Duke 31, Virginia 3

[watzone]

Duke is facing another hurdle in Virginia. Quite simply, it could serve as the first ACC win in some time. Bob Green takes a look ahead -

http://bluedevilnation.net/?p=1035

[whereinthehellami]

You gotta like Duke in this one. UVA has nothing going for them. Its just been one thing after another for them since the end of last year. They set a record for winning games decided by a touchdown or less last year. I think they lose all of their close ones this year. That is if UVA can keep any close. They are a young team that has got to be questioning themselves right now. If I'm Coach Cut I go for the jugular early. Coach Cut versus Al Groh, the Chess Master, not even fair.

[PumpkinFunk]

Everyone in the ACC should be favored against this UVA team. They were a bit of bad luck away from a 4-8 record last season with all of their talent and really are going to show that they got that lucky. They lost by far their best players and really haven't gotten any sort of rhythm going in their 3 games they've played thus far.

[CameronBornAndBred]

UVA has nothing going for them.

I think they do, in that they, like Duke, have two weeks to rest and prepare. Cutcliffe has said this week Duke is working on Duke (correcting some of our mistakes) and next week we are working on Virginia. I'm assuming Va. will pretty much be doing the same, working on their own problems, then focusing on us. I'm not taking them as a guaranteed win as some feel, but I am more optimistic about our chances.

[watzone]

I think they do, in that they, like Duke, have two weeks to rest and prepare. Cutcliffe has said this week Duke is working on Duke (correcting some of our mistakes) and next week we are working on Virginia. I'm assuming Va. will pretty much be doing the same, working on their own problems, then focusing on us. I'm not taking them as a guaranteed win as some feel, but I am more optimistic about our chances.

Duke cannot take anyone for granted. Heck, nobody should take a team for granted. I am sure Groah will work had to iron his problems out. I feel good about Duke's chanced to provided they don't turn the ball over. The schedule gets brutal after this game.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Duke cannot take anyone for granted. Heck, nobody should take a team for granted. I am sure Groh will work hard to iron his problems out. I feel good about Duke's chances, provided they don't turn the ball over. The schedule gets brutal after this game.
Those turnovers are what I'm assuming they are working on this week. I'm sure you know what's going on with the team as well as anyone. And you are correct about the schedule. A victory against UVA will be nice to have heading into what is upcoming after.

[WeepingThomasHill]

We haven't won an ACC game in 4 years, and we should be favored against UVA? We should be expected to win? Look. I am excited about Cut and the fact that he has us 2-1, and competitive every week. But let's win an ACC game against anyone before we start talking about how Duke should be favored against a legitmate ACC team. Clarkston Hines is not walking through that door.

[Bob Green]

We haven't won an ACC game in 4 years, and we should be favored against UVA? We should be expected to win? Look. I am excited about Cut and the fact that he has us 2-1, and competitive every week. But let's win an ACC game against anyone before we start talking about how Duke should be favored against a legitmate ACC team.

When the odds are released next week, I will be shocked if Duke isn't favored. Of course time will tell and just because we are favored doesn't mean we will win. Virginia is an important game. I wouldn't classify the game as a "must win situation" but we need to win.


Clarkston Hines is not walking through that door.

No he isn't, but Eron Riley is.

[gep]

Duke cannot take anyone for granted. Heck, nobody should take a team for granted.

I totally agree... while UVA looks like a winnable game, they still need to play the game... and execute... in order to actually win. NO guarantees in sports. I'm cautiously optimistic, and very hopeful. Can't wait. GO DUKE!!!!

[RelativeWays]

Duke should be hungry to beat anyone they can, I cannot see them looking past UVa. You have a lot of upperclassmen on this squad that have never tasted victory over a league opponent and now may be their best opportunity (who knows how State will be in November).

As far as Duke being favored, well we've played good enough to be 3-0, we couldn't quite finish against NW, so we're 2-1. Even with the mistakes, this team is still hitting a lot of high points. The best UVa has to show for itself is a 16-9 victory over Richmond. Granted, Duke and every other ACC team would get stomped by USC, I'm not sure UConn is as good as they were last year, but they sure looked it against the Hoos. I would like to see Duke play very aggressive, but smart, I see a 9-14 point victory.

[whereinthehellami]

I think they do, in that they, like Duke, have two weeks to rest and prepare. Cutcliffe has said this week Duke is working on Duke (correcting some of our mistakes) and next week we are working on Virginia. I'm assuming Va. will pretty much be doing the same, working on their own problems, then focusing on us. I'm not taking them as a guaranteed win as some feel, but I am more optimistic about our chances.

There are some key differences between the two programs. UVA got lucky last year. Most of their wins last year were close games. They lost alot off their lines on both sides of the ball. This is never good. Especially when you really weren't that good. They also lost their starting quarterback and a bunch of other starters to off-season problems.

Duke returns around 17 players from last year. They weren't that bad last year. I think their biggest problem was thinking they could win. Finding that confidence when the game was on the line. I think Roof was in a little over his head. Coach Cut is not. From day one he has let the players know what they need to do to win. Winning was not option, it was a plan.

I'd personally call it a decent sized upset if this UVA team beats this Duke team at Duke.

I really don't think this Duke team sees itself associated with last year's Duke team. If Duke had some more talent spread across the field and didn't lose two of their running backs, I could have seen them suprising everyone and winning the Coastal.

[Bob Green]

Duke is a 5.5 point favorite over Virginia.

[killerleft]

Another Football week! One week at a time. Go Duke, Beat the Wahvaliers!!

[davekay1971]

Duke is a 5.5 point favorite over Virginia.

Wow...for the last 15 years or so you would have thought that would be referring to a game in February, not September. I can't wait for Saturday - for Duke to beat Virginia, for UNC to get a beat-down from Miami, and for (admitting that this is a biiiiig reach) State to shock USF... Wonder what the Vegas odds are on that trifecta?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Duke is a 5.5 point favorite over Virginia.

What a wonderful way to start the week!

This is bound to be a record for recent seasons: Duke picked to win each game so far.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the coaches come up with for this week's game.

Can't wait for Saturday!

[devildeac]

Duke is a 5.5 point favorite over Virginia.

Here's hoping we cover the spread...and then some...

[bdh21]

Does anyone know the last time Duke was the LV favorite in an ACC game? It couldn't have been since we beat UNC in '03, and we were probably even the underdog for that game too.

[footballfan2]

We haven't won an ACC game in 4 years, and we should be favored against UVA? We should be expected to win? Look. I am excited about Cut and the fact that he has us 2-1, and competitive every week. But let's win an ACC game against anyone before we start talking about how Duke should be favored against a legitmate ACC team. Clarkston Hines is not walking through that door.

There's no doubt in my mind that Duke should win this game. Will they? It just depends if they are able to execute. But overall I agree with you. I think many Duke fans are getting far too ahead of themselves. I stopped by Devil's Den and many of them over there think they should be competing for Coastal Division titles this year. In all honestly, the one "sane" poster over there... got banned. lol

[jimsumner]

"This is bound to be a record for recent seasons: Duke picked to win each game so far."

Duke was not favored to win the Northwestern game.

[RainingThrees]

Duke should win this game unless we make the mistakes we made against Northwestern.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Game day will be here soon. The weather will be better than for the last home game! Current forecasts show highs in the mid to high 70's and some possibility of scattered light rain or isolated thunderstorms. I can't wait for the kick off!

Go Duke! Beat the Wahvaliers!

[CameronBornAndBred]

That's frigid compared to the last game!

[Uncle Drew]

This is probably a stupid question, but I'll go ahead and ask for opinions anyway. I'm assuming Duke being favored was after UVA cut one of their QB's, and he didn't play last game anyway. But with a young rebuilding (or actually laying the foundation) team like Duke is it better to be favored or an underdog?

I can look at both sides of the coin and say being an underdog would be more apt to keep them hungry, get overlooked (like UVA can aford to overlook anyone) and give them something to prove.

But I can also see being favored as a positive too. I mean what was the last time Duke was favored in an ACC game? (Don't answer that I don't want to know, it will depress me.) Being favored would be just another sign IMO the program is turning around slowly but surely.

But as far as the players go which is more psycologically beneficial come game time?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

This is probably a stupid question, but I'll go ahead and ask for opinions anyway. I'm assuming Duke being favored was after UVA cut one of their QB's, and he didn't play last game anyway. But with a young rebuilding (or actually laying the foundation) team like Duke is it better to be favored or an underdog?

I can look at both sides of the coin and say being an underdog would be more apt to keep them hungry, get overlooked (like UVA can aford to overlook anyone) and give them something to prove.

But I can also see being favored as a positive too. I mean what was the last time Duke was favored in an ACC game? (Don't answer that I don't want to know, it will depress me.) Being favored would be just another sign IMO the program is turning around slowly but surely.

But as far as the players go which is more psycologically beneficial come game time?
With Coach Cutcliffe in charge, I doubt that such predictions make much difference. He's got the team focusing on the game and preparing for Virginia, whatever condition they show up in.

Are you going to be able to attend this game?

[CameronBornAndBred]

Are you going to be able to attend this game?

We need some Latta at the tailgate.

[Uncle Drew]

With Coach Cutcliffe in charge, I doubt that such predictions make much difference. He's got the team focusing on the game and preparing for Virginia, whatever condition they show up in.

Are you going to be able to attend this game?

You're probably on the money DITBD. I think that is one thing we can count on from Cut is focus. I remember a season opener against ECU in the Roof era where Duke was favored and most everyone (Vegas included) thought Duke would win. The disapointment from that loss seemed to carry over the entire season. I don't like losing any game, but we've already seen how Cut prepares after a victory and a loss. Now we get to see how well he prepares a team with a week off.

I really hope to attend DITBD, but it won't be up to me. My car is having some body work done. Seems they thought they had new front quarter panels already but had to order them. They are supposed to arrive this afternoon, get painted and on the car by Friday. But if they don't I won't have a car until Monday. Then again if I can get my brother to go like the first game I'll have a ride. So we'll see.

[OldPhiKap]

If you're gonna be a winner, you gotta get comfortable wtih being the favorite.


We've been the underdog for years. Time to be the top dog.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

If you're gonna be a winner, you gotta get comfortable wtih being the favorite.


We've been the underdog for years. Time to be the top dog.
Couldn't have said it better! Are you coming up for any games this season? I'll save you a place at the Devil Walk.

[OldPhiKap]

Couldn't have said it better! Are you coming up for any games this season? I'll save you a place at the Devil Walk.

I'm a good hike from 'Ol Dur'm unfortunately but one never knows. If so, I'll shoot you a blast -- it sounds like a good group is getting together up there on a regular basis.

I probably have a better chance of seeing them at GT or Clemson if I can score tix.



Give 'em Hell, Duke!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I'm a good hike from 'Ol Dur'm unfortunately but one never knows. If so, I'll shoot you a blast -- it sounds like a good group is getting together up there on a regular basis.

I probably have a better chance of seeing them at GT or Clemson if I can score tix.



Give 'em Hell, Duke!

November 29 is still a ways off in the future.

[watzone]

Michael Tauiliili talks UVA and getting an elusive ACC win.

http://bluedevilnation.net/?p=1060

[killerleft]

The first Duke Football link today (Fri) has a good interview with Coach Cut. This quote would have gotten my attention in high school, that's for sure:

“I have a theory that you comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. I’m about that afflicting a lot.”

No doubt. Duke players have a lot invested in football this year, and seem to be enjoying it much more.

[Acymetric]

So, anyone else excited about the game tomorrow? I'll get there early for the walk, I hope there's a good turnout for our ACC opener. On a related note, does anyone know if the video they show at the beginning of the games is online anywhere? Its my favorite of all the videos, and the only one that I haven't seen on youtube or anywhere else.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

So, anyone else excited about the game tomorrow? I'll get there early for the walk, I hope there's a good turnout for our ACC opener. On a related note, does anyone know if the video they show at the beginning of the games is online anywhere? Its my favorite of all the videos, and the only one that I haven't seen on youtube or anywhere else.
Yessireee! I'm excited and can't wait for the kick off.

A large turnout is expected because of the Youth Day activities.... amazing ticket prices for this game and also for a package for the remaining home games.

GO DUKE! Whip the Wahveliers!

[watzone]

14 hours away - Go Duke! Cutcliffe expressed an interest in declining student numbers on Tuesday. Students! Duke Football needs you!!!

[OldPhiKap]

As a former student, let me say -- if you can't get up for a conference game, you need to give up your spot for someone who does.

It's an ACC game for heaven's sake -- go out and root on the Devils!

[Highlander]

Not sure if I can make it tomorrow.

I waited in line for a half hour to get six gallons of gas, and had to drive by six gas stations which were bone dry just to find one that had any supply. I live 2 hours from Durham, and the weather forecast is calling for rain, so that's dampening my enthusiasm. I could probably make it down and back on what I have in my tank, but I don't like the idea of having to ride around town looking for another open gas station just so I can get to work on Monday.

I would expect attendence to be down tomorrow, due in part to the weather as well as the gas shortage.

I did see on the news that Greensboro has gas, although Raleigh and Charlotte do not.

[VAGentleman05]

14 hours away - Go Duke! Cutcliffe expressed an interest in declining student numbers on Tuesday. Students! Duke Football needs you!!!

Well, if it helps, I've bought 20 student guest tickets for friends and family coming down to cheer for the Wahoos. My hunch is that you all are going to get the better of us this time around, but hopefully the weather will hold and we'll be treated to a good game.

[shereec]

I can't go to the game today - taking my hubby up to Black Mountain for the Cycle North Carolina. But I'll be trying to pick it up on the radio. So the rest of you yell just a little bit louder for me.

GO DUKE!!

[chrishoke]

I can't go to the game today - taking my hubby up to Black Mountain for the Cycle North Carolina. But I'll be trying to pick it up on the radio. So the rest of you yell just a little bit louder for me.

GO DUKE!!

Good luck getting Duke on the radio in the NC mountains - I usually have to listen to the UNC game to get scores.:mad:

[VAGentleman05]

Good luck getting Duke on the radio in the NC mountains - I usually have to listen to the UNC game to get scores.:mad:

I broke down and got XM last fall for the same reasons. It's been a life saver.

[killerleft]

Heading out now. Go Duke, Whup the Wahvaliers!!

[captmojo]

A Duke win will induce spontaneous "festooning" I assume most of the tailgating crew are already "festooned".

There's two drinks on me. Go Devils!

[wolfpackdevil]

leavin for the game now.

Duke wins 27-17

and even though were a touchdown favorite, a win today calls for the rush of the field, we not as immature as ECU, nobody will get hurt

[ehdg]

Once again we prove that we are a Second Half team. After ending the 1st half 3 -3. We now lead in the 4th quarter 24 - 3. Duke really is playing good so far this season in the 3rd quarter.

Now I just with my damn cable company would carry/offer ESPNU.:mad:

[DukieInKansas]

This has been fun to watch - another interception. Asaak is in. First ACC win in 25 games. Thank you, Coach Cut and team. Football season is fun this year. Looks like we might score again. :D:D:D:D I will be nice to my Virginia friends tomorrow.

Abby Waner has been a sideline reporter during the game. She interviewed Kyle & Gerald at one point.

[grossbus]

a lot to like today,

but i liked this best

Duke player intercepts

score

does dive somersault into the end zone

gets flagged

three different coaches "chat" with him about this as he comes back to the bench.

yes!


oh, and i gots espnu HD hee hee hee.

[sandinmyshoes]

Welcome to the cellar, UVA. I hope your stay is a nice long one.

[OldPhiKap]

Great win by Coach and the team!!!!!

Conditioning and Coaching = big time improvement.



Now -- Squash the bees!!!!

[ehdg]

What a difference a year makes and conditioning. This season so far Duke is a 2nd half team where as least year they wheren't. It was all they could do to hang on. This year they know how to close out games and really have out scored their opponents in the 3rd quarter by a good margin. Also the Coach Cut's staff seems much better at adjusting at half time then previous Coaches did.

[RainingThrees]

Yes!! Something to cheer me up after the Tarhole game.

[weezie]

It's been a long time since I watched an entire Duke football game without moving from the couch.

Incredible!

[blazindw]

This team is playing excellent! There's still room for improvement, but what's not to love about their intensity and how they've played so far, especially in the 2nd half of games this year. It seemed like once they scored to take the lead, they could smell the blood in the water, and that was it.

We're 3-1!! :)

[Gunnar Kaufman]

This is simply beautiful.

This is why it's important to have qualified people in positions of authority.

Duke finally invested in people, and brought in a tremendous coaching staff well-versed in the instruction of football. Duke's student-athletes bought into it, worked their collective butts off, and are now reaping the benefits.

Stumbling blocks will surely come, but this is a wonderful example of what makes Duke such a wonderful place. How fortunate that Duke's excellence elsewhere is now as emblematic on the football field as it is elsewhere in the University.

[dukestheheat]

A big congratulations to Duke Football and they after that first half, they looked really good! It's now exciting to watch these guys play and to get that win today was soooo long overdue and very well-deserved!

dth.

[Indoor66]

This is simply beautiful.

This is why it's important to have qualified people in positions of authority.

Duke finally invested in people, and brought in a tremendous coaching staff well-versed in the instruction of football. Duke's student-athletes bought into it, worked their collective butts off, and are now reaping the benefits.

Stumbling blocks will surely come, but this is a wonderful example of what makes Duke such a wonderful place. How fortunate that Duke's excellence elsewhere is now as emblematic on the football field as it is elsewhere in the University. Emphasis added by Indoor66

By the way, who was the Athletic Director when the coach was hired? ;)

[Gunnar Kaufman]

[By the way, who was the Athletic Director when the coach was hired? ;)

Funny.

It will now fall to a far superior AD to keep Cutcliffe in Durham once Tennessee fires Fulmer.

[Diddy]

Emphasis added by Indoor66

By the way, who was the Athletic Director when the coach was hired? ;)

Yes, the AD did do a good job hiring Cut. That said.

There were a lot of people who were strongly advocating that the previous coaching staff be fired during the totality of the previous 2 seasons. Those individuals were persecuted on this board, and many were permanently chased off the board. Many long time posters accused the "Fire Roof" contingency of:

Not being Duke Fans;
Not understanding football;
Not knowing what they were talking about;
Basically Being Horrible Human Beings.

It is high time for those same persecutors to apologize and admit that they were wrong. Roof was the problem, nothing else. The people who wanted to Fire Roof were obviously far more knowledgable about football that the "Stay the course" crowd.

A lot people on this board are rightly singing Cut's praises. But to do that without acknowledging that the Fire Roof group was 100% correct is the height of hypocrisy.

[Gunnar Kaufman]

A lot people on this board are rightly singing Cut's praises. But to do that without acknowledging that the Fire Roof group was 100% correct is the height of hypocrisy.

Not sure that's hypocrisy, per se, but clearly, "coaching" is a major reason why Duke's program has improved so precipitously in such a short amount of time.

But to be fair: It wasn't just Roof. It was most of that staff that was failing to get the job done. This staff is flat-out knowledgeable and skilled.

There are other factors at play, though: We have a third-year starting quarterback, and returned the majority of our starters from a year ago; we have a lot of talent that Roof brought into the program (though it's going to be taken to another level by Cutcliffe and Co.).

Duke's football program was run in an antiquated and disorganized fashion by Carl Franks. Ted Roof did a lot of things right, and a lot of things wrong.

Cutcliffe and his staff are top-flight, however, and they've got a group of young men that can follow their tutelage quite well.

[shadowfax336]

Just to further make us look good, Northwestern just moved to 5-0, and Navy is beating Wake 17-0 at half

[Uncle Drew]

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?categoryId=2564308&brand=null&videoId=3612850&n8pe6c=2

[Section 8]

I've been to almost every home game for the last six years (since I got back to NC). The difference this year is effort, coaching and conditioning. Basically the same lineup as last year, but thanks to coaching, a completely different team. We have a chance to win next week in Atlanta, and we could take Miami the following week. If we get to a bowl game this year, some skulls are going to explode from the improbability of it all, and mine will be the first.

GO DUKE!

[cspan37421]

in defense of those who preached caution about firing roof in years past (I think I was agnostic on that one - correct me if I'm wrong):

You don't fire someone unless you've got someone better to take their place. We may have had to wait for someone of Cutcliffe's ability to show interest and availability.

Also, with respect to contracts, I don't know how well it would be accepted to be paying someone to not coach for multiple years. I know big schools do that all the time, and I guess Roof had one more year on his deal, right? Perhaps one year at 500k is enough to swallow but more than that, I'm not sure Duke U would allocate their funds that way.

I proudly wore my Duke hat (black, with blue D) to local youth football game today. The announcer mentioned some scores and I wondered what the crowd reaction would have been to the Duke one. (It was 10-3 when we left for the game). Shock and awe, as they say. Way to go, Coach Cut and the Blue Devils! I hope that Coach Cutcliffe would be satisfied to retire as a legend at Duke rather than the coach of a middling / struggling SEC team. If he were younger, leaving would be almost a certainty. As he's older, I like the chances that he stays until he's done.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

But to be fair: It wasn't just Roof. It was most of that staff that was failing to get the job done. This staff is flat-out knowledgeable and skilled.

There are other factors at play, though: We have a third-year starting quarterback, and returned the majority of our starters from a year ago; we have a lot of talent that Roof brought into the program (though it's going to be taken to another level by Cutcliffe and Co.).

Duke's football program was run in an antiquated and disorganized fashion by Carl Franks. Ted Roof did a lot of things right, and a lot of things wrong.

Today was a WONDERFUL day to be at Wallace Wade Stadium for Duke fans. After a shaky first half offensively (Lewis had an off day and we won convincingly in the second half despite that!) everything came together for us in the second half. The defense was anywhere from good to great all game.

The progress our players have made from last year to this can be attributed 95% to the new coaching staff. Would our third and fourth and fifth year players have gotten better just through physical maturation? Sure, a little. But no way that Lewis would be the QB he is becoming under the previous administration - the teaching these coaches do is far superior - obvious from the results so far - better execution at every position, smarter execution, almost NO penalties. And our second half performance all season long is because the team is in SHAPE this year - something neither Roof nor Franks cared enough about to do something about it.

Next week will be very tough. Much tougher than the teams we've played so far, but we can win that game. But for now, I want to enjoy our 1 game ACC winning streak!

[cspan37421]

Isn't it encouraging and remarkable how well the teams we've played have done against others? Didn't JMU beat App State, which was last year's Div. 1-FCS champion? Navy is whipping Wake. Northwestern is undefeated! (yay for academic schools).

If we continue to win, our SOS should really shine in computer polls. Not saying we're going to compete for a NC or even a Jan 1 bowl (nor is it impossible!). But if we keep focused game to game, we can ruin a lot of other teams' homecoming games.

[dukemomLA]

Hello to all of you in NC. Being 3,000 miles away obviously makes it impossible to attend games. So.... I'd LOVE an update as to the size and frenzy of the crowd.

Did y'all get out there to support "our football boys and coaches." I haven't been able (as of yet) to get any info on that.

Damn, I hope our football team and coaches read this DBR website, and know how much support they have. GO DUKE!!!

To have a football team that we can shower with as much as our basketball, would be like heaven for me. All good so far.

And, yes, let's not get away from ourselves. Turning Duke football into a powerhouse is NOT a one or two year process. But the building blocks are in place, the long-term vision is there, the qualified recruits are signing up and getting with the system. ............Ah....interesting times.

[Indoor66]

Hello to all of you in NC. Being 3,000 miles away obviously makes it impossible to attend games. So.... I'd LOVE an update as to the size and frenzy of the crowd.

Did y'all get out there to support "our football boys and coaches." I haven't been able (as of yet) to get any info on that.

Damn, I hope our football team and coaches read this DBR website, and know how much support they have. GO DUKE!!!

To have a football team that we can shower with as much as our basketball, would be like heaven for me. All good so far.

And, yes, let's not get away from ourselves. Turning Duke football into a powerhouse is NOT a one or two year process. But the building blocks are in place, the long-term vision is there, the qualified recruits are signing up and getting with the system. ............Ah....interesting times.

Excellent post. A sense of perspective is required. We will lose some games. Not everything will be roses from here out. We need to give strong support for our recruits and players through the ongoing building process. A mere current wins bandwagon group will fall off at the first sign of any problem and problems will occur. I hope the excitement of these moments can be translated into a large, solid fan base for all games - to help the coaches and players through their journey to sustained excellence.

[devildeac]

Emphasis added by Indoor66

By the way, who was the Athletic Director when the coach was hired? ;)

And/but who did he really want as the new FB coach? Fortunately, there was a committee in place and a great hire was made...

[BD80]

Two more wins and a top 25 ranking? :D

Great job guys!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Just got home, great win today! Excellent seeing the brunchgaters, I'll post my game thoughts after a beer or two, victory is still swimming in my head!

[devildeac]

Just got home, great win today! Excellent seeing the brunchgaters, I'll post my game thoughts after a beer or two, victory is still swimming in my head!

Be sure to post your game thoughts here, your brunchgate thoughts on the new (but not necessarily improved Brunchgate II thread) AND your beer thoughts on the, where else, "ymm, beer" thread:D. Good to see you today, BTW. Sorry we did not get to chatter as much as we did at the Navy game.

[VAGentleman05]

Since I was around pulling for my guys before the game, it's only fitting that I come now to congratulate ya'll. In my opinion, the game was won at halftime, when Coach Cut and his crew made great adjustments while Groh and company clearly did not. Talk about two programs with opposite trajectories.

Good luck the rest of the way. I don't know if I'll get to any more Duke home games, but I'll be pulling for them.

[Acymetric]

How about that horrible no-call on the second interception? No way that wasn't pass interference.

However, I was really excited with how we played, and with the crowd turnout. The student section was almost empty until right at the start, but it was pretty much full the whole time after that.

I'll also say I was really glad we got that last touchdown, it looks so much better on paper. I thought our team played really hard, and was especially pleased with some of the hard hits to knock passes loose.

Oh, and how about Jay Hollingsworth? That run where he got stopped for a loss, then hit about 3 more times and ended up gaining 12 yards or something? Great run, he's going to be special in the future.

[dukestheheat]

Coach Cut has taken players from the last regime and whipped them into shape, motivated them and taught them how to win, and look what's happened!

The thing that impresses me most is that now, Duke football is competitive!

This doesn't mean we have to win all games or even most games, but for the first time in many, many years, our football boys believe in themselves and they are getting a taste of what it's like to win and be competitive on the collegiate level!

This has to be cathartic for them all!

Hail to the Blue Devils!

dth.

[RelativeWays]

THis made the trip to Ocean Isle very enjoyable. I was able to listen on the radio when Thad and Eron hooked up for their 18th, 17-3 at that point. Then we lost the station and had to listen to the UNC/ Miami game. Objectively as football fan, that was a good game to listen to.

[Acymetric]

Oh, hey. Does anyone know why Orange Bowl representatives were at the game? The walked with the team on the Devil Walk, were on the sideline to start the game, and I believe migrated to the press box at some point. Already planning for a big Duke run perhaps?:D

[DU82]

Oh, hey. Does anyone know why Orange Bowl representatives were at the game? The walked with the team on the Devil Walk, were on the sideline to start the game, and I believe migrated to the press box at some point. Already planning for a big Duke run perhaps?:D

The ACC champion will go to the Orange Bowl (unless somehow they go to the BCS "championship" game.) The OB reps will make appearances at each ACC school during the season. Today was our turn. Let's hope we see them back on November 29th! (And not for that other team in Wallace Wade that day.)

(Yes, one game at a time...but we can dream!)

[wilson]

Oh, hey. Does anyone know why Orange Bowl representatives were at the game? The walked with the team on the Devil Walk, were on the sideline to start the game, and I believe migrated to the press box at some point. Already planning for a big Duke run perhaps?:D

Heh. Maybe not, but the ACC looks as wide open as ever. While kuralonna didn't necessarily look all that good for much of the game today, they did play a very good 2nd half and come back to beat a solid Miami team. Wake lost at home to Navy (making them 17 points worse than Duke;)). Climpsun climpsuned around and lost to Maryland, putting them right on track for their typical 7.5-win season. The ACC is not nearly as bad as advertised early in the year, but it still might send an 8-4 team to the Orange Bowl.

Edit: I guess it would have to be a 9-4 team after you factor in a victory in the Jacksonville cash cow, er...pre-SEC Championship diversion.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Oh, hey. Does anyone know why Orange Bowl representatives were at the game? The walked with the team on the Devil Walk, were on the sideline to start the game, and I believe migrated to the press box at some point. Already planning for a big Duke run perhaps?:D

Weren't the Orange Bowl reps recognized because of the 75th. anniversary of the Orange Bowl? They presented a check (I thought) to Mac McIlhaney from the 1958 Duke Rose Bowl team. The Orange Bowl reps have appeared at Duke games in some previous seasons.

I must admit to being out of my seat when this all took place so my description may not be complete.. I visited at halftime with Johnny McNabb, Class of '66 and outstanding former football player, who had been recognized as one of the honorary coaches for the game.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I'll also say I was really glad we got that last touchdown, it looks so much better on paper.

Even more important than it looks good, is the fact that drive was led by Asack in his brief presence today. I was really surprised we didn't see him earlier. But for him to go in and lead to a touchdown is well needed experience, and a job well done.

[wilson]

Even more important than it looks good, is the fact that drive was led by Asack in his brief presence today. I was really surprised we didn't see him earlier. But for him to go in and lead to a touchdown is well needed experience, and a job well done.

I echo your pleasure at seeing Asack succeed in game action. But in a much broader, non-specific sense, you gotta love seeing Duke's backup QB (whoever he may be) in the game with 4 minutes left...followed by another TD. Beautiful.

[Devilsfan]

The only difference in our teams performance this year compared to the last several years is EVERYTHING!!! You usually get out of coaches what you pay them. Finally were paying them K staff type money and guess what were getting K quality coaching thus far. The K standard is expensive but worth every penney.

[CameronBornAndBred]

It will now fall to a far superior AD to keep Cutcliffe in Durham once Tennessee fires Fulmer.

A nice note about the Devil Walk. Coach Cut lead the way at the front, thanking everyone for their support, Kevin White brought up the rear, thanking everyone for their support. Very classy.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

A nice note about the Devil Walk. Coach Cut lead the way at the front, thanking everyone for their support, Kevin White brought up the rear, thanking everyone for their support. Very classy.
Kevin White answers his email.... a refreshing change!

[devildeac]

Weren't the Orange Bowl reps recognized because of the 75th. anniversary of the Orange Bowl? They presented a check (I thought) to Mac McIlhaney from the 1958 Duke Rose Bowl team. The Orange Bowl reps have appeared at Duke games in some previous seasons.

I must admit to being out of my seat when this all took place so my description may not be complete.. I visited at halftime with Johnny McNabb, Class of '66 and outstanding former football player, who had been recognized as one of the honorary coaches for the game.

That is an accurate explanation for their presence today. (for now:D)

[Acymetric]

Oh, by the way, Tauiliili had a MONSTER game today. I haven't checked other teams' box scores, but 16 tackles, 1 forced fumble/recovery, 1 interception, and a QB hurry. He's got to be at least be in consideration for defensive pow.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Since I was around pulling for my guys before the game, it's only fitting that I come now to congratulate ya'll. In my opinion, the game was won at halftime, when Coach Cut and his crew made great adjustments while Groh and company clearly did not. Talk about two programs with opposite trajectories.

Good luck the rest of the way. I don't know if I'll get to any more Duke home games, but I'll be pulling for them.

That's a well noted point about the coaching. When both teams go into the half tied, and one comes out at the end with a blowout, you have to contribute a lot to coaching and whatever adjustments they made. I just watched all of the post game interviews (http://www.wral.com/sports/duke/video/3628444/) and all of the players echo that sentiment.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Oh, by the way, Tauiliili had a MONSTER game today. I haven't checked other teams' box scores, but 16 tackles, 1 forced fumble/recovery, 1 interception, and a QB hurry. He's got to be at least be in consideration for defensive pow.

He's taking his position as captain of the defensive unit very seriously. And how about Vinny Rey? He was working all over the field, too. Lots of great effort from the defensive unit.

[DownEastDevil]

I must admit, I was concerned at halftime. The defense was playing great but the offense was not clicking. Even though they did improve the second half I felt it was because the defense was getting them good field position. I was some what disappointed with the crowd but I guess the gas situation has affected some. I don't understand the the shrinking student section that seems to get smaller each game. On the way home I was telling my wife how much the whole atmosphere has changed and anybody that had a chance to go but for some reason didn't was missing out on a new exciting era of Duke Football. We use to take our kids with us but now we take our grand kids and now my adult kids want to know when I can take them back.

[patentgeek]

It seems to me that the student section (irrespective of the number of students present) is much more into games this year - I've been to the last three home games and have noticed a lot of noise/cheering/spirit from them as compared to past years (of course, to be fair, being competitive helps, and winning helps even more). I also think it helps spur on the student section when the players come over and thank them afterward.

I've also noticed more of a Cameron-type approach from the students - dressing up in goofy costumes and such; for example, I saw one kid wandering around in a big purple sombrero. Kudos to him for wearing that thing in the Saturday afternoon heat.

[MulletMan]

Hmmm.... what FUN!

A great turn out today and antoher beautiful day at Wally Wade!

So the team played very nicely today. We still lack a decent ability to run the football. We did, however, start to move the UVa D line backwards in the second half. That was huge. Thad still needs to learn to put a little bit of touch on some of his throws, but onn the whole I felt like he played a pretty solid game. I'm not going to lie... early in the third quarter when we looked stagnant on offense, I was hoping to see Asack. But Cut stuck with Thad, and I suppose that's why he's on the sideline and I'm in the stands.

However, I will say that some of our tendancies are easy to spot. For example, when we lined up before the first touchdown, I told my friends that we were running a screen. Bingo... screen for a TD! Now, if I am catching some of the play calls from the stands on gameday, then other teams should be finding them during film sessions. That's really my only critique of the coaching... and that's not a huge deal.

The D was the real star today, though, folks! Big play after big play after big play. Make no mistake, they took advantage of UVa's QB situation, but that's what you need to do when you're trying to get better. Take advantage of the other team's weaknesses. And Tauiliili's pick was fantastic! UVa had run that little slant about 5 times for easy first downs, and when they ran it that time, he broke toward the reciever before the ball was even thrown! Great adjustments.

Also, I can't say how pleased I was with our a. execution and b. management of penalties. We executed the called plays pretty well and we only had 3 (!!!) penalties. One was a pass interference in the first quarter which was a good penalty to take as it was on a long ball in the endzone, one was the unsportsmanlike conduct on Marshall for diving in to the endzone... and then was the other one an illegal man downfield??? Either way, that's GREAT!!!

So I think that we have a chance next week, but everyone needs to realize that GT is a very good, and well coached team... remember, a lot of people around our neck of the woods were interested in Paul Johnson about a year ago. We are going to work on run support, and hopefully our game against Navy will have prepared our defense for a little of what they see next week... although I watched GT play BC a few weeks ago and they certainley throw the ball more than Navy... and they do it well.

Very excited for the next few weeks as we will learn a lot. Even if we don't win another game, I'll still be excstatic. What am I saying!? I want to win our next three game!!! See what you've done to me Cutty?!?!?

Oh, and the Orange Bowl officials were at the game, a. because they visit each school in the ACC for a home game every year, b. because it is the 75th aniversary of the Orange Bowl and they are doing commmemorations at each school, and c. they presented members of the 1958 Orange Bowl team with a commemorative ball because that's the last time that Duke went to an Orange Bowl.

[Jim3k]

We executed the called plays pretty well and we only had 3 (!!!) penalties. One was a pass interference in the first quarter which was a good penalty to take as it was on a long ball in the endzone, one was the unsportsmanlike conduct on Marshall for diving in to the endzone... and then was the other one an illegal man downfield??? Either way, that's GREAT!!!



I think the third penalty was for breaking the huddle with 12 men -- an illegal procedure.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I'm not going to lie... early in the third quarter when we looked stagnant on offense, I was hoping to see Asack.

I think it was important that Thad stayed in. The coaches showed him they had confidence in him, and he found the rythm he was lacking. I was surprised to see as little of Asack as we did, I thought the coaches should have put him in a couple series earlier than they did. The same goes for the starting D line, they were in there almost until the last series.

[gep]

However, I will say that some of our tendancies are easy to spot. For example, when we lined up before the first touchdown, I told my friends that we were running a screen. Bingo... screen for a TD! Now, if I am catching some of the play calls from the stands on gameday, then other teams should be finding them during film sessions. That's really my only critique of the coaching... and that's not a huge deal.

My comment... maybe this is a function of the first year (4th game, even) of a new coach and system. If so, these "tendencies" should be less apparent as time goes on. I think it may actually be good that for now, everyone (team, coaches) take their time getting used to each other and get as much as they can right. A TD seems to be "getting things right":D

Also, I think one of the bigger differences from prior years is penalties (lack there of). Great job of coaching, focus, etc...:)

[duketaylor]

Great win for the program today, we appear to be back and can't be considered as an easy win. That's awesome. It was fun to go to games when I was in school because we were competitive, er, good. High scoring affairs with lots of Bennett to Hines going on. Winning seasons and a bowl here and there with Spurrier as OC. Looks like we might actually be on that track and it's about damn time.
An aside; wonder if said 'Ol Ball Coach will show us some love and give us a (deserved, maybe) 25th place vote this coming week. A wonderful thought, IMO. So look for the Devils in the "also receiving votes" category on Monday (or is it Tuesday?). Way to go Devils!!

[CameronBornAndBred]

So look for the Devils in the "also receiving votes" category on Monday (or is it Tuesday?). Way to go Devils!!

It's Sunday...but don't get your hopes up. We've been a lot of fun to watch, and while we as fans might think of we are deserving (and up til now our past oponents have done well outside of their Duke loss/ escape) the voters will be harder to convince. On the way home, I listened to the ECU game, and one commentator noted not how good Duke was, but how bad Virgina was. If we had beaten Navy after they beat Wake, JMU after they beat App then maybe we'd get a bit more respect. But we are still known to the nation as one of the worst football programs, and the voters will need more convincing then they might afford another team coming off of a losing season.
It is still fun to prove them all wrong, but don't expect the votes to come pouring in yet.

[loran16]

It's Sunday...but don't get your hopes up. We've been a lot of fun to watch, and while we as fans might think of we are deserving (and up til now our past oponents have done well outside of their Duke loss/ escape) the voters will be harder to convince. On the way home, I listened to the ECU game, and one commentator noted not how good Duke was, but how bad Virgina was. If we had beaten Navy after they beat Wake, JMU after they beat App then maybe we'd get a bit more respect. But we are still known to the nation as one of the worst football programs, and the voters will need more convincing then they might afford another team coming off of a losing season.
It is still fun to prove them all wrong, but don't expect the votes to come pouring in yet.

Well obviously, but the previous poster was talking bout Spurrier, who was told not to give us his annual 25th place vote in the first poll this year.

Considering we're 3-1, a 25th place vote would be a lot more justifiable for Spurrier to place right now.

[Carlos]

It's great to be 3-1 and Duke football has clearly improved - but talk of "others receiving votes" seems a bit premature.

Duke has beaten a good Championship Division team in JMU, but still, it's a Championship Division team and that doesn't gain a great deal of poll respect.

Duke then lost a close game to Northwestern who may be 5-0 but those other 4 victories don't really look all that impressive. One was over Syracuse who is a truly awful football team. The Orange lost to Akron... by 14.... at home. That's the same Akron who was picked to finish last in the MAC. Two of NU's other wins were over Southern Illinois and Ohio. This weekend's win over Iowa sounds good until you notice that Iowa's record was puffed up with wins over Maine and Florida International.

The victory over Navy certainly looks much better in light of their defeat of Wake this weekend. But the Middies are still just 3-2.

Then there's this week's win over UVa, a team who in games against Bowl Division teams has been outscored 128-20.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Duke football because a year ago this same team would likely be 0-4 instead of 3-1. I'm just saying that Duke really hasn't earned poll votes just yet.

A better question is if the ACC has anyone ranked after this weekend. How much does that loss to Navy cost #16 Wake? The Deacs could get some help since their win over Ole Miss looks a lot better after yesterday. Of the 9 teams ranked beneath Wake, 3 were idle, 2 won, and the other 4 lost so that should help Wake as well.

I think we can rule out Clemson staying in the top 25. Va Tech may be able to squeak back in after their win over Nebraska. But who knows how good the Huskers really are? I don't see the Heels being able to make the leap with their win over Miami and Maryland could be ranked right now if they weren't Middle Tennessee State's only win of the season.

So depending upon how far Wake falls, the ACC could at worst have nobody ranked in the top 25 and will almost certainly only have nobody ranked in the top 20.

[roywhite]

So depending upon how far Wake falls, the ACC could at worst have nobody ranked in the top 25 and will almost certainly only have nobody ranked in the top 20.

Good point about the level of ACC play this year, but I think VaTech will almost certainly be ranked (say 21st?) and that Maryland may be in the "also receiving votes" category.

..and that Duke can be more competitive against the "better" ACC teams (Ga Tech, Wake, etc.) than we thought.

[Acymetric]

So the two leading tacklers in the ACC are Tauiliili and Vincent Ray, in that order. Not bad...

[roywhite]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/polls/coaches/

Poll just out; VaTech #24, Wake #25, and yes, Duke did get 1 vote.

[CameronBornAndBred]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/polls/coaches/

Poll just out; VaTech #24, Wake #25, and yes, Duke did get 1 vote.

WOW..Thanks Steve. (has to be his)(Or maybe Groh..)

[Jarhead]

That's interesting. Spurrier must have cast that vote to make up for the one he didn't cast in the pre-season. Let's hope he can continue voting for Duke.

[buddy]

He can't be criticized for that vote. I hope he can continue to do so. Our record merits some consideration--we probably should be 4-0, and barely lost to the team that finished 26th (so many people believe Northwestern is for real).

[Wander]

He can be criticized, but it's a far lesser offense than not putting Alabama in your top two. All LSU has done is beat an okay Auburn team at home, and I simply don't have the words in me to describe how pathetic Auburn's offense is.

[loran16]

He can be criticized, but it's a far lesser offense than not putting Alabama in your top two. All LSU has done is beat an okay Auburn team at home, and I simply don't have the words in me to describe how pathetic Auburn's offense is.

Meh. Bama and LSU will face each other, so that's not the biggest issue. It'd be an issue if they were in different conferences, but one of those two teams will have a chance to prevail.

But GO SPURRIER!

[formerdukeathlete]

I think it was important that Thad stayed in. The coaches showed him they had confidence in him, and he found the rythm he was lacking. I was surprised to see as little of Asack as we did, I thought the coaches should have put him in a couple series earlier than they did. The same goes for the starting D line, they were in there almost until the last series.

Regarding qb playing time - I worry that we may suffer a bit of Roof-itis, and this relates to inconsistent play by Lewis - and staying with him until it turns around. This worked out in the UVa game, sort of, but we might have done as well or better to have mixed things up with an earlier substitution. last season, Roof stayed and stayed with Lewis waiting for the turnaround in qb play. In the Northwestern game, Asack was 5 for 5 and looked great in the pocket, yet he got no playing time in the second half. When Lewis struggles like in the first half of the UVa game, put Asack in there. Asack seems to have a chance of doing well with the bigger teams. UVa was our first big team. In the first half Lewis went to his long pass play options, partly because he had a hard time seeing whether the short routes were open, and was sacked and intercepted. Asack is 4 inches taller. I am not saying Asack is the better qb at this point. But, he has potential which we ignored in the Northwestern game, and did not realize until late in the UVa game. My suggestion is that a more fluid approach will be required as we face more challanging opponents, and substitution rather than waiting for a turnaround in play, might be the more prudent, winning approach. Time will tell.

[Wander]

Meh. Bama and LSU will face each other, so that's not the biggest issue. It'd be an issue if they were in different conferences, but one of those two teams will have a chance to prevail.


Yeah, you're right, and don't get me wrong LSU could win. I just can't imagine how anyone thinks LSU is better, or more deserving, or whatever you want to call it right now...

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Regarding qb playing time - I worry that we may suffer a bit of Roof-itis, and this relates to inconsistent play by Lewis - and staying with him until it turns around. This worked out in the UVa game, sort of, but we might have done as well or better to have mixed things up with an earlier substitution. last season, Roof stayed and stayed with Lewis waiting for the turnaround in qb play. In the Northwestern game, Asack was 5 for 5 and looked great in the pocket, yet he got no playing time in the second half. When Lewis struggles like in the first half of the UVa game, put Asack in there. Asack seems to have a chance of doing well with the bigger teams. UVa was our first big team. In the first half Lewis went to his long pass play options, partly because he had a hard time seeing whether the short routes were open, and was sacked and intercepted. Asack is 4 inches taller. I am not saying Asack is the better qb at this point. But, he has potential which we ignored in the Northwestern game, and did not realize until late in the UVa game. My suggestion is that a more fluid approach will be required as we face more challanging opponents, and substitution rather than waiting for a turnaround in play, might be the more prudent, winning approach. Time will tell.

I'm glad that David Cutcliffe is making the decisions regarding who plays.

[DU82]

Regarding qb playing time - I worry that we may suffer a bit of Roof-itis, and this relates to inconsistent play by Lewis - and staying with him until it turns around. This worked out in the UVa game, sort of, but we might have done as well or better to have mixed things up with an earlier substitution. last season, Roof stayed and stayed with Lewis waiting for the turnaround in qb play. In the Northwestern game, Asack was 5 for 5 and looked great in the pocket, yet he got no playing time in the second half. When Lewis struggles like in the first half of the UVa game, put Asack in there. Asack seems to have a chance of doing well with the bigger teams. UVa was our first big team. In the first half Lewis went to his long pass play options, partly because he had a hard time seeing whether the short routes were open, and was sacked and intercepted. Asack is 4 inches taller. I am not saying Asack is the better qb at this point. But, he has potential which we ignored in the Northwestern game, and did not realize until late in the UVa game. My suggestion is that a more fluid approach will be required as we face more challanging opponents, and substitution rather than waiting for a turnaround in play, might be the more prudent, winning approach. Time will tell.

HAve to disagree with you this time. Yes, Lewis didn't do much in the first half. The guy sitting behind me (there since '78 every game) was given a field pass by Coach Cut. He said that in the first half, Lewis tried to throw every pass as hard as he could, and the result was so-so. Somebody (Cut?) got the message to him, and it was clear in the second half that he took something off his throws and was more successful.

If we were down by three touchdowns at the half, yes you probably change, but you don't pull your starter when it's tied (at least, not at the start of a half.) That's a good way to lose your quarterback and team.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

HAve to disagree with you this time. Yes, Lewis didn't do much in the first half. The guy sitting behind me (there since '78 every game) was given a field pass by Coach Cut. He said that in the first half, Lewis tried to throw every pass as hard as he could, and the result was so-so. Somebody (Cut?) got the message to him, and it was clear in the second half that he took something off his throws and was more successful.

If we were down by three touchdowns at the half, yes you probably change, but you don't pull your starter when it's tied (at least, not at the start of a half.) That's a good way to lose your quarterback and team.
Mmmm..... that suggests that you can't get everything about a game through TV or radio.

[Acymetric]

HAve to disagree with you this time. Yes, Lewis didn't do much in the first half. The guy sitting behind me (there since '78 every game) was given a field pass by Coach Cut. He said that in the first half, Lewis tried to throw every pass as hard as he could, and the result was so-so. Somebody (Cut?) got the message to him, and it was clear in the second half that he took something off his throws and was more successful.

If we were down by three touchdowns at the half, yes you probably change, but you don't pull your starter when it's tied (at least, not at the start of a half.) That's a good way to lose your quarterback and team.

Exactly. Also, consider that one of those interceptions could probably have been a long touchdown pass if the defensive player hadn't knocked the Duke receiver (forget who it was...Johnny Williams perhaps?) to the ground while the ball was in the air, or at least would have been a first down and 15 yard improvement in field position if the official had done his job. So Lewis numbers are (in my mind) artificially low. Cutcliffe even alluded to the bad call in the radio interview, though he didn't say anything specific about it other than something along the lines of "one of those interceptions probably shouldn't have been intercepted" or something. I can't remember exactly, I'm sure someone else here heard it.

[jimsumner]

"Regarding qb playing time - I worry that we may suffer a bit of Roof-itis, and this relates to inconsistent play by Lewis - and staying with him until it turns around."

Pretty sure this is the first time anybody has compared Cutcliffe to Roof.

"This worked out in the UVa game, sort of."

Sort of? You mean like a 28-point victory over an ACC rival? That kind of squeaking through?

This was tiresome last year. But this year? In case you've been off planet, Thad Lewis is the best QB Duke has had since Dave Brown in the early 1990s and he's having an All-ACC caliber season. He throws his first pick in over 200 passes and you want to pull him for Asack?

I like Zack and he brings some experienced depth to the position and a useful change-of-pace if used judiciously. Which is what Cutcliffe is doing. But the idea that he should be taking major snaps instead of Lewis simply defies rational comprehension.

IMO.

[OldPhiKap]

Lewis is still learning the offense. His first half performance shows that. Can anyone seriously blame the coach for keeping him in for game reps?

[Richard Berg]

Oh, and how about Jay Hollingsworth? That run where he got stopped for a loss, then hit about 3 more times and ended up gaining 12 yards or something? Great run, he's going to be special in the future.
Amen. And don't forget the play later on that drive that earned him his TD -- he got hit hard on the 5yd line, only to drag the linebacker across the plane.

I agree with the commentators saying our rushing game didn't produce many yards, but this guy was a far tougher cookie than I'm used to seeing play for our side. His forward progress was frequently stopped, but for play after play nobody could take him down. Some more coaching on finding the hole and we may not even miss Boyette.


I think the third penalty was for breaking the huddle with 12 men -- an illegal procedure.
Right. The same ref had tried to call it on our previous drive, but ended up announcing "inadvertant flag" after his fellow refs conferred with him. Later he was finally able to make the charge stick. Seems like BS when we don't huddle in the first place, but I'm not an expert on the rule.


The guy sitting behind me (there since '78 every game) was given a field pass by Coach Cut. He said that in the first half, Lewis tried to throw every pass as hard as he could, and the result was so-so. Somebody (Cut?) got the message to him, and it was clear in the second half that he took something off his throws and was more successful.
Hah - I think we talked to the same guy!

[CameronBornAndBred]

I agree with the commentators saying our rushing game didn't produce many yards, but this guy was a far tougher cookie than I'm used to seeing play for our side.

I was surprised when I saw our total yardage, even more suprised that we were outgained by UVA...and then I realized why. We started several drives with great field position. If you only have to go half the length of the field to score, your output will be low.

[formerdukeathlete]

"Regarding qb playing time - I worry that we may suffer a bit of Roof-itis, and this relates to inconsistent play by Lewis - and staying with him until it turns around."

Pretty sure this is the first time anybody has compared Cutcliffe to Roof.

"This worked out in the UVa game, sort of."

Sort of? You mean like a 28-point victory over an ACC rival? That kind of squeaking through?

This was tiresome last year. But this year? In case you've been off planet, Thad Lewis is the best QB Duke has had since Dave Brown in the early 1990s and he's having an All-ACC caliber season. He throws his first pick in over 200 passes and you want to pull him for Asack?

I like Zack and he brings some experienced depth to the position and a useful change-of-pace if used judiciously. Which is what Cutcliffe is doing. But the idea that he should be taking major snaps instead of Lewis simply defies rational comprehension.

IMO.

I agree Asack should be used judiciously. In the Northwestern game, Asack was used less than judiciously - he was hot - 5 for 5 or were you "off planet," and imo, should have played more.

Lewis's main problems relate to his lack of d-1 qb height and decisionmaking. He has a good arm, but in the first half of the UVa game he was off target, struggled and was intercepted twice. As we play with the big boys, if a defense has Lewis' number, and / or, Lewis cant see over the d line, give Asack some pt is simply my suggestion.

[buddy]

As for the two INTs, Coach on his TV show said he would have preferred the first one not be thrown--Thad really forced that pass. But the second one can't be charged to Thad--the ref just blew the interference call. I agree that Thad's touch was off in the first half, but he really stepped up in the second half. Shows both that we have good coaches and coachable players.

As for the running game, I too was surprised when I saw the stat sheet. We ran when it counted.

What most impresses me is that we really are a second half team. I think we have outscored four opponents 76-14 in the second half. Who knows what we will do against the "big boys" but we seem to be well conditioned. And we seem to expect to win, which is quite a difference from previous years.

[jimsumner]

Asack's 5-5 v NW led to a FG. He had one possession v. Navy and had a three-and-out.

Asack is 6'4." Lewis is 6'2". Lewis has been able to see over the big boys well enough to have passed for over 5,000 yards at Duke with over a season and a half left. Barring injury, he's going to leave with a ton of records and I suspect the distinction of being the QB who helped turn around Duke's football fortunes. Good enough for me.

You do realize that Ted Roof is no longer coaching Duke, Duke is doing quite well, and Thad Lewis is having a spectacular season. Don't you?

You wanted to take Lewis out in the first half. Cutcliffe thought otherwise. In the third period, Lewis was 9-10 for 87 yards and two touchdowns, breaking open a close game.

I've talked to Cutcliffe about Asack and he's been quite complimentary about Zack and has indicated that he hopes to give him a series or two every game. I think that's a good strategy. But absolutely nothing that has happened at Duke in the last four years suggests that using Asack more than that is a smart strategy. And I'm pretty confident, David Cucliffe is pretty smart when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks.

[Carlos]

Lewis's main problems relate to his lack of d-1 qb height and decisionmaking. He has a good arm, but in the first half of the UVa game he was off target, struggled and was intercepted twice. As we play with the big boys, if a defense has Lewis' number, and / or, Lewis cant see over the d line, give Asack some pt is simply my suggestion.

Lewis is listed at 6-2, the same height as Brett Favre, Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, JT O'Sullivan, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Donovan McNabb, Jake Delhomme, and Jon Kitna.

Chase Daniel who is having a remarkable year at QB is 6-0. Daryll Clark who commands Penn State's resurgent offense is 6-2. The great Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez are only 1 inch bigger at 6-3. Riley Skinner at Wake is 6-1.

The point is that 6-2 is plenty big enough to be a great QB.

[rockymtn devil]

I agree Asack should be used judiciously. In the Northwestern game, Asack was used less than judiciously - he was hot - 5 for 5 or were you "off planet," and imo, should have played more.

Lewis's main problems relate to his lack of d-1 qb height and decisionmaking. He has a good arm, but in the first half of the UVa game he was off target, struggled and was intercepted twice. As we play with the big boys, if a defense has Lewis' number, and / or, Lewis cant see over the d line, give Asack some pt is simply my suggestion.

What exactly is d-1 qb height?

A couple of QBs (both pro and college) that are roughly the same heigh as Lewis (6-2)

Troy Smith: 6-0
Drew Brees: 6-1
Matthews Stafford: 6-3
Chase Daniel: 6-0
Tony Romo: 6-2
Brett Favre: 6-2
Donovan McNabb: 6-2

Lewis is taller than three of these (one of which is an NFL star; one won the Heisman trophy and the other will compete for it this season), the same height as three of them (all of which are super-stars in the NFL and one of which is a future HOF player) and is one inch shorter than the other.

No, I'm not saying Lewis is Favre or Romo or even Smith. But, you're knock on him was height and it doesn't really add up.

[Duvall]

And I'm pretty confident, David Cucliffe is pretty smart when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks.

This is what kills me. Is there another coach in college football with a better reputation for quarterback coaching and development. Norm Chow, I suppose, but it's not a long list. Shouldn't Cutcliffe get a fair amount of rope on this, especially since the offense seems to be working?

[shereec]

Good luck getting Duke on the radio in the NC mountains - I usually have to listen to the UNC game to get scores.:mad:

You're right - no luck on getting the game. However, I FINALLY realized I should text my nephew who was at the game. Jumping up and down happy to get his update! I'm catching up on reading everything online now that I'm back home and what fun it is! Now I have to figure out which stations to try and listen to next Saturday when I'm down at Oak Island picking hubby up at the end of his week-long bicycle ride.

[chrishoke]

You're right - no luck on getting the game. However, I FINALLY realized I should text my nephew who was at the game. Jumping up and down happy to get his update! I'm catching up on reading everything online now that I'm back home and what fun it is! Now I have to figure out which stations to try and listen to next Saturday when I'm down at Oak Island picking hubby up at the end of his week-long bicycle ride.

Where there is a will, there is a way!:)

[DU82]

Mmmm..... that suggests that you can't get everything about a game through TV or radio.

Exactly. But you also can't get everything from stats, either. FDA has a point regarding Lewis's performance at times that the stats "mask". Earlier in the season he missed the mark on a lot of passes, where even if he completed the pass the receiver had to reach for the pass, getting out of step. That cut short a bunch of completions. Not to mention the missed throws (usually overthrows.) I thought that his mechanics (release point) were off, and some of this is caused by trying to throw over the bigger defenders. One or two inches in height might not seem too much, but it does make a difference.

That being said, you don't take the starter who earned the job in the spring out at the beginning of the second half. Perhaps later in the third quarter if he hasn't turned it around. But you give him the chance (in a tied game) to do so. Lewis did so.

[formerdukeathlete]

Lewis is listed at 6-2, the same height as Brett Favre, Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, JT O'Sullivan, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Donovan McNabb, Jake Delhomme, and Jon Kitna.

Chase Daniel who is having a remarkable year at QB is 6-0. Daryll Clark who commands Penn State's resurgent offense is 6-2. The great Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez are only 1 inch bigger at 6-3. Riley Skinner at Wake is 6-1.

The point is that 6-2 is plenty big enough to be a great QB.

When Thad was recruited, he inputed 6'2" or 6'1.5" in the rivals and scout systems, but was measured 6' even at the scout combine. Asack is really 6'4", and Renfree is really 6'2.5" When you see them in person or standing side by side, the height difference is apparent.

Greg Paulus is 6'1" and listed as such on the roster for the b'ball team.

Greg and Thad standing side by side

http://bluedevilnation.net/?p=611

I have no way of knowing whether one of these guys had on cowboy boots versus flip flops. Greg appears 1 and 1 half inches taller. I do know that Thad is not close to 6'2".

[Devilsfan]

The wonderful art of photoshop.

[skitelz]

im sorry, but thad is definitely slouching and greg's body is posture perfect. im not even in on this conversation, but... come on. Based on how much he's slouching, he could be the same height as greg or a half inch taller.

[formerdukeathlete]

im sorry, but thad is definitely slouching and greg's body is posture perfect. im not even in on this conversation, but... come on. Based on how much he's slouching, he could be the same height as greg or a half inch taller.

You can rest assured that Thad was not slouching at the Scout Combine, when he was measured 6 feet even. Players know the deal, stand up perfectly straight, but the persons measuring and recording are other than one's coach.

Look in the pic at the differences in eye height - about 4 inches, Greg's field of vision appears quite the taller.

Granted, they probably both had on sneakers, and one may or may not have been standing at full attention. It is fairly well known that Thad is about 6'. I am not saying that he cannot be extremely effective at this height. When discussing what our other qbs bring to the table, Asack's 4 inch height advantage brings something.

Du82 may have pulled a Bert Reynolds and concentrated on target rich social environments off the Football field in college, but he knows Football as well as anybody on this Board, imo. As Du points out, some of Thad's inconsistencies and struggles relate to height and compensating for this when facing taller opponents. Subbing two much different qbs is sometimes in order. This compounds difficulty for the opposition, is my point, and my suggestion is that we could take better, fuller advantage of this, while at the same time giving Thad plenty of pt.

[killerleft]

formerdukeathlete:

As has been hinted at before, David Cutcliffe (it is rumored) knows even more than Du82! And Cut's specialty is QUARTERBACKS!!

Why would Mr. Cutcliffe be playing Lewis if he wasn't the best choice for the position?

Not trying to diss Du82. Just sayin', you know...

[MulletMan]

I honeslty cannot believe that this thread has turned to revisiting this tired discussion.

Oh, and P.S. two quarterback systems in college do not work. And do not cite the Florida team with a SR. Chris Leak and Froshy Tim Tebow, because Tebow was a glorified running back in that system, and they did not split snaps. Note that OSU has pretty much decided to go with Pryor. Yeah... Asack is where he needs to be, and Lewis is where he needs to be.

Can we move on to discussing actual relevant topics related to Duke's 3-1 start?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

formerdukeathlete:

As has been hinted at before, David Cutcliffe (it is rumored) knows even more than Du82! And Cut's specialty is QUARTERBACKS!!

Why would Mr. Cutcliffe be playing Lewis if he wasn't the best choice for the position?

Not trying to diss Du82. Just sayin', you know...

Dissecting the last game is an avocation for some and entertainment for others.

I'd take Coach Cutcliffe's resume any day! I believe Coach Cutlciffe knows what he's doing. We've been seeing evidence of his skill as a coach in every game. The staff is working together well without an orientation period. More and more players are demonstrating that they're learning the system and are increasing the quality of their play. Every game has one or more records being set.

[Wander]

You guys do realize that with Harper being far less productive than he should be and Skinner deciding to throw 4 interceptions against Navy, Thad might actually be the best quarterback in the ACC, right?

[Duvall]

You guys do realize that with Harper being far less productive than he should be and Skinner deciding to throw 4 interceptions against Navy, Thad might actually be the best quarterback in the ACC, right?

Perhaps, but Asack is taller, so that's a push at best.

[jimsumner]

It should be noted that Mike Cappetto is 6'5", so maybe he should move to the head of the class.

At least he's listed at 6'5". I have no idea what he measured at the scout combine three years ago.

[PDDuke85]

3-1 and didn't have the offensive A Game Saturday. Lewis can look up at the sky and shout Da Plane, Da Plane for all I care. If he's not 6' 2", so what. What they're doing is working. They probably won't win out, but for goodness sake, this, so far, has been a fun ride.

That said, they must beat Clemson because of the fan base down here, and the obvious, a royal smack down of the 'Holes.

:D

[A-Tex Devil]

In case you've been off planet, Thad Lewis is the best QB Duke has had since Dave Brown in the early 1990s IMO.

Spence Fischer disagrees. It's subjective, but I always like Spence's game at Duke. I believe he was drafted but never really held on to anything more than a 3rd string spot on the Steelers.

I love Thad as our full time QB, and really hope we don't run much, if any, of this 2 QB system in ACC play. I hate it when Texas does it with Chiles, and I don' t like it here either.

What I'm really excited about is our run defense heading into Ga Tech. When your 2 linebackers are your leading tacklers, your front seven is really doing its job. Our tackles are really occupying guys to allow Rey and Tauilili to do their thing.

[davekay1971]

Can we possibly kill any further whining about the performance of the starting quarterback of a 3-1 team who's thrown 2 interceptions (vs, I believe, 7 touchdowns) all year?

[CameronBornAndBred]

Can we possibly kill any further whining about the performance of the starting quarterback of a 3-1 team who's thrown 2 interceptions (vs, I believe, 7 touchdowns) all year?

1 INT. That second one was bogus. I think it's pretty cool that none of the stories from game day mentioned it. They all noted the first one, but none said anything about #2.

[Acymetric]

1 INT. That second one was bogus. I think it's pretty cool that none of the stories from game day mentioned it. They all noted the first one, but none said anything about #2.

I was so mad about that call. Even my Carolina cousin watched a replay and couldn't believe it. The worst part is that the ref started to pull out his flag and changed his mind. Unbelievable. It worked out in the end, but with the way the game had gone to that point that was a huge blown call.

On the other hand, was that fumble towards the end really a lateral pass? I thought it might have gone forward some...did anyone get a good look at a replay?

[devildeac]

I was so mad about that call. Even my Carolina cousin watched a replay and couldn't believe it. The worst part is that the ref started to pull out his flag and changed his mind. Unbelievable. It worked out in the end, but with the way the game had gone to that point that was a huge blown call.

On the other hand, was that fumble towards the end really a lateral pass? I thought it might have gone forward some...did anyone get a good look at a replay?

It was a UVa challenge on the field and "upon further review, the ruling on the field stands." Fumble-UVa, recovery-Duke.

[Carlos]

It was a UVa challenge on the field and "upon further review, the ruling on the field stands." Fumble-UVa, recovery-Duke.

How tall was the ref who made that call?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

How tall was the ref who made that call?

That's a good one, Carlos!

[devildeac]

How tall was the ref who made that call?

I think he was measured at the ref combines at 5' 9", but that was 3 years ago and he was not standing next to any other refs for comparison at the time:o. And, no, I don't have any other information whether he was a PG, 2G or QB in HS:rolleyes:.

[Jim3k]

Being serious about it, if you have access to a replay, such as Tivo or your own tape, you can see by looking at the yard stripes that the pass/lateral goes backwards by as much as three yards.

I wondered about it, too, so rewound my Tivo, clearly seeing that result.

[killerleft]

Yep, there was no reason to even review it. They obviously got it right.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Yep, there was no reason to even review it. They obviously got it right.

I was curious in the stands about our first touchdown..it looked to me like he fumbled it out of bounds before crossing the plane. They reviewed that one, too. How close was he when he lost the ball?

[Jim3k]

I was curious in the stands about our first touchdown..it looked to me like he fumbled it out of bounds before crossing the plane. They reviewed that one, too. How close was he when he lost the ball?

Actually, that isn't the issue with the TD. He clearly got the ball past the plane of the goal before losing it against the ground.

The real issue is whether his knee hit the ground before the ball passed the plane. The slo-mo replay shows that it did; but it's really hard to see at full speed. A pretty common call by the refs, though.

[DU82]

formerdukeathlete:

As has been hinted at before, David Cutcliffe (it is rumored) knows even more than Du82! And Cut's specialty is QUARTERBACKS!!

Why would Mr. Cutcliffe be playing Lewis if he wasn't the best choice for the position?

Not trying to diss Du82. Just sayin', you know...

Hey moderators, he's dissing me!!! :)

I can guarantee that Cut knows a heck of a lot more than me about football. I bet I know a lot more than he does about traffic, though!

But the kidding and mocking of FDA's comments misses the point.
Lewis has some fundamental problems with his throwing, and at least some of it is because of his height. Even if he was 6'2", he doesn't play that tall. There's a reason that the NFL wants tall quarterbacks, they usually turn out better than the shorter ones. Especially with the pass oriented stand in the pocket play calling, and taller, larger linemen. Fran Tarkenton was 6', but he played in an era when players were smaller/shorter, and I'd guess that part of his scrambling was get him out from under the lines so he had a better chance of throwing a pass on target.

Can those of you who attended games last year, or the first 3 1/2 games this year tell me that Lewis was really that good? He missed a lot of receivers, and many of the passes that were completed forced the receiver to backtrack or dive, giving up more yardage because of it? It appears that the really bad first half against UVA made him listen to what I assume Cut and the other coaches were telling him. (I'd also guess that Cut's been telling him this since January.) Don't throw everything as hard as you can. In the second half, he looked great. Hopefully he learned, and remembered, and will be considered the best quarterback in the conference not due to all the other starters getting hurt or regressing, but because he's earned it. He's part way there.

[killerleft]

Lewis is a long way from perfect, for sure. And throwing the ball too hard at times has made receivers look bad, especially if the ball flutters at all.

But overall his game is impressive. He's learned a lot just since last year. With our coaching staff, I look for him to continue to improve, and it must be noted that the ACC's leader in total offense getting better must scare our opposition.

[Carlos]

There's no doubt that the NFL likes big guys at the QB position. But if you look at the passing ratings right now you find that out of the top 5 QB's, three of them are 6-2 or shorter (Farve, Brees, and Warner). Out of the top 10, five QB's are 6-2 or shorter (Romo and McNabb in addition to the others listed).


In the ACC, 6 of the 11 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the SEC, 6 of the 12 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Big 12, 4 of the 12 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Big 10, 5 of the 11 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Pac 10, 2 of the 10 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.


Personally, I think someone should check to see what kind of an arm Zoubek has.

[formerdukeathlete]

There's no doubt that the NFL likes big guys at the QB position. But if you look at the passing ratings right now you find that out of the top 5 QB's, three of them are 6-2 or shorter (Farve, Brees, and Warner). Out of the top 10, five QB's are 6-2 or shorter (Romo and McNabb in addition to the others listed).


In the ACC, 6 of the 11 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the SEC, 6 of the 12 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Big 12, 4 of the 12 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Big 10, 5 of the 11 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Pac 10, 2 of the 10 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.


Personally, I think someone should check to see what kind of an arm Zoubek has.

Asack is close to Lewis in talent, in the grand scheme of things, with regard to all aspects of the position. Lewis can be hot and cold, and how long do you let the chill continue, before you put in someone who is close, and who brings a different dimenstion to the game? Certainly this relates to what is giving Thad trouble, and taller, bigger teams have given him some trouble. Your close second is 4 inches taller, but plays taller than that. This I trust to the coaches to figure out, and Asack should be challenged to continue to improve to continue to warrant pt. But, the metric should not be as harsh as Jim Sumner suggests when essentially saying, "well, in the NW game Asack went 5 for 5 and we only got a field goal." In the same game Lewis was in for possessions which resulted in no scoring, and was 3 and done in the UVa game, which was Jim's criticism of Asack's sole series in the navy game.

[devildeac]

There's no doubt that the NFL likes big guys at the QB position. But if you look at the passing ratings right now you find that out of the top 5 QB's, three of them are 6-2 or shorter (Farve, Brees, and Warner). Out of the top 10, five QB's are 6-2 or shorter (Romo and McNabb in addition to the others listed).


In the ACC, 6 of the 11 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the SEC, 6 of the 12 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Big 12, 4 of the 12 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Big 10, 5 of the 11 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.
In the Pac 10, 2 of the 10 starting QB's are 6-2 or shorter.


Personally, I think someone should check to see what kind of an arm Zoubek has.

I know you're suggesting BZ 'cuz of his height, but did KS play QB in HS or was he a TE or WR? Because if he was a chucker, then he'd be even better than GP at QB:rolleyes:;). Besides, if we moved BZ to QB, he'd probably get a metacarpal injury instead of a metatarsal injury:o.

[OldPhiKap]

I know you're suggesting BZ 'cuz of his height, but did KS play QB in HS or was he a TE or WR? Because if he was a chucker, then he'd be even better than GP at QB:rolleyes:;). Besides, if we moved BZ to QB, he'd probably get a metacarpal injury instead of a metatarsal injury:o.

{TWEET!!}

Personal Foul, unnecessary overuse of initials. Fifteen yards. First down.
;>)

[MulletMan]

Asack is close to Lewis in talent, in the grand scheme of things, with regard to all aspects of the position.

According to what metric? Additionally, is it possible that there is something that Thad has that Zack lacks? Leadership ability? Level headedness? Drive? Perhaps some intangible that can't be measured in inches or yards?


Lewis can be hot and cold, and how long do you let the chill continue, before you put in someone who is close, and who brings a different dimenstion to the game?

Well, the one thing that I wouldn't want to do is make my starting QB thinks that everytime he throws a bad pass he's going to get yanked out of the game. Clearly you can at least let him be cold for nearly an entire half... as was evident in the UVa game.


Certainly this relates to what is giving Thad trouble, and taller, bigger teams have given him some trouble.

I'm unclear from you original post what "this" is, but when you say that "taller, bigger teams have given him some trouble" don't you simply mean that better, more athletic teams have given him some trouble [in the past (my addition)]? I've got news for you, if you put Sam Bradford in against a good team with an athletic defensive front behind Duke's O-line from the past couple of seasons, I bet he'd have some difficulty throwing as well. Why don't we wait to pass judgement on this issue until we see just how Thad does against a more athletic D with THIS YEAR'S O-line?


Your close second is 4 inches taller, but plays taller than that. This I trust to the coaches to figure out, and Asack should be challenged to continue to improve to continue to warrant pt.

Wow... you mean he should earn playing time by performing well in practice? Have you been to all the practices?



But, the metric should not be as harsh as Jim Sumner suggests when essentially saying, "well, in the NW game Asack went 5 for 5 and we only got a field goal." In the same game Lewis was in for possessions which resulted in no scoring, and was 3 and done in the UVa game, which was Jim's criticism of Asack's sole series in the navy game.

Excellent use of circular logic! So if the metric shouldn't be how Asack performed on a drive in the Navy game, then why should the metric for Lewis be how he performed on a drive in the UVa game? Perhaps there's more to it than that? Especially considering that while he did force the first ball that got picked off, I really don't think there was much that he could do about the refs swallowing thier whistles in the end zone while UVa was committing a pass interference penalty that resulted in an INT and stopped a nice drive on a play that was executed perfectly with a beautifully thrown ball.

[formerdukeathlete]

According to what metric? Additionally, is it possible that there is something that Thad has that Zack lacks? Leadership ability? Level headedness? Drive? Perhaps some intangible that can't be measured in inches or yards?



Well, the one thing that I wouldn't want to do is make my starting QB thinks that everytime he throws a bad pass he's going to get yanked out of the game. Clearly you can at least let him be cold for nearly an entire half... as was evident in the UVa game.



I'm unclear from you original post what "this" is, but when you say that "taller, bigger teams have given him some trouble" don't you simply mean that better, more athletic teams have given him some trouble [in the past (my addition)]? I've got news for you, if you put Sam Bradford in against a good team with an athletic defensive front behind Duke's O-line from the past couple of seasons, I bet he'd have some difficulty throwing as well. Why don't we wait to pass judgement on this issue until we see just how Thad does against a more athletic D with THIS YEAR'S O-line?



Wow... you mean he should earn playing time by performing well in practice? Have you been to all the practices?




Excellent use of circular logic! So if the metric shouldn't be how Asack performed on a drive in the Navy game, then why should the metric for Lewis be how he performed on a drive in the UVa game? Perhaps there's more to it than that? Especially considering that while he did force the first ball that got picked off, I really don't think there was much that he could do about the refs swallowing thier whistles in the end zone while UVa was committing a pass interference penalty that resulted in an INT and stopped a nice drive on a play that was executed perfectly with a beautifully thrown ball.

Let me restate. A fair number of folks thought Asack might have played in the second half of the NW game. That he did not, I mentioned as a possble underallocation of our qb resoures, because Asack went 5 for 5 and was picking the NW secondary apart. Jim S. responded to my suggeston that while Asack went 5 for 5, he only got a field goal on that series. Then Jim commented that Asack was 3 and done in the the Navy game. Thad was 3 and done in the UVa game, more than once. And Thad was behind center in the NW game as well as Navy game when we scored no points at all. My point is not to judge Asack too harshly, to hold his on field play to surreal standards, while not holding Thad as accountable. Northwestern is a taller team. Uva even taller. In each game, Thad has some difficulties as Du82 pointed out which relate to his height, in his and mo. Asack found open receivers and hit 5 in a row versus NW. He had a right on the money 14 yard pass versus Uva. I think this is partly due to his height advantage. As to how close these guys are in talent, Asack was the winner in a fair number of the scrimmages last spring and fall camp - not in terms f intangibles - just completions, yardage, and execution, as reported in press releases. Keep in mind Du's observations which are spot on, imo. I do trust the coaches to get this right as the season progresses. out.

[SilkyJ]

I do trust the coaches to get this right as the season progresses. out.

Maybe they already have it right? With Thad as our starting QB, we are out to our best start in 15 years or so, he is 2nd in the ACC is passing yds/game, and we are the 3rd best scoring offense in the league, and the 2nd best passing offense in the leauge, by yards. did I mention we are 3-1 for the 1st time in god knows how long? I think the coaches already have a good deal figured out.

[SilkyJ]

p.s. a bit of a shocker here, but did you know we also lead the ACC in punting average at 44.5 yds/game!

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2008-2009/confldrs.html

[Duvall]

Maybe they already have it right? With Thad as our starting QB, we are out to our best start in 15 years or so, he is 2nd in the ACC is passing yds/game, and we are the 3rd best scoring offense in the league, and the 2nd best passing offense in the leauge, by yards. did I mention we are 3-1 for the 1st time in god knows how long? I think the coaches already have a good deal figured out.

I think you've forgotten that Asack went 5 for 5 against Northwestern.

[OldPhiKap]

p.s. a bit of a shocker here, but did you know we also lead the ACC in punting average at 44.5 yds/game!

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2008-2009/confldrs.html

I bet he's taller than our other punter candidates.