After a failed reverse attempt on the first play of the intrasquad spring game Saturday, fans who came to see if Duke could improve on its 1-10 mark from last season were already groaning.
But by the end of the 35-play scrimmage in Wallace Wade Stadium, the Blue Devils would leave the field with some reasons for the Duke faithful to be hopeful this fall.
"There were some good things on both sides of the ball today," head coach Ted Roof said. "You want to see good things out of both sides. You don't want one side to dominate the other side, and that didn't happen."
The game used a modified scoring system, which allowed either Duke's offense or defense to score on a given play. Trailing the defensive squad by five with one play from scrimmage left, the Blue Devil offense stood eight yards away from the end zone.
Re'quan Boyette took the handoff heading left, scampered down the sideline and dove toward the pylon. The crowd awaited as the referees considered the correct call. On the final play in game uniforms before next season's first matchup against Division I-AA Richmond, Boyette was awarded the touchdown, giving the Blue Devil offense a 38-37 victory.
Throughout the game, one of the focal points of Duke's offense was quarterback Zack Asack. The rising-sophomore, who will enter next season as the team's starting signal caller, showed increased composure leading the Blue Devils' attack.
In the 7-on-7 passing skeletons before the full-contact scrimmage, Asack connected for three touchdowns on three consecutive plays from 20 yards out. Building on that, Asack said he felt comfortable throughout the simulated game.
"I was just going to have fun," Asack said. "I was just trying to make plays and get the ball moving. That was pretty much my goal."
Asack and halfback Ronnie Drummer fumbled the exchange on the opening play of the game, but the quarterback went on to complete 4-of-7 passes and totaled 59 yards. Asack credited the offensive line for their improved play Saturday. The offensive line was terrific and gave the quarterbacks plenty of time, he said. Roof had named this area of the team as one that needed improvement earlier during the spring season.
"We got better there, too," Roof said of the offensive line. "Is it still a concern? Yes. But we've made some strides and we just got to keep going. Like I said, this is a work in progress, and we got to stay the course."
This weakness was exploited by the defense at times, as the unit recorded nine tackles for loss during the course of the 35-play scrimmage. One of these was a sack by redshirt freshman and five-star recruit Vince Oghobaase.
Oghobaase, a defensive lineman, was highly touted last spring but injured his knee on the fifth day of practice, preventing him in participating in the 2005 campaign. Saturday's simulated game was the first time Oghobaase has seen action with a Duke jersey on.
"It's been a hell of a run this spring," the 6-foot-10, 310-pound Houston native said. "I've been out for over a year now. and me coming back was a great blessing. Out here with my teammates, being able to compete again and just the camaraderie of the team."
With 100 days until the start of the 2006 season, the team is looking for its first winning season since 1994. The Blue Devils will host seven home games this year and hope to improve on a winless ACC record last season. The team said it will use the scrimmage as a stepping-stone for future success.
"It's definitely a motivator, doing this well [in the scrimmage]," Asack said. "We just got to work hard in the off-season, build up our endurance and strength, and prepare to have a championship season next year."
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