Bowl hopes dwindling for shorthanded Duke

With two games left in its season, Duke can still attain bowl eligibility, needing victories in its final contests to realize this tremendous feat.

The next step for the Blue Devils to maintain these aspirations comes Saturday at 12 p.m. against No. 21 Miami (7-3, 4-3 in the ACC), a team that is the fastest and most athletic Duke (5-5, 3-3) will face all year. 

And adding in all the injuries that have recently plagued the Blue Devils, weathering the storm against the Hurricanes will not come easy.

“Bowl teams have to beat good teams to get to that point,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “You are supposed to be a good team to have the reward of playing in a bowl game.… You have to beat a team like Miami somewhere along the way.”

The most glaring setback for Cutcliffe’s squad occurred at quarterback in the team’s blowout 49-10 loss to Georgia Tech when backup Sean Renfree tore his ACL late in the third quarter.

Renfree’s absence has stirred concerns for the Blue Devils, especially with regard to the depth at his position. Behind senior Thaddeus Lewis, who did not practice earlier this week due to a leg injury, the team’s other two quarterback options are true freshman Sean Schroeder and redshirt freshman Alex King, neither of 

whom has ever played a down under center.

Though Lewis will start Saturday against the Hurricanes, Cutcliffe and the rest of his staff have come up with a contingency in the event that Lewis has to come out at any point during the game.

“If [Lewis] were to be lost for a brief moment, we would go with King to get us through a series or a play or two,” Cutcliffe said. “If we lose Thad, then Schroeder will play.”

Despite his lack of game experience, Schroeder saw extensive time at quarterback this offseason when Lewis did not practice due to injuries. King, the team’s starting punter after an injury to starter Kevin Jones, also brings versatility to the quarterback position and participates in the team’s weekly quarterback drills. 

“Back during camp when we lost Thad… Schroeder was running with the [second team],” Cutcliffe said. “I kept telling [offensive coordinator Kurt Roper], ‘This is great. It’s force-feeding him and us to have to teach him and put him on an accelerated path.’”

In recent weeks, the Blue Devils have experienced other significant losses on both sides of the ball. On offense, left guard Mitchell Lederman had season-ending foot surgery Monday. The team’s entire receiving corps is also banged up, but with the exception of Johnny Williams, all will play Saturday. Running back Re’quan Boyette, who has been hampered by injuries all year, is also out.  

Duke’s defense has not fared any better. Linebackers Abraham Kromah and Vincent Rey have both sustained leg injuries and will play through pain against the Hurricanes. Standout defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase, though, will miss his second straight game with a more severe leg injury. 

The Blue Devils already face tremendous challenges in attempting to defeat the more athletic and experienced Hurricanes. Having key players not at 100 percent physically just adds another obstacle for Duke, but it is one that the Blue Devils have to overcome if they have any chance of keeping their bowl hopes alive.

Since injuries and other setbacks make it unlikely that the Blue Devils will defeat Miami on physicality alone, it is clear that Duke must win mentally by taking advantage of every opportunity and not making costly mistakes. 

“When I get on that plane, I want to believe that we are going down there not with the hopes of winning, but planning to win,” Cutcliffe said. “The most powerful thing you have is your mind. If you put all of us out there on that field and you put the same number of lions and tigers out there on the field with us, the only chance we have is our mind.”

And though Cutcliffe’s squad will not have to play any wild animals, possessing the mental strength of one is the only way his team can overcome the physical challenges it faces against Miami.