Duke hunkers down in advance of Green Wave

Tulane and Duke are both on the upswing as they enter Saturday’s contest.

Thanks to Boston College kicker Nate Freese’s missed extra point and field goal, Duke (1-2) was able to secure its first win of the season against the Eagles last Saturday at Alumni Stadium. Tulane (2-1) is coming off a 49-10 win against UAB. The victory against the Blazers marked the Green Wave’s largest-ever margin of victory against a Conference USA opponent and was essential to boosting team morale after a 31-3 loss to Tulsa the week prior.

But despite their major wins last weekend, both teams are approaching Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff in Wallace Wade Stadium game with level heads, simply looking to play 60 minutes of good football.

“How do we find a way to play 60 minutes as good as we can play?” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “That’s what you have to assume it’s going to take to beat every opponent left on our schedule, starting with Tulane.”

Green Wave head coach Rob Toledo struck a similar tone.

“I told them last week that I’m tired of losing,” he said. “They’ve got to learn to play for 60 minutes when bad things happen.”

It’s been some time since the last matchup between the two schools—38 years to be exact. Considering the amount of time that has elapsed since the last contest, Toledo and Cutcliffe are scouting each other’s squads with fresh eyes.

“They’re good on offense. They’re good on defense. They’re veteran in both of those areas where it counts,” Cutcliffe said. “The key for us at this point in time is to match that type of play.”

Toledo is equally wary of the Duke defense, though.

“They pack the paint,” Toledo said. “They’re going to get eight or nine guys up there close to the line of scrimmage. So we’ve got to be successful running the football, we’ve got to take our shots when it’s time and we’ve got to make some plays in the passing game.”

Though confident in his team, Toledo acknowledges the threat that Duke poses—especially redshirt junior Sean Renfree.

“Renfree is very patient,” Toledo said. “He knows where to go with the ball and he is very accurate.”

Renfree proved just that with his performance against the Eagles, setting the program’s single-game record for completions by connecting on 41-of-53 pass attempts. He also posted a career-high 368 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite the solid performances of their offensive and defensive units, both Duke and Tulane struggle with special teams.

Tulane’s starting kicker Cairo Santos has a slight groin strain and did not take the Green Wave’s last few kicks last Saturday, Toledo said. Santos is listed as questionable for the game.

In a similar situation, Cutcliffe is still hesitant to play first-string kicker Will Snyderwine, who is suffering from a foot injury, but noted that there has been “good work with [Jeffrey] Ijjas and [Paul] Asack right now.”

Given the recent success of both teams’ offense, the coaches are hoping their injury-laden kickers will not negatively impact Saturday’s game.

“I’m kind of like a Seinfeld episode,” Cutcliffe said. “I’ve got all these voices talking out there to me. If we can get the points on the board, I don’t need these voices talking to me about field goals.”

Despite the 38 years since the last matchup, the Blue Devils will recognize a familiar face on the Tulane defense: linebacker Trent Mackey. Mackey played in 11 games for Duke in 2008 as a true freshman but was dismissed from the team the following year. After sitting out the 2009 season due to NCAA transfer regulations, he had an impressive campaign in 2010. Entering this week’s contest, Mackey ranks eighth in the country with 11.7 tackles per game.

“Trent Mackey played well for us as a true freshman… and he’s played very well for them,” Cutcliffe said. “He’s got tremendous quickness and speed, and that’s why he leads them in tackles by a long shot.”

And the Blue Devils will no doubt look to keep their former teammate running all over the field upon his return to Wallace Wade.