Four months removed from its first bowl appearance in 18 years, Duke took a glimpse into the future at the team’s annual Spring Game.
The split-squad scrimmage took place Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium and was the first public showcase of the Blue Devils’ 2013 squad. The Spring Game pitted the Blue team—comprised of Duke’s first-team offense and second-team defense—against a White squad that was made up of the team’s second-team offense and first-team defense.
The Blue team prevailed 27-12 behind big afternoons from starting quarterback Anthony Boone and wide receiver Jamison Crowder.
“One of the things you see is that this team has a lot of playmakers on offense,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We lost playmakers in Conner [Vernon], Desmond [Scott] and Sean [Renfree], but I think we have a large number of people who can make plays on offense.”
Making his first start as the Blue Devils’ new full-time quarterback, Boone recovered from a rocky start to turn in a solid performance at the Spring Game. Despite throwing two interceptions in the first quarter, one of which came from a poor read and one from an unfortunate tipped ball, the redshirt junior recovered to finish with 273 yards on 18-of-30 passing and two touchdowns to go along with the two picks.
Overthrowing some deep patterns and struggling with fade routes in the red zone, Boone showed that he still has considerable work left to do this summer, but his connection with Crowder was spot on from the opening kickoff. Crowder only participated in his team’s first few possessions before yielding to younger receivers, but he made an impact in his short time on the field, reeling in four catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
“I felt like I had a couple more touchdowns in me, but the coaches were telling me I was done pretty early,” Crowder said. “Boone and I already have a connection coming from the same area, so it felt good to go out there and show the fans that we had a great connection throwing and catching. It’s something to look forward to heading into the season.”
Following Crowder’s early exit, sophomore Max McCaffrey took over for the Blue team at receiver. Displaying the strides that earned him the team’s Most Improved award on offense this offseason, McCaffrey was a reliable target for Boone over the middle, grabbing four catches for 50 yards and navigating through defensive traffic with relative ease.
“Max McCaffrey has had one hell of a spring. He’s stepped up and made plays and has really shined,” Boone said. “It just shows you that these guys are on scholarship for a reason, and they can make great plays.”
The game’s second half focused largely on the ground attack, which featured Boone as a threat in Duke’s new zone-read running scheme. Boone was unable to finish most of his runs because quarterbacks aren’t allowed to be hit in the Spring Game, but the offense looked in sync in the rushing attack. Josh Snead was the Blue squad’s most effective back on the afternoon, gaining 67 yards on 11 carries and scoring a touchdown.
Sophomore Shaquille Powell also shined in the running game, gaining 46 yards on five carries, including a 30-yard scamper that was one of the highlights of the afternoon.
For the White squad, true freshman quarterback Parker Boehme got the start. Boehme had surgery shortly after enrolling at Duke in January and was just cleared to return to practice last week with significant restrictions.
Given the amount of time and preparation he had for Saturday’s Spring Game, Boehme’s final stat line of 128 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-13 passing should be a huge confidence boost for Duke after losing backup quarterback Thomas Sirk with a ruptured achilles. Boehme’s poise in the pocket and accuracy were indicative of the young quarterback’s maturity.
“Parker came into this game knowing probably three plays, and he executed those three plays and did very well,” Boone said. “He played fast and executed his reads very well and made plays like we expect our quarterbacks to do when they come in here.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the afternoon belonged to redshirt sophomore Jeremy Cash. The safety played his first live action for Duke since transferring from Ohio State following the 2011 season and sitting out all of last year. He made up for lost time, recording five tackles, a tackle for a loss and an interception.
Cash’s physicality and athleticism will be key for a Blue Devil secondary that struggled last season and graduated three starters.
“It feels really great to be back out here after a year away from the game,” Cash said. “With a year of practice under my belt, I understand the 4-2-5 scheme a lot better and really feel I have ways to contribute now.”
With spring practice for Duke now in the rearview mirror, the team will focus on preparing for summer workouts without the coaching staff before reconvening for training camp later this summer.
The team’s next challenge is its season-opener against N.C. Central.
“We need to just be efficient and make sure we’re working hard and ready for August 31st,” Boone said.
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