FB: Duke at Troy, 7P KO

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

The win over Elon was a good opener for the season. It's now time to begin to prepare for Troy. As Coach Cutcliffe said last year, Troy may not be well known in this part of the country, but the football team is no pushover.

Who's got the scouting report?

[-bdbd]

Duke at Troy in Alabama on Sat., Sept. 6th, at 6pm, on ESPN3...


http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.db...2666&SPID=1843

Sun Belt member.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Tr..._football_team

While they played us tough last year, eventually falling 38-31, this year's team is missing some key players from last year. As one barometer, last year's squad beat UAB in OT, but this year they were trounced at UAB last weekend. This is their home opener.

[Henderson]

Duke at Troy in Alabama on Sat., Sept. 6th, at 6pm, on ESPN3...


http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.db...2666&SPID=1843

Sun Belt member.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Tr..._football_team

While they played us tough last year, eventually falling 38-31, this year's team is missing some key players from last year. As one barometer, last year's squad beat UAB in OT, but this year they were trounced at UAB last weekend. This is their home opener.

The win last year against UAB was at home, and they won; this year they played in Birmingham and lost big. Duke beat them in Durham last year. One possible takeaway is that Troy is much tougher at home than on the road, and this year we play them on their turf. They'll want this game badly. Not a good one to take lightly.

[Bob Green]

Duke opened as an 18 point favorite in Vegas.

[Jarhead]

What TV channel is carrying this game here in central NC? Time Warner's schedule doesn't show it, and ESPN3 is a sorry choice.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

What TV channel is carrying this game here in central NC? Time Warner's schedule doesn't show it, and ESPN3 is a sorry choice.

ESPN3 is the only coverage other than the Duke radio network.

[Henderson]

ESPN3 is the only coverage other than the Duke radio network.

For people without televisions, ESPN3 can be a lifeline. At least the ESPN video quality is generally pretty good, unlike the frustratingly grainy streams I've gotten from goduke.com in the past. Nothing like watching games on a laptop, then going to watch them on a 60" HDTV. It's almost like going from black and white to color.

Troy only scored 10 points against UAB, and they gave up 48. Gotta figure Duke will score a lot of points. It'll be interesting to see if the Duke defense can shut down Troy like UAB did.

One thing I'll say for Troy: Their mascot is easy to remember. You know there are a couple of high schools from towns named "Sparta" whose mascot is a Trojan? One in North Carolina and one in Missouri. Figure that one out.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

The fact that Troy had a disappointing opener in a away game does not necessarily mean that they'll roll over at home. This is going to be a tough test for both our offense and defense. The schedule for the first three weeks is something of a progression in terms of potential growth which can happen as the level of competition grows stronger.

[Bob Green]

UAB rushed 52 times for 338 yards and four touchdowns in their win over Troy. That's 6.5 yards per attempt. I expect Duke will look to establish the run game while mixing in the pass.

[Bomar]

As a Jacksonville State University alumni (We used to be HUGE rivals with Troy until they changed divisions in 2000), all I can say is WHUP TROY!!! Go DUKE!!

[dpslaw]

One thing I'll say for Troy: Their mascot is easy to remember. You know there are a couple of high schools from towns named "Sparta" whose mascot is a Trojan? One in North Carolina and one in Missouri. Figure that one out.

Turnabout is fair play. The mascot of the Troy (Ill.) youth baseball team is a Spartan!

[duke blue brewcrew]

What TV channel is carrying this game here in central NC? Time Warner's schedule doesn't show it, and ESPN3 is a sorry choice.

First my disclaimer - I'm not an Apple stockholder, nor am I really a fan of their products. That said,Apple TV has greatly improved my ESPN 3 viewing experience and I highly recommend it. It's easy to use, works just like an app on your phone. They typically run around $100 plus the HDMI cable.

[Olympic Fan]

Just checked the weather forecast for Saturday night in Troy -- high of 92 degrees with a 50 percent chance of rain (thundershowers)

Hoping we don't have one of the games that's delayed or cancelled ...

[Bob Green]

Troy Football Press Conference - Duke Game:

http://www.troytrojans.com/news/2014...901144127.aspx

Head Coach Larry Blakeney:

We rushed for 71 yards, and that is not enough. We are going to try and get to where we can run the football. I think that is somewhere that we can be better at with our offensive line and tight ends and our backs.

[CameronBornAndBred]

A look ahead on wral.com.

"Obviously last week we out-physical'd Elon, as far as on offense we just physically dominated them," said Duke quarterback Anthony Boone. "But this is a team that's not going to let you go into their place, first home opener in a new stadium, just come in there and try to beat them up. That's not going to happen."

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-fa...kzzU4sFCVG6.99

[Bob Green]

Al Featherston article:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

Coach Cutcliffe quote on the upcoming road trip:

I don’t know yet if it will carry over, I can tell you exactly what made us a good road team [in 2013]. I said it at the end of last season – that team had the best peer leadership I have ever been around. Your team is controlled more by your teammates on the road – being around a hotel, moving from meeting to meeting. It’s just a different atmosphere – the mentality on the plane, the mentality on the day of the game.

I thought our seniors last year was the best group I had been around, so I thought we had a maturity level. They understood what you have to do.

[duke blue brewcrew]

Al Featherston article:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

Coach Cutcliffe quote on the upcoming road trip:

I don’t know yet if it will carry over, I can tell you exactly what made us a good road team [in 2013]. I said it at the end of last season – that team had the best peer leadership I have ever been around. Your team is controlled more by your teammates on the road – being around a hotel, moving from meeting to meeting. It’s just a different atmosphere – the mentality on the plane, the mentality on the day of the game.

I thought our seniors last year was the best group I had been around, so I thought we had a maturity level. They understood what you have to do.

I love this quote, it screams Ross Cockrell!

[OldPhiKap]

I love this quote, it screams Ross Cockrell!

Can Kelby and Deaver travel with the team, and if so are they? Sounds like they still have an important role to fill.

[chrishoke]

Can Kelby and Deaver travel with the team, and if so are they? Sounds like they still have an important role to fill.

I know Kelby is.

[devildeac]

Does Jim Sumner usually provide his injury report on Thursday or Friday before FB games? I am NOT calling Jim out, just wondering when we'll hear if we will be missing any other players for the Troy game besides those we know are already out for the season (Brown, Deaver and Shabazz) and those that will miss at least several games like Beilinson, Lloyd, etc. Thanks, as always, to Jim for the info/updates.