Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference, the first of the 2013 season, today. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute question and answer session. The Blue Devils play N.C. Central at Wallace Wade this Saturday at 4 p.m.
"Our players are excited, we had a really good practice this morning. Their focus was good, their energy was good.... Their legs look fresh, and we can finish out the rest of the week strong, fresh and ready to play."—Cutcliffe
Coming off last year's 6-7 season, which included the program's first bowl appearance since 1994, the Blue Devils look to start the year off on the right foot against the Eagles Saturday in the Bull City Gridiron Classic. Duke returns an experienced group of players on both sides of the ball, and welcomes back 32 players in total with at least two starts under their belt. A strong recruiting class has also bolstered the depth chart, especially in the defensive secondary, where four-of-five starters from last year's squad graduated.
"We're going to go in looking to possibly play 60 or so people, including true freshman," Cutcliffe said
Despite returning a majority of starters on offense and defense, several question marks lingered throughout summer camp and heading into regular season play—who would start with Ross Cockrell at cornerback, who would fill out the third safety position and who would start at wide receiver with Jamison Crowder and Isaac Blakeney.
Fifth-year senior Garrett Patterson got the nod at cornerback, although true freshmen Breon Borders and Bryon Fields have impressed coaches and should also see playing time. Redshirt freshman Corbin McCarthy earned a starting safety spot alongside Dwayne Norman and Jeremy Cash, who sat out all last season after transferring from Ohio State in 2012. Sophomore Max McCaffrey, son of longtime NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey, worked his way into the third wide receiver position.
"When you go from being a puppy, and you get a little beat on, you know how a puppy will put his tail in between his legs a little bit. It takes a little while to build a dog back up."—Cutcliffe
Cutcliffe, using the dog metaphor to illustrate his team's growth over the past few seasons, noted his team's playing experience as a huge factor heading into 2013. As opposed to previous seasons, when players were thrown into starting roles and forced to learn on the field in game situations, this year the Blue Devils' roster is full of players who know what to expect in game situations . Especially on the offensive and defensive lines, which return a total of nine starters, the total number of snaps taken by players like offensive tackle Perry Simmons and defensive end Kenny Anunike proves that both units up front are battle-tested and reliable.
"Nobody gets a free opportunity to call themselves a first or second-teamer if you're in a deep-seated competition. We will know more as we play games.... Going in, a lot of those battles aren't necessarily won."—Cutcliffe
Competition for playing time across multiple positions has been the central theme throughout summer camp. Cutcliffe reaffirmed that, although the depth chart has been set, no one's spot on the depth chart is safe as of now. Duke's third-ever meeting against N.C. Central will be the first big chance for players on both sides of the ball to prove their worth and potentially move up the depth chart.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.