Football schedule

[jimsumner]

Released today

August
30 -- JAMES MADISON -- DURHAM, N.C.

September
6 -- NORTHWESTERN -- DURHAM, N.C.
13 -- NAVY -- DURHAM, N.C.
20 -- OPEN DATE
27 -- VIRGINIA -- DURHAM, N.C.

October
4 -- at Georgia Tech -- Atlanta, Ga.
11 -- OPEN DATE
18 -- MIAMI -- DURHAM, N.C.
25 -- at Vanderbilt -- Nashville, Tenn.

November
1 -- at Wake Forest -- Winston-Salem, N.C.
8 -- N.C. STATE -- DURHAM, N.C.
15 -- at Clemson -- Clemson, S.C.
22 -- at Virginia Tech -- Blacksburg, Va.
29 -- NORTH CAROLINA -- DURHAM, N.C.

[pfrduke]

Bodes well for a possible good start to the season - can't complain about not leaving home for the first time until October.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Released today

August
30 -- JAMES MADISON -- DURHAM, N.C.

September
6 -- NORTHWESTERN -- DURHAM, N.C.
13 -- NAVY -- DURHAM, N.C.
20 -- OPEN DATE
27 -- VIRGINIA -- DURHAM, N.C.

October
4 -- at Georgia Tech -- Atlanta, Ga.
11 -- OPEN DATE
18 -- MIAMI -- DURHAM, N.C.
25 -- at Vanderbilt -- Nashville, Tenn.

November
1 -- at Wake Forest -- Winston-Salem, N.C.
8 -- N.C. STATE -- DURHAM, N.C.
15 -- at Clemson -- Clemson, S.C.
22 -- at Virginia Tech -- Blacksburg, Va.
29 -- NORTH CAROLINA -- DURHAM, N.C.

Coach Cutcliffe noted on Wednesday that the first game will be a night game... a great decision in view of the warm temperatures typical in late August.

[Bluedog]

Released today

August
30 -- JAMES MADISON -- DURHAM, N.C.

September
6 -- NORTHWESTERN -- DURHAM, N.C.
13 -- NAVY -- DURHAM, N.C.
20 -- OPEN DATE
27 -- VIRGINIA -- DURHAM, N.C.

October
4 -- at Georgia Tech -- Atlanta, Ga.
11 -- OPEN DATE
18 -- MIAMI -- DURHAM, N.C.
25 -- at Vanderbilt -- Nashville, Tenn.

November
1 -- at Wake Forest -- Winston-Salem, N.C.
8 -- N.C. STATE -- DURHAM, N.C.
15 -- at Clemson -- Clemson, S.C.
22 -- at Virginia Tech -- Blacksburg, Va.
29 -- NORTH CAROLINA -- DURHAM, N.C.

Ya, that schedule definitely looks doable. I could see wins vs. James Madison, Northwestern, Navy, Vandy, Nc St, and UNC. That might be too optimistic though...at the beginning of last season, most on this board were predicting 4-5 wins. And while I certainly hold Cutcliffe in high regard and think he'll be a great coach for us, I don't know if can make such sweeping advancements so quickly. It's good to have realistic expectiations, but it's also fun to be optimistic! Let's go Duke!

[RPS]

It's an interesting consequence of expansion that Cal will play the Twerps next year but Duke won't.

[buddy]

Coach said the seven home games were "winnable" and he's right--not that we'll win them all, but with strong crowd support, superb conditioning, and a strong belief, it could be a much more exciting home season. Just a shame that UNC is on Thanksgiving weekend--means lots of Tar Heels will be here while Duke students scatter to the winds. (By the end of the season the students WILL be attending games in droves.)

[OrangeDevil]

The schedule certainly augurs well for improvement. With familiar surroundings, vocal crowd support, and a few breaks, Duke can generate the momentum, and more importantly, confidence, that might enable a surprise or two when conference play begins. Last season's early schedule really made things difficult. The coming season offers almost the exact opposition. The first three games are eminently winnable and from that foundation I think the Devils can thump the Hoos.

With Duke football, hope always springs eternal only to be dashed. There are more hopeful signs for next year. And While I caution against the giddy optimism of some on this board, I thinks the chances for real improvement, i.e. wins, are realistic.

Something else. I opined in a post yesterday that defensive back (James and Daniels) seems to be a real strength of our incoming class (and thanks for the reminder to add Lee Butler). This position is critical, as critical as quarterback on the opposite side of scrimmage. I liken it to basketball. Coachess Wooden, Knight, Smth, and Krzyzewski have built enormously successful programs and championship teams around tight man-to-man defense. In fact, I would say (with apologies to Syracuse and Jim Boeheim) that it is virtually impossible to win a NCAA championship without the ability to play tight man-to-man continuously if necessary. In football, stunts and blitzes are essential requirements; few teams are strong enough to routinely play a standard four man bull rush and drop seven into zone coverage.This means "corners on an island" and recovery speed. Duke now appears to have some high quality athletes with the skills to cover.

Also, while Renfree and the passing game look extremely promising, Duke has got to develop at least a semblence of a running game if for no other reason that it can allow the defense to rest a bit. WE NEED D. SCOTT (Durham Hillside)!

[watzone]

I like the open dates which makes the UNC game after Turkey Day.

[buddy]

I like the open dates which makes the UNC game after Turkey Day.

Is this a serious comment, or sarcastic? Why would we want to play Carolina at home when their students can attend and ours are gone? Although I like having open dates to lick our wounds (depth is always a problem for Duke).

[blazindw]

Is this a serious comment, or sarcastic? Why would we want to play Carolina at home when their students can attend and ours are gone? Although I like having open dates to lick our wounds (depth is always a problem for Duke).

1. Most Duke students come from areas within driving distance of Durham.
2. If our improvement shows like we all know it will, who's to say that people won't come back for the game? I'm already figuring to go to this game (especially since that will also be my birthday weekend).
3. Students traditionally start coming back on Saturday during T-Giving weekend anyways because it's cheaper than returning on Sunday and finals and end of semester projects sometime necessitate the early return.

My point: don't underestimate the type of crowd we could have for that game. If it's, say, a battle for both the Victory Bell and for bowl eligibility, people WILL come.

Released today

August
30 -- JAMES MADISON -- DURHAM, N.C.

September
6 -- NORTHWESTERN -- DURHAM, N.C.
13 -- NAVY -- DURHAM, N.C.
20 -- OPEN DATE
27 -- VIRGINIA -- DURHAM, N.C.

October
4 -- at Georgia Tech -- Atlanta, Ga.
11 -- OPEN DATE
18 -- MIAMI -- DURHAM, N.C.
25 -- at Vanderbilt -- Nashville, Tenn.

November
1 -- at Wake Forest -- Winston-Salem, N.C.
8 -- N.C. STATE -- DURHAM, N.C.
15 -- at Clemson -- Clemson, S.C.
22 -- at Virginia Tech -- Blacksburg, Va.
29 -- NORTH CAROLINA -- DURHAM, N.C.

I assume that this means that Homecoming will either be the Virginia game or the game against the U.

[watzone]

Is this a serious comment, or sarcastic? Why would we want to play Carolina at home when their students can attend and ours are gone? Although I like having open dates to lick our wounds (depth is always a problem for Duke).

I'm sorry! I wasn't privy to the dates when I typed that. Unless Cutcliife can get them in the stands, that would mean at least 217 of them would miss the game

[mehmattski]

1. Most Duke students come from areas within driving distance of Durham.
2. If our improvement shows like we all know it will, who's to say that people won't come back for the game? I'm already figuring to go to this game (especially since that will also be my birthday weekend).
3. Students traditionally start coming back on Saturday during T-Giving weekend anyways because it's cheaper than returning on Sunday and finals and end of semester projects sometime necessitate the early return.

My point: don't underestimate the type of crowd we could have for that game. If it's, say, a battle for both the Victory Bell and for bowl eligibility, people WILL come.

Really?

1) Duke's website says that 86% of undergrads are from out of state. The 21% of students from the midwest and west are certainly not going to be able to drive to the game. UNC's students, meanwhile, are mostly from North Carolina and could more easily drive to a game in Durham.

2) I think you're asking a lot of Duke students to quickly turn it around and be interested in football enough to cut short weekends home with their parents. There have been pockets of enthusiasm in my time at Duke, so I may be wrong about this.

3) In five years of attending Duke, I have not once returned from Thanksgiving on a Saturday. Of the people I know who did return on Saturday, none of them came back before 1 PM (the likely time of the game).

In addition, I'd like to point out that the season opener against JMU is not just some random game against a D1-AA school. Despite ASU's high profile win against Michigan, it was James Madison that was considered the favorite in the tournament last December. ASU's win was considered an upset. It will be no easy game for Duke, and an embarrassing debut for Cutcliffe is not out of the question...

[blazindw]

Really?

1) Duke's website says that 86% of undergrads are from out of state. The 21% of students from the midwest and west are certainly not going to be able to drive to the game. UNC's students, meanwhile, are mostly from North Carolina and could more easily drive to a game in Durham.

2) I think you're asking a lot of Duke students to quickly turn it around and be interested in football enough to cut short weekends home with their parents. There have been pockets of enthusiasm in my time at Duke, so I may be wrong about this.

3) In five years of attending Duke, I have not once returned from Thanksgiving on a Saturday. Of the people I know who did return on Saturday, none of them came back before 1 PM (the likely time of the game).

In addition, I'd like to point out that the season opener against JMU is not just some random game against a D1-AA school. Despite ASU's high profile win against Michigan, it was James Madison that was considered the favorite in the tournament last December. ASU's win was considered an upset. It will be no easy game for Duke, and an embarrassing debut for Cutcliffe is not out of the question...

1. I'm from Michigan. It is drivable, and I did it for Thanksgiving many times. Also, there's a huge concentration of students from the NYC, DC, Philadelphia and Atlanta areas, all of which are within reasonable driving distance.

2. I wasn't asking students to do this, I was saying that I think that if the team does well, that a lot of students would choose to do this.

3. Not only did a lot of my friends return on Saturday, there are a lot of students from the West as well as International students that did not leave Durham because it was too expensive to fly home. I would say about 10% of students actually do this, not counting those who may go visit with other people's families that are in the area.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

1. I'm from Michigan. It is drivable, and I did it for Thanksgiving many times. Also, there's a huge concentration of students from the NYC, DC, Philadelphia and Atlanta areas, all of which are within reasonable driving distance.

2. I wasn't asking students to do this, I was saying that I think that if the team does well, that a lot of students would choose to do this.

3. Not only did a lot of my friends return on Saturday, there are a lot of students from the West as well as International students that did not leave Durham because it was too expensive to fly home. I would say about 10% of students actually do this, not counting those who may go visit with other people's families that are in the area.

I like you attitude!

[blazindw]

1. I'm from Michigan. It is drivable, and I did it for Thanksgiving many times. Also, there's a huge concentration of students from the NYC, DC, Philadelphia and Atlanta areas, all of which are within reasonable driving distance.

2. I wasn't asking students to do this, I was saying that I think that if the team does well, that a lot of students would choose to do this.

3. Not only did a lot of my friends return on Saturday, there are a lot of students from the West as well as International students that did not leave Durham because it was too expensive to fly home. I would say about 10% of students actually do this, not counting those who may go visit with other people's families that are in the area.

I should also note that my parents live in Ohio, and I live in DC now. Regardless of where I am for Thanksgiving, my plan is to drive down for the game.

[cbfx3]

OK I'll say it again... 9 wins

[Turtleboy]

1. I'm from Michigan. It is drivable, and I did it for Thanksgiving many times.

I drove to San Francisco from Greensboro once. It also is drivable. I'm pretty sure that Canada to Tierra del Fuego is drivable, too. The question is, will out of state students be likely to drive to the game, given that the distances are relatively large.

[PumpkinFunk]

It's highly likely a large amount of students will be back for that game, depending on the early-season record.

Keep in mind - a lot of us are from the East Coast, a lot from NC, Florida, and NY. I know I'll be headed back from DC for that game - of course, I'll have to. The schedule bodes well for us. First 3 games? NW and Navy are better than JMU, and we almost beat Navy and did beat Northwestern last season. This season will be far better against them, given that I expect a lot of us will show for the first few games. State and Carolina at home are also good games to look for, and Virginia, Vandy, and GA Tech would be the others to look at. There's a lot of games which, most of us think, should be competitive. Honestly, though, a 2 or 3 win season would be enough to inspire people to come out. More would just be amazing.

[DevilWolf]

You're assuming UNC has fans in November