Is Duke football showing signs of life?

[Bob Green]

DBR asks the question and then concludes that, yes, progress is being made. Not as fast as we would like but nevertheless, progress is ongoing. I agree with DBR. While the loss to Navy was agonizing, at least we were in the game down to the last play. We are now 1-3 for the season, but let's take a look at the three losses:

1. UConn - we are guilty of underestimating the Huskies. UConn is now 4-0 after solidly drubbing Pittsburgh on Saturday.
2. Virginia - a team that has owned Duke recently and is currently 3-1 after beating Georgia Tech on Saturday. Yes, Virginia lost ugly at Wyoming, but they've now performed solidly for three straight Saturdays.
3. Navy - a disappointing loss however you slice it, but a game Duke was in to the final play. We let a victory slip through our fingers for sure.

So, what are our options? We could hang our heads and quit. Or, we can put the tough loss behind us and prepare for Miami. I believe in the second option. With the proper attitude, preparation, and a little luck (we all deserve a little luck), three or four more victories this year are achievable!

Next play - Go Duke! Beat Miami!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

So, what are our options? We could hang our heads and quit. Or, we can put the tough loss behind us and prepare for Miami. I believe in the second option. With the proper attitude, preparation, and a little luck (we all deserve a little luck), three or four more victories this year are achievable!

Next play - Go Duke! Beat Miami!

What do we do? We strap on our chin straps and get back to work Monday morning, that's what we do. We build on what we've done well and we work on fixing what went wrong. Other than quitting, there is no other choice.

Go Duke! Beat Miami!

[Troublemaker]

Duke needs to win a second game this season. Go 1-11 and all this talk of progress is just talk, imo.

[Devilsfan]

scored 43 points in a game (36 in the first half!!!)? I don't remember. Probably when some "Ol' Ball Coach" was at the helm. This is really something to build on. The offensive coordinator should be commended! We are playing a heck of a lot better. Go Devils!

[4decadedukie]

Bob and Ozzie = Right on Target

[OrangeDevil]

"Is Duke Football showing signs of life?" The DBR moderators and Bob Green offer hopeful, optimistic words of encouragement based on previous performance(s). I certainly hope they're right and that the team can string together several solid efforts resulting in wins. But I am much less sanguine about what lies ahead. While Football has not flat lined, the pulse is erratic and the patient is anemic, badly in need of an iron supplement. If the condition persists it might require a blood transfusion and replacing the physician.

Despite the offensive explosion, I was not especially encouraged by yesterday's game. I was heartbroken. That game was winnable; indeed, it seemed won until the 4th quarter when the offense stopped being offensive and the defense collapsed. Perhaps, as Bob suggests, there was something there to build on, but what I see is not very solid and the fundamental problems may be readily exposed (again) in the next several weeks. Duke remains an inconsistent football team as it heads into the teeth of the schedule and faces a series of solid teams most presenting greater athleticism and vastly superior depth (a core deficiency for Duke). Miami, Wake, VT, FSU, Clemson. Given what we've witnessed to date, can we realistically believe that Duke has what it takes to come away from any of these on top? The only remaining possibles, to my way of thinking, are GT and the pale blues, and even these appear to be long shots as well. I'm afraid that despite improvement in some areas, 1-11 remains a real possibility.

I don't wish to revisit the various issues that have bedeviled Duke Football. Most of those concerns, complaints, and criticisms that have been lodged on this board have some measure of validity. But it has come down to wins and given the difficulty of the remaining schedule, I just don't see many possibilities. More than ever, I hope I'm dead wrong in this dismal prognosis.

On a nostalgic note, yesterday's game made me strangely yearn for the days of the Mike McGee teams. Yes, I know, it could be boring as hell, but it was physical and almost always competitive. Opposing teams could not announce running plays and then line up and run it down Duke's throat.

Finally, on a decidedly more hopeful note, a Basketball prediction made without inside information or hard evidence, just a gut feeling: if we get either Monroe or Williams, all three (Czyz first) will fall our way.

[devilirium]

Actually, we scored 34 pts vs Wake Forest in the 1ST QUARTER in '99 under Carl Franks. We had 41 at the half. Predictably we had to hang onto win 48-35. :O)

[jimsumner]

"When was the last time a Duke football team...

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scored 43 points in a game?"

Uh, five games ago. Lost that one, also.

[bjornolf]

The way Duke has played offense the last few games, and assuming they continue to develop, and the way the Fighting Irish have NOT played offense this year, does anybody think we have a legit shot at hanging one on ND later this year, or at least keeping it close? Even if they are having a down year, that would be a signature win for both Duke and Roof.

What do ya'll think? Am I just still hung over from the first win?

[Highlander]

The way Duke has played offense the last few games, and assuming they continue to develop, and the way the Fighting Irish have NOT played offense this year, does anybody think we have a legit shot at hanging one on ND later this year, or at least keeping it close? Even if they are having a down year, that would be a signature win for both Duke and Roof.

What do ya'll think? Am I just still hung over from the first win?

I mentioned this to a friend on the way into work this morning. If (and that's a big IF) Duke were to beat Notre Dame, two things would undoubtedly happen:
1) Weis would be fired. If he isn't already on his way out, losing to Duke in football would be the nail in the coffin for any team who expects to contend for a national championship.
2) Roof would get an extension at the end of the season. Much like John Bunting's win over Miami kept him at UNC probably a year or two longer than he would have been otherwise, a signature win like this would buy time for Roof, be that good or bad depending on your view of Roof.

I'm not sure how you could see a win over ND as anything other than good for Duke, unless you're not a Roof fan.

The fact that we're even talking about it to me shows the football team has improved.

[6th Man]

I think Duke is FINALLY showing signs....it's much better to have a heartbreaking loss than to get beat 42-7. It's great to see the offense finally do something. It's great to be competitive with some teams. Now we just need to figure out how to win....and we will.

My only frustration comes from the kicking. Missing extra points is just not acceptable no matter who you are. I knew it was bad when we had a first and goal at the 9 at the beginning of the fourth quarter and we miss a 30 yard field goal. That was probably a game winning drive to put the game away and we came away with 0. No matter who you are, it's hard to win if you can't kick extra points. My hat is off to the walk-on for coming in and making a few. When Surgan signed at Duke and he was the 4th rated kicker, it made me wonder why he picked the Devils. He has me thinking now that he maybe knew he had some confidence problems in the heat of the battle. I saw where Florida wanted him. Those fans may have fed him to some real Gators with the level expected from their team.

Anyway, I am excited about the 43 points and the fact that we aren't getting blown out of the water. The improvement hasn't been a sprint, but at least there are signs! GO DUKE, shock the world and beat Miami!

[SoCalDukeFan]

We also lost winnable games last year - Wake Forest and UNC-CH for example.

I think that there is life in Duke football. The kicking game is pathetic and will be improved upon. We have some guys who can certainly play big time college football. We do make too many mistakes.

I am concerned that we lose too many games that could go either way. I know that Northwestern was one of those and we won. I had hoped that the Northwestern game would start a streak of winning those games, guess I was wrong.

We have winnable games on the schedule. We could upset someone.

IMHO Roof has shown he can recruit talent to Duke. He still needs to show that he can get the most out of the talent and that he can coach in game situations.

SoCal

[Wander]

The way Duke has played offense the last few games, and assuming they continue to develop, and the way the Fighting Irish have NOT played offense this year, does anybody think we have a legit shot at hanging one on ND later this year, or at least keeping it close? Even if they are having a down year, that would be a signature win for both Duke and Roof.

What do ya'll think? Am I just still hung over from the first win?

At the beginning of the year, people would joke around about Duke beating Notre Dame, even though it would obviously be an upset.

It would still be an upset. The difference is, it's gone from about a 1 in 400 chance to about a 1 in 4 chance. Actually, I know non-Duke fans who honestly believe we have a better team than Notre Dame. I don't know about that, but we certainly have a better passing game than ND, and we have a shot at beating them.

[Patrick Yates]

I think Duke loses the ND game, but I grant that the upset (and it will be nothing else) is more possible now than prior to the season.

However, I do not think Duke brings to the table what the teams that defeated ND brought to the table. GT and PSU have very good defenses. So does Michigan. Don't Laugh. Given Michigan's personell, they are only susceptable to one type of O, that being the Spread O. UM shut down ND and a quality PSU offense this year. So, ND has faced 3 quality D's this year. MSU is kind of an unknown, but ND did score 2 touchdowns.

Duke, for all the purported progress, is shakey, at best, on D. ND has a young O, and a weak O line. This means no rushing yards, and no time for Clausen to throw. I do not know if Duke can pressure the QB to the same extent as ND's previous opponents. Indeed, this is what the game comes down to. If we can D up, we have a chance to win.

ND is weak on O, but improving. Baptism by fire, etc etc. They will be better when we play them. So too will our D.

Our O will be fine. I predict a shootout.

However, one thing will not be in Duke's favor. Say what you will to the otherwise, EVERY D-1a we play over looks Duke. They see us as doormats. ND is going to struggle this year. No matter how bad it gets, ND will look at us as a winnable game. The players, and fans, will be jacked up when we come to town in a manner not seen outside a basketball arena. I think Duke does a good job of ambushing the opponents who look past us (for at least a half). Unfortunately, I do not think ND will be looking past Duke. As of now, they may have our visit circled on the schedule.

Patrick Yates

[JasonEvans]

Duke is actually ranked ahead of Notre Dame in the Sagarin rankings this week.

You may now pick your jaw up off the floor.

--Jason "I am sure that has happened before... maybe" Evans

[Wander]

However, I do not think Duke brings to the table what the teams that defeated ND brought to the table. GT and PSU have very good defenses. So does Michigan. Don't Laugh. Given Michigan's personell, they are only susceptable to one type of O, that being the Spread O. UM shut down ND and a quality PSU offense this year. So, ND has faced 3 quality D's this year. MSU is kind of an unknown, but ND did score 2 touchdowns.

What makes you think Georgia Tech has a "very good defense?"

[MulletMan]

What makes you think Georgia Tech has a "very good defense?"

Or Penn State a "quality offense" for that matter?

[Clipsfan]

Duke is actually ranked ahead of Notre Dame in the Sagarin rankings this week.

You may now pick your jaw up off the floor.

--Jason "I am sure that has happened before... maybe" Evans

And could very possibly fall much farther. It is very likely that they will start the season out 0-8, given that their next 4 opponents are Purdue, UCLA, BC and USC.

[arnie]

I think the next three weeks tell us if we have made progress. Making it a game at Miami, not getting blown away by VA Tech and winning the Wake Forest game would be signs of real progress. Remember that we have lost close games in most seasons including last year; therefore, losing a close game against a weak to middle of the road opponent is not worth celebrating.

I do agree that the talent level seems up a bit. We shall see!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Say what you will to the otherwise, EVERY D-1a we play over looks Duke. They see us as doormats.

I'll bet you a 9F that Miami does NOT overlook us this week. We almost beat them last year and they got off to a rocky start. This makes upsetting them much MUCH tougher.