The Blue Devils ended the 2014 season with a 36-31 loss to No. 15 Arizona State in the Sun Bowl and will begin spring practice Feb. 6. The Blue Zone will be recapping Duke's performance in all phases of the game and will be looking ahead to 2015, so check back Saturday for a recap of the special teams unit.
X's and O's: Jim Knowles' defense has made a slow, but steady, 360 turnaround since he was hired prior to the 2010 and his unit emerged as one of the nation's best defensive units midway through the season. The Blue Devils were ranked as high as seventh in the nation in total defense back in October, only allowing 15.5 points per game, but took a tumble in the rankings late in season after they faced the prolific offenses of Pittsburgh and North Carolina.
The defense ended the season allowing 21.8 points per game, the lowest number since 1981 when Red Wilson's team only gave up 20.9 points per contest. Because Duke has reeled in better recruiting classes in recent years, Knowles finally has the right athletes to run a tough 4-2-5 defense, which showed it has the potential to continue to remain at the top of the ACC in most defensive categories.
Rush: Duke's rush defense will be one area coaches will look to improve during the offseason. The Blue Devils were 93rd in the FBS allowing 192.5 rush yards per game and gave up 200-plus yards in losses to Miami and North Carolina. Although the team did defend the Georgia Tech option particularly well and held Virginia to just 140 yards on the ground, the defense did little to stop opponents from having their way on the ground this season.
This was likely partially due to the injury of Kelby Brown at linebacker and a lack of returning talent of the defensive line. Luckily for Duke, Brown returns at linebacker next season and a flurry of highly-touted youngsters will return to join the lone returning starter, Carlos Wray, on the line next season. Whether the rushing defense will improve next season is still up in the air, but if the Blue Devils can lower their rush defense to at least about 160 yards per game, it will strengthen an already potent defense that returns its entire secondary barring any surprising departures to the NFL.
Pass: Despite boasting a starting secondary that consisted of entirely second-year players in the program, Duke was 35th in the nation allowing barely more than 206 yards through the air per game. The strongest position in the secondary was at the safety position, where All-American Jeremy Cash amassed 103 tackles, six sacks, two interceptions and four forced fumbles. DeVon Edwards and Deondre Singleton continued to show improvement and should remain mainstays in the secondary.
At cornerback, 5-foot-9 Bryon Fields struggled against bigger and quicker receivers most of the season, but he did do an admirable job covering All-American receiver Jaelen Strong in the Sun Bowl. Fields is under-sized, but should only continue to get better throughout his college career. On the opposite side of the field, Breon Borders has the most potential and did not see the ball come his way often, as he has become one of the ACC's better cornerbacks this season. Borders and Edwards should be the Blue Devils' top defensive prospects when 2017 rolls around and already have plenty of game experience.
Three Key Moments:
October 11, 2013: Duke stifles Georgia Tech's triple-option in 31-25 win. The Blue Devil defense limited the Yellow Jacket rushing attack to just 282 yards and forced three turnovers en route to knocking off the then-undefeated No. 22 Georgia Tech squad. The performance turned heads and the then-seventh ranked total defense in the FBS gained respect from around the country.
October 18, 2013: Blue Devils win battle of the defenses in 20-13 win against Virginia. Heading into the matchup, both defenses were ranked near the top of the ACC in an array of categories, particularly turnover margin. Duke won the first early battle, recovering a fumble on Virginia's first drive and scoring soon after. Knowles' squad held the Cavalier offense to just 13 points, despite allowing 465 total yards.
December 27, 2014: Duke stops the Sun Devil offense on fourth down, gives offense chance to take the lead. On a fourth-and-one from the Duke 39-yard line, Arizona State freshman Kalen Ballage is stuffed in the backfield by A.J. Wolf and Deondre Singleton, allowing the offense to come back on the field. On the ensuing drive, Jamison Crowder found Issac Blakeney on a 12-yard pass for a touchdown that gave the Blue Devils a short-lived 31-30 lead. Duke would eventually lose its third straight bowl game 36-31 to the Sun Devils in El Paso.
MVP: Jeremy Cash. It's a close call between linebacker David Helton and Cash, but the Plantation, Fla., native was the only safety in the country with more than 100 tackles, five sacks and ten tackles for loss. The redshirt junior also had a pair of interceptions and four forced fumbles. Despite transferring from Ohio State three years ago, Cash has become the undisputed leader of the defensive unit and will be in his second season as a team captain in 2015. Although there is a chance Cash could leave for the NFL Draft after this season, his coverage skills are not good enough for the next level and he should be back in 2015. NFLDraftScout.com ranks Cash as the second-best safety in the 2016 draft class.
Looking Ahead to 2015: Knowles' unit should take a step forward next season and remain of the top units in the ACC. The secondary returns in its entirety, barring Cash's departure to NFL. At linebacker, Helton graduates, but due to Brown's injury, Chris Holmes and Zavier Carmichael saw playing time this season and will be seasoned sophomores in 2015.
The most concerning position for Knowles will be on the defensive line, which loses Jordan DeWalt-Ondijio, Dezmond Johnson and Jamal Bruce to graduation. Kyler Brown, A.J. Wolf, Carlos Wray have played the most snaps and are penciled in to start, but incoming freshman in Trevon McSwain, redshirt freshmen Tariq Shabazz and Edgar Cerenord along with Mike Ramsey will also see playing time. With Duke's 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes being pinned as the most talented and athletic in the Cutcliffe era, the youngsters could present some serious competition to the veterans in the defense's front six.
READ: 2014 Duke Football Season Review: Offense
Be sure to check the Blue Zone Saturday as we recap the special teams unit's performance this season and for all your Duke football and recruiting news.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.