Time is winding down on the Blue Devils' postseason hopes.
Duke needs two wins in its remaining four games to crack .500 and become bowl eligible, and the Blue Devils face their last opponent with a losing record in N.C. State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Wallace Wade Stadium.
For the Blue Devils (4-4, 1-3 in the ACC), this final stretch in the season is a chance to bounce back from recent adversity and, at the same time, prove once again how different they are from Duke teams of the past.
"You never get accustomed to losing, and it doesn't ever become any easier," senior offensive tackle Fred Roland said. "It definitely lit a fire in me at least to go out and play harder every game, every down, even in practice this week.
"It would be one thing for us to take a loss and then lay down and take four more. You honestly get tired of being the underdog. You get fed up with being that team that no one really expects much from."
The Wolfpack (2-6, 0-4) are also tired of being thought of as the doormat of the league. When defensive coordinator Mike Archer told his team it was now the laughingstock of the league, his players were irate.
"It made me furious a little bit," N.C. State linebacker Ray Michel said. "I was a little upset to hear that."
Duke, though, is not taking N.C. State lightly, despite its subpar record. Head coach David Cutcliffe went so far as to say that the Wolfpack are actually more talented than the Blue Devils' last two conference opponents, Miami and Wake Forest, both of which are likely bowl-bound.
"Man, they're good," Cutcliffe said. "And that's not coach talk. You know Tom O'Brien is going to put a good product on the field. I know how good he is."
O'Brien is in his second year at the helm at N.C. State, but he enjoyed previous success in his last job at Boston College. Cutcliffe mentored the Manning brothers, and O'Brien presided over the Eagles when highly touted quarterback Matt Ryan guided the offense.
Still, Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils are not focusing strictly O'Brien and N.C. State.
Duke, after all, is more concerned with what is happening on its own sideline.
"One of the things you learn when you compete so hard is that you can't worry about your opponent and what they are going to do," Cutcliffe said. "You anticipate their best game. What you have to do as a competitor is believe you can be your best. And if your best is good enough, you win."
The Blue Devils have played less than their best in their last two losses. Against Miami, Cutcliffe felt like his team gave up in the fourth quarter. Against Wake Forest last weekend, he felt like it did play all four quarters but a few critical errors left Duke feeling "frustrated and truly dejected" when Thaddeus Lewis' final pass was intercepted in overtime.
"The game is about critical errors often times," Cutcliffe said. "And we are not a team that can afford to make critical errors. It's about preparation, but you can't guarantee that you're not going to make mistakes. Let's face it: It happens."
"It" happened a lot on special teams. The tone was set when Jabari Marshall fumbled the opening kickoff and things kept spiraling downward until Nick Maggio kicked the potential game-winning field goal right of the uprights at the end of regulation. Cutcliffe, though, hopes that the unit got all of its mistakes out of its system last week and still has faith in Maggio's kicking leg.
"Nick makes 10 out of 10 of those at practice now most of the time," Cutcliffe said. "I thought he just hurried himself. If you get a little hurried, then you don't have your rhythm. I know in golf, when I used to play golf... my swing was all about tempo. And that's what I told him it just the same thing. Always managed the same tempo, it never changes. Hopefully, he will get that opportunity again."
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