Head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference today. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute Q&A.
The once-crowded backfield is still hurting.
Running backs Desmond Scott and Josh Snead both did not practice again Tuesday morning. Sophomore Juwan Thompson has done a very good job handling the load so far, though, gaining 129 yards on 24 attempts in Duke's first two contests. Thompson is a little bit banged up too, but he will be ready to go Saturday. Senior Jay Hollingsworth has only carried the ball five times so far but he delivered a crucial block in pass protection on one of the Blue Devils' fourth down conversions last week in addition to picking up a first down on the fake punt. True freshman Jamison Crowder also saw time in the backfield mainly on third downs. Crowder recorded four catches for 47 yards and added nine yards on the ground.
Brandon Connette did not practice today.
Connette left the Stanford game with a right shoulder injury and was held out of practice today. The backup quarterback has carried the ball eight times for a loss of 14 yards this season. If Connette is not ready to go on Saturday, Anthony Boone seems to have earned his chance if the coaching staff wants to continue using rushing quarterbacks in short yardage situations. Boone, a redshirt freshman, was 7-for-9 passing on his drive against the Cardinal Saturday and has recorded a rushing touchdown in each of his first two games.
Will Snyderwine's status for Saturday is not clear.
Coach Cutcliffe revealed that Snyderwine did not kick leading up to the Richmond game due to an injury he sustained to his right foot during camp. Snyderwine's lack of practice may have led to his inaccuracy in the young season. The kicker aggravated his injury during his onside kick against Stanford. Cutcliffe said that the team is preparing as if Snyderwine will not be ready to face Boston College. Redshirt junior Paul Asack will handle kickoff duties in Chestnut Hill while he and walk-on Jeffrey Ijjas are competing for the place-kicking duties.
"We recruited him hard," Cutcliffe said of consensus All-American linebacker Luke Kuechly.
Kuechly, Boston College's defensive standout, was just a three-star recruit in the Class of 2009 per Rivals.com, but he received several scholarship offers out of high school, including one from Cutcliffe. Kuechly visited Duke in December 2008 before committing to Boston College in January 2009. The junior recorded 21 tackles against Duke last season and led the nation in tackles racking up 183, 20 more than the second-best in the country. Kuechly has picked up where he left off last season, when he averaged over 14 tackles per game, picking up 35 tackles in Boston College's first two games this season.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.