The Blue Devils have had an emotional week after finding out that quarterback Thomas Sirk will miss the entire 2016 season due to another Achilles injury, adding to an offseason filled with uncertainty at almost every position group.
But for the first time in more than eight months, Duke will get to respond to its critics.
The Blue Devils will take on FCS opponent N.C. Central Saturday at 6 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium in the fifth Bull City Gridiron Classic. In addition to introducing redshirt freshman Daniel Jones at quarterback, Duke has new starters at almost every skill position and has just one week to prepare them for its ACC opener against Wake Forest. A contest against a team that does not play in the FBS should offer that chance, however. The Blue Devils have outscored N.C. Central 100-0 combined in the last two matchups.
“We have a lot of questions that need to be answered. There’s going to be some new faces, some familiar faces,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “Now is the time to quit talking about it and go execute.”
Cutcliffe and his staff have been impressed with Jones in fall camp—giving him the starting job ahead of veteran Parker Boehme—but the 6-foot-5 Charlotte, N.C., native will need to get it done in front of thousands of fans to keep the starting job. During Duke’s only scrimmage open to the media, Jones did not commit any turnovers, and his decision-making will be under the microscope again Saturday and beyond.
Luckily for first-year offensive coordinator Zac Roper, he has a new assistant in Sirk to help mentor Jones as he makes his first start.
“I’m excited for Daniel Jones, although we’re all heartbroken for Thomas. Thomas Sirk—as I’ve said all along—is an inspiration to any of us and certainly me,” Cutcliffe said.
Facing a team that hasn’t held Duke to fewer than 40 points in their four matchups since 2009, Jones will look to starting wideouts T.J. Rahming, Anthony Nash and Johnathan Lloyd to break Saturday’s contest open early. Rahming and Nash saw plenty of action last year but must now produce more consistently without Max McCaffrey, last year’s leading receiver. Lloyd is stepping into a prominent role for the first time in his career.
The Blue Devil receivers are hoping they can deliver big plays in 2016, with opposing defenses likely keying on the dangerous running back tandem of Jela Duncan and Shaun Wilson until Jones proves he can deliver through the air. However, Duke’s new quarterback has reportedly been in command of the offense up to this point.
“Overall, his demeanor is pretty laid back,” Lloyd said. “But when it comes on the field, he speaks up and says what needs to be said.”
Defensively, the Blue Devils will look to shut down an N.C. Central rushing attack that averaged 174.7 yards per game on the ground and led the Eagles to an 8-3 record and a share of the MEAC conference title. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said his unit wants to create explosive plays, and has a full complement of athletic linebackers and a healthy secondary hungry to meet that goal starting this weekend.
At linebacker, the Blue Devils will start underclassmen Ben Humphreys and Joe Giles-Harris, with Zavier Carmichael and Tinashe Bere rotating in.
Duke will hope to record its third straight shutout against the Eagles—who return 13 starters—and use a veteran secondary buoyed by the return of redshirt junior cornerback Bryon Fields from a torn ACL to make N.C. Central’s offense one-dimensional.
The Blue Devil defensive line has also been itching to get back on the field after Duke had one of the worst pass rushes in the nation last season. With several true freshmen expected to see playing time, the Blue Devils will have to keep their eyes on Eagle running back Dorrel McClain, who rushed for 958 yards in 2015.
Duke is also counting on a true freshman kicker and redshirt freshman punter to keep its special teams unit among the best in the nation. Cutcliffe only named A.J. Reed the starting kicker Thursday—according to Steve Wiseman of the Durham Herald-Sun—and does not want his team underestimating N.C. Central before facing Wake Forest and traveling to Northwestern and No. 10 Notre Dame the next three weeks.
“They’re back-to-back champions… and they’re experienced in a lot of the right places,” Cutcliffe said of the Eagles. “If you don’t perform, you’re not going to beat this team.”
Brian Mazur and Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.
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