With 1:31 remaining in last year's contest against Virginia Tech, Duke had the ball and a chance to do the unthinkable- shock the perennially powerful Hokies in the hostile confines of Blacksburg, Va.
On first down, former Duke quarterback Zack Asack took the snap in the shotgun, looking to pass. The Hokies only rushed four linemen, dropping seven men back into coverage. Despite the underwhelming pass rush, Asack had barely finished taking a three-step drop when a Virginia Tech defensive tackle broke free, drove his shoulders into Asack's chest and planted him into the ground.
The ball-and the Blue Devils' hopes of an upset-floated into the hands of the Hokies' Victor Harris, who ran it all the way back for a touchdown, sealing the deal for Virginia Tech.
That play typified the inconsistent performances by Duke's offensive line a year ago, especially at the end of games. Senior Jarrod Holt and the rest of the Duke linemen dedicated themselves to reversing that trend over the summer.
"We want to be strong and come through in the fourth quarter," Holt said. "We've been running our rear ends off and trying to get in the best shape possible to be able to finish strong. That's one of the problems I think we had last year-not finishing."
The line's inability to finish was visible on a much smaller scale than entire games. The players' failure to hold their blocks and complete individual plays was largely responsible for the struggles of Duke's anemic rushing attack, which was ranked 103rd in the nation at year's end.
This season Duke features a strong trio of ballcarriers in fifth-year senior Re'quan Boyette, sophomore Jay Hollingsworth and true freshman Desmond Scott.
With such talent at tailback, Duke's offense will be looking to bolster its rushing attack, putting the pressure squarely on the offensive line. And since only two starters, junior center Bryan Morgan and sophomore guard-turned-tackle Kyle Hill, return from last season, the weight of that burden will fall largely on unproven shoulders.
New starters include Holt at tackle and Mitch Lederman and Brian Moore at guard.
"Any time you have a great tailback, it really helps you as an offensive lineman," offensive line coach Matt Luke said. "With everybody expecting us to be the weak link of the team, it has kind of pushed those guys through the summer."
Even before throwing the first block of the season, the results of those workouts are visible. Morgan, easily the smallest starting lineman in the ACC last year, has added over ten pounds to his frame, pushing him to 255. Hill has grown from being a 270-pound, severely undersized guard into a bruising 285-pound tackle. Despite the added bulk, the unit is noticeably faster and lighter on its feet than in recent years.
While the Blue Devils fought through their grueling summer routine, however, something else developed-something just as important to an offensive line as footwork and fitness. Throughout all of the sprints, drills and lifting, a sense of family and unity has drawn the linemen together.
Duke will be relying heavily on this chemistry to turn a jumble of guards and tackles into one cohesive force.
"We're working to be really good as a team, as a unit, instead of individuals," Hill said. "I think we'll be able to work enough as a team, as that one unit, to carry each other on and gain that experience together to really step forward and do a good job."
With inexperience being the prevailing theme of this year's line, leadership will play an uncommonly important role as the group hopes to mature quickly.
Adding to that challenge is the arrival of four new freshmen who could be called upon early to spell the starters.
Holt, the most senior member of the line, has stepped up and assumed some of this responsibility.
"Definitely as a senior you've been here a while, you know the ropes a little bit. A lot of people look up to you," he said. "You've got to support these kids. They came out of high school, this is their first time away from home, this is their family up here....Not just me as a senior, but everybody lifting up everybody."
Duke's hopes of building the momentum of the Cutcliffe Era depend on just how high this group can lift itself-whether Holt, Moore and Lederman can become effective starters, whether the freshmen develop into viable future options and whether the line can clear holes for Duke's tailbacks to run through.
Should they fail, the line will still be full of holes-the kind of holes that cause Duke quarterbacks to break ribs after tough tackles.
If the line finds a way to pull together, Duke's upset fairy tales in 2009 could see a much happier ending than that disappointment in Blacksburg-or at least one where the Blue Devil quarterback is still standing.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.