any word on a jela timetable?
Duke had a football scrimmage tonight, open to the media.
Nothing earth-shaking. It was pretty vanilla, with a lot of key players held out as a precaution or with minor tweaks.
Best news? I didn't see any apparent injuries.
Duke ran about 70 scripted plays. Lineups were mixed up, so that each unit had some starters, some key backups, some true freshmen, some walk-ons. By design.
Converted QB Nico Pierre and Harvard transfer walk-on Zach Boden were the running backs, so its hard to tell much about the running game. Braxton Deaver, Trevon Lee, Anthony Nash and Terrance Alls also sat out.
Sirk looked sharp but didn't throw much deep. All four recruited QBs played.
Johnell Barnes and Max McCaffrey clearly are the top two WRs. Barnes had the highlight, a long reception in traffic. He probably had a half-dozen receptions, maybe more. McCaffrey caught everything thrown his way. Chris Taylor looks like the No. 3 right now but true freshman T.J. Rahming got some work. There's a lot of TBD at this spot.
Erich Schneider had a nice TD catch and looks much improved. He, Deaver and Reeves should make TE a real strength.
Good to see the return of some injured players. CB Johnathan Lloyd, DE Taariq Shabazz, OG Trip McNeill and S Jake Kite seem recovered from an assortment of injuries. With Bryon Fields out with an injury--he should be back in a week or so--Lloyd got a lot of work at safety.
As did true freshman Jeremy McDuffie, who made a tough interception of a jump ball. Cut has played four true freshmen CBs over the last two seasons, so it's not impossible that he'll see the field this season.
I can practically guarantee that Ben Humphries will play this season. He's one of these guys who's just around the ball. DE Marquies Price was also on the field a lot.
No punts, no kickoffs. Probably prudent.
Didn't really get much of a look at the construction work--the game was on the Brooks Practice Field--but there's still a lot of construction equipment around.
Truth be told, this is impressionistic and probably vague. The media were sequestered on the far end of the field, at field level, so I'm sure I missed some stuff. A second scrimmage is scheduled for next weekend and Cut told us that it will more closely replicate game conditions.
Still, it's nice to see something approaching real football. It's been awhile.
any word on a jela timetable?
April 1
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
Boden is 5-10, 200 pounds, from Atlanta, went to Lovett School. He rushed for 484 yards at Harvard in 2011, wasn't on the team in 2012, had a knee injury in 2013 and sat out last season as a transfer. I suspect he's an upgrade over Eric Adams as a practice runner but the injury big would likely have to bite pretty deep for him to see meaningful snaps at Duke.
And let's hope it doesn't. But I would like to see him a lot at end of games mopping up another big Duke win.
Duncan? No updates. I think we're still in wait-and-see-mode or maybe rest-and-see. I'd be surprised to see him back in September but would be more surprised not to see him back on the field sometime this season.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
Reilly linked the bio for me -- Thanks. Poli Sci major with business/marketing interests as well. Just turned 23. Curious why a Harvard guy would transfer before getting a degree --maybe he was looking for an upgrade. Also has a year of eligibility left after this season -- unless he is whacked with the five-year eligibility clock.
Zach Boden may have only a minor role in Duke footbll or other sports, but I like hearing the back stories.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
Another interesting guy from the scrimmage is sophomore defensive end Danny Doyle, a walk-on who had the only two sacks of the scrimmage.
That might not mean much -- sometimes the scrubs work against the scrubs. Still, two sacks are two more than anybody else got Saturday night.
I can't see Doyle as a factor this season -- he's 6-1, 200 pounds from Bradenton, Fla. He got on the field last year as a true freshman for two snaps -- one in the Kansas game, one in the Tulane game.
Just got a few of the stats from the scrimmage:
Passing:
Sirk 13-of-21 for 104 yards
Boehme 6-of-10 for 90 yards, one TD and one INT
Jones and Harris also got some snaps at QB, but I don't have their numbers
Receiving
Barnes 5 catches for 103 yards
McCaffrey 4 for 42 yards
I also know that Erich Schneider caught the only TD pass of the scrimmage -- a 9-yard throw from Boehme
Apparently, they did a lot more throwing than running -- Shaq Powell was the leading rusher with four carries for 15 yards
Xavier Carmichael had an interception and a fumble recovery
Freshman CB Jeremy McDuffie had an interception and a pass breakup.
Here are highlights from the scrimmage:
http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/pl...db_oem_id=4200
Coach Cutcliffe states in the video clip that the scrimmage was about identifying playmakers. "This isn't scheme heavy or about moving the ball steady it is about players."
Bob Green
good to see four (large) redshirt frosh on the OL two deep: Sanders, Harris, McNeill and Harmon.
Don't know ... I wasn't there. I was just passing on the stats that Duke released. I did see a TV report that listed three interceptions, so probably Saxton had one too.
The stats Duke released do not show Sirk with an interception. They do have Boehme with one. I guess the other two were by Harris-and-or-Jones.
Just one question about Bolden. I know that Duke lists him as a junior, but if you count his years -- he played at Harvard in 2011, wasn't on the team in 2012, was hurt in 2013, sat out as a transfer in 2014, is playing at Duke in 2015 -- that's five years. I guess the key question is why did he miss the 2012 season? If there was an injury that kept him out, then he almost certainly qualifies for a hardship year with two injury seasons (2012 and 2013). If it was for another reason, then he's unlikely to get a sixth year.
Even if he did miss 2012 with an injury, I find it off that Duke lists him as a junior. You can't apply for a hardship in advance, so even if he's eligible, Duke couldn't know he gets an extra year until next spring at the earliest. In the past, I know that they listed Kenny Anunike as a senior going into his fifth year, even though they expected him to get a sixth yea.
RE: Sacks.
Sacks were kept down by the fact that Sirk was off-limits.
It did seem to me that Duke tried a boatload of guys at DE. Grier, Brown, Williams, McDonald, Price, Doyle and McSwain. I don't recall Mugala or Jackson playing. But it was easy to miss people.
Still, this looks like a fluid position.
[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
Bob Green