Reaching postseason play for the first time in 18 years last season, Duke often won games with its offense and lost due to poor efforts on the defensive side of the ball. Now off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 1998, it appears the Blue Devils may have flipped that script.
Duke's defense was nothing short of stellar in a 28-14 against Memphis Saturday, keeping the Tigers' offense off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter and holding the unit to just 237 yards on the afternoon, including just 72 yards in the first half.
"We just are trying to build this attitude on defense," redshirt senior cornerback Ross Cockrell said. "We are trying to be a dominant, elite defense, not only in the ACC but in the country."
After shutting out N.C. Central in its home opener—earning the Blue Devils' first shutout victory since 1989—Duke surrendered its first points of the season in the second quarter of Saturday's victory against Memphis. But those points did not come due to a defensive blunder, but rather an error by the Blue Devil offense. Quarterback Anthony Boone found Tiger cornerback Bobby McCain instead of his own receiver, resulting in a 75-yard interception return for the score.
The Duke defense's scoreless streak ended at seven quarters when Memphis running back Jai Steib finally broke through with an 11-yard touchdown run early in the final period.
"Our motto for the season is just to finish. Whether it's drives, whether it's plays, we want to finish whatever we started," Cockrell said. "We had a shutout last week, we wanted to keep that going. That's something we talked about—we want to be a great defense."
The Blue Devils continue to excel against the run early in the season. Memphis managed just 89 yards on the ground on 33 rushing attempts.
After allowing 5.0 yards per carry last season, Duke's experienced defensive line has held opponents to just 2.7 yards per rush in the first two games of 2013.
Two of the keys to the team's early-season success against the run are players that did not suit up for the Blue Devils last season. Redshirt junior linebacker Kelby Brown missed the entire 2012 season with an injured knee and has led Duke in tackles in each of its first two contests, racking up seven stops in each contest. Redshirt sophomore safety Jeremy Cash sat out the 2012 season after transferring from Ohio State, and has been a key contributor in run support during his first two contests with the Blue Devils, registering 11 total tackles.
"Our team played outstanding defense. It's something certainly to build on," head coach David Cutcliffe said. "It was the opportunity for Jim Knowles and that defense to take the lead in a ballgame, and they did."
Duke's experienced defensive line had just one sack against the Tigers, when Jonathan Woodruff took down quarterback Paxton Lynch in the backfield. Memphis' redshirt freshman signal-caller was making the first start of his college career, and ultimately completed 14-of-24 passes for 148 yards.
Lynch was not able to get into a rhythm until the second half, but looked comfortable leading a fourth-quarter touchdown drive. The Blue Devil secondary, which led the FBS in allowing plays of 25 yards or more last season, allowed two long passing plays against Memphis—but the play of starting cornerbacks, Cockrell and Garett Patterson, was encouraging.
Cockrell registered six tackles—including one for a loss—and had a big pass breakup in the fourth quarter to force the Tigers to punt. Patterson, in his second game as a starter, had two pass breakups and added two tackles and a fumble recovery.
"He made a couple of huge plays. Garett has had a great spring and a really good camp," Cutcliffe said. "I think a lot of people were surprised when he ended up winning the starting job, but he did."
In a game where Duke's offense struggled as it underwent a mid-game quarterback change, it was the Blue Devil defense that willed the team to a hard-fought victory.
"It was a whole team effort," redshirt senior guard Dave Harding said. "We're proud of that. We're proud of our defense. Everybody has to have each other's back, that's what we talk about every day. They really had our backs throughout the whole game."
During a five-game losing streak to end the 2012 season, Duke could not rely on its defense. The Blue Devils posted 45 points in their first victory, but by making key defensive stops in their second, Duke has shown that it can win games on both sides of the football.
"We talked a lot about unity [Friday] night—coming together as a team, building this program and continuing to take positive steps," Cockrell said. "I think [Saturday] we did that."
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