In the 100th season of Duke football, the team will once again try to shake the stigma of not reaching a bowl game since the 1994 season. After 16 consecutive losing seasons, the Blue Devils once again start the season simply trying to prove they can do the one thing that truly matters—win.
But as the Blue Devils prepare to open their season Saturday at Florida International University, the team is already fighting the injury bug—at least 11 scholarship players will be sidelined for the opener. Five projected starters were lost during the offseason, most of whom will be out for the entire the season.
“We still feel like this is the strongest, fastest team we have had,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We were going to find the best football players we had available to us to make plays on offense, and get them on the field.”
Four players will line up Saturday in a position different from the one they played last season, with two switching from defense to offense. Senior Desmond Scott, Duke’s active leader in career rushing yards, has converted from a running back to a wide receiver following sophomore Blair Holliday’s tragic injury.
Aside from the addition of Scott, the passing game features the most productive quarterback-wide receiver pair in the ACC. Sean Renfree returns for his final season under center after finishing in the top three in the ACC in passing yards, completions and completion percentage in 2011. He will have his favorite target, senior wide receiver and fellow team captain Conner Vernon, who needs just 35 receptions and 843 yards to finish as the ACC’s all-time leader in both categories.
While they are chasing records in the passing game, the Blue Devils have yet to prove they can move the ball effectively on the ground. The team has finished either last or second to last in the ACC in yards per carry in each of the past four seasons. But coaches and players are optimistic, citing experience on the offensive line and the new attitude the group has embraced.
“You have to have the mentality to go and take what’s yours, and that’s the line of scrimmage,” redshirt sophomore left tackle Takoby Cofield said. “[Fans] should definitely see improvements [in the running game].”
Defensively, Duke boasts the most experienced backfield the team has seen in years, led by the team’s two other captains, redshirt junior cornerback Ross Cockrell and senior safety Will Canty.
“With age comes a little bit of wisdom,” Cockrell said. “We understand our roles and we can work in those roles.”
The squad will have to adjust to life without standout safety Matt Daniels, who graduated last spring after anchoring the team’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme, which is now in its second year. The team hopes familiarity with the defense will help lead to improvement on the squad that has finished either last or second to last in the ACC in both yards and points allowed each of the previous two seasons.
“You don’t have to think as much, and when you’re not thinking, you are just reacting,” redshirt junior defensive end Justin Foxx said. “When you play with confidence, you play faster.”
That speed will be key to make up for their lack of physicality from years past—they have allowed more than 180 rushing yards per game during the past two seasons.
After Will Snyderwine and the kicking game unexpectedly plagued the Blue Devils last season, freshman Ross Martin will take over kicking duties with redshirt freshman Will Monday handling punts.
Martin will be one of nine true freshmen who will see action this season, with five walk-ons also having a chance to contribute, Cutcliffe said. Despite the losses his team in July and August, Cutcliffe remains optimistic, pointing to the depth of his team and his talented young players.
“It really is a happy new year,” he said. “We have dealt with so many things, yet [we have] so many things to look forward to.”
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