Blue Devils spider bitten

All it took was one special teams mistake to turn what was supposed to be Duke’s first step toward bowl eligibility into a nightmarish sense of déjà vu.

Richmond’s Tyler Kirchoff blocked Kevin Jones’ first punt of the night and the Spiders’ Jonathan Mayfield scooped up the loose ball for a touchdown, setting the tone for a disappointing 24-16 loss Saturday evening at Wallace Wade Stadium.

In addition, Nick Maggio missed two field goals under 40 yards which, had both been converted, would have given the Blue Devils a one-point lead for the majority of the contest.

“That’s enough to get you beat,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We were never at a level that we had reached in practice and training camp. This was not reflective of our football team.”

Cutcliffe’s second season-opener at Duke marked the second time in four years the Spiders (1-0) defeated the Blue Devils (0-1) at Wallace Wade to start the year. Richmond won 13-0 in 2006.

Cutcliffe said on the blocked punt, the punt unit’s best player—whom the second-year head coach did not identify—missed an assignment and let the Spiders’ fastest and best punt-blocker inside instead of pushing him outside. He called it a “freakish event.”

The play appeared to send the team into a daze, and Cutcliffe himself admitted to being shell-shocked after Richmond suddenly found itself up 7-0.

“It was like we were waiting for someone else to make a big play instead of doing it ourselves,” running back Re’quan Boyette said. “I’m very surprised because I know we’re a good team and what level we’re capable of competing at.”

The inopportune mistakes wasted an outstanding passing performance from senior Thaddeus Lewis, who went 34-of-55 for 350 yards and two touchdowns. The two scores moved him into second place on Duke’s all time touchdown passes list.

For all their mistakes in the game, the Blue Devils rarely trailed by more than one possession for the majority of the second half.

In fact, Duke had prime opportunities to drive deep into Spider territory after Lewis hit wideout Johnny Williams on a perfect fade route to bring the score to 14-9 with 9:09 remaining in the first half.

The Blue Devils’ best meaningful scoring chance came on the drive after intermission, when the offense got as far as Richmond’s 19-yard line. But the special teams woes showed yet again as Maggio missed the second of two kicks wide left on a 36-yard attempt.

Duke did not advance deep into the Spiders’ territory again until its final scoring drive, which culminated with a touchdown pass to Austin Kelly with 2:13 left. Richmond recovered the ensuing onside kick, effectively ending the game and sending what was left of the near-capacity crowd home.

Old problems in the running game continued to manifest themselves as well, as the return of Boyette, who missed all of last year with a knee injury, did little to improve the results. Duke finished with a mere 19 yards on 16 attempts as seams rarely developed for the fifth-year senior or sophomore Jay Hollingsworth to run through.

Cutcliffe was left pondering the possibilities after the game.

“If we were playing at the level we’re capable of, we should have thrown for 500 yards,” Cutcliffe said. “If we manage the kicking game better, it’s a whole different ball game down the stretch.”

If Duke had come out with the fire it exhibited last year, perhaps Cutcliffe would have started his second year as he did his first—with a win. If Duke had won, perhaps Cutcliffe’s promise of a bowl game would look more realistic.

Instead, a few mistakes leave the Blue Devils wondering what if instead of what’s next.