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Bryan Strickland covers the Duke Blue Devils for The Durham Herald-Sun. Read more from the Sun here. |
Virginia and Duke both struggled in their season openers last week with a pair of lopsided losses. One team will try to get its season back on track this weekend with a win in the ACC’s Coastal Division. Of course, the Cavaliers won last season’s meeting 37-0 in Durham. What’s in store this time around? The Durham Herald Sun’s Bryan Strickland answers 5 Questions About The Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils’ defense actually played fairly well statistically last season against Virginia, holding the Hoos to 253 yards of offense and 2.8 yards per carry thanks in part to 5 sacks. What did Duke do that was successful in that game and can the D repeat the performance?
Bryan: Statistically, Duke’s defense was actually helped by a multitude of mistakes by the Blue Devils’ offense because it was dealing with a short field, but that sure didn’t help on the scoreboard. Amazingly, Virginia picked up its first 30 points by gaining just 51 yards of total offense with the Duke defense constantly backed up against its goal line.
It’s entirely possible that Duke’s defensive statistics are worse in this year’s match-up but the numbers on the scoreboard are better from the Blue Devils’ perspective. Duke is young at linebacker and in the secondary, but the Blue Devils are stout enough on the defensive line to produce bend-but-don’t-break results.
Duke’s defense might come close to repeating last year’s performance and with a little help from the offense, the bottom line might not be as bad as last year’s 37-0 blanking.
Virginia and Duke both struggled on third down last week (2 of 11 for Duke and 3 of 13 for Virginia) so that seems to be an area to watch. What caused Duke’s struggles there last week? Is it an issue that can be fixed quickly?
Bryan: Duke wasn’t at full strength along the offensive line with right tackle Fred Roland out of action and left guard Zach Maurides still trying to return to form – both underwent offseason back surgery. Undersized true freshman Bryan Morgan held his own in Roland’s place, but Roland is expected to return to the starting line-up this week.
The Blue Devils failed to convert a couple of short third downs early in the second half against Connecticut following significant gains on first down, and the Huskies took advantage and began to take control. The Duke offense quickly found itself in desperation mode and suddenly was facing third-and-longs, never a good scenario for success.
With Roland back and some better play calls on third-and-short, the Blue Devils should at least improve their third-down efficiency.
Thaddeus Lewis is one name to watch this weekend for the Devils. What are his strengths and how can he hurt Virginia?
Bryan: Lewis is capable of throwing for 300 yards (just ask Wake Forest), and he’s also capable of throwing three interceptions (just ask Connecticut).
He’s just a sophomore, so some inconsistency is to be expected. When he gets hot, Lewis can be a very accurate passer, and he certainly has reliable receivers to work with – Jomar Wright, Eron Riley, and Raphael Chestnut are the top returning receiving trio in the ACC.
But when he’s cold, Duke typically doesn’t have a consistent enough rushing attack to sustain. At this point in his career, there’s no telling which Lewis will show up.
Duke’s special teams really struggled against UConn, particularly in the punting game. Do you expect the team to use both punters (Kevin Jones and Nick Maggio) again this week? Was the quick kick from Zack Asack effective enough where we could see more of that in your opinion?
Bryan: The Blue Devils averaged 28.7 yards per punt against the Huskies, an especially troubling number from the Duke perspective in light of Virginia punter Ryan Weigand ‘s 51.6-yard average in the opener.
Duke coach Ted Roof chalked it up to first-game jitters in part, and now the punters will face a road test for the first time. Expect Jones, a highly touted punter out of high school, to get the first shot Saturday. If he struggles, Roof won’t hesitate to use Maggio.
As for Asack, his quick kick was effective but it was ugly – a 29-yarder that traveled about 15 yards in the air. If the circumstances again call for a quick kick then Asack might get the call, but he’s clearly not an option on fourth and 12 from Duke’s 20.
The Blue Devils’ 21-game losing streak is well known. Do you think they can pull off the upset this week in Charlottesville?
Bryan: The Blue Devils certainly think they can pull off the upset, but thinking and actually doing are two entirely different things.
Duke’s players continue to show amazing confidence, resiliency and togetherness in the face of such a long losing streak, but they haven’t shown the ability to translate those qualities from the practice field to the game field. Duke can come away with an upset victory, but the Blue Devils will need a little help from Virginia and above all will have to help themselves by not hurting themselves with costly mistakes.
