, he served on Cutcliffe’s staff at Ole Miss from 1999-02, helping the Rebels to a four-year ledger of 29-19 with three bowl appearances.

A 1989 graduate of Georgia Tech, MacIntyre got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Georgia (1990-91) and then spent the 1992 season as the defensive coordinator at Davidson College. He also served stints at Tennessee-Martin (1993-96) and Temple (1997-98) before joining Cutcliffe in Oxford.

The other divisional winners of this year’s AFCA awards include Mark Speir of Appalachian State (FCS), David Needs of Carson-Newman College (NCAA Division II), Jeff Thomas of the University of Redlands (NCAA Division III) and Josh Gehring of Morningside College (NAIA).

“Once again, five outstanding assistant coaches have been selected for their dedication, not only to their teams, but to their communities,” said Executive Director Grant Teaff. “Often times, the head coach receives much of the credit for his team’s success, but any head coach is only as good as his assistants. Much of an assistant coach’s work is done behind the scenes. It is our pleasure to bring it to the forefront.”

The criteria for the award is not limited to on-field coaching ability or the success of the team and players that these assistant coaches work with. Service to the community through charitable work and other volunteer activities, participation in AFCA activities and events, participation in other professional organizations and impact on student-athletes are all taken into account in the selection process.

Winners of the Assistant Coach of the Year Award will receive a plaque to commemorate the award and an educational stipend to attend the 2011 AFCA Convention or another professional development clinic/convention of their choice. They will be honored at the AFCA Kickoff Luncheon, Monday, January 11 at the 2010 AFCA Convention in Orlando, Fla. The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 10,000 members around the world, ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football and coaching.”

Three Seniors Among Four Players Named Captains For Miami Game November 19, 2009 Head coach David Cutcliffe has announced the four players who will serve as captains for the Miami game with three seniors chosen.

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Seniors Thaddeus Lewis, Ayanga Okpokowuruk and Vincent Rey will be joined by redshirt freshman Brian Moore as captains.

Lewis was recently named one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, an award given annually to the nation’s top senior quarterback. Lewis has passes for 2,640 yards and 16 touchdowns in his senior season. He is completing a career-high 62.1 percent of his passes and has a quarterback rating of 134.22. He will be a captain for the seventh time in 11 games on Saturday.

Okpokowuruk will make his fourth appearance as captain while Rey will be one for the fifth time.

Okpokowuruk leads the team with five sacks and ranks tied for sixth in the ACC. He has seven tackles for loss and two caused fumbles on the year. Rey is Duke’s top tackler, ranking fourth in the ACC with 8.2 tackles per game. He has 82 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and one fumble return for a touchdown this season.

Moore joins Jordon Byas as the only freshmen to serve as captains this year. Moore has started all 10 games at right guard, playing 723 total snaps. He is one of only five Blue Devils who have played over 700 snaps for the year.

Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPNU with kickoff scheduled for 12 noon.

Lewis Named One Of Five Finalists For Unitas Award November 19, 2009 November 18, 2009 DURHAM, N.C. — Duke senior Thaddeus Lewis has been named one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, an honor presented annually to the top senior quarterback in the nation by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc., and Transamerica, a leading provider of innovative business and personal financial services.

Lewis is joined on the list of finalists by Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), Colt McCoy (Texas), Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State) and Tim Tebow (Florida).

A 6-1, 185-pound native of Opa-Locka, Fla., Lewis has played in 45 career games at Duke with 44 starting assignments. He holds school career records for total offensive yards (9,300), pass completions (829), pass attempts (1,425), touchdown passes (63), touchdown responsibility (71), touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.66-to-1) and total offensive plays (1,772). Just one of three players in ACC history to throw for 2,000 or more yards in four seasons, Lewis ranks second in league history in career pass attempts, third in completions, fifth in passing touchdowns, sixth in passing yards and ninth in total offense.

Lewis has guided the Blue Devils to five wins in 2009 by competing 226-of-364 pass attempts for 2,640 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for an additional three scores. In Duke’s 49-28 win at N.C. State on October 10, he completed a school single-game record 40 passes in 50 attempts for a career-high 459 yards and five touchdowns and was named the National Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Foundation for his efforts.

The 2009 winner will be presented with the Golden Arm Award on Friday, December 11 at the Tremont Grand Meeting & Banquet Facility in Downtown Baltimore. Joining the evening’s festivities will be a number of former Baltimore Colts teammates of Johnny Unitas, along with NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr.

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Last year’s winner of the Golden Arm Award was Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell. Other past winners include Matt Ryan (Boston College), who is now with the Atlanta Falcons; Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006), now with the Cleveland Browns; the Arizona Cardinals’ Matt Leinart (USC, 2005), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003) of the New York Giants; the Cincinnati Bengals’ Carson Palmer (USC, 2002); and the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997).

“When you consider how many great college QBs have won the Golden Arm Award and have gone on to play in the NFL, it is clear that this award has become a significant barometer for future success in the professional ranks,” says John C. Unitas, Jr., President of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation.

The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history which has earned him the recognition of being the greatest quarterback to ever play in the National Football League. An 18-year veteran of the NFL, Unitas played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville (1951-1954), passing for 3007 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Unitas began his pro career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and played there 17 years until joining the San Diego Chargers for his final season. His career passing figures include completing 2,830 of 5,186 passes for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns. Among his many records is one that may stand forever, throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.

Unitas was selected as the top quarterback of all-time by the Pro Football Hall of Fame 36member selection committee. In commemorating the NFL’s 25th, 50th and 75th anniversaries, he was honored as the GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME. Unitas was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Proceeds from the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Awards help to support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.

Sponsors of the Golden Arm Award include Baltimore’s Tremonts, Black & Decker, Century Engineering, Comcast Cable, Dunbar Armored, First Mariner Bank, MedStar Union Memorial Sports Medicine, MyAdBox, R2i.ntegrated, Southwest Airlines, Sports Legends Museum, and Weiss PR Associates, Inc.

Duke/Miami Preview November 20, 2009 After losing to Georgia Tech we need to win the next two games to become bowl eligible. This Saturday isn’t going to be easy as we travel Miami to take on a Hurricane squad looking to close out strong on their season. If Miami can win out, they’d close the season with 10 wins. And Miami is 4-0 against Duke since joining the ACC. SO, we both have lots riding on this game.

Jacoby Harris has won and lost games with his arm, with 4 interceptions last week to raise his total to 16 on the year. Look for the Blue Devil’s tough secondary to cause problems for the talented but still developing Sophomore. Leon Wright could ad more picks to his current 5 if Jacory isn’t careful. Defensively, the ‘Canes have been pretty stingly all year, and last week held UNC to just one touchdown and 329 yards.

Last week against Coastal Division champ Georgia Tech, we managed only 10 points and 281 yards of offense. Thaddeus was once again a solid peformer, but fell short of high hopes with just 1 td to 1 int for 212 yards. On the season, our QB and multiple award contending leader is

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completing over 62% of his passes for 16 scores with only 6 int’s. Against Miami, we will have to rely on the passing game, as we have all year. The problem is, this one sided attack allows defenses to start to key on it. And the speed in Miami’s secondary is scary to contend with.

Look for LB Vincent Rey to continue his run stopping campaign and bolster his 82 tackles on the season. We must do a better against Miami’s run game that we did agains the GT Triple Threat to keep this one close.

Seniors have final shot to beat Wake Forest Today!

November 28, 2009

via 11/24/2009- Michael Tomko, GoDuke.com DURHAM, N.C. - Just because Saturday’s home finale against Wake Forest is the final time that Thaddeus Lewis and eight other seniors will suit up in Duke blue, doesn’t mean you won’t see them around Duke’s campus.

“Once a Blue Devil, always a Blue Devil,” Lewis said.

“This is our last game for the seniors,” Lewis said. “Last game lasts a lifetime. If you are going to remember anything, you are going to remember that last game that you played in. We are definitely going to go out there and try to get a win.”

Duke is coming off a tough 34-16 defeat at the hands of Miami on Saturday.

“I think having a rival game to come back to is huge,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We had our head in the sand a little bit after (the loss to Miami), and our seniors handled that. Our practice, I thought it started a little bit quiet. But man, when we started hitting and competing, it finished on a really strong note.”

A victory would give the Blue Devils six wins and their first season of .500 or better football since 1994.

Getting their sixth win against Wake Forest, a team which has beaten the Blue Devils nine straight times, with seemingly every matchup being more heartbreaking for Duke than the last, would be a special way for the nine seniors to leave their mark on a program that they have helped change over their four years.

“We are just two similar teams,” Leon Wright said. “Both coming from smaller private schools, similar athletes… It is very even and that is how it plays out.”

Wake Forest enters Saturday’s matchup, with kickoff scheduled for noon, averaging 262.5 pass yards per game and 132.3 rush yards per game, totaling 394.7 yards of offense compared to Duke’s 297.5 pass yards per game and 63.1 rush yards per game totaling, 360.6 yards of offense.

The Demon Deacon offense is fueled by senior quarterback Riley Skinner with 252.3 pass yards per game and is tied for second in the league with 21 touchdown passes.

“He [Skinner] is extremely accurate,” Cutcliffe said. “He’s got nice arm strength, and he buys time extremely well, which is what he does as well as anything. He makes you pay when he buys time. A lot of guys buy time and then panic, but he buys time and makes plays. He’s done that his whole career. I watched him when he was young and I was at Tennessee, and I was impressed with him.”

Lewis will take the snaps for the last time as a Blue Devil, finishing his career against the same

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opponent he had his first career start against back in 2006.

“That day I was just out there playing, scanning the field and trying to find open guys,” Lewis said.

Skinner was also making his first career start for Wake Forest with the Demon Deacons pulling out a 14-13 win.

Wake Forest would win the next year, 41-36, and again in 2008, 33-30, in overtime.

“Anytime Riley is on the field and we have played against each other it has been a great game,” Lewis said. “Obviously he has been on the winning side of things. Two guys that have started their career playing against each other and now they are going to end their careers playing against each other, it is funny how it panned out.”

Lewis has come a long way as a person and a player since that first start four years ago.

“Sometimes I watch film and ask myself what was I thinking or what was I doing? You are just a young pup out there playing in a football game,” Lewis said. “When you look how far you have come with fundamentals and knowledge of a football game and making smart decisions on the football field you actually see the maturity level and the growth from a freshman until now.”

Lewis will leave Duke holding or sharing 48 total Duke records. He has 25 career records, 17 single season marks and six single game records.

“In the midst of breaking those records, we got better as a football team,” Lewis said. “That is something that you want to be remembered for. Getting a win Saturday would be a stamp on that.”

A win would leave a positive remembrance point for the players returning next year as well as leave the group of seniors with a feeling that they have left Duke on a positive note.

Win or lose, these seniors will be remembered at Duke forever.

“This group has endured some difficult times,” Cutcliffe said. “Thank goodness they’ve been able to celebrate some good times. Their contribution to Duke football will be more significant over a period of time, because it’s not just what you do on Saturday. It’s not even what you do on the practice field alone, and they’ve done well there. But they’ve gotten high marks in their conditioning work, their summer passing work that they set up and organized themselves and in their commitment to excellence, academically and socially.”

Sporting News Honors Duke Players as All Americans December 16, 2009 Duke redshirt senior defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase has been named third team All-America, and Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon was named to the Freshman All-America team by the national publication Sporting News. In addition, teammates Brian Moore and Desmond Scott on the Sporting News Freshman All-ACC squad.

A 6-5, 305-pound native of Houston, Texas, Oghobaase is Duke’s first defensive lineman to receive All-America honors in the modern era. In addition, he becomes the 59th player in Blue Devil football history to earn All-America accolades.

While helping Duke to its highest win total since 1994, Oghobaase started eight games this year and recorded 37 tackles, 7.5 tackle for loss and 2.5 quarterback sacks despite missing four contests due to injury. A two-time honorable mention All-ACC pick in 2008 and 2009, Oghobaase played in and started 44 games and finished his Duke career with 165 tackles, 36.5

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tackles for loss and 14.0 sacks. On Duke’s career charts, he ranks fifth in sacks and sixth in tackles for loss.

Oghobaase was one of seven ACC players honored by Sporting News including Clemson’s C.J. Spiller (KR/1st team), Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan (DE/2nd team), Clemson’s Thomas Austin (OL/3rd team), DeAndre McDaniel (S/3rd team), Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams (RB/3rd team) and Florida State’s Greg Reid (PR/3rd team).

A 6-2, 195-pound native of Miami, Fla., Vernon established school single-season records for pass receptions (55), receiving yards (746) and 100-yard receiving game (3) by a freshman in 2009. In addition, his 13.5 yards per catch average ranks as the sixth-highest by a Duke rookie and his three touchdown receptions matched the school’s fourth-best single-season output for freshmen. Vernon’s 1,041 all-purpose yards rank as the fourth-best single-season performance by a Duke freshman.

Moore, a 6-3, 275-pound offensive guard from Coral Gables, Fla., started all 12 games at right guard in 2009, helping the Blue Devils lead the ACC and rank ninth in the nation in passing offense (305.0 ypg). Moore helped the Duke offensive line rank third in the conference in sacks allowed per passing attempt (17.89) behind only Florida State (20.65) and Clemson (19.79).

Scott, a 5-10, 185-pound running back from Durham, N.C., earned a spot on the all-freshman unit as a specialist after returning 18 kickoffs for 452 yards, good for a 25.1 yards per return average that ranks fourth in the ACC and sits third on the school’s single-season chart for rookies. In the season finale against Wake Forest, he returned seven kickoffs for 211 yards – the third-highest single-game total in Duke history – en route to setting a new school single-game record for all-purpose yards (259) by a freshman.

Vernon is the 10th Duke rookie to earn Freshman All-America honors from Sporting News since 2000, joining Ryan Fowler (LB/3rd team/2000), Jim Scharrer (LB/4th team/2001), Ben Patrick (TE/3rd team/2003), Chris Davis (KR/3rd team/2004), Michael Tauiliili (LB/1st team/2005), Zack Asack (QB/HM/2005), Vince Oghobaase (DT/HM/2006), Thaddeus Lewis (QB/HM/2006), Kevin Jones (P/HM/2007) and Kyle Hill (OG/2nd team/2008).

2009 SPORTING NEWS ALL-AMERICA TEAMS FIRST TEAM OFFENSE QB Colt McCoy, Sr., Texas RB Mark Ingram, Soph., Alabama RB Toby Gerhart, Sr., Stanford WR Golden Tate, Jr., Notre Dame WR Jordan Shipley, Sr., Texas TE Aaron Hernandez, Jr., Florida OL Mike Johnson, Sr., Alabama OL Charles Brown, Sr., USC OL Bryan Bulaga, Sr., Iowa OL Maurkice Pouncey, Jr., Florida OL Russell Okung, Sr., Oklahoma State K Kai Forbath, Jr., UCLA KR C.J. Spiller, Sr., Clemson

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FIRST TEAM DEFENSE DE Jerry Hughes, Sr., TCU DE Von Miller, Jr., Texas A&M DT Gerald McCoy, Jr., Oklahoma DT Ndamukong Suh, Sr., Nebraska LB Brandon Spikes, Sr., Florida LB Sergio Kindle, Sr., Texas LB Rolando McClain, Jr., Alabama CB Perrish Cox, Sr., Oklahoma State CB Joe Haden, Jr., Florida S Kurt Coleman, Sr., Ohio State S Eric Berry, Jr., Tennessee P Drew Butler, Soph., Georgia PR Antonio Brown, Jr., Central Michigan SECOND TEAM OFFENSE QB Tim Tebow, Sr., Florida RB Dion Lewis, Fr., Pittsburgh RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Soph., Oregon State WR Danario Alexander, Sr., Missouri WR Mardy Gilyard, Sr., Cincinnati TE Dorin Dickerson, Sr., Pittsburgh OL Adam Ulatoski, Sr. Texas OL Trent Williams, Sr., Oklahoma OL Mike Iupati, Sr., Idaho OL Jon Asamoah, Sr., Illinois OL Chris Marinelli, Sr., Stanford K Grant Ressel, Soph., Missouri KR Chris Owusu, Soph., Stanford SECOND TEAM DEFENSE DE Brandon Graham, Sr., Michigan DE Derrick Morgan, Jr., Georgia Tech DT Terrence Cody, Sr., Alabama DT Brian Price, Jr., UCLA LB Navorro Bowman, Jr., Penn State LB Daryl Washington, Sr., TCU LB Sean Weatherspoon, Sr., Missouri CB Javier Arenas, Sr., Alabama CB Patrick Peterson, Soph., LSU S Taylor Mays, Sr., USC S Earl Thomas, Soph., Texas P Matt Dodge, Sr., East Carolina PR LaVon Brazill, Jr., Ohio THIRD TEAM OFFENSE QB Jimmy Clausen, Jr., Notre Dame RB Ryan Williams, Fr., Virginia Tech RB LaMichael James, Fr., Oregon

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WR Freddie Barnes, Sr., Bowling Green WR Dezmon Briscoe, Jr., Kansas TE Dennis Pitta, Sr., BYU OL Eric Olsen, Sr., Notre Dame OL Zane Beadles, Sr., Utah OL Anthony Davis, Jr., Rutgers OL John Jerry, Sr., Ole Miss OL Thomas Austin, Sr., Clemson K Leigh Tiffin, Sr., Alabama KR Brandon Banks, Sr., Kansas State THIRD TEAM DEFENSE DE Brandon Sharpe, Sr., Texas Tech DE Greg Romeus, Jr., Pitt DT Vince Oghobaase, Sr., Duke DT Jared Odrick, Sr., Penn State LB Andre Revels, Sr., Cincinnati LB Greg Jones, Jr., Michigan State LB Eric Norwood, Sr., South Carolina CB Syd’Quan Thompson, Sr., California CB Rafael Priest, Sr., TCU S DeAndre McDaniel, Jr., Clemson S Rahim Moore, Soph., UCLA P Tress Way, Fr., Oklahoma PR Greg Reid, Fr., Florida State 2009 SPORTING NEWS FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICA OFFENSE QB Andrew Luck, Stanford RB Dion Lewis, Pitt RB Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech WR Eric Page, Toledo WR Conner Vernon, Duke TE Orson Charles, Georgia OL Tanner Hawkinson, Kansas OL Barrett Jones, Alabama OL Peter Konz, Wisconsin OL David DeCastro, Stanford OL Aaron Douglas, Tennessee K Matt Hogan, Houston KR Warren Norman, Vanderbilt DEFENSE DE Aldon Smith, Missouri DT Jerel Worthy, Michigan State DT Larry Black, Indiana DE Nick Perry, USC LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College

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LB Chris Borland, Wisconsin LB Brian Wagner, Akron CB Corey Broomfield, Mississippi State CB Josh Robinson, UCF S Rashard Hall, Clemson S Gerald Moore, Ohio P Tress Way, Oklahoma PR Greg Reid, Florida State National Freshman of the year: Dion Lewis, Pitt

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