Last week, Stanford beat Duke 44-14, bringing back some not-so-fond memories of the Alabama game in 2010.
While the Crimson Tide blew out the Blue Devils, 62-13, it was a game of an entirely different nature. Alabama was no fair match for Duke, scoring five touchdowns on its first six possessions. The Cardinal, on the other hand, had its hands full for over half of the contest. The Stanford game was one of missed opportunities for the Blue Devils. Between the missed field goals, dropped passes and unfortunate injuries, Duke simply failed to execute.
The ability to hang with a top-10 team for for 30 minutes is exactly what keeps the Blue Devils hopeful for their road game this Saturday against Boston College.
“We are not really down right now,” senior safety Lee Butler told the press after the Stanford game. “With a big game coming up, we just have to learn to actually make the plays.”
Not only is this Saturday’s game the ACC opener for Duke, but quarterback Sean Renfree acknowledged that he left last year’s 21-16 loss to the Eagles with a bitter taste in his mouth. On the game’s final drive, the Blue Devils held the ball on the Eagles’ four-yard line, but Renfree’s pass was batted away on fourth down.
This year, both Duke and Boston College are walking into this Saturday’s game with an 0-2 record, each hungry for its first conference win. The Eagles lost their season opener to Northwestern, 27-14, and fell at Central Florida last week, 30-3.
After inconsistent starts from the two programs, both feel like they have something to prove.
“Boston College prides itself on tradition and [doing] the small things right, and this year we’re focusing more on doing the small things right.” Kevin Pierre-Louis, sophomore linebacker for the Eagles, said. “We’re making bigger and better plays.”
And the Blue Devils don’t feel much differently about this season either, especially after losing their first two home games.
Renfree noted to the press on Tuesday that the team needed “to win their personal battles” in order to make this Saturday, and the season, a win.
While both teams are entering Saturday’s contest with similar mindsets and records, Boston College has some key players in its arsenal that could crush Duke’s hope of finding its first win of the season.
The Blue Devil offense needs to be particularly wary of junior linebacker Luke Kuechly, who led the nation with 183 tackles—110 solo—was heavily-recruited by Duke head coach David Cutcliffe in 2008. He was named the first ACC Linebacker of the Week for the 2011 season. Additionally, the Eagles’ game against Central Florida marks the 24th consecutive game in which Kuechly has posted 10 or more tackles.
On offense, Boston College has senior running back Montel Harris who is recovering from a knee injury. Harris is the active leader for rushing yards and carries in the ACC. On the national scale, Harris falls in at 10th for rushing yards and fourth for carries for his career, making him a serious offensive threat.
“I think we have one of the nation’s best rushers on the team,” Colin Larmond, junior wide receiver for the Eagles, said, “so we have to get him the ball,”
Duke running backs Desmond Scott and Josh Snead have been declared out for Saturday’s matchup. Sophomore Juwan Thompson has effectively carried the rushing load so far, picking up 129 yards on 24 attempts. While Thompson was a little beat up after the Stanford game, he will be good to go Saturday.
Additionally, normally reliable kicker Will Snyderwine aggravated a preseason injury during his onside kick against Stanford and is listed as questionable. Redshirt junior Paul Asack will be responsible for kickoff duties if Snyderwine is unavailable and will compete with walk-on Jeffrey Ijjas for field goal attempts.
And with sophomore quarterback Brandon Connette out with a shoulder injury, Cutcliffe may rely on Anthony Boone if there is a need to use rushing quarterbacks in short yardage situations. Boone has rushed for a touchdown in each of the Blue Devils’ contests this year.
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