It took only five plays from scrimmage for Sean Renfree to get the Blue Devils out to a 7-0 lead. He looked like a different quarterback, though, the next time he took the field.
Even a wide-open and typically sure-handed Conner Vernon could not reel in Renfree’s off-target throw on first down. On the next play, Renfree locked in on tight end Cooper Helfet, and Tulane cornerback Ryan Travis was able to break towards the target before Renfree even started his throwing motion. The end result was a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown for the Green Wave (2-2).
What looked like the beginning of a dominating effort was a game suddenly tied at seven. Renfree responded in a big way, though, and his teammates on both sides of the ball joined in a 48-27 rout of Tulane.
“[Renfree] turned right back around and led us to a score,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “That’s awesome. I was frustrated just like he was, but he did a great job letting it go.”
After the pick, a lightning-quick drive from the offense took all of 55 seconds and culminated with a 20-yard touchdown scamper by Juwan Thompson. From there, Duke (2-2) would never look back in one of its most well-rounded displays of football since Cutcliffe arrived in Durham four seasons ago.
The Blue Devils racked up a balanced 484 yards of total offense. Renfree and Anthony Boone threw for 278 and 55 yards, respectively. Boone, who saw situational action with Brandon Connette sidelined, shined when he faked a run and found Jay Hollingsworth out of the backfield with a 38-yard strike that set up a Vernon touchdown, giving Duke a 21-7 first-quarter lead.
The quarterback duo was able to spread the ball around to its many playmakers, as eight different Duke receivers recorded catches. Vernon and Donovan Varner led the way with a combined 10 catches for 168 yards. Noticeable compared to previous weeks was Renfree’s emphasis on taking shots further downfield. That focus was clear from the opening series, when Renfree found a streaking Vernon, who fully laid out to reel the ball in on a play-action pass that gained 44 yards and set up a one-yard scoring plunge for Thompson.
“We knew they were more of a man team,” Vernon said. “If we caught them in man, they were going to have a hard time defending our three receivers. Taking those shots was part of the game plan.”
Success through the air was not the only way that the Blue Devils moved the ball, though. They rushed for 151 yards and five touchdowns with an average of 3.5 yards per carry. An increased confidence in the offensive line became apparent when Cutcliffe decided to go for it on fourth-and-one from his own 45-yard line in the second quarter. He elected to keep the play call simple, and a good push up front helped Thompson power his way to a 12-yard pickup.
“I just believe that is the right play,” Cutcliffe said. “We’re going to win by being aggressive. I don’t want to...send a signal to our players that we’re holding back anything.”
Equally impressive for Duke was the performance of its defense, which did not yield a touchdown until fourth quarter mop-up time, giving it five consecutive quarters in which it did not allow its opponent into the end zone. Even with top cornerback Ross Cockrell out with an injury, all facets of the unit performed at a high level, and captain Matt Daniels believes the success is a byproduct of increased comfort with the new 4-2-5 defensive scheme.
“Our defense is getting better and better,” Daniels said. “The defensive line is getting a lot of pressure and hits on the quarterback. They get rattled and start making erratic throws, which is good for the defensive backs.”
Even though sack leader Kenny Anunike went down with a knee injury in the first quarter, Duke recorded two sacks on Tulane quarterback Ryan Griffin, both by nose tackle Charlie Hatcher. And those two sacks do not tell the whole story, as Griffin was constantly being hurried and taken to the ground.
If any negative can be pulled out of Duke’s dominating victory, it was injuries. In his post-game press conference, an emotional Cutcliffe said with near certainty that Anunike will not play again this season. In addition to Anunike’s devastating injury, Lee Butler and Walt Canty also went down during the game.
Next week’s road matchup with Florida International will be a much tougher test than a home game against an unproven Tulane squad. If the secondary remains depleted, the Blue Devils could struggle to replicate the complete performance that led to their solid victory over the Green Wave.
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