Duke kicked off its 2006 campaign in ominous fashion, losing to Division I-AA Richmond, 13-0, in Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday.
The Blue Devils' loss to the Spiders was their first ever in nine tries against a Division I-AA opponent. It was also the team's 12th loss in its last 13 games, with the only victory coming over I-AA Virginia Military Institute last season.
Duke's offense was unable to mount any successful drives in the shutout loss. Whenever the Blue Devils (0-1) threatened to score, Richmond (1-0) either capitalized on Duke's mistakes or stuffed the Blue Devils short of the goal line.
"We knew what they were," head coach Ted Roof said of Richmond. "All you have to do is turn on the tape, and it's very obvious they are a good football team. They played about like what we though they would. They played well. We just didn't play like we needed to win."
Duke's trouble began on the second play of the game-a play that served as a foreboding sign of things to come for the Blue Devils.
Sophomore quarterback Marcus Jones hit junior wide receiver Jomar Wright in the flat for a completion. But when Wright turned to run upfield, he was immediately wrapped up and the ball popped out directly into the hands of Richmond linebacker Anthony Dabney. After the recovery and 25-yard return, the Spiders converted a 20-yard field goal on the subsequent possession to take a 3-0 lead with 11:24 left in the 1st quarter.
"We spend a lot of time talking about ball security and working on ball security," Roof said. "We've got to take care of the football. We can't turn it over on a short field. We talked about field positioning and how critical that is.. That was a mistake that cost us points."
Struggling and juggling between quarterbacks Jones and true freshman Thaddeus Lewis, the offense hardly improved over the next three quarters and could not find any rhythm.
As planned, Jones started the first two series-he did not gain a first down-and Lewis took over on the third series.
Surprisingly, Lewis received the majority of the snaps from there on. Facing tremendous pressure from the Richmond defensive line, which tore apart Duke's front line, Lewis completed 15-of-24 passes for 148 yards. He was incapable, however, of stringing together a successful drive as the Blue Devils did not generate any points and converted a measly 3-for-14 on third down.
"It goes back to not being able to finish drives off in the red zone and our inability to convert on third down," Roof said. "That was basically the ballgame in a nutshell."
The Blue Devils' two viable scoring opportunities in the first half culminated in missed field goals. A 42-yard attempt by sophomore kicker Joe Surgan with 14:20 remaining in the second quarter sailed wide right, and a 43-yard attempt with 40 seconds left in the half was blocked.
Injuries in the first half to junior running backs Justin Boyle and Ronnie Drummer further hindered the anemic offense, forcing sophomore Re'quan Boyette to carry the burden of the load. Duke's top three backs gained just 54 yards on 17 carries.
Roof said losing the running backs altered his team's gameplan and was unsure, at this time, of the status of his injured players.
As bleak as the offense looked, the defense kept the Blue Devils in the game, controlling the front and limiting Richmond to one touchdown in the first half.
The Spiders went ahead, 10-0, with 10:40 left in the second quarter when junior wideout Arman Shields caught a pass in the flat from freshman quarterback Eric Ward. Shields capped off the nine-play, 75-yard drive by darting into the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown.
The defense held strong through the third quarter, enduring one Richmond drive that lasted 9:09. After advancing the ball to the Blue Devil four-yard line from their own 13, the Spiders were unable to punch it into the end zone. The Duke defense forced Richmond to settle for an Andrew Howard 22-yard field goal, setting the score at 13-0 as the third quarter came to a close.
"They stayed on the field for awhile, but we fought through," sophomore linebacker Michael Tauiliili said of the Spiders. "A lot of guys fought through, and we held them to three points."
Down and seemingly out, the Blue Devils' offense showed signs of life in the waning minutes of the game. Lewis completed 6-of-7 passes-three to wideout Raphael Chestnut-to drive Duke to the Spider two-yard line. Richmond, however, sacked Lewis on fourth down, ending the much-needed scoring opportunity.
The Blue Devils received one last fortunate chance when Richmond running back Tim Hightower fumbled after cornerback John Talley hit him. Duke recovered, and with the ball on the Spider nine-yard line, the Blue Devils were again stuffed.
On fourth down, Lewis scrambled for the end zone. But after being wrapped up by a Richmond defender, Lewis fumbled the ball while desperately stretching for the goal line.
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