With his team's chances of winning an ACC matchup slipping away each passing week, Duke head football coach Ted Roof has begun to open up the playbook to try to secure a victory in the final stretch of the 2005 campaign.
Although he refused to say that the one-win squad is carrying a "nothing to lose" attitude, Roof said the coaching staff will take an aggressive approach to its last three games.
"As far as nothing to lose, you always got something to lose," Roof said. "As far as being aggressive and making calls that there might be some risk involved, we're going to do that."
Following the team's 52-7 drubbing at the hands of then-No. 9 Miami Oct. 8, Roof and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien were criticized for executing a game plan that was deemed too conservative and unimaginative. In that game, Duke frequently ran quarterback draws against a quick Hurricanes defense and had only one play go for more than nine yards the entire afternoon.
In the two contests since then, however, the Blue Devil offense has shown signs that it is prepared to gamble more often. In the second quarter of its eventual 35-10 loss to Georgia Tech Oct. 15, Duke took a number of shots down the field, including a 38-yard completion to wide receiver Eron Riley. The trend continued into Saturday's game against then-No. 11 Florida State-the Blue Devils tested the Seminoles secondary with a number of passes downfield.
"We're going to continue to try and be aggressive and make big plays," Roof said. "Some of that, as people grow and develop, you don't want to do too many things you aren't ready to do."
This attack-driven strategy is already paying dividends for the Blue Devils. Duke's 24 points against Florida State were the most it has scored against a Division-I opponent all season, and the Blue Devils would have had seven more had another touchdown not been negated by a penalty. In addition, Duke crossed midfield on six of its 13 possessions against Florida State, a large improvement from the one play it ran past its own 50-yard line against then-No. 7 Virginia Tech Sept. 10.
Duke's running game has also benefited from Roof's more aggressive approach. The Blue Devils have seen their average yards per carry jump from 3.0 yards against Miami to 5.3 yards against the Seminoles and are now ninth in the ACC in rushing offense.
Duke's success rushing the football is especially surprising considering the slew of injuries suffered by its top three running backs-Justin Boyle, Cedric Dargan, and Re'quan Boyette were all hurt against Navy Oct. 1. In their absence, however, sophomore Ronnie Drummer has used his explosive speed to break a number of long runs. In each of the team's last three games, Drummer has had a run of 50-yards or more, including an 81-yard touchdown against Miami and a 55-yard reverse against Florida State.
Credit for Duke's recent success running the football should also be given to the improved play of the offensive line. Saturday, the line held a strong Florida State pass rush, which had nine sacks against Miami the first week of the season, to a lone sack on the Blue Devils' final possession.
Although Duke has enjoyed success with this aggressive offensive strategy, the instances when these risks have not worked out have proven to be costly for a team that has little margin for error. Against the Seminoles, Roof called a fake punt run from Duke's own 27-yard line that was stuffed for a one-yard loss and effectively killed the Blue Devils' chances for an upset. Nonetheless, Roof maintained that play calls such as that are necessary in the context of the game and are part of a larger lesson he wishes to teach to his squad.
"We talked all week about coaching to win, playing to win and taking that approach," Roof said. "I wanted to send a message to our football team that when we tell them something that's the way it is, to continue to build trust in one another."
NOTES:
Patrick Bailey, the team's third leading tackler, is out for the remainder of the season after sustaining an ankle injury against Florida State.
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