Quick Hits from Lunch with Cut

Head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference today. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute Q&A.

"When you get to a fork in the road, you take it." -Yogi Berra

For the second week in a row, the Duke head coach opened his weekly press conference with a quote from a famous historical figure. Cutcliffe said that his football team is currently at a fork in the road and will take action to get back on the right path. He has been "re-evaluating the team and what they do." Although he did not specify any lineup or gameplan changes, given his tone and team's current losing streak it would not be surprising to see real in-game changes this Saturday.

NFL scouts "really like" standout safety Matt Daniels.

The Blue Devil safety has been racking up extremely impressive statistics this year and NFL scouts have taken notice. Cutcliffe said he feels Daniels is "definitely draftable," but his goal is to ensure Daniels gets a chance to work out at the NFL combine. None of the players Cutcliffe has coached during his Duke tenure have had that opportunity yet. Daniels' 93 tackles this season lead all ACC defensive backs and are tied for the second best in the nation among defensive backs.

Coach Cutcliffe was "concerned and saddened, but not judgmental" about the sex abuse scandal at Penn State.

With FBS wins leader Joe Paterno's future in question, Cutcliffe said his thoughts go out to the victims and those affected, but he was raised not to judge anyone unless he has walked in his shoes.

Donovan Varner is just two receptions away from tying Hines' record, while his teammate Conner Vernon is five catches behind. Varner is averaging 4.6 catches per game this year while Vernon is averaging 6.2 catches per game. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out Saturday. There is a chance that the record is held by both receivers during the Virginia contest. Keep an eye on how often Sean Renfree targets each of his top receivers.