Duke football Player of the Week: Week 1

Thomas Sirk

Statline: Passing: Completed 27-of-40 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns; Rushing: 15 carries for 68 yards.

The good: After spending three years in the Duke program, Sirk finally got his chance to be the team's starting quarterback and quelled concerns that he may be too one-dimensional for the position. After a 22-yard strike to freshman wide receiver T.J. Rahming on the team’s first drive, things only got easier for Sirk. The redshirt junior showed poise in the pocket and was accurate on almost all of his throws against Tulane. Sirk was playing against an inexperienced Green Wave defense, but easily made all the throws necessary to lead the Blue Devils to a blowout victory, including touchdown passes to running back Shaquille Powell and wide receiver Johnell Barnes. Sirk also showcased his athleticism on the ground, running the read option with ease out of the backfield. The Glen St. Mary, Fla., native had a number of big runs on the ground and showed the ability to balance the run and pass. Kirk's ability to decide between throwing on the run or tucking the ball when no receivers were open downfield appears to be a major strength going forward. 

The bad: The good news is that Sirk showcased the accuracy that Anthony Boone was lacking last season. The bad news is that Sirk doesn’t have Boone’s experience—at least not yet. There were plays where Sirk failed to properly read the defense and threw near-interceptions that were dropped by the Tulane defense. When Sirk begins to face tough defenses such as Northwestern, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech later in the season, chances are he won’t be as lucky. It remains to be seen how quick Sirk picks up on his mistakes and improves as the season progresses. 

The bottom line: Sirk proved that he is the undisputed starter under center for the Blue Devils going forward. Although he will face much tougher secondary units later in the season, he exhibited the potential to become one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC. He also showed that he is more than just a scrambler and was able to complement his success on the ground with accuracy through the air. 

Honorable Mention: Head coach David Cutcliffe has been searching for some consistency at wide receiver and might have found some answers, as both Johnell Barnes and T.J. Rahming put up big numbers Thursday. Barnes began the game with a fumble off of a tunnel screen pass, but quickly became Sirk’s go-to receiver, hauling in a career-high 11 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Rahming—a true freshman who earned a starting spot coming out of fall camp—looked like an experienced receiver against the Green Wave right off the bat. The freshman made an impact all over the field after hauling in the first pass of the game and finished with six catches for 70 yards in his Blue Devil debut.