Duke Football 2014 - It Took Us 3 Weeks To Start A Thread
- Thread starter IdiotKicker
- Start date
I thought losing Brandon Connette this year (as he transferred to Fresno St. due to his mother's serious illness) would be a problem, given his QB role in short yardage situations last year, and that may still be the case, but I like having Boone in there for everything.
As has been the case the past few years, the offense can play with anyone but on defense they just don't have the size/athletes yet of many of their opponents. They are closing the gap but recruiting improvement continues.
Virginia, Pitt, Va Tech, and UNC should be tough but all are winnable if the team continues to improve.
They won't go undefeated but if things don't fall apart and they get lucky they could get damn close to that given the ACC isn't that great (again).
As has been the case the past few years, the offense can play with anyone but on defense they just don't have the size/athletes yet of many of their opponents. They are closing the gap but recruiting improvement continues.
Virginia, Pitt, Va Tech, and UNC should be tough but all are winnable if the team continues to improve.
They won't go undefeated but if things don't fall apart and they get lucky they could get damn close to that given the ACC isn't that great (again).
They have been rotating Sirk in through some of those situations, though not as heavily as Connette, which I like as well. And while they haven't been tested, they don't appear to be missing Kelby Brown too much in the middle right now, largely because Cash has been helping out a little more in run defense.
I'm guessing they end up with 7-9 wins this year in the regular season and finally get a bowl win under Cutcliffe. Recruiting for next year is looking much stronger than previous years, with the potential to end up with a class ranked in the 20-30 range. It almost makes the eight years before Cutcliffe seem worth it.
I'm guessing they end up with 7-9 wins this year in the regular season and finally get a bowl win under Cutcliffe. Recruiting for next year is looking much stronger than previous years, with the potential to end up with a class ranked in the 20-30 range. It almost makes the eight years before Cutcliffe seem worth it.
They are fixing the stadium to remove the track, add seats (in place of bleachers), add stands, luxury boxes, etc.
See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1PmdcxTrxY
and article: http://www.heraldsun.com/news/localnews/x1550126311/Signs-of-whats-to-come-at-Wallace-Wade
another: http://duke.247sports.com/Article/Wallace-Wade-Stadium-renovations-will-be-mostly-complete-by-2015-28942702
I don't think there is local demand to really fill the stadium any time soon - the school is only 6k undergrads, add in grad students, professors, staff etc., you might get to about 15k, so there's going to need to be a lot of local support for going to Duke games from the Triangle (where UNC and NC State still dominate, plus ECU) and beyond (DC, Atlanta). That will take years of continued football success to build a local fanbase and encourage gradual allegiance shifts from UNC/NC State.
See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1PmdcxTrxY
and article: http://www.heraldsun.com/news/localnews/x1550126311/Signs-of-whats-to-come-at-Wallace-Wade
another: http://duke.247sports.com/Article/Wallace-Wade-Stadium-renovations-will-be-mostly-complete-by-2015-28942702
I don't think there is local demand to really fill the stadium any time soon - the school is only 6k undergrads, add in grad students, professors, staff etc., you might get to about 15k, so there's going to need to be a lot of local support for going to Duke games from the Triangle (where UNC and NC State still dominate, plus ECU) and beyond (DC, Atlanta). That will take years of continued football success to build a local fanbase and encourage gradual allegiance shifts from UNC/NC State.
Chuck Z said:
For any other program, the last 2 years of bowl games would be epic epic failures - both times winning, both times 'should have' won, both times lost in heartbreaking fashion.
Not that the players would play hard regardless, but they must really REALLY want a bowl win.
Hopefully that happens this year, and not because they stumble to a mediocre record and play in a crap bowl game.
The game @ Miami in two weeks is shaping up huge. Agreed this team isn't going 12-0... but we can dream. Hey if Stanford can be top 10... Why Not Us?
Duke needs to forget the fact that he's a freshman and turn Wilson into their workhorse. He's got 28 carries for 404 yards and 4 td's on the year, and looks like the fastest player on the field every time he's on the field. Other guys look to be in slow motion. Averaging about 14 yards a carry, which is ludicrous. He had 7 carries for 70 yards and a td today, for a 10ypc average and his average went down.
Not a great game by any means, but good to win big against an inferior team. Historically, these games haven given Duke trouble. Agree about Wilson, and Sirk is filling the Connette role very well as well. Huge game next week to kick off the conference schedule.
At least in one poll. Apparently the media doesn't feel we're quite ready to be there yet, and Duke is a 5 point underdog at Miami this weekend, which I think has a ton to do with the name on the jersey, since this Miami team is a lot weaker than what you normally see from them.
Duke finally on the board at Miami, down 9-7 with about 12 left in the first half. Defense looked shitty on the first couple drives, but has tightened up quite a bit, and Duke is finally starting to run the ball against the Hurricanes. Long way to go, but back in the game at least.
Need to get things going on offense. Not going to keep Miami in single digits in the second half.
This game is agonizing to watch. Need a big run from Wilson because I don't know how the fuck else Duke is going to score right now.
Good second drive against GT. Defense still has no idea how to stop the triple option consistently, but up 7-3 with a few minutes left in the first quarter.
DukeSox said:
This has never happened with basketball. Go into any neighborhood in North Raleigh, Wake Forest, Apex, Cary, Clayton, Holly Springs, etc., and the only Duke fans you'll find are grads and transplants who picked Duke as the RTP school to root for. The chances of it happening with football are precisely zero.
Big win today, especially with Duke continuing to recruit strongly in Georgia and having a few big recruits they are waiting on from there. I'll be down for the UVA game next weekend, which would be a big win in getting toward the top of the Coastal division. Still a long way to go, but there is a path to getting smoked by FSU in the title game again.
Ugly win, but those are the games Duke loses in the past. Was down at WW for the game, pretty solid atmosphere for the second half, but still needs better turnout.
Duke now #24 in both polls. Big game against Pitt this weekend to try to pick up a little breathing room in the division race.
For some reason, playing Pitt seems to bring out poor tackling and general defensive shiftiness in the Devils. Now up 31-28 with about 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Boone is finally playing well, which is huge if this team wants to continue to push later on in the season.
Devon Edwards is a fucking stud. The kid always makes things happen around the football. 99 yards on the kickoff for the TD.