Entering Saturday’s contest with Wake Forest, it was clear that the final result would be meaningless to the rest of the college football world, with both teams already eliminated from bowl contention.
But for the Blue Devil coaching staff, it would be one last opportunity to evaluate its team and determine where the points of emphasis for offseason improvement should lie. And, for the players, the game represented a chance to go .500 for the first time since 1994 and one last opportunity to build momentum going into the third season of the Cutcliffe Era.
After 60 minutes of football, a 45-34 loss left Duke supporters with just as many uncertainties going into next season as there were early this year, although some players have emerged as standouts at certain positions.
Many of the major question marks lie on the defensive side following Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner’s shredding of the Blue Devil secondary on his way to 372 passing yards and a career-high five touchdown tosses. As has been a problem for most of the year, the defensive backs continued to struggle making plays on the ball once it was in the air.
“After those first few minutes, to their credit, [Wake Forest was] able to back off and keep things in front of them,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “And we just gave up too many deep balls to have a chance to be successful.”
The Duke corners were at a height disadvantage, but adjustments need to be made so that the defense isn’t so vulnerable to the big passing play. Going forward, players will have to emerge and replace departing seniors Leon Wright and Catron Gainey. Sophomore safety Matt Daniels made significant progress this year and has become a player that the secondary can be molded around.
Although there is no excuse for repeatedly getting beaten over the top in the vertical passing game, some of the blame needs to fall on the front seven’s inability to hurry the opposing quarterback.
“We just couldn’t pressure Riley Skinner,” Cutcliffe said. “If you are going to let him sit back there, you can only cover [the wide receivers] so long. Remember how in the backyard you wouldn’t let them have all day to throw the ball or you couldn’t cover anybody? They had too long to throw the ball.”
Cutcliffe noted that improving the pass rush isn’t necessarily about blitzing, but starts with generating a consistent four-man rush. With Vince Oghobaase and Ayanga Okpokowuruk, mainstays on the defensive front, having played their last games as Blue Devils, putting the quarterback under duress will prove to be a challenge next season.
On the other side of the ball, the explosion for 34 points and 455 yards of total offense is encouraging for a unit returning all of its skill position players with the exception of its signal caller. Although graduating quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, who topped 10,000 passing yards for his career in the game, will be missed, he issued a strong vote of confidence for his replacement.
“Whether it is Sean Renfree or Sean Schroeder next year, he is going to have a veteran group around him that is going to allow this offense to be successful,” Lewis said.
The next Duke quarterback will have the luxury of having returning starters at all three receiver positions. Sophomore Donovan Varner, who reached the 1,000-yard receiving plateau in the season finale, and freshman Conner Vernon gave the Demon Deacon secondary fits just as they have all season. The duo gives the Blue Devils the playmaking ability in the open field that has been absent from the receiving corps in years past.
While the rushing attack didn’t produce any eye-popping numbers and finished the day with a modest 68 yards on 19 carries, the ground game was more consistent than it has been all season. Freshman Desmond Scott continued to show promise and oft-injured sophomore Jay Hollingsworth performed well enough in limited duty to create hope for improved production out of the tandem next season if the offensive line can keep improving.
“It lets you know that the guys up front never quit and continue to get better,” Lewis said. “We identified some things in the defense that would allow us to run the ball effectively, but you have to tip your hat off to the backs.”
While Cutcliffe knows that there are parts of all three units of the team that need to be addressed, Saturday’s defeat left him very encouraged about the team’s future, one that he hopes will include a bowl appearance next year as he adds more of his own recruits to the mix.
“Looking where we are at in two years and looking at where we can be in three or five years, I’m extremely encouraged in that regard,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m more confident than ever after playing this 2009 season.”
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