Two years ago, the task of replacing a leading rusher, a top red-zone threat, a consistent receiver and the undisputed leader of the defense would have decimated a Duke football team.
But the goal amongst head coach David Cutcliffe's players—injured or in good health—has remained the same. They have their eyes set on the ACC championship.
Although Duke needed to take advantage of a handful of mistakes and occasionally needed some fortuitous bounces to topple imposing divisional foes, they showed that they could win against the best teams in the Coastal last year. With the team teeming with young talent this year and upperclassmen who have played in a number of high-pressure games, the Blue Devils can repeat as ACC Coastal Division champions.
A Favorable Schedule
First, the obvious. Duke will play one of the easiest schedules in the ACC. The non-conference schedule consists of Elon, Kansas, Tulane and Troy, teams that went a combined 18-31 last season.
The biggest early test will be a Sept. 27 game at Miami, which is starting a true freshman at quarterback and is still facing questions about its defense. Even if Duke suffers a demoralizing loss to the Hurricanes, with only two games in October—at home against division bottom-feeder Virginia and on the road at Georgia Tech—Cutcliffe's squad should be able to use October to regroup and heal.
Before last year, Cutcliffe had only won one game in the month of November in his tenure at Duke. But that all became a bitter memory when Duke churned out four straight wins to capture the division crown. With another challenging November looming, the Blue Devils can point to past experience and know that they can win important games down the stretch. Even three wins out of the five November games could put Duke in the driver's seat to win the Coastal.
The most enticing part of Duke's regular-season schedule might be the teams not listed. For the second consecutive year, the Blue Devils avoid both defending national champion Florida State and conference powerhouse Clemson.
The Crazy Coastal
The chemistry of the Coastal Division works in Duke's favor: there is no dominant team. For the past two years, the Blue Devils have had a legitimate shot at winning the division, but only locked up the top spot in 2013. Why? Because the top three or four teams have ended up with similar records during the last weeks of the season, resulting in three-way, sometimes four-way ties in November. Even in 2012, Duke was two wins away from reaching the ACC Championship game.
Although North Carolina is expected to be a stronger team this year with a solid returning quarterback in Marquise Williams and a great supporting cast on offense, questions are still swirling around its defense, which gave up more than 400 yards per game last season. Inexperience pervades the rest of the division—Miami, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech are all starting first-year quarterbacks. If those fresh faces struggle out of the gate, the Blue Devils could have a quick leg up on the rest of the division.
All The Pieces Are Coming Together
Unlike their division rivals, the Blue Devils enter 2014 with known, talented entities at the skill positions. They return their top quarterback, receiver and two experienced running backs.
Only three quarterbacks in the ACC returned to fall camp as undisputed starters: Florida State's Heisman Trophy winner, Jameis Winston, Syracuse sophomore Terrel Hunt and Duke quarterback Anthony Boone. Although Winston may be the most talented quarterback in the conference, Boone still has the most experience.
Boone has established veteran targets in Jamison Crowder, Isaac Blakeney and Max McCaffrey, who will be joined by younger players Ryan Smith and Johnell Barnes. Crowder is the only returning player in a power conference to post more than 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past two seasons. McCaffrey had a breakout season last year and Blakeney should excel as an outside receiver, having improved his speed after running track this past spring.
These ingredients should help create a potent passing game that will join with a steady running game to create one of the most explosive offenses in the ACC.
Kelby Brown's loss is devastating for the defense, but look for senior David Helton to step out of the shadows and compete for a spot on the All-ACC team. He was the ACC's leading tackler in 2013 and will team up with redshirt junior safety Jeremy Cash to form a punishing defensive presence. The secondary returns four out of five starters and the defensive line's losses have been filled by experienced upperclassmen Dezmond Johnson, Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo and Carlos Wray.
The Cut Factor
A huge part of Duke's success has been due to Cutcliffe and his coaching staff. Cutcliffe has proven during the past two years that he is one of the best—if not the best—coach in the Coastal Division. Don't sleep on the reigning National Coach of the Year, who will be coaching possibly the strongest and most talented group of players ever to play a snap at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.