Following Duke's 44-6 drubbing Saturday against Wake Forest, the Blue Devils had little to celebrate.
Their strong plays were offset by dropped passes and missed tackles. But if head coach Ted Roof salvages anything from the loss, it should be that his crop of freshmen continue to show progress.
The fact that Duke's defensive line was dominated to the tune of 419 Wake Forest rushing yards, or that the Blue Devils were facing a team of backups by the fourth quarter was nothing new.
What did stand out about this game was the ongoing improvement by several Duke freshmen and the faith fans should have in their development.
The most obvious example was freshman quarterback Zack Asack. His numbers were not particularly convincing, but for the first time all season Asack looked comfortable throwing the ball from the pocket. He delivered several accurate balls-though his receivers subsequently dropped many of them.
In fact, the freshman's most impressive play probably came on an incompletion. On third-and-nine from his own 46, Asack showed impeccable pocket presence, absorbing the pressure and scrambling to his right. He set himself and lobbed a beautiful throw to senior Ronnie Elliott inside the Wake Forest 15-yard line. Elliott could not hang onto the pass, however, and the Blue Devils were forced to punt.
"I thought Zack moved around in the pocket real well, and he threw some good balls today," Roof said. "Zack stepped up in the pocket and avoided the rush and made a good decision, improvised a little bit and made a play, and we just didn't capitalize on it."
Yes, Asack threw an interception on the next possession and overthrew a couple wideouts, but he's expected to make mistakes as he becomes accustomed to the college game-it is, after all, only his seventh career game. His poise and confidence have grown immensely since he debuted against the Virginia Military Institute Sept. 17.
"I was particularly pleased with the way he moved around in the pocket and delivered the football," Roof said.
It seems that Asack's favorite target has become fellow true freshman Eron Riley. Though he only caught two passes for 56 yards, his performance was as promising as that of his quarterback. For his first reception, Riley soared over Wake Forest cornerback Riley Swanson and tore the ball away for a 37-yard gain that set up his ensuing touchdown.
After the Demon Deacons inexplicably accepted an offensive pass interference penalty, Riley ran a post route, caught a bullet from Asack and fought his way into the end zone for Duke's only points.
"He will do nothing but get better and better and better," Roof said of Riley. "We are certainly going to try to get him the ball."
In addition to these two rookies, Marcus Jones earned time at quarterback, but looked far from comfortable throwing the ball. He completed 1-of-2 passes for minus-three yards, but his athletic ability is uncanny. On four rushes, he led the team with 19 yards.
"Marcus ran the ball well, but he still needs to work on his throwing," Roof said.
If Asack's development continues on the current pace, however, Jones won't need to learn how to throw the ball. Asack should be delivering the ball to him and Riley consistently for the remainder of their four years.
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