I just bought my tickets for Saturday's game (there are some decent deals to be had on ebay, by the way--mine were about $10 apiece under face value). Very excited to be back in Durham and to hope for a miracle!
I have a healthy dislike for Nick Saban.
As a Miami Dolphins fan, he flat out ditched the team his second year while repeatedly telling the team/fans that he had no interest in the Bama job. I think it took him less than a week after the season ended to perform that 180 degree flip to return to the college game. It took him a full 2 years to come around and apologize to the the Dolphins organization. Yup, 2 years.
And for anybody who watched the title game last year, I think Saban showed absolutely no class in pursuing another score with a minute and a half left in the game up 10. There was no way texas could've mounted any threat at that point. I guess he didn't want those doubters out there speculating what could've (would've) happened if Colt had not of gone down. One thing I will always remember from that game was Colt interviewed afterwards. What a class-act. Not a longhorn fan here by any stretch, but I really hope Colt gets a starting QB chance in the near future. Would absolutely love to see him succeed.
Oh Nick Saban, how much I would love for my Devils to beat you.
Last edited by DevilHorns; 09-13-2010 at 11:36 PM.
I just bought my tickets for Saturday's game (there are some decent deals to be had on ebay, by the way--mine were about $10 apiece under face value). Very excited to be back in Durham and to hope for a miracle!
True but the story of that game was not Stanford's ranking but rather the adversity Duke faced leading up to the game which included replacing both the starting tallback and the starting QB. I think there was a thread on this topic a year or so ago but Duke was without the services of Steve Jones and was forced to play several guys, Jackson, Rich Searl (QB and free safety) and one or two others on both sides of the ball conjuring up memories of Duke 38 and single platoon football. The David vs Goliath angle seemed to dominate coverage of the game. While it was the 38 team that gave birth to the Iron Duke moniker it was the strong defensive teams of the early 70s that rekindled popular usage of the term which proved to be a marketable brand for the recently formed athletic fundraising organization. While I agree that an upset over Bama would be Duke's greatest moment on the field, of the 71 Stanford victory it can be fairly stated that it generated a lot momentum for fundraising when the athletic budget needed it badly.
Check out this very in depth statistical breakdown to date by Bob Green - http://bluedevilnation.net/2010/09/t...on-statistics/
Good article / interview up on WRAL.com.
http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke/story/8287881/
Cutcliffe is preparing the team to win, not just to show up and play hard. I know a lot of us fans are fearing the worst, but Coach Cut is not allowing his players to have the same thoughts.
I love his attitude and truly think he has this team believing they can get it done. I think a large key to the game will be how well we play the first half. I think he has the depth now to stay with anyone for four quarters, unlike the past when we were really only good for 3 if the game was a cat and mouse event. If we are remotely close at halftime, the confidence those guys go into the locker room with will be huge. The reverse can be true if we go down by a significant score...they may come back out of the tunnel mentally beat. At least when they come out on the field for kickoff, they will have a winner's attitude. GO DUKE!!!When asked if there is a scenario where he would be pleased with his team without victory he quickly responded, "I don't like to lose."
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Looks like some folks are going to get an unbelievable deal.
Most know of the Alabama/ Duke connection through Wallace Wade. While Wade was an icon to Duke in the 30's, 40's and 50's (not unlike Coach K for the past 3 decades), he was clearly overshadowed by Bear Bryant in Alabama. However, he was able to win national championships at Alabama where they idolize their football coaches (who win) and reward them with statues , street names (Wade has both at 'Bama) and attention.
For those interested in knowing more about Wallace Wade, I recommend the book of the same name by Lewis Bowling. While Lewis is a Durham resident and Blue Devil fan (he writes for GoDuke) he has received intense interest in Alabama where he is speaking to many 'Bama touchdown clubs this week and is featured in many of the newspapers there.
He has stopped by Blue Devil Alley in the past and discussed this topic before. The Duke bookstore and Amazon carry the book. Great for historical perspective, particularly this week!
I second this recommendation. You'll have new respect for Duke's football tradition when you finish it.
Lewis's book about Wallace Wade is in the second edition which now features forewords by Al Beuhler and David Cutcliffe. If you love football, you'll appreciate the detailed accounts of many games. It's an eye opener how many things successful coaches do today that were started or developed by Wallace Wade. You may also be surprised by the who's who in the Wallace Wade coaching tree.
Long long ago, when I was a kid, my dad took me out to Wallace Wade's farm to meet and talk with him. (Not me, my dad). I wish I remembered it. It's a great story; unfortunately my dad won't be there for the game. He will be there for others though, so be sure to stop by our tent and ask him about it. He actually went to talk to Coach Wade about Duke basketball and our coaching situation (it was McGeachy that year). Duke AD Carl James wouldn't even talk to McGeachy about whether he would be the coach the following year, so my dad went to talk to Wade about how the two could get on the same page.
Anyways...it's a tale my dad has to tell. I wish I remembered meeting WW. It fascinates me that our two schools are tied together by one coach, who had such success at both.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
Agreed. Victory means that we win the game. Absent that, we can only hope that the players grow from the experience and raise their level of play going forward.
There is a difference between what effort will make me proud, and what I would consider a "victory." I will be proud if we execute to the best of our abilities, and I will be happy if we do not have serious injury. But it's either a win or a loss. If we drop to 1-2, we have to get back to work to win at least 5 more games on the schedule. If we win, we tear down the goalposts.
LET'S GO DUKE!!!
My biggest concern here is our O-line's ability to protect Renfree. He took some big shots against Wake that had me holding my breath. He showed great toughness by coming back in the game and throwing a TD on that same drive, but he's only human, he can't take those kind of hits from Bama for 4 quarters. I hope we have a good showing against Bama as Jason Evans mentioned, but I'm more concerned with the rest of our ACC season.
If we have it relatively close enough to get a Duke highlight on ESPN during the in-game highlight reels, I'm happy. But I'm really concerned that Bama will be able to tee off on Renfree.
Our offensive line is a strength this season especially in regard to pass protection. As far as the hits taken in the Wake game, quarterbacks get hit and have to be able to take it. That's part of football. Renfree is a trooper and I'm confident the OL will give him time to throw the ball.
What concerns me is running the ball. We will have to run the ball against Alabama to ensure they don't pin their ears back and come all out at Renfree every play. The good news is we ran the ball for 129 yards against Wake Forest who has a higher ranked run defense (36) than Alabama (46).
If we can establish a running game, it will set Renfree and our outstanding receivers up for success. Desmond Scott needs to have a successful afternoon for Duke to have a shot at beating Alabama. I know that is easier said than done but we have to be confident. Or, more accurately stated, the team has to be confident.
Bob Green
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/0...am-ready-duke/
Not that I ever doubted it, but Alabama Coach Nick Saban indicates Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram is "ready to go" after missing the Tide's first games, due to surgery on his left knee.
Any sightings of the Tide's fans rolling in?
The RV lots for Alabama fans open at noon tomorrow. They are known to push the stated limits for such matters as when to arrive and where to park.
I think Duke can move the ball and score some points.
The most unfavorable matchup is Alabama's power running game versus our defensive front. Running back Trent Richardson may be the most powerful running back I've seen in college football in quite a while; he bowls over would-be tacklers, breaks tackles, and carries opponents for extra yardage. He operates behind a big, fast, talented offensive line.
Of course, the "other" running back is Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.
What do people think the final score will be in the game? I'm going out on a limb and predicting Duke 31 Alabama 28 (always nice to fantasize, eh?) I realize Alabama is a 24 point favorite at this point. I think if Duke loses by 14 or less, it will be a "moral victory." I just hope it is NOT a total blowout by Alabama. I think Coach Sabin has enough class and enough respect for Coach Cutcliffe and for the whole Wallace Wade/Alabama/Duke tradition to NOT run up the score too much, if the game gets out of hand early against Duke.