Quarterback Sean Renfree’s performance against Navy last week was remarkable for several reasons. His passing game was nearly perfect, finishing 28-of-30 and completing 93 percent of his throws to set a new Duke single-game record for pass completion percentage.
He also ran for more touchdowns than he threw for the first time in his life, he said. And one more thing—his coaches and teammates actually saw him smile.
“Sean doesn’t show a lot of emotion at all,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “And I saw two or three times about as big a grin on his face during the game as I’ve seen. I went over and told him, ‘That’s something you need to remember.’ It’s OK to smile during a football game. I want him to have fun, relax a little bit and play the game.”
If Renfree can continue to make smart throws and protect the football in the recently-simplified passing attack, he and the rest of the Blue Devils (2-6, 0-4 in the ACC) will have plenty to smile about as they take on Virginia (4-4, 1-3) Saturday at noon at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Renfree said that his recent struggles had him feeling more nervous before last week’s game. Thanks to a pared-down passing game designed to reduce pressure on the quarterback by allowing him to make short, quick throws, he was able to make better decisions and avoid interceptions. Renfree said he learned during the past few weeks that he cannot make throws based on what he thinks—he has to make decisions based on what he sees.
The shift in focus for the passing game to quicker short-yardage throws forces both Renfree and his receivers to know where the ball is going before the snap. This also takes the pressure off of Renfree to force plays by making “spectacular” throws.
Those short screen throws, while not as highlight reel-worthy as longer completions, are the most crucial throws that a quarterback can make, Cutcliffe said.
“The most important throw—from an accuracy standpoint—you make is laying the ball off,” he said. “If you’re accurate with the football on layoffs, you’re going to gain 3 or 4 more yards on every one of those plays.”
Those throws may not be as available against Virginia. Navy dropped eight defenders back in coverage, leaving only three men up front to protect against the screen passes. Renfree expects a different look from the Cavaliers’ defense, including more blitz packages. His game plan, though, largely will remain the same.
“I imagine Virginia will try to beat me up a little bit,” Renfree said. “Try and make me force throws, but, like I said, it’s making smarter decisions when it’s not clearly there, throw it away, run, do something else with it instead of forcing throws and forcing interceptions.”
By protecting the football and not committing any turnovers—a statistic Renfree said he was more proud of than his final completion percentage—he was able to build confidence heading into this week’s matchup. As the natural leader of the squad, Renfree saw his improvement reflected in the entire team’s performance.
“When he’s on, I wouldn’t rather have any other quarterback in the nation,” said Cooper Helfet, who was named the ACC’s offensive lineman of the week after catching a season-high seven passes against the Midshipmen. “We just have to get him a couple easy, nice completions early, get him rolling, and take it from there.”
The Blue Devils have had success against Virginia during Cutcliffe’s tenure, beating the Cavaliers in each of their past two meetings. If Renfree and company can make it three in a row, it will be the first win in November for Duke since Cutcliffe took over before the 2008 season.
The timing of Virginia’s visit, though, is less than ideal. Just as the Blue Devils faced Navy after a big win at Notre Dame, Virginia comes into the matchup after knocking off then-No. 22 Miami.
Additionally, Duke’s offense is ”pretty beat up,” Cutcliffe said, with running back Josh Snead and tight end Brett Huffman out with injuries and wide receiver Austin Kelly doubtful with a head injury. Helfet said that while the team is aware of its untimely scheduling, all that matters is that the Blue Devils execute their game.
“We’re coming off a big win, too,” he said. “If we play as well as we can play, we are a strong force to contend with.”
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