Previewing Duke's Linebackers/Defensive Backs

Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks, The Blue Zone will preview the 2010 Duke Blue Devils position by position, leading up to the season opener versus Elon on September 4. Last week, Stuart Price previewed the offensive and defensive lines. This week, Jacob Levitt previews the offensive and defensive lines, and next week Jason Palmatery will look the special teams. — Scott Rich

Linebackers:

The most noticeable change at linebacker will be the number on the field at any given time—Duke will shift from its traditional 4-3 base defense to a 3-4, though defensive coordinator Marion Hobby has made it clear that the Blue Devils will put a variety of packages on the field in an effort to confuse opposing offenses.

Starters—The unquestioned leader of last year’s linebackers was middle linebacker Vincent Rey, who led the team in tackles. But Rey is now playing at the next level for the Cincinnati Bengals. Losing an NFL-level talent will undoubtedly hurt, but Duke still returns plenty of experience at linebacker.

The linebackers will be led by a trio of talented seniors: Damian Thornton, Abraham Kromah, and Adam Banks. Joining them in the starting lineup will be redshirt freshman Kevin Rojas. Thornton, Kromah, and Banks started a combined 18 games and finished with 133 total tackles despite the fact that Kromah missed five games due to injury.

Redshirt freshman August Campbell has been making waves in the fall practice period by coming up with big plays in the scrimmage and during practice. Fellow reserve Austin Gamble has emerged as one of the most improved players this offseason and will see plenty of game time in the fall as a result.

They said it—“Depth is really huge for us.  Especially going into November, it becomes a big issue for us, so it’s really important that we have those twos, (second string players) who can compete with the one spots (starters) to continue to fill in there.  They’re playing really well, and a lot of those twos will see a good amount of playing time coming up,” junior safety Matt Daniels said.

Analysis—The starters at linebacker bring a nice mix of experienced leadership and fresh talent. But they’re hardly going to be the only ones seeing playing time. In fact, with just a little more than 2 weeks until opening day, the starting spots still aren’t completely locked up.

This year, expect the linebackers to bring lots of versatility—and quarterback pressure—to the mix. That the coaches are confident enough to base their scheme on the linebacking corps speaks volumes about their opinion of the players at the position. There’s a good chance that we’ll see a lot of unfamiliar players making plays for the Blue Devils.

Defensive Backs:

Like the linebacking corps, the secondary lost a leader in Leon Wright, who led the team with four interceptions (including two returned for touchdowns in last year’s win over Army). But, as with the linebackers, the secondary has several experienced starters backed up by speedy youngsters.

While the switch to a 3-4 won’t change how many defensive backs are on the field in the base package, the secondary has to adjust to the new defense just as much as the linemen and linebackers.

“You kind of have different things going on when you are in those different personnel groups,” Daniels says. “So you to be alert to what personnel are in and understand what the concepts of the defense are (when you’re in different formations).”

Starters—Daniels, a hard hitter who last year led the team in forced fumbles and finished third (first among returning players) in tackles, will start at safety and anchor the defense. Junior safety Lee Butler, who primarily played at cornerback last year, will start alongside Daniels.

At cornerback, returning starter Chris Rwabukumba will be paired with redshirt freshman Ross Cockrell. Rwabukumba, who was selected in the fourth round of the CFL draft this past spring by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, brings experience and leadership to the defense, while Cockrell brings lots of raw speed and athleticism and was one of the team’s most improved players this offseason.

They said it—On defensive leadership: “Chris Rwabukamba and I, we’re actually the most experienced back there,” said Daniels. “Within the defense, the safeties are the quarterbacks of the defense.  So that’s huge and means you have to be really vocal and take on a leadership position back there.”

Rotation—There is a bevy of inexperienced youngsters in place behind the starters, many of whom will see playing time on passing downs. One intriguing player is junior Johnny Williams, who switched from wide receiver during the spring. As he becomes more accustomed to the defensive side of the ball, expect to see him push for more and more playing time as the season goes on.

Like Williams, the other reserves are largely unproven. Walt Canty, Jordan Byas, and Zach Greene—the top reserves at safety and cornerback—are each going into their second year of eligibility and, for the most part, contributed primarily on special teams last year.

Analysis—During the Ted Roof years, the secondary was often thought of as a weakness for the Blue Devils. Now that Daniels spearheads a group of starters that, for the most part, has been there before, the first line of the defensive backfield may begin to erase that perception. That said, the depth at the position has very little experience and may be considered a question mark going into the season.

The Blue Devils, however, have one thing working very much in their favor. They get the chance to match up with one of the ACC’s best wide receiver trios in Donovan Varner, Connor Vernon, and Austin Kelly every day in practice. Don’t underestimate how much that will help them as they get prepared for their opponent each week.