CLEMSON, S.C. - No one saw this one coming.
No one could have predicted that Zack Asack would complete 26-of-43 passes for 328 yards and a touchdown. No one would have imagined Asack would tally more passing yardage than any quarterback Clemson has faced this season-a list that includes Miami's Kyle Wright, Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball and Texas A&M's Reggie McNeal.
One week after registering just 97 yards passing against Wake Forest, and four weeks after totaling only eight yards against Miami, Asack found a groove in a big way against the Tigers.
"Week after week, I've built up that confidence," Asack said. "And this week, it started to all come together and really clicking, and going into next week, I'll have a lot of confidence."
The true freshman's statistics only tell part of the story. Quite simply, Asack looked very impressive. In Duke's last road game, Oct. 8 in Miami, the quarterback looked lost and tentative at times, completing just four passes and rarely taking a shot downfield.
Against Clemson, in front of a hostile and large Homecoming crowd, Asack exuded confidence in the pocket, standing tall in the face of Clemson blitzes and delivering the ball on target. He made short throws over the middle to tight ends Ben Patrick and Andy Roland, intermediate throws to his wide receivers and three well-placed deep throws to wideout Eron Riley for long gains.
On Duke's first possession of the second half, Asack led the Blue Devils' 15-play, 77-yard march downfield for a touchdown. He threw for 49 yards on the drive, and extended the offensive series with three first-down passes on third-down plays-a six-yard pass to Roland on third-and-four, a four-yarder to Roland on third-and-three and a 10-yard completion to Patrick on third-and-seven.
"He's progressing," Duke head coach Ted Roof said. "We had some early success throwing the football. I thought Zack had good protection, made some nice reads, made some nice throws."
Duke's much-maligned offensive line was important to the quarterback's success, both Roof and Asack said. The front five matched the Clemson rushers and gave the quarterback time to throw. And when the Tiger's sent more men than the offensive line could handle, running backs Re'quan Boyette and Justin Boyle were able to turn aside the blitzers.
"I thought he was protected pretty well for the most part, which allowed him to get back there in the pocket, set his feet and go through his read progressions," Roof said.
Duke's play calling also helped Asack and the rest of the offense. The Blue Devils executed several play-action passes, rolled Asack out of the pocket and even mixed in a couple of option runs. They lined up in multiple formations, including a set where Boyette lined up at fullback on a third-and-one and received the handoff.
It was a marked difference from an offense that was predictable in the early part of the year. Before the season, players described offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien's offense as complex, but it did not live up to that billing in the early going. Against Clemson, the Blue Devil offense looked like it was coming into its own-and it showed in the final statistics.
The Blue Devils' 407 total yards of offense was their highest total of the season by 56 yards. Their 20 first downs were the most they've recorded against Division I-A competition all season.
"This week, [the offense] just started clicking and I just happened to have a good day throwing," Asack said.
Good day is an understatement. With his performance against Clemson, Asack gave Duke fans plenty of hope for the future.
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