In last year’s season opener, the Blue Devils put 52 points on Elon. Quarterback Anthony Boone tossed four touchdown passes—two apiece to Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney—and Laken Tomlinson helped pave the way for a 275-yard rushing performance, led by a team-high 74 from Josh Snead.
Duke’s offense looked formidable, and that reputation was solidified even further when it averaged more than 40 points per game against its next three opponents.
This season, none of those five offensive mainstays will be suiting up for the Blue Devils.
As Duke tries to build on its turnaround of the past few years, it is now faced with a challenge arguably more difficult than the initial ascension—sustained success. The driving forces for the past two nine-win seasons are gone, and now new players will have to step in and carry the torch.
“Playmakers, we’ve had some that’ve left and now it’s a new regime,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “I see from an offensive standpoint, playmakers on that side of the ball that I think will be diverse and a pretty high number, which is an advantage for us.”
The most noticeable change will be at quarterback, where Thomas Sirk will replace Boone—the winningest quarterback in school history—as the primary signal-caller. The redshirt junior saw some action as the Wildcat quarterback last season, accounting for 11 total touchdowns—including a team-high eight on the ground. Still, Sirk has just 14 career pass attempts and the jump from situational short-yardage quarterback to every-down passer is a big one. The Glen St. Mary, Fla., native can add another dimension to the offense with his nimble feet and elusiveness, but questions remain about his throwing accuracy and deep-ball ability.
Sirk often took snaps at the most crucial times in games last year—most notably when he tossed the game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against Virginia—and noted that learning to execute in those high-stakes situations should help him with the transition this season.
“I think the snaps are important because you come out, you’re ready. You feel the pressure,” Sirk said. “Last year when I came out and had those meaningful snaps, I didn’t have any pressure. Just come in, get in the zone, block out the noise and the crowd and everything that’s going on around you. [You’re] focusing on what you need to accomplish and focusing on executing the offense at a high level.”
The next issue is figuring out who will be catching Sirk’s passes. With the graduation of Crowder and Blakeney—who combined for 1,603 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014—the Blue Devils will have to replace more than 55 percent of their aerial attack, in addition to the electrifying punt return skills of the two-time All-American Crowder.
Cutcliffe has a pair of experienced upperclassmen ready to slide into the starting wide receiver slots in Max McCaffrey and Johnell Barnes. Both saw significant action as the No. 3 and No. 4 receivers last year, with McCaffrey in particular distinguishing himself as a valuable possession receiver.
After those two, however, the depth chart at wide receiver is unproven. The return of 6-foot-5 tight end Braxton Deaver—who was granted a sixth year of eligibility after an ACL injury sidelined him last year—should help give Sirk a physical red zone target to replace Blakeney, but the receiving corps still lacks a player with the experienced game-changing potential Crowder brought to the table.
Cutcliffe will look to a pair of rookies in true freshman T.J. Rahming and redshirt freshman Chris Taylor to try to fill those shoes, and so far the early returns have been mixed. The pair has drawn rave reviews for their raw talent and burning speed, but offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery said there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
“As we continue to go forward, those guys—the Chris Taylors of the world and the rest of the guys that are in that area—they’re going to have to compete,” Montgomery said. “What I want to see is that position for third, fourth, fifth position, I want them to be so angry with each other at the end of practice that they want to show every single time not that they’re trying to be the No. 3, but they’re trying to beat Max and they’re trying to beat Johnell.”
Replacing Crowder as a wide receiver is a tough task, but replicating his impact as a punt returner could be even more difficult. Crowder led the ACC in punt return average in 2014, and with four career return touchdowns, he was a threat to take it to the house every time he touched the ball.
Cutcliffe has tabbed junior Ryan Smith—who racked up 45 yards on two returns last year—as the punt returner for the season opener, but McCaffrey, Barnes, Rahming and safety DeVon Edwards are still in the mix for touches.
“Ryan Smith will be there. We’ve had an intense battle. Ryan’s doing a great job with his decisions, his catches. He’s explosively quick, his short-space quickness is special,” Cutcliffe said. “Max McCaffrey’s done a good job, T.J. Rahming has done a good job, Johnell Barnes has done a good job. All of those guys may get their shots, but right now what you do is you make a decision on who’s having the best camp, and that’s been Ryan.”
Regardless of who fills that role, there is a changing of the guard underway in Durham. The playmakers who sparked Duke’s successes the past few seasons have moved on, and it’s up to their successors to continue their work and put points on the board.
“It’s difficult when you look at the guys like Jamison Crowder—they’re incredible players, NFL caliber guys,” McCaffrey said. “I know the other guys are ready to step up. They were ready even last year. They were wishing they had their shot and knew that they had to wait their turn. Now it is. They’re on stage.”
Jake Herb, Ryan Hoerger and Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.
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