Miami 49, Duke 31

[davekay1971]

Looking ahead, the games at Wake and at Vandy look pretty tough, so holding serve at home against a young but atheletic Miami team seems to me to be very important.

If Duke has any hopes of a surprise bowl trip this year, is Miami a must-win?

[wilson]

If Duke has any hopes of a surprise bowl trip this year, is Miami a must-win?

Yes it is. But I still fail to understand why anyone ever thought that even a "surprise" bowl trip was a realistic expectation in any way for this team.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Only for bowl hopes can Miami be looked at as a must win, but since very few of us had expectations for a bowl this year at all, I don't think any game is a must win.
Even for bowl hopes, I'm not sure the upcoming game as a victory is necessary, but it would help the options in the rest of the schedule. Not until we have 3 games left in the season, and still only 3 victories, is any game a must win game.

[Edouble]

Not until we have 3 games left in the season, and still only 3 victories, is any game a must win game.

CB&B gets it right again.

[Devilsfan]

A must win for Miami! Duke's glass is half filled. They show signs of improvement each week. They were simply over matched. Look at Vandy and picture Duke in two or three years. Very, very promising!

[devilirium]

I think we have a better chance against Wake than Vandy. We play well vs Wake in Winston, and I wouldn't put it past Duke to upset Wake. Their offensive line, for the first time in a long time, has not been a strength.

[footballfan2]

A must win for Miami! Duke's glass is half filled. They show signs of improvement each week. They were simply over matched. Look at Vandy and picture Duke in two or three years. Very, very promising!

I agree. This is a must win game for Miami. If they lose to either UCF or Duke... their fan base will explode. I have watched most of Miami's games. They are super talented; however their talent is in the freshmen class. Thus they are very inconsistent. Sometimes they look like world beaters. Other times they play flat.

The only way Duke beats Miami is if Thad Lewis is having a lights out game. The O-line is going to have to give him 2-3 seconds. That's a tall order for a terrible O-line; however, Miami's four man rush has been surprisingly poor. They do send in a lot of zone blitzes. Lewis is going to have to avoid those. However if he can, he might be able to pick off the secondary since that's clearly Miami's weakness. I haven't seen a Miami team with this poor of a secondary since the mid-1990s while they were under NCAA probation. Also factor in that Duke has no real running game to speak of... that's not going help Duke. On the flip side, if Miami's QB is given time to go through his reads... it's going to be a long day for Duke. VO and the D-line will have it's work cut out for them that day. I believe Miami has one of the largest Offensive lines in the country. Plus it is one of the few positions that is made up of seniors and juniors.

[jimsumner]

"But I still fail to understand why anyone ever thought that even a "surprise" bowl trip was a realistic expectation in any way for this team."

Because it only take six wins to become bowl eligible. Duke was one play away from ending September with four of those, needing to win two of the last eight. Doesn't seem unrealistic to me.

[Edouble]

"But I still fail to understand why anyone ever thought that even a "surprise" bowl trip was a realistic expectation in any way for this team."

Because it only take six wins to become bowl eligible. Duke was one play away from ending September with four of those, needing to win two of the last eight. Doesn't seem unrealistic to me.

In Wilson's defense, I think he meant "ever" in terms of pre-season expectations, and just worded it wrong.

[footballfan2]

"But I still fail to understand why anyone ever thought that even a "surprise" bowl trip was a realistic expectation in any way for this team."

Because it only take six wins to become bowl eligible. Duke was one play away from ending September with four of those, needing to win two of the last eight. Doesn't seem unrealistic to me.

it doesn't? you do recall that Duke had a hard time even winning one game prior to this year.

[RelativeWays]

There are no must win games for this Duke football team, their only mandate is to improve. I'd love for them to get one or two more wins, but I never expected them to be bowl eligible this year. Give Cut a couple more years recruiting and implementing his system so we can close the talent gap.

[whereinthehellami]

Miami is super talented but has some chemistry and discipline issues. I'm not sold on Shannon either. It doesn't seem like his team responds well to him. He seems very old school with how he runs his program which doesn't seem to jive with how he recruits. I could see Duke sneeking this game from Miami.

[ugadevil]

it doesn't? you do recall that Duke had a hard time even winning one game prior to this year.

I'd put money on Jim Sumner being able to recall just about anything in Duke athletics.

BTW Jim, I was going through my bookshelf the other day and noticed "Tales from the Duke Blue Devils Hardwood". Great read!

[jimsumner]

"you do recall that Duke had a hard time even winning one game prior to this year"

Pretty sure David Cutcliffe wasn't coaching any of those teams.

At the beginning of the season, I stated a number of times my opinion that six wins probably was the ceiling for this year's team and that Duke probably needed to run the table during the four-game home streak that opened the season. Almost happened but not quite.

I still think six wins is doable. How does Duke respond to its first real stinker of the season? We'll know in two weeks.

But I don't think we should be so quick to dismiss those first four games. Duke toasted a James Madison team that might be the best FCS team in the country. Duke outplayed Northwestern and NW is 5-0. Duke beat the same Navy team that beat Wake Forest and crushed a Virginia team that just mauled Maryland.

Using the transitive property, we now know that Duke is better than Florida, Clemson, and California. :)

David Cutcliffe has said from the very beginning that this year's football team will be defined by what happens in November. I'm pretty sure he's not planning on a second-half collapse and I'm not sure we should assume one either.

[watzone]

Bob Green previews Miami and he feels Duke has a good chance to win. As for me, I think it will be a battle. Despite the ugly score this past weekend, Miami's defense held Central Florida to no offense. I mean, 4 yards rushing and around 50 for the game is fairly impressive to me.http://bluedevilnation.net/?p=1117

[footballfan2]

i will be there. I'm predicting a tight game between the two.

Miami 24
Duke 17

[TwoDukeTattoos]

Duke needs to go to the air early and often. This is a passing team, not a running team. And doing so will help to open up the running game a bit. This game is certainly winninable as long as they play smart football.

[wolfpackdevil]

Duke needs to go to the air early and often. This is a passing team, not a running team. And doing so will help to open up the running game a bit. This game is certainly winninable as long as they play smart football.

I agree 100% with that! I think last week in perticular we tried to run the ball way too much. We are not a good running team without Boyette in the backfield. I think that Coach Cut and Thad need to stick to the short screen passes and slant plays to gain good yardage. We havn't seen the "big play" that we saw a lot of last year from Thad to Riley. If Duke keeps making the simple plays on both sides of the ball they will have a great chance to win.

And just think; wins against Miami, NCSU and UNC at home, put us in a bowl game. No road wins are necessary. Wouldn't a win at home against the tar holes to clinch a bowl berth be the sweetest feeling ever!

Duke will keep bowl hope alive and well this weekend.

Duke: 21

Miami: 17

[Diddy]

Look folks, I am super amped about how the team has done so far. Further, I feel really good about our future prospects.

That said, UM might very well blow us away this week. They are a young team, but they are extremely talented. Shannon has all the makings of a good coach. All of their losses have been respectable.

Their offense is still feeling their way arround, so they might not score a lot of points. But their D is downright nasty. That D was able to corral Florida for three quarters, and has generally looked pretty good. I just don't think we have enough talent on the offensive line to keep their defenders out of our backfield. They have some D linemen that are going to be household names in a few years, along with their linebackers. The Secondary is pretty good too.

I see a convincing loss coming up. This miami team doesn't look like the Davis era teams yet, but they will when all the current frosh and sophs are Jrs and Seniors. This may well be the most talented, albeit inexperienced, team we face all year.

[wolfpackdevil]

Look folks, I am super amped about how the team has done so far. Further, I feel really good about our future prospects.

That said, UM might very well blow us away this week. They are a young team, but they are extremely talented. Shannon has all the makings of a good coach. All of their losses have been respectable.

Their offense is still feeling their way arround, so they might not score a lot of points. But their D is downright nasty. That D was able to corral Florida for three quarters, and has generally looked pretty good. I just don't think we have enough talent on the offensive line to keep their defenders out of our backfield. They have some D linemen that are going to be household names in a few years, along with their linebackers. The Secondary is pretty good too.

I see a convincing loss coming up. This miami team doesn't look like the Davis era teams yet, but they will when all the current frosh and sophs are Jrs and Seniors. This may well be the most talented, albeit inexperienced, team we face all year.


This Miami team you speak of is the same team that just beat Central Florida 12-7 in Miami. They also blew a double-digit lead to carolina in the second half. This is a very young and inexperienced team

[RelativeWays]

Miami is beatable this year and Duke has given them fits the past two years. I do agree that Miami has a ton of talent and they may be the team to beat in a year or two. Right now is the best chance for Duke to sneak a win on the canes. I'm still not sure if everyone is taking Duke as seriously as they ought to be, but its clear that nobody views the football team as a punchline at least. Duke needs to beat a marquee football team, even if that team is struggling a bit. A home win over Miami would be huge and I hope that isn't lost on our players. With all the upsets going around, I think its Duke's turn to get one on somebody.

[PDDuke85]

With Miami's defense, Thad will need a minimum of 4 inch heels.
:D

[footballfan2]

Look folks, I am super amped about how the team has done so far. Further, I feel really good about our future prospects.

That said, UM might very well blow us away this week. They are a young team, but they are extremely talented. Shannon has all the makings of a good coach. All of their losses have been respectable.

Their offense is still feeling their way arround, so they might not score a lot of points. But their D is downright nasty. That D was able to corral Florida for three quarters, and has generally looked pretty good. I just don't think we have enough talent on the offensive line to keep their defenders out of our backfield. They have some D linemen that are going to be household names in a few years, along with their linebackers. The Secondary is pretty good too.

I see a convincing loss coming up. This miami team doesn't look like the Davis era teams yet, but they will when all the current frosh and sophs are Jrs and Seniors. This may well be the most talented, albeit inexperienced, team we face all year.

I watch a lot of football. Miami is being hit hard by the injury bug. They have already lost a starting DE, LB, and Safety on defense. Their front four are basically 3-4 freshmen/sophomores plus one senior, Dixon. They have a freshman starting at LB and their secondary is suspect. I think UNC and FSU really exposed their secondary. Now Miami was really able to shut down UCF's offense, but I'm not too sure that's because of Miami or because of UCF. In terms of offense, they start a freshman QB and about 3-5 freshmen WRs. Their O-line is their most senior position; however, they have failed to give Marve (the starting QB) adequate pass rush support, and they lost their starting RT against FSU, Youngblood. Miami should be getting their starting RB back, JJ, though.

Yet with that said, Duke still will have their hands full. If Duke's O-line is unable to give Lewis and decent pass protection... it will be a long day. Miami's front four might not be good at getting penetration (although their sophomore DE Bailey really seems to be picking it up) but they send in a ton of zone blitzes. I recall Navy doing this and giving Duke nightmares. Well Navy is no Miami. Plus Miami has the speed to cover almost all of Duke's offensive weapons. Don't expect much gains on those slants, screens, or hitches.

Duke's main chance of winning is to create TOs and play the field position game. Keep it close until the the 4th quarter. If Miami has another offensive night like UCF (which was terrible) and Duke can cause 2-3 TOs... they have a shot. Also, Miami is by far one of the youngest teams in a BCS league. If Duke can steal the momentum and grind things out... the young Miami players might loose heart and fold (however they did show an impressive comeback vs FSU).

[formerdukeathlete]

I watch a lot of football. Miami is being hit hard by the injury bug. They have already lost a starting DE, LB, and Safety on defense. Their front four are basically 3-4 freshmen/sophomores plus one senior, Dixon. They have a freshman starting at LB and their secondary is suspect. I think UNC and FSU really exposed their secondary. Now Miami was really able to shut down UCF's offense, but I'm not too sure that's because of Miami or because of UCF. In terms of offense, they start a freshman QB and about 3-5 freshmen WRs. Their O-line is their most senior position; however, they have failed to give Marve (the starting QB) adequate pass rush support, and they lost their starting RT against FSU, Youngblood. Miami should be getting their starting RB back, JJ, though.

Yet with that said, Duke still will have their hands full. If Duke's O-line is unable to give Lewis and decent pass protection... it will be a long day. Miami's front four might not be good at getting penetration (although their sophomore DE Bailey really seems to be picking it up) but they send in a ton of zone blitzes. I recall Navy doing this and giving Duke nightmares. Well Navy is no Miami. Plus Miami has the speed to cover almost all of Duke's offensive weapons. Don't expect much gains on those slants, screens, or hitches.

Duke's main chance of winning is to create TOs and play the field position game. Keep it close until the the 4th quarter. If Miami has another offensive night like UCF (which was terrible) and Duke can cause 2-3 TOs... they have a shot. Also, Miami is by far one of the youngest teams in a BCS league. If Duke can steal the momentum and grind things out... the young Miami players might loose heart and fold (however they did show an impressive comeback vs FSU).

I have a couple of comments here. Miami's defense absolutely shut down UCF. Miami is deep with talent, especially young talent. Marve had an off day verus UCF, but this kid has game.

Regarding our o-line and pass protection...I will be very interested in seeing how this game goes. Will we mix it up more offensively? That was a complaint about the Ga Tech game - 2 running plays, then a pass, 3 and done, again and again. With smaller o-lineman, running the I, more trap blocking - might these be in the works? If Thad has trouble getting enough pass protection, there are other things (and qbs) we can try.

Also, some may not be aware that Randy Shannon is on a pretty warm seat right now. When Miami arrives in Durham for our game, they will be gunning.
It wont be like 2 years ago when they arrived for what they thought would be a walk in the park. They respect Duke and need to win. This will be a tough game.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I see part of the Devil Walk is to take the team through Cameron before the BW tipoff..that's great. What a way to send those guys to locker room, their blood will definately be pumping!

[footballfan2]

I have a couple of comments here. Miami's defense absolutely shut down UCF. Miami is deep with talent, especially young talent. Marve had an off day verus UCF, but this kid has game.


Miami is not deep with talent, but they do have a lot of young talent. When I think deep... I think replacing a starter with little dropoff. Miami does not have that. They are super thin at Safety and CB. Due to injury they basically rotate three for each position. They are thin at DT. They do have good depth at DE, but they are ALL freshmen or sophomores. UCF's freshman QB was awful.

I recall somewhere that they have 17 guys on the injury list. I believe 5-7 are starters. Already half of their two deep are freshmen or sophomores. That's not "depth". They are scary young. If they continue to improve this team will be a powerhouse in 2-3 years. But not this year.

[watzone]

Here is a link to Coach Cutcliffes thoughts during his weekly teleconference -
http://bluedevilnation.net/?p=1158

[formerdukeathlete]

Miami is not deep with talent, but they do have a lot of young talent. When I think deep... I think replacing a starter with little dropoff. Miami does not have that. They are super thin at Safety and CB. Due to injury they basically rotate three for each position. They are thin at DT. They do have good depth at DE, but they are ALL freshmen or sophomores. UCF's freshman QB was awful.

I recall somewhere that they have 17 guys on the injury list. I believe 5-7 are starters. Already half of their two deep are freshmen or sophomores. That's not "depth". They are scary young. If they continue to improve this team will be a powerhouse in 2-3 years. But not this year.

When I think deep, I also think about how well these kids were rated when recruited. Miami traditionally recruits in the top 2 of the ACC and in the top 15 nationally. VO had a Miami offer. I have to think a while about who else on the Duke team might have gone to Miami, Surgan maybe if he had shown interest.

When you say UCF's qb looked aweful, the Miami defense had a lot to do with this.

Marve and Harris were top rated qbs in Florida, in the Renfree category.

Shannon, to his credit is not afraid to mix it up and use all the talent he has on the bench.

I predict it will be a tough game. out.

[CameronBornAndBred]

This article from The Sports Network (http://www.macon.com/284/story/493014.html) has a nice, thorough breakdown of the game to come. They also give it a nice outcome, but I'm not much for prognastication, I'm just looking forward to how the game plays out in real life.

[RainingThrees]

Is this a must win game?

[CameronBornAndBred]

Is this a must win game?

Only for Miami.

[footballfan2]

When I think deep, I also think about how well these kids were rated when recruited. Miami traditionally recruits in the top 2 of the ACC and in the top 15 nationally. VO had a Miami offer. I have to think a while about who else on the Duke team might have gone to Miami, Surgan maybe if he had shown interest.

When you say UCF's qb looked aweful, the Miami defense had a lot to do with this.

Marve and Harris were top rated qbs in Florida, in the Renfree category.

Shannon, to his credit is not afraid to mix it up and use all the talent he has on the bench.

I predict it will be a tough game. out.

I'm not too sure what exact points you are trying to make however, let me make some comments

1) Miami traditionally gets good recruiting classes. However the past 4-5 years (prior to Shannon) almost all those "studs" have not panned out. Kyle Wright, Lance Leggett, Jones, Moore, etc were all "5-star" major studs coming out of Highschool. All would easily be considered MAJOR busts. So in my mind, real depth is how these kids actually play while in college... not what some ranking service ranked them.

2) UCFs QB was awful. Just awful. Even Miami's secondary commented that UCF offense did not make Miami pay for their mistakes. I think all the offensive numbers also shows what a terrible offense UCF has.

3) I can't recall exactly but I'm pretty sure Marve and Harris were both Elite 11 QBs. I'm not too sure if Renfree was. Also Marve and Harris (and Tebow) were all Mr Football in FL for their respective years.

4) I'm not too sure what you exactly mean when you say Shannon mixes things up and isn't afraid to use his bench talent. Typically in any football game you're going to have to play 30-40 guys. That's half the team. Miami plays a lot of starters on Special Teams. Miami still hasn't played Arthur Brown (#1 LB recruit last year) on defense. Miami still hasn't played McKenzie at WR. He rarely plays DVD at CB except maybe in dime packages. I haven't seen Harold Gunn on the O-line. These were all MAJOR studs coming out of highschool. I think overall Shannon plays the players that show him that they can produce. However, Shannon is still a young headcoach. This is only his second year. Cutcliffe already has 5 or so under his belt at Ole Miss. Shannon still makes "rookie" mistakes. He makes "odd" decisions during games (not calling TO's. going for 2-points when 1 is clearly the best play, etc) and seems to be confused at times. I also think last year he totally mismanaged the team... which ended up quitting on him (e.g. losing to Virginia 48-0 at home). But Shannon is a great recruiter located in a recruiters paradise (Miami-Dade and Broward counties).

[watzone]

Here is an interview with Thaddeus Lewis which took place on Tuesday. There is one with Michael Tauliliili below it.

http://bluedevilnation.net/?cat=8

[Wander]

I think you are overrating Miami's defense FDA. Teams like FSU and Texas A&M have had their sorry offenses look passable-to-good against Miami. It's fine to give them credit for taking care of UCF but understand that UCF is not the decent team they have been in recent seasons - they're awful this year. They do have young talent (I think they might actually literally be the youngest team in the country), but I don't know if they'll turn into a powerhouse because of their coaching.

Of course, our O line will be overmatched as usual, but still I think we should have a decent amount of success moving the ball.

[Edouble]

With Miami's defense, Thad will need a minimum of 4 inch heels.
:D

6 inch cleats? :p (2 inches into the ground, 4 inches above grass)

[Classof06]

1) I personally think this game is a must-win if Duke wants to get to a bowl game. That being said, all I really care about is seeing our team get better. As much as I would love for Duke to make a bowl game, it's almost unfair to expect that or hold that over the head of the team. Baby steps, people...

2) I think the offense will benefit from being back in Wally Wade. Living in Atlanta, I was at the Georgia Tech game (Duke's 1st road game of the season) and, as we all saw, the offense was just out of it. Hopefully a home game can get confidence back in the offense and get them ready for the next roadie.

3) As far as Miami goes, their struggles in recent years (like FSU) all come back to the QB position. Schools like Miami will always have talent at the skill positions and will always have fast, athletic defenses. But can you name one noteworthy Miami QB since Ken Dorsey left? Exactly. I don't know if Randy Shannon is the right guy but you'll find out real quickly because as Miami's young talent becomes juniors and seniors, the excuses for losing will evaporate with time. Shannon's on a 2-4 year clock and he knows it. Too much talent not to win. Especially when the ACC isn't exactly the SEC or Big XII.

[RelativeWays]

Dear Lord....it may be inappropriate for me to pray for a Duke victory so instead I petition, nay, I beseech, nay, I beg you for Duke to play at the best of their ability and Miami play the opposite of their best tomorrow at Wallace Wade. And perhaps in the spirit of John Calvin's predestination theology may you bless the Duke football team and errr....sort of skip Miami....they said they don't need it this week I'm sure.....Amen

[365Duke]

dear lord....it may be inappropriate for me to pray for a duke victory so instead i petition, nay, i beseech, nay, i beg you for duke to play at the best of their ability and miami play the opposite of their best tomorrow at wallace wade. And perhaps in the spirit of john calvin's predestination theology may you bless the duke football team and errr....sort of skip miami....they said they don't need it this week i'm sure.....amen

potd!

[throatybeard]

We're 0-6 on coin tosses this year. How odd. Even odder that they even keep track of that.

We're looking pretty good. 14-7 on the trickeration play.

[grossbus]

riley is flat out killing us.

[DevilCastDownfromDurham]

With 2 weeks to prepare and the motivation of a shutout loss, I'm disgusted by what we've shown today. Eron did kill us. Our secondary was completely shredded. We didn't belong on the field with a D1 team today. What happened to halftime adjustments? What happened to our killer O? What happened to any semblance of D?

3 wins is a nice step up from last year. I'm focusing on that for the rest of the season.

[RelativeWays]

Apparently UVA was our big upset win. We stand a real good chance of dropping the next 6 easily. Oh well, on to basketball season and hopefully Coach Cut will get some better athletes for next season. On the plus side, he's not going anywhere, well not due to success anyway.

[Bob Green]

Folks need to remember that Eron Riley has an injured hand that is obviously effecting his play. This game seemed to fall apart after the Miami punter boomed a 76 yard punt in the third quarter to reverse the field position advantage.

Things will not get any easier next week as Vanderbilt is a solid team.

[RelativeWays]

The best we have to hope for against Vandy and Wake is they don't have quite the caliber of athletes that Miami, FSU, GT or even UNC has. That doens't mean we won't lose...badly, but we may stand a better chance of keeping a 24-14 lead in the 3rd quarter.I just want to see the team win one more time this year

[bjornolf]

I have a stupid question. The ESPN scoreboard says the final score was 49-31, but if I add up the points by quarter, I get 42-31. Which is it? Thanks.

[Bob Green]

I have a stupid question. The ESPN scoreboard says the final score was 49-31, but if I add up the points by quarter, I get 42-31. Which is it? Thanks.

The final score was 49 - 31.

[Newton_14]

I was there and Duke actually controlled the game until the 77 yard punt. We came oh so close to an interception on the 5 yard line 2 plays before that punt. The punt turned the game and one it started going Miami's way it never stopped. A definite missed opportunity.

Miami scored 4 touchdown's on the exact same play. Fade routes to the right corner against undersized DB's. The biggest difference was the number of athletes. Miami had a huge advantage in that area. It's just going to take a couple of years to catch up in that area. Hopefully Cut recruits well and we keep seeing improvement. There is already progress as there was a time not too long ago when the thought of Duke leading Miami at halftime of a football game would be absurd.

Keep the faith fella's. We did not get in this football mess in one season and we are not rising out of it in one season either. It will take time. Good news is the crowd was the biggest I have seen there in many many years...

[godukecom]

Where is everyone who said we should have been ranked in week 4?

Cut may be a good coach, but things do not turn around magically in a matter of games. the jury on him is out until the end of not this, nor next, but the season after that. Give him a chance; 6 games with none of the athletes he recruited is no good measure for success.

[formerdukeathlete]

Where is everyone who said we should have been ranked in week 4?

Cut may be a good coach, but things do not turn around magically in a matter of games. the jury on him is out until the end of not this, nor next, but the season after that. Give him a chance; 6 games with none of the athletes he recruited is no good measure for success.

Early on, when Marve threw that interception, Jacory Harris was in on the next possession and stayed in. This decision, to play the no. 2 qb, is why miami won. Shannon's flexibility re the qb situation is why Miami won. Our inflexibility.....

[godukecom]

Look, I love cut and think he is a great guy. He may be the coach that ultimately turns the ship around. but to expect a full u-turn in 6 games is absurd. to exepct a full u-turn in 1 season is still pretty absurd.

[cbfx3]

I agree.. after the 77 yard punt the game changed.. If only we could have got the pick before that :confused: I also felt like we should have gone for it when we were deep at the end of the 1st half.. but it was obvious Miami has some serious talent compared to us. Man the kicker and punter were booming it all day (except for that one shank) and the freshman QB that came in was fantastic. And their WR's didnt ...umm.. drop the ball. Overall I am very happy with where we are compared to where we were last year. It would have been nice to sneak one in on one of the big boys though.. How about Thads TD where he faked the whole stadium out! 33000 came out as well... that alone is a positive sign to me. Jackson looked pretty good too

BTW Was the punt 77 before the penalty or after? I think it was before.. Darndest punt I have ever seen

[heyman25]

I must have jinxed the team. I live in LA turned on ESPNU score Duke 24 Miami 14. I did not not see any offensive execution with the exception of a few carries by Tony Jackson and Cliff Harris and the TD drive by Zach Asack. Miami just blew this team off like it was a high school team.

Highlights were Kevin White interview and Abby Waner's sideline coverage. She did fumble a story on Amanda Blumenhurst the Senior Golf star,but I think Abby will definitely join Jay Bilas over at ESPN.

I hope she has a great season.Kevin White mentioned Coach McCallie with Cutliffe and Krzyzewski in his conversation.The Duke women should rebound from a disappointing season last year. However McCallie needs to design a better offense than what Waner and teammates displayed last season.

[RelativeWays]

Early on, when Marve threw that interception, Jacory Harris was in on the next possession and stayed in. This decision, to play the no. 2 qb, is why miami won. Shannon's flexibility re the qb situation is why Miami won. Our inflexibility.....

I didn't know Thad Lewis played defense. I know! Lets put Zack Asack at QB AND LB and we'll never lose again.

[phaedrus]

I didn't know Thad Lewis played defense. I know! Lets put Zack Asack at QB AND LB and we'll never lose again.

Asack's height allows him to play every position.

[RelativeWays]

Whichever presidential candidate loses should have picked Asack for their running mate and victory would have been assured. Obama would have had two Blue Devils on his staff meaning there is no way he could lose. I'm writing in Zack Asack for president on November 4th. Coach Roof didn't listen, Coach Cutcliffe isn't listening, but dammit everyone listen when its the American people

I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget Zack Asack
Gave that right to me

And I'll proudly stand up
at Wallace Wade and cheer and scream all day
"Zack Asack for Duke quarterbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack
and God bless the USAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

[wolfpackdevil]

Whichever presidential candidate loses should have picked Asack for their running mate and victory would have been assured. Obama would have had two Blue Devils on his staff meaning there is no way he could lose. I'm writing in Zack Asack for president on November 4th. Coach Roof didn't listen, Coach Cutcliffe isn't listening, but dammit everyone listen when its the American people

I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget Zack Asack
Gave that right to me

And I'll proudly stand up
at Wallace Wade and cheer and scream all day
"Zack Asack for Duke quarterbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack
and God bless the USAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

Yea right. That would be a stupid coaching move by Cut to make Asack starting QB.

Yea he did good on the final drive. But I think people don't realize that the final drive was against miami's 2nd and 3rd string defense. Thad played a great game, and he has a right to be angry. The recievers, not just Eron, were horrible. Nobody could catch a pass tonight, and that is not Thad's fault.

[footballfan2]

Apparently UVA was our big upset win. We stand a real good chance of dropping the next 6 easily. Oh well, on to basketball season and hopefully Coach Cut will get some better athletes for next season. On the plus side, he's not going anywhere, well not due to success anyway.

You're a sad fan. I warned people here to have realistic expectations for this team. I still predict Duke to win 1-2 more games. That's it. I was always shaking my head when people kept dreaming of bowl games, etc.

1) That was most packed Wallace Wade I have ever witnessed. It must have been 80% full. I was impressed. I still hope Duke fans continue to support this team!

2) You can say Duke played poor or didn't make adjustments, but the reality is that Miami made the biggest adjustment to win: they changed their QB to Jacory Harris.

[RelativeWays]

You're a sad fan. I warned people here to have realistic expectations for this team. I still predict Duke to win 1-2 more games. That's it. I was always shaking my head when people kept dreaming of bowl games, etc.

1) That was most packed Wallace Wade I have ever witnessed. It must have been 80% full. I was impressed. I still hope Duke fans continue to support this team!

2) You can say Duke played poor or didn't make adjustments, but the reality is that Miami made the biggest adjustment to win: they changed their QB to Jacory Harris.

Not a sad fan, just disappointed. The wheels really came off the bus in the third quarter and as well as we played in the 1st half I thought at worst, we might would lose in a shootout, but a touchdown or less. I never expected Duke to make a bowl this year and I'd love the team to finish 4-8, 5-7. Given what there is to work with, I think thats a good accomplishment.
The problem is the way Duke played in the 3rd quarter looked like last year Duke and thats not the direct I want to see this team head in. Maybe they will surprise me and sneak one on Vandy and I still think they have a great chance against Wake and State (if they play like they did in September).
UVA hit bottom after being flattened by Duke but they've come back winning 3 straight. Maybe we can put something together in the last six games. The one thing I would hate is the optimism that this season has generated to fade into apathy, and this game is one that could restart that trend.

[phaedrus]

1) That was most packed Wallace Wade I have ever witnessed. It must have been 80% full. I was impressed. I still hope Duke fans continue to support this team!
.

More than 80%, I'd say. The JMU game was the fullest I've ever seen Wade. This game was noticeably more full.

[throatybeard]

Good work NC residents and Homecomers.

[DevilCastDownfromDurham]

After that stinker, and with basketball just around the corner, I'll be interested to see how full Wally Wade is when State comes to town on the 8th. The big stage is great, unless you ---- the bed in front of everyone.

I agree that we played a very solid 1st half and that the amazing kick really took the wind out of our sails. What killed me (and killed the team) was how we totally unraveled after that. D got scorched, O evaporated, and the entire team looked (from the outside) like they were thinking "here we go again." Eron's drops were certainly related to his injury, but the penalty he got was pure "Duke football death spiral/snowball."

After a run of great second half's we've now had 2 where the other team made great adjustments and we, um, didn't. I'd love to believe that we're going to win 2 more games (our schedule, btw, is Vandy, Wake, State, Clemson, VT, UNC) but I'm taking the attitude that a 3-win season is about what we should have expected. If guys keep playing hard and we keep building for next season I'll consider that a success. Anything more is gravy.

[Bob Green]

Yea right. That would be a stupid coaching move by Cut to make Asack starting QB.

RelativeWays' joke went over your head. The post was poking fun at a different poster.

[johnb]

I didn't watch the gaame--am in a small town in tanzania for a while, and tv's show cricket, soccer, and professional wrestling.

so we lost by 10 points to miami in front of 33,000 fans. led at halftime. could have won.

Sheesh. Putting aside the specifics, the above are steps forward. Okay Miami is not having one of their best seasons, but they took us seriously, barely won, and--even taking their injuries and recent underperformance into consideration--out-athlete us at (almost) every position. To my mind, it's akin to Davidson hanging tough with us in basketball. Let's stick with the team, which has a a shot at winning any (not = to all) of its remaining games, and then see how we do with more Cutcliffe seasoning and recruiting.

[formerdukeathlete]

RelativeWays' joke went over your head. The post was poking fun at a different poster.

And, it was insulting to Asack.

Interesting parallels.

At Miami, Marve and Harris are both freshman (though Marve is a redshirt). Jacory enrolled last spring, so he has that under his belt.

Coaches had looks. Marve has the better arm. Harris taller and more mobile.

The qbs played close in scrimmages, but coaches gave Marve the nod, but with a plan to play Harris.

At Duke we know Asack and Lewis are juniors (Asack started a year earlier, of course, but is actually within months of the same age as Lewis). Asack actually outplayed Lewis last Spring, and in about half of the scrimmages in fall - check the press releases. Cut gave Lewis the nod, but said he was going to play Asack.

The difference is the timing, the allocation of playing time. Shannon goes, went to no. 2 earlier in the games. Against Duke, he won the game going with no. 2 early.

Relative ways, were you not the poster who said you tutor a lot of Football players? If this is the case, I think it in poor taste that you would bash a member of the Football Team, even if your primary aim was to throw insults this posters way.

[RelativeWays]

I didn't attack or disparage Asack as a player or as a person and there is nothing in any of my posts that could be construed as such. Any DBR reader that keeps up with the football threads, particularly after a loss, knows that we have to endure this same song and dance routine from you. Stolid, unflappable coaching staff (Roof's or Cutliffe's) refuse to adapt their game plan against opponents that seem to have Duke all figured out. The solution, according to your meandering diatribes, inevitably lead to switching to Asack early in the game, or perhaps starting him over Lewis. Your previous post today didn't directly state that, but referring to "our inflexibility..." its going to be a tough road to hoe to convince anyone here that you weren't heading in that same tired direction. Only today's game cannot be laid at Lewis' feet since the reasons we lost were poor run defense and a lot of dropped passes by the receivers that stalled most of the drives we had in the 2nd half. Lets not forget all the penalties we had as well. Maybe Duke has a group of redshirt DBs and LBs that you're referring to. In that case, you may be right. :rolleyes:

[footballfan2]

And, it was insulting to Asack.

Interesting parallels.

At Miami, Marve and Harris are both freshman (though Marve is a redshirt). Jacory enrolled last spring, so he has that under his belt.

Coaches had looks. Marve has the better arm. Harris taller and more mobile.

The qbs played close in scrimmages, but coaches gave Marve the nod, but with a plan to play Harris.

The difference is the timing, the allocation of playing time. Shannon goes, went to no. 2 earlier in the games. Against Duke, he won the game going with no. 2 early.



Several points:

1) Marve is the more mobile of the QBs. I know you wouldn't guess it by yesterday's game, but Marve is a better runner.

2) Miami ALWAYS let Harris play in the second quarter. Ironically, it's something the Miami fans hated. They didn't like to see Marve pulled and loose his rhythm. The new think yesterday, of course, is that Shannon let Harris continue. He usually only plays 1-2 drives.

[DownEastDevil]

I don't think I've ever seen such a mental break down by a team as I saw in the 3rd quarter. We had all the momentum and had Miami backed up on their on goal line when the ball hit Touilili in the chest and he could have walked into the endzone which would have put us up 31-14. Then the 77 yard punt which turned into 90 yards after the penalty more or less sent us in downward spiral. We then had a long run called back when Riley was called for blocking below the waste 25 yards from the play. Riley then dropped 3 balls in a row when he was wide open. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden eveyone started dopping balls right in their hands. Our defensive corner got beat pretty bad 4 times on the same play. I know he was undersized but not one time did he turn around to look for the ball. It's bad to know exactly what play they were going to run and not be able to stop it 4 times. As far as the crowd goes it was great to see a full house but most of them were from middle and high school teams that came to the game. There was an entire team sitting in front of us that was pulling for Miami and was taunting all the Duke fans around them once Miami took the lead. That was sad because being the adult I am I sure wanted Duke to come back and win so I could taunt back. :D

[arnie]

I don't think I've ever seen such a mental break down by a team as I saw in the 3rd quarter. We had all the momentum and had Miami backed up on their on goal line when the ball hit Touilili in the chest and he could have walked into the endzone which would have put us up 31-14. Then the 77 yard punt which turned into 90 yards after the penalty more or less sent us in downward spiral. We then had a long run called back when Riley was called for blocking below the waste 25 yards from the play. Riley then dropped 3 balls in a row when he was wide open. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden eveyone started dopping balls right in their hands. Our defensive corner got beat pretty bad 4 times on the same play. I know he was undersized but not one time did he turn around to look for the ball. It's bad to know exactly what play they were going to run and not be able to stop it 4 times. As far as the crowd goes it was great to see a full house but most of them were from middle and high school teams that came to the game. There was an entire team sitting in front of us that was pulling for Miami and was taunting all the Duke fans around them once Miami took the lead. That was sad because being the adult I am I sure wanted Duke to come back and win so I could taunt back. :D

Very good assessment of the game and the crowd - I guess the high school kids think it's cool to pull for the "U" and they have that right, but it was tiring in the 4th quarter.

Duke has got to do something with the concessions, or simply let everyone bring food in. Chik-fil-a stands out of chicken in the 2nd quarter and lines at the other stands 20-30 minutes long during the game (my wife has more patience than I). I see this in any game with 20,000+ fans and it negatively impacts the experience for less than avid fans. Why is bringing in more revenue by managing the concessions that hard?

[Truth]

Apparently UVA was our big upset win. We stand a real good chance of dropping the next 6 easily. Oh well, on to basketball season and hopefully Coach Cut will get some better athletes for next season. On the plus side, he's not going anywhere, well not due to success anyway

...

The one thing I would hate is the optimism that this season has generated to fade into apathy, and this game is one that could restart that trend.

With the discrepancy between your two recent quotes, I think you can see why you were called a "sad fan" earlier. Your earlier post definitely indicates that you were beginning to develop that apathetic attitude you later seek to avoid by writing off the football team and suggesting "on to basketball." I think you recovered by the next post, but we as a fan base need to prevent the "reactionary" apathetic spirit. Yes, it was a tough loss, perhaps made even tougher because we actually had a chance at winning for most of the game, but let's keep level heads.

We played good football for nearly 3 quarters before the wheels fell off. Let's not forget that prior Duke teams occasionally struggled to play any good quarters during a game. The mere fact that our team actually "looks like" a real football team on the field cannot be discounted. We are heading in the right direction; I am sure of it.

[Truth]

Good work NC residents and Homecomers.

Uh, what?

I presume this has nothing to do with either AT&T or Callahan, Florida (32011 is its zip)...

[PumpkinFunk]

Uh, what?

I presume this has nothing to do with either AT&T or Callahan, Florida (32011 is its zip)...

Number of people in Wally Wade for the game. It was packed.

[Truth]

Number of people in Wally Wade for the game. It was packed.

Most awesome! Kudos to all those in attendance!

[Constantstrain 81]

I had to watch on TV (wife was sick, so I stayed home to take care of her).

We literally did control the game until the punt. We had the lead, the running game, field position, etc. Then, we went from deep in their territory to deep in ours. Then, perhaps too much throwing, getting away from the run, dropping passes, a bad penalty. This was a strange game. We went from almost total control to blown out in five minutes of game time.

Still, very encouraging from the Devils (except for a ten minute stretch). Keep the faith - Vandy is going down.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

[deleted post quote redacted]

I would add to your insightful comments regarding point of view, it's easier to bash the guys on the field than be supportive of a program for what's going to be a long campaign of rebuilding. It can be difficult to step back and take a more global view.... see the big picture..... when the most recent history is very disappointing and perhaps embarrassing. Changing behavior is very difficult, but not insurmountable. We fans and our team have work to do to learn think and act like winners on a consistent basis.

[RelativeWays]

With the discrepancy between your two recent quotes, I think you can see why you were called a "sad fan" earlier. Your earlier post definitely indicates that you were beginning to develop that apathetic attitude you later seek to avoid by writing off the football team and suggesting "on to basketball." I think you recovered by the next post, but we as a fan base need to prevent the "reactionary" apathetic spirit. Yes, it was a tough loss, perhaps made even tougher because we actually had a chance at winning for most of the game, but let's keep level heads.

We played good football for nearly 3 quarters before the wheels fell off. Let's not forget that prior Duke teams occasionally struggled to play any good quarters during a game. The mere fact that our team actually "looks like" a real football team on the field cannot be discounted. We are heading in the right direction; I am sure of it.

I was totally guilty of reacting with disappointment in that post, its a nasty fan habit that when you feel your team let you down, you want to hang them out to dry. Right then I felt like it, then in the following post I backed up a bit and tried to explain my disappointment. Its tough sometimes, especially when you see your team have a 24-14 lead in the 3rd quarter only to inexplicably blow it. I'm still supporting the team and will be at WW for NCSU even if they drop the next 2 (a strong possibility). Still, I'm disappointed...and a bit depressed, like when the men's BB team loses. I see that as a good sign that I'm emotionally vested in this team and program, win or lose.