Saturday will mark the last time that Duke's 14 seniors run out on the field at Wallace Wade Stadium. But for senior tight end Nick Stefanow, it took some queries from friends to ultimately realize the finality of the home matchup with Georgia Tech.
"It didn't really hit me until after the game this weekend," Stefanow said. "I had a bunch of friends visiting, and they said, 'Next week is your last one, huh?'...It went by fast, but it's been a good experience."
Senior safety Chris Davis expressed a similar viewpoint, mentioning that the significance of his last home game really hadn't set in. Still, he knows that the rush of his final game in Durham will be an exciting experience.
"I'm sure I'll feel it on Saturday when I walk out there for Senior Day," Davis said. "I'm sure it'll be very emotional, but I just see it as another opportunity to go out there and win a game and play with my teammates again, one last time in Wallace Wade. I'm just looking forward to it."
And although it may seem disappointing to some that this year's senior class averaged only one win a year over its four seasons, Stefanow said that the impact and progress this class has seen during its tenure at Duke is still tremendous.
"Everything is in place except the numbers in the win column right now, and I didn't realize it until later in my career about how big of a difference it is [from] when I first got here," Stefanow said. "We've got guys who want to be here, want to play football, want to win. I noticed in my freshman year that a lot of the older guys, by the time they were fourth and fifth years, they just wanted to get out of here. That's not the case now."
"Bumblebees" with Bite
Football coaches often dip into the bag of motivational tools to refine their team's focus for a game late in the season, and the news that head coach Ted Roof has been calling the Yellow Jackets the "Bumblebees" this week in practice certainly fits that trend. But don't let Roof's joking moniker for his alma mater make you think that he doesn't have tremendous respect for Saturday's opponent.
"They run the ball very well, and they don't give up sacks," Roof said. "Defensively, they bring pressure about three-fourths of the time, and as a result of that...we're going to have to keep our poise when they make plays and not come unraveled."
Roof also mentioned that he expected Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice to play Saturday. The ACC's leading rusher was sidelined last week against Virginia Tech, but some TV intelligence done by Roof has led him to believe that the conference's top back will be back against the Blue Devils.
"I anticipate Tashard Choice getting ready to go, because if a guy is not close he doesn't wear his pads out to the game, and he wore his pads last week," Roof said. "This week, I expect him to see him in pads with a helmet, with a football under his arm."
Injury Update
Last Saturday's game against Clemson marked the return of defensive end Ryan Radloff, who saw action for the first time since he started the season opener against Connecticut. Radloff only played 15 snaps against the Tigers and recorded no tackles, but his performance still caught the eye of Roof, who expects him to see more playing time against Georgia Tech.
"He can really help, and it was good to have him out there," Roof said. "At the start of the season, we thought he might have been our best pass rusher, but when you take seven to eight weeks off, you get a little rusty. But at the same time, he'll be better this week."
Roof also said that the team has been smarting from injuries at the running back position. Backs Ronnie Drummer and Justin Boyle both saw reduced carries against Clemson and did not practice Tuesday. Fellow running back Re'Quan Boyette only participated in half of the team's drills. Roof said he's not sure at this point if Boyle or Drummer will play Saturday, but he does expect Boyette to suit up against the Yellow Jackets.
Roof also mentioned that defensive back Matt Pridemore has been shifted to running back in order to provide additional backfield depth and to avoid using the redshirt eligibility of freshman Cameron Jones. Pridemore, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound native of Gainesville, Ga., has rushing experience from high school. During his senior season at Buford High School, Pridemore ran for 1,300 yards and 20 touchdowns and was named to the all-county team at running back.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.