FB: Richmond 24, Duke 16

[loran16]

Figured I'd start the game thread here:

LETS GO DUKE.

Join us in Snrub Chat http://www.snrub.com/ if you're watching.

[Gunnar Kaufman]

Richmond blocks a punt and runs it in for a touchdown.

7-0 Spiders.

[YourLandlord]

Safety! haha.

7-2, Jason Evans' favorite hand.

[OldPhiKap]

#!@$%!@#!@#.

Gotta hit FG's from 30 out.

[loran16]

14-2 Richmond. Our Defense sounds awful, with Vinny Rey being noticably absent. And Our backfield is godawful.

[FireOgilvie]

We have 6 yards rushing, all from Hollingsworth (according to ESPN). Is Re'quan 2nd on the depth chart? I know he returns kicks as well.

Edit: Re'quan just got the ball 2 plays in a row (on passes I think). Good to see him in there.

[OldPhiKap]

Td td td td!!!!!!!!!!

[loran16]

We have 6 yards rushing, all from Hollingsworth (according to ESPN). Is Re'quan 2nd on the depth chart? I know he returns kicks as well.

Edit: Re'quan just got the ball 2 plays in a row (on passes I think). Good to see him in there.

Re'quan had yardage prior to Hollingsworth but i don't know why ESPN didnt list him originally.

[OldPhiKap]

Figured I'd start the game thread here:

LETS GO DUKE.

Join us in Snrub Chat http://www.snrub.com/ if you're watching.

I can never get this to work.

[OldPhiKap]

Crud. I am hoping this first half is starting jitters.

[Maxwell1977]

So what happened? ESPN still shows 1:12 in the 2nd Qtr.

[Bob Green]

So what happened? ESPN still shows 1:12 in the 2nd Qtr.

You can listen to the game here:

http://www.wsfl.com

[FireOgilvie]

Maggio blows another kick.

He was good last year. Blah.

[OldPhiKap]

#!$%#$%@#$@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$@#%

[FireOgilvie]

Both Johnny Williams and Vincent Rey injured themselves today on the field.

This is not going well.

[loran16]

Both are back , but Johnny had a terrible unsportsmanlike penalty and vinny's been completely invisible all game.

Meanwhile, Richmond's knocking on the door to put us away right now.

EDIT: TOuchdown. Game over. This team is freaking terrible. I know richmond won 1-AA, but this was supposed to be at least as good as last year. Losing to a 1-AA team is inexcusable if this is a step forward. IN-freaking-excusable. We might not even beat Army with this team.

[Chicago 1995]

The more they stay the same.

If you are going to talk about being a bowl team, you d#mn well better come out with a better showing than this. Bowl teams don't struggle to win games like this at home.

[OldPhiKap]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

But, yeah, an 80+ yard drive by the Spiders cerainly was an unhappy thing.

[sandinmyshoes]

It is difficult to be optimistic right now.

[YourLandlord]

This is a disaster.

[PDDuke85]

Hate to be negative but the Kool Aid is tasting funny

[mgtr]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

A memorable line from a great movie!

[BD80]

So. How do you think the basketball team will do this year?

[FireOgilvie]

A crowd of 33,000+ got to see this one. Best crowd since 2001. Not quite Michigan attendance numbers, but it's good for Duke.

Our offense is really good at getting into Richmond territory and then just fizzling out. Thad has always put up great passing yard numbers in losses.

[Sandman]

Why are we so bad? No rushing attack, Lewis not doing much. Wonder why Renfrew is not playing any -- he couldn't do any worse than Lewis. This is very, very disappointing.

[PDDuke85]

only game 1 but too many youngsters on this squad

[YourLandlord]

A crowd of 33,000+ got to see this one. Best crowd since 2001. Not quite Michigan attendance numbers, but it's good for Duke.

Our offense is really good at getting into Richmond territory and then just fizzling out. Thad has always put up great passing yard numbers in losses.

Got to? How about had to.

Next home game's gonna be about 10000 less given this "performance"

And he puts up big passing yard numbers because we fall behind and have to throw it to try to catch back up. We shouldn't be attempting 50 passes/game.

[FireOgilvie]

We need to start scheduling easier Division I-AA teams in the future. Seriously.

[OldPhiKap]

Hate to be negative but the Kool Aid is tasting funny

Hate to agree.

Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.

Out.

[sandinmyshoes]

Maybe we can beat UVA.

[loran16]

We need to start scheduling easier Division I-AA teams in the future. Seriously.

James Madison was a top-tier 1-AA team last year and we won.

There is no excuse for this, and scheduling has nothing to do with it.

Props in this game:
Richmond's Long Snapper.
Vince Oghobasse
Ayanga Okpokuworuk
Chris rwabukamba

Slops:
Nick Maggio
Running Game
Thad Lewis on 3rd Down
O Line
Defensive Secondary
Leon Wright


I think i covered everyone. If we lose to Army next week, I hope Sean Renfree gets significant time vs Kansas....Thad just can't handle pressure. He CONSTANTLY overthrows his receivers.

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

1) Ready to start crying...ok, crying over. What the heck is going on around here.

2) Would the starting QB from Syracuse be able to do better? Just curious.

GO DUKE!

[Duke79UNLV77]

We need to start scheduling easier Division I-AA teams in the future. Seriously.

totally agree. this was a stupid game to schedule. if we win, it doesn't impress anybody, and since we play nccu later, we couldn't even count both wins twards bowl eligibility. if we lose, it's a total buzzkill out of the gate. i was very worried about this game going in.

we should win, but richmond is a good team. the gap to 1-AA is shrinking, and they're the champs. if app state can win at michigan (albeit a down michigan team), then you could surely see richmond winning at duke.

at this point the program needs some sure wins on the schedule to build some momentum, get away from being the losingest 1-a team in the country, and scrape toward bowl eligibility.

frankly, alabama next year makes no sense either.

[Kewlswim]

totally agree. this was a stupid game to schedule. if we win, it doesn't impress anybody, and since we play nccu later, we couldn't even count both wins twards bowl eligibility. if we lose, it's a total buzzkill out of the gate. i was very worried about this game going in.

we should win, but richmond is a good team. the gap to 1-AA is shrinking, and they're the champs. if app state can win at michigan (albeit a down michigan team), then you could surely see richmond winning at duke.

at this point the program needs some sure wins on the schedule to build some momentum, get away from being the losingest 1-a team in the country, and scrape toward bowl eligibility.

frankly, alabama next year makes no sense either.

Hi,

Maybe Alabama was scheduled because it is a big payday for the program?

I am angry and hurt. I hate to keep losing. At least losing to Alabama isn't seen as embarrassing. :( I really need to stop caring about Duke football, it is bad for my health.

GO DUKE!

[jv001]

Has a some time of running game. We do not. It starts with our offensive line. If we can't move people off the ball, we're going to have a long year. By running the ball we take some pressure off Thad. We take pressure off our defense. It's going to take time to develop the OL to compete. Richmond is a good team, but not a div 1 team. So what does that make us? A rebuilding team. I think Coach Cut will get the job done. Go Duke!

[kellsie16]

different year, same story.

[loran16]

Has a some time of running game. We do not. It starts with our offensive line. If we can't move people off the ball, we're going to have a long year. By running the ball we take some pressure off Thad. We take pressure off our defense. It's going to take time to develop the OL to compete. Richmond is a good team, but not a div 1 team. So what does that make us? A rebuilding team. I think Coach Cut will get the job done. Go Duke!

:-/ It's just kind of weird to be rebuilding when we just had our best season in at least 4 years.

[El_Diablo]

Has a some time of running game. We do not. It starts with our offensive line. If we can't move people off the ball, we're going to have a long year. By running the ball we take some pressure off Thad. We take pressure off our defense. It's going to take time to develop the OL to compete. Richmond is a good team, but not a div 1 team. So what does that make us? A rebuilding team. I think Coach Cut will get the job done. Go Duke!

Yeah, the o-line seemed to collapse on every play. Thad rarely had any time in the pocket unless he was bootlegging out, and even then--he had a guy in his grill immediately.

At least tailgate was fun...

[PumpkinFunk]

Thad had around 300 passing yards. Problem is it was all short passes when we didn't need them. The play calling was crappy.

[arnie]

Three things are a constant in life - death, taxes and same ole Duke football

[DukeBlueNikeShox]

Is Rich Rod available?

[DukeFencer]

totally agree. this was a stupid game to schedule. if we win, it doesn't impress anybody, and since we play nccu later, we couldn't even count both wins twards bowl eligibility. if we lose, it's a total buzzkill out of the gate. i was very worried about this game going in.


A couple of years ago Joe Alleva held a meeting with a number of people on campus including the SAAC (student-athlete advisory committee) students. The conversation was about football and one of the points he made was that it's difficult to know what these teams are going to be like when they schedule them 3-4 years earlier. I don't know what Richmond was like 3-4 years ago, but the idea is that we're not intentionally scheduling the top I-AA teams.

[buddy]

The play-calling was uninspired to say the least. It seemed like every first down we threw a swing pass. Fooled no one. The defense did not play badly, but special teams killed us. Gave up a blocked punt for a Richmond touchdown, then missed two field goals from 36 or so yards out. Won't win many games like that. But this game was BORING. Duke played with no enthusiasm, no sense of urgency. Tuesday said Renfree would see some playing time. Not so. Its nice to be loyal to your senior quarterback, but when he keeps throwing behind open receivers, maybe its time to try something different. I went hoping to see a Cutcliffe team. Instead I saw the same Duke football we have seen for fifteen or so years. I bought into the hype. Shame on me.

[OldPhiKap]

Has a some time of running game. We do not. It starts with our offensive line. If we can't move people off the ball, we're going to have a long year. By running the ball we take some pressure off Thad. We take pressure off our defense. It's going to take time to develop the OL to compete. Richmond is a good team, but not a div 1 team. So what does that make us? A rebuilding team. I think Coach Cut will get the job done. Go Duke!

We're very young on the O-line. Hate to lose, but it's a long season and we
are very early into the rebuilding of the program.

Hard to be real positive right now. But struggling to keep perspective . . . .

[DU82]

I think i covered everyone. If we lose to Army next week, I hope Sean Renfree gets significant time vs Kansas....Thad just can't handle pressure. He CONSTANTLY overthrows his receivers.

Either Anthony Dilweg or Wes Chesson said it best on the radio. When Thad had to make a throw quickly (or think about it quickly), he tends to line drive the throw, meaning the receiver can't make any adjustments and it has to be on the money. When he has time, he can loft it a little, and receivers can adjust, such as on the one long TD tonight. This hasn't changed in four years.

And, of course, he still isn't tall enough. :)

[verga]

i attended tonights game, the thing that stood out to me was the absence of our defensive line in Richmond's backfield. On the other hand we could not block their defensive line. The play calling was terrible, we have 0 running game, 0. Finally one particular defensive back is worst this year than last and last year he was terrible, i'm sure you know of who i speak. What to do, i'm waiting to see what Cutcliffe says later in the week about any changes, if any, he will make. There was a big crowd but no matter how many games Duke wins, it is not a football crowd. There were spots of enthsiasm but rarely did any constant cheering take place. I'm dissapointed but we'll see what develops down the road, we can only hope for the best.

[DU82]

There was a big crowd but no matter how many games Duke wins, it is not a football crowd. There were spots of enthsiasm but rarely did any constant cheering take place. I'm dissapointed but we'll see what develops down the road, we can only hope for the best.

The times the crowd should be cheering, and tried, the PA system overrode the attempts with the blaring music. Like the stupid "Third Down" on defense crud. We don't need to be artificially pumped up like Maryland (especially playing Rock and Roll Part 2.) Let the students lead the cheers. And whoever the (new?) PA Announcer is, just announce the game. Dial it back a bit.

The widescreen board looks pretty good, although it's odd to see the game stats (score, time, etc.) digitally rather than in fixed lights. Guess I need to look at the closed end for that old-fashion look. I was glad the scoreboard operator finally figured out downs and yardage (it was a little rough early on.)

[FireOgilvie]

19 yards rushing for Duke. Duke has had one of the worst rushing games in the country for a long time, but we usually average at least 60 - 110 yards/game. I really hope we turn that around soon.

[Sixthman]

We were not the best conditioned team, we did not have the best game plan, we did not have the better special teams, our coaches were not the better at making in game adjustments, we were not the tougher team, and the offense did not look more complex than last year. Our game has, simply, no "pop", on either side of the ball. The defense put no pressure on Richmond's QB, and the offense became more predictable and less effective as the game wore down. Furthermore, the visiting team's small, but fully invested crowd, made more noise than our larger crowd. I stayed for the whole game, but could not bear to listen to the post game show, so I do not now know what Coach Cut had to say. Anything less than we need to start over from scratch and rethink this thing, is fantasy.

[jjasper0729]

was at the game. the PA announcer got under my skin. the blaring music from the scoreboard that was trying to gin up enthusiasm got under my skin too. It's like they're trying to contrive the excitement. The entrance by the team and the ginning up the excitement by the PA started to drive me nuts. They need to trust the crowd to know what to do and not lead them by the nose. Still don't like the mascot head. Don't know what to do about that part. My biggest comparison would be to an NBA game atmosphere.

How many swing passes are in the play book? good grief. Why can't we take some shots downfield? even if we miss, we keep the defense honest. passes out to the flat all the time or hitch patterns that are only 3-4 yards deep at most are going to bring those safeties up and there won't be any rushing yards to be had.

If the line can't block long enough for some deep patterns, then roll Thad out and heave it now and then. That was such a boring game tonight.

[loran16]

i attended tonights game, the thing that stood out to me was the absence of our defensive line in Richmond's backfield. On the other hand we could not block their defensive line. The play calling was terrible, we have 0 running game, 0. Finally one particular defensive back is worst this year than last and last year he was terrible, i'm sure you know of who i speak. What to do, i'm waiting to see what Cutcliffe says later in the week about any changes, if any, he will make. There was a big crowd but no matter how many games Duke wins, it is not a football crowd. There were spots of enthsiasm but rarely did any constant cheering take place. I'm dissapointed but we'll see what develops down the road, we can only hope for the best.

Is it destructively negative to say his name? I'm gonna guess you're talking about Leon Wright, though Rwabukamba isn't too much better.

Oghobasse had a monster game. And that's about it for our defense. (The stats on goduke claim Vinny Rey led the team in tackles, yet i heard Bob call his name once. While bob's not very accurate, i doubt he'd misname Vinny). And by monster game btw, i mean he was the only one to have A SINGLE TACKLE THAT WAS FOR A LOSS.

Mind you some things could get better. Randez James was out for this game, and maybe he'll rescue the corner backs.

We did recruit 3 3-star Corner Backs last year...but none played...presumably they're all red-shirting. I'd hope. and thats...about it i can find about current players that can help our defense.

:-/

[6th Man]

As bad as Duke played, if we don't get the punt blocked, make the 2 field goals we win the game. How in the world can we not get some form of kicker in at Duke? Say what you will about Maggio having an OK year last year, but he lost the Wake game by not converting. He has historically missed under pressure. We needed to recruit that position hard.

I have tried to back Thad, but he was awful tonight. The stats are misleading. He never hit a receiver in stride. I noticed in warm-ups he was the worst of the 3 QB's hitting receivers in stride. No air under the ball. WR's has to really work to make catches.

And I love Cut, but how in the world can you talk bowl games and lose to Richmond? I have been pumped thinking Duke was finally on the right track. It was the same ol crap tonight. Very disappointing night. I know Richmond is a very good football team and a top Division II team, but come on. I would assume Duke didn't offer a single player on Richmond's football team and they beat our butts. How embarassing.

Sorry for the venting. It's a long season and maybe something good will happen and we will beat some teams we would never dream of beating. ACC also looks pretty bad. UVA, Wake, State all feel disappointed now too I bet. Va. Tech at least lost to a top tier football team.

[ScottDuke04]

The best opening crowd I have ever seen? The stadium was almost entirely full, and almost entirely Duke blue with the exception of 3 small segments of Richmond fans who were organized and passionate. At halftime maybe 1/3-1/2 of the stadium left by my guess (including a lot of the students).

Agree that the announcer was annoying at times. Part of the new duke ISP package?

I really liked the new scoreboard -- great video quality, etc. New bathrooms/concessions look like they will be very nice. What I could see of the practice field and new buildings down there looked very nice too. (I'm trying to be positive!)

I found the music that blared constantly was PAINFULLY loud. In the 45 minutes in the stands before the game I could literally not talk to a person I was sitting right next too without yelling at the top of my lungs. The fireworks (which now are fired whenever Duke gets a point) were as obnoxious as usual--leaving an acrid cloud of smoke that drifts around for the next 15 minutes. Felt sorry for the players having to deal with that crap. It was seriously loud enough it makes me not want to go to games early and watch warmups, etc.

I stayed until I saw Renfree wasn't going to get put in, and then left. Very painful. Having said that, I think we can come back and have a reasonable season. Vegas knows their stuff, and that 3.5 wins for the over/under bet is looking like a pretty good pick. In the past 15 years, Goldsmith, Franks, and Roof have had similar coaching records starting with one good year. Hope that doesn't happen to Cutcliffe.

Don't know what we are going to do about kicking. You take away that blocked punt and addon 2 FGs and it's a very, very different game. I thought offense was a bigger issue than defense--defense held Richmond to 1 TD (no counting the punt block) until halfway through the 4th quarter.

[CarrotTD]

the PA announcer got under my skin. the blaring music from the scoreboard that was trying to gin up enthusiasm got under my skin too. It's like they're trying to contrive the excitement. The entrance by the team and the ginning up the excitement by the PA started to drive me nuts. They need to trust the crowd to know what to do and not lead them by the nose.

Definitely agree on the PA announcer - I really felt like I was at a high school game. I'd like to hear more band, less announcer. I know that it's great to honor people that do great things, but do we have to do it every timeout?

But I disagree on "trusting the crowd" to know what to do. As much as Coach Cut talked about the lack of competitiveness on the team, there's just a constant lack of energy in the crowd. I'm not sure if this is something that can grow organically or is going to require more effort, but I'd at least like to see the ~15 sections of Duke fans be louder than the 1+ section of the visiting team.

The NCCU game will definitely be interesting from this regard.

[cbfx3]

I was there with the family.. For starters we dont know how to cheer for football. If we get winning team maybe we can figure it out. We basically gave them 13 points with the punt block and two missed fg's.(not much to cheer about!) After the punt block and first missed fg I knew that was it. You just dont come back from stuff like that.

Richmond, bear in mind is a national champion that starts something like 13 redshirt seniors and the rest are redshirt juniors.. we are a few years of recruiting and reshirting until we can easily beat teams like this. Two years at best

[BlueintheFace]

... and this is why people (and I include myself here) shouldn't be getting upset when casual Duke fans pay more attention to Syracuse football than Duke football this year.

[RelativeWays]

Was at the game, the highlight was seeing Ryan Kelly and the Plumlees. The Defense didn't play too bad. They gave up two TDs and a field goal, you can win with that. I also think defense feeds off momentum and they had zero on that scoring drive in the 4th by Richmond. Why did they have no momentum? See below

The offense was dreadful. Its hard to believe that Thad threw for 300+ yards yet the performance was so anemic. The running game is a joke and I think Hollingsworth needs to be moved up the depth chart. But also, running it up the middle with a young line = failure. Maybe Duke needs to follow the trend and try their own hand ata wildcat. and extra blocker cannot hurt.

Special teams were god awful. Gave up a touchdown on the blocked punt and missed TWO field goals We could have been up 15-14 had we at least made the field goals.

Army may be easier than Richmond, they were 3-9 last year and they're not as talented but I think tonight proved that this team can lose to anyone.

A note to the football staff and Athletic Dept, I have a way to prevent this from happening again.

1. Go to your football scheduling database
2. Pull up list of available opponents
3. Select University of Richmond.
4. Hit "delete" key
5. Repeat step 4 for App and Delaware and any other team that can seriously compete for the playoff championship.

What are we trying to prove here? If we're going to schedule a playoff division team, make sure they suck. If UF is going to play Charleston Southern, why should we be any different. Was Coastal Carolina busy? What about Georgetown or Dartmouth? I do not want to see the Richmond Spiders again unless its in Cameron.

Despite all this, Duke COULD have won this game had they executed correctly. Hand it to Richmond. They made 1 mistake and due to some fortunate field positioning, it only cost them 2 points. At least they aren't William and Mary.

[Devilsfan]

Just a couple of random thoughts.

D-1 teams are ALWAYS supposed to win when playing teams from smaller divisions.

You need O line protection to throw down field.

The kicking game is more important than the credit most people give it.

D linemen are not supposed to come off the field with their hands on their hips gasping for air.

A good rushing game helps the passing game.

One loss does not constitue a losing season. It should be a tool to get better.

[6th Man]

One loss does not constitue a losing season. It should be a tool to get better.

The Army game will be huge. To give the staff the benefit of the doubt, they have now seen the team play in a game and can hopefully make the adjustments needed to get better. They say college football teams improve the most from game 1 to game 2, so we shall see.

I for one would like to see some changes made to the starting line-up. Some guys didn't earn starting spots after their performance in game 1.

Thank goodness for UVA! Losing to William & Mary doesn't make Duke's loss the worst of the ACC.

[Dopeshop]

Driving home from the game (waiting for my anti -depressant to kick in ), I THINK I just watched a game with NO fumbles,NO interceptions,NO QBack Sacks ...Maybe I was numb and not taking it all in. Can anyone verify ?

By the way ,the JMU game is an apt one for comparison . The atmosphere was electric last year;I think there was even more anticipation for UR,but the crowd seemed to be faking it or something---Not much enthusiasm around me and no interaction from the team to the fans... A downer for me is the band with it's one tuba and the pre game medley of Duke songs ,ending with the alma mater which is good pre -funeral stuff.

All said ,the right team won last night .

[RelativeWays]

The Duke football fanbase is fragile like the team. It felt just like the State game last year. There was a good crowd and still some outside hope to make a bowl or at least get that 5th win, but State seemed to have righted the ship at that point and they took the crowd out of the game early with two quick scoring drives (remember one Duke fan started flipping out, throwing single finger salutes, cursing up a storm after NCSU went up 14-3 and stalked out by halftime).

The crowd was the same for this, cautiously optimistic but ready to bail out at the 1st sign of trouble. The blocked punt/ TD was a huge blow, but the safety helped. Not going for it on 4-2 and then shanking the FG sealed the deal, people started to leave, those that remained became extremely cynical.

Duke basketball has spoiled the fanbase, they expect to win, even during bad years (22-11) and going 30-8 and an ACC championship last year still was seen as a disappointment, but its NOT failure, thats a huge difference. Duke football offers no such guarantees. Right now, the expectation for a bad Duke football year is not 5-7 or 6-6 and the general mills cereal bowl against UConn or Northwestern, its the real possibility of finishing 0-12, 1-11 or even 3-9. Most fans don't want to commit to that, especially when the other well known sport is full of success even in down years.

I think a lot of fans want to pull for the football team, but the team is in the position where it has to earn loyalty, not expect loyalty like the basketball team has. Part of earning loyalty is going out on opening day and winning or at least fighting like hell to win. If Duke had lost yesterday in a barnburner, or a situation like Minn/SU, I think the fans wouldn't be so angry. There is no Syracuse fan that can't say their team didn't try their best to beat Minnesota, they gave their best effort and came up short. We can't say that about the Blue Devil football team, and that sucks more than the loss does.

[callaway]

The times the crowd should be cheering, and tried, the PA system overrode the attempts with the blaring music. Like the stupid "Third Down" on defense crud. We don't need to be artificially pumped up like Maryland (especially playing Rock and Roll Part 2.) Let the students lead the cheers. And whoever the (new?) PA Announcer is, just announce the game. Dial it back a bit.

The former PA announcer was fired because he just announced the game and left the cheering up to the fans. I'm old enough to remember when the stadium had a platform in front of the student section and the cheerleaders had their own PA system in the student section to get cheers going. Of course, this was long ago in the days of GREAT DUKE FOOTBALL TEAMS.

[ScottDuke04]

The former PA announcer was fired because he just announced the game and left the cheering up to the fans. ...

Was he really??

[Kewlswim]

Hi,

I am guessing it is still Lewis. I think it is interesting that Coach Harbough at Stanford is making sure everyone is on the same page with this: The best player, plays at any position regardless of class rank. So, for example, the Senior QB (think he is senior, might just be a junior) Tavita Pritchard who led the team to an upset of USC is not as good, in Harbough's eyes, as this kid "Luck" and so Luck is starting at QB.

I'd heard that Duke had a few QBs this year who looked good. Is Lewis really the best one out there or is he loyal to his senior? It could be that Lewis really is the best QB. Loyalty, in and of itself, is not a bad thing.

I hope the Devils right the ship and have a fun season. Let's not forget these are kids and so it is really hard to be mad at them, unless they do something like the kid from Oregon did to the BSU player. I think the Oregon fans have a right to be irked at that guy. Though, it is sort of a double standard. The Oregon guy was taunted. He shouldn't have done it, but he was taunted. If this were hockey, it would be so much easier--Game misconduct and call it a day.

GO DUKE!

[devilirium]

The times the crowd should be cheering, and tried, the PA system overrode the attempts with the blaring music. Like the stupid "Third Down" on defense crud. We don't need to be artificially pumped up like Maryland (especially playing Rock and Roll Part 2.) Let the students lead the cheers. And whoever the (new?) PA Announcer is, just announce the game. Dial it back a bit.

Agree with the announcer...he needs to really dial it down....not sure why they didn't bring back the pop culture stuff (Need more cowbell, etc). But I have to confess that Duke fans need to be reminded about cheering for the defense on third down. I don't have a problem with it.

However, the crazy fan award....we need to lose that in the worst way....the dorm awards ? Jesus, are we back in high school? That Revenge of the Nerds **** gets old.

[jv001]

Richmond, bear in mind is a national champion that starts something like 13 redshirt seniors and the rest are redshirt juniors.. we are a few years of recruiting and reshirting until we can easily beat teams like this. Two years at best

I made the same point last year about redshirting players like Wake does. that is exactly how they have turned it around in W/S. That is the way we are going to turn around our program. We need some strength along the OL and DL (especially OL). We should be able to recruit a kicker much quicker. As far as QB situation goes, I don't want Sean to get hurt behind that awful OL. I know that is harsh, but until they prove me wrong, I'll have that opinion. How long until tipoff? Go Duke!

[RelativeWays]

Is it really unjustified though, if you look at it? When App beat Michigan in 2007, the general consensus was that even though Apps win over the Wolverines was a surprise, they could have handled several bowl division teams, like Duke, with relative ease. Flash forward two years. Duke may not be the worst bowl division team anymore, but they lost a lot of seniors last year and those teams were not particularly good. They play a team that whipped the crap out of App just last year on the way to winning the championship and returned 20 starters from that team. Is it really so far fetched that Richmond would beat a team that was the laughing stock of the bowl division just two years ago? Even before Satursday's game, would anyone have ventured that this Duke team could win the playoff division championship?

Had Duke executed, particularly on special teams, they could have ground out a tough win, instead they played from behind against a talented group of veterans. I'd dare say that some of your powerhouse teams wouldn't have wanted to play against Richmond either after what happened to Michigan. Scheduling them, given the current progress of the program was just not a good idea. I hear we play them again in 2011. I don't think its a good idea.

[CBDUKE]

I too have been a Duke fan for many years (almost 60). I remember the good times, full stadium and many, many wins. I also remember the lean years. But, I was there at the game in Duke Stadium and Wallace Wade for all of them. I will be there for all of them this year and many more if the Lord is willing. Yes, I suffer through the loses (just ask my wife) and I am excited with the wins. But, I bleed Duke Blue win or lose and will support them til I die. (I will be in the stadium supporting them).

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I too have been a Duke fan for many years (almost 60). I remember the good times, full stadium and many, many wins. I also remember the lean years. But, I was there at the game in Duke Stadium and Wallace Wade for all of them. I will be there for all of them this year and many more if the Lord is willing. Yes, I suffer through the loses (just ask my wife) and I am excited with the wins. But, I bleed Duke Blue win or lose and will support them til I die. (I will be in the stadium supporting them).
I wonder if you and I sit in the same section....

[devil84]

One poster made a destructively negative comment. Just as a reminder, here's the definition for destructively negative:

Destructively Negative - It means the opposite of constructive criticism, especially in the context of Duke players and coaches. Unacceptable: Duke Player X is abysmal, a complete liability, and couldn’t rebound if he was the only player on the court. Acceptable: Duke Player X really needs to work on his rebounding and ability to block out over the summer. Includes rumor mongering.Another poster (rightly and appropriately) called him out on it. The original poster made an unrelated political remark, sparking quite a dialog.

It is our policy here to delete posts that are infractions as well as any posts that quote or heavily refer to that post (without the initial post, most responses don't make much sense). I've deleted a number of posts tonight based on these guidelines. Let me reiterate: responses were not deleted because of their content (some were quite well-worded), they were deleted because the offending post was deleted.

Please continue the discussion, but do so without destructive negativity, snarkiness, and political jabs.

Thank you,
- devil84
Moderator

[whereinthehellami]

Scheduling them, given the current progress of the program was just not a good idea. I hear we play them again in 2011. I don't think its a good idea.

Mike London, the coach of Richmond won't be there in 2011. He will be moving up to coach a Div1 team at the end of this year and I got a bad feeling that it will be UVA. Look for UVA to get really good with him at the helm as he will be able to recruit the 757 (Virgnia Beach, Norfolk) pretty well.

Also keep in mimd that some of these powerhouse DivII teams take problem transfers from Div1 who don't want to sit out a year at a different DivI school. So sometimes the talent disprity isn't as wide as one would think between DivI and DivII.

One more thing with the whole DivII versus Div1 comparison is that for the lines all that seperates these guys is size. Smaller guys on the lines in HS with talent go Div II while the bigger guys get Div1 offers. But if the DivII guys have been lifting and conditioning for 3-4 years in college versus 1-2 years of lifting/ conditioning for the DivI team than there isn't going to be alot of difference.

[allenmurray]

New PA announcer - HORRIBLE.
Canned music - HORRIBLE.
New scoreboard - Great.

If you are going to lose your opening game at least lose to a school in your own division. Losing your opening game to a team you purposefully scheduled for a win - bad. Losing to a team not even in your own division - really bad. Losing in the manner in whch Duke lost on a day when you had one of the largest crowds ever and a chance to win over a bunch of new fans - :(

[CameronBornAndBred]

New PA announcer - HORRIBLE.
Canned music - HORRIBLE.
New scoreboard - Great.

I thought the most dreadful moment was when they shouted out "THE PLAY OF THE DAY!!!"
If I was the announcer I would have been begging to please not make me show that. The game was looking awfully grim, the stands were empty, and they throw our one shining moment up. It was truly bad.

[Reddevil]

I think the expectations for a win in the Richmond game were alarmingly high. Richmond is a reigning champion. Yes it is a different division, but they have a very cohesive program in place. They are seasoned, and they are not afraid of anyone. They would give many teams fits. I know it is not the same as basketball, but in a way it is similar to playing say a Cleveland State type team in the NCAA's that is a conference champion and loaded with seniors and experience. They have no fear, and nothing to lose. Duke will be better in the long run, so this type of game should not cause too much hand ringing. Get annoyed at the execution and the lack of passion, but not at losing to a team like Richmond. There aren't a lot of DI schools that would like a team like that on the schedule. The turnaround will be a marathon...., and it is frustrating because several marathons have already been run. This week's practice will be important. The results of this season may be tough again, but the blocks are being laid. Don't disappear until the turnaround happens. That behavior exhibits the same lack of execution and passion that we loathe as fans.

[allenmurray]

I think the expectations for a win in the Richmond game were alarmingly high. Richmond is a reigning champion. Yes it is a different division, but they have a very cohesive program in place. They are seasoned, and they are not afraid of anyone. They would give many teams fits. I know it is not the same as basketball, but in a way it is similar to playing say a Cleveland State type team in the NCAA's that is a conference champion and loaded with seniors and experience. They have no fear, and nothing to lose. Duke will be better in the long run, so this type of game should not cause too much hand ringing. Get annoyed at the execution and the lack of passion, but not at losing to a team like Richmond. There aren't a lot of DI schools that would like a team like that on the schedule. The turnaround will be a marathon...., and it is frustrating because several marathons have already been run. This week's practice will be important. The results of this season may be tough again, but the blocks are being laid. Don't disappear until the turnaround happens. That behavior exhibits the same lack of execution and passion that we loathe as fans.

I'm not annoyed at losing to Richmond - I'm annoyed at scheduling Richmond. I don't like games against any Division IA teams - either for Duke or for any other Division I teams. Play teams in your own division.

[A-Tex Devil]

New PA announcer - HORRIBLE.
Canned music - HORRIBLE.
New scoreboard - Great.

If you are going to lose your opening game at least lose to a school in your own division. Losing your opening game to a team you purposefully scheduled for a win - bad. Losing to a team not even in your own division - really bad. Losing in the manner in whch Duke lost on a day when you had one of the largest crowds ever and a chance to win over a bunch of new fans - :(

Agreed. If Richmond has more talent, that speaks a ton about where the prior administration left us. I also don't believe that to be true. This isn't basketball. The gap between 1-A and 1-AA (or more specifically, the ACC and the Colonial league) is much wider than between major conferences and mid-majors (or even lower rung conferences) in basketball. But coaching, preparation and scheme can also overcome talent much more effectively in football than in basketball (you see it in high school all the time, and not to say it doesn't happen in basketball). Richmond prepped for this game all year. It is pretty clear our staff and players saw it as a warm up -- which means they have very short memories of 2 years ago.

I don't care that Michigan lost to App St. or Virginia lost to W&M. When a BCS school loses to a 1-AA school, no matter how good that 1-AA school, it is on the coaching staff. It shouldn't happen.

The good thing is, we still only have to win 6 games to make a bowl :-). Only one of our I-AA wins was going to count towards that anyway.

[bird]

Also keep in mimd that some of these powerhouse DivII teams take problem transfers from Div1 who don't want to sit out a year at a different DivI school. So sometimes the talent disprity isn't as wide as one would think between DivI and DivII.


Per article in today's Times-Dispatch, Richmond has no Division I-A transfers. http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_football/article/URFB08_20090907-215604/291297/

[Wander]

The good thing is, we still only have to win 6 games to make a bowl :-). Only one of our I-AA wins was going to count towards that anyway.

Don't tempt the football gods into having NC Central beat us up.

[A-Tex Devil]

Don't tempt the football gods into having NC Central beat us up.

Heh.... I thought I was just stating what NEEDED to happen as opposed to what will happen. No weaux-ing here. Although, if we were to lose to NC Central.........

[brianl]

I read through several posts and from my vantage point I thought the overall crowd, while on the large size, was the quietest in the "new Cutcliffe era."

I felt like everything, the team included was flat from the opening kick.

[DukeUsul]

I read through several posts and from my vantage point I thought the overall crowd, while on the large size, was the quietest in the "new Cutcliffe era."

I felt like everything, the team included was flat from the opening kick.

I heard people say the university gave a way a lot of tickets, possibly in conjunction with employee appreciation day. I know a lot of the folks sitting behind me were yelling "Go Heels" and other obnoxious sentiments and not cheering for the Blue Devils.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I know a lot of the folks sitting behind me were yelling "Go Heels" and other obnoxious sentiments and not cheering for the Blue Devils.
:mad::mad::mad:
Why even show up? I'd rather have an empty hole next to me than a 'hole next to me.

[allenmurray]

I heard people say the university gave a way a lot of tickets, possibly in conjunction with employee appreciation day. I know a lot of the folks sitting behind me were yelling "Go Heels" and other obnoxious sentiments and not cheering for the Blue Devils.

All Duke faculty and staff could get four free tickets and a pre-game meal just for the asking. They did the same thing last year for the first game.

[allenmurray]

I read through several posts and from my vantage point I thought the overall crowd, while on the large size, was the quietest in the "new Cutcliffe era."

I felt like everything, the team included was flat from the opening kick.

I was sitting next to a Richmond fan (a really nice guy I must add). The one thing we agreed on - the game was boring. He thought it was boring even though his team won. I think a big part of why the crowd was flat was that it simply was not an exciting football game.

[Kimist]

All Duke faculty and staff could get four free tickets and a pre-game meal just for the asking. They did the same thing last year for the first game.

Gosh - They're gonna make the Iron Dukes (donors already) pay an extra $10/person for the "Iron Dukes/Varsity Club Day" meal before the Virginia Tech game.

Reason: "To help us offset the costs of the event."

[allenmurray]

Gosh - They're gonna make the Iron Dukes (donors already) pay an extra $10/person for the "Iron Dukes/Varsity Club Day" meal before the Virginia Tech game.

Reason: "To help us offset the costs of the event."

When you are trying to increase your fan base it is imortant to get new people into the stands. In addition, for every doctor or professor at Duke, there are a half dozen housekeeping, groundscrew, food serivce, etc. workers for whom taking the family to a football game at $25 per ticket and another $15 for food and drinks (close to $200 when you add in parking) is cost prohibitive. There are a whole lot of Duke employees who do the hard, dirty, and unglamorous work that makes the university and medical center run, for whom this was a real treat and a show of appreciation for their hard work.

[DukeSince'77]

Why all of the changes from last year's home game experience?? From the Blue Devil entrance (which was cool last year), moving the fireworks, the crazy loud pre-game music, the new PA guy ( who was really bad in my opinion)...

What about WE ARE DUKE? Was that a one year slogan??

And for all the hype before the game, the team just did not deliver....

Hoping for better on Sat @ Army!

[DU Band Prez 88]

Has a some time of running game. We do not. It starts with our offensive line. If we can't move people off the ball, we're going to have a long year. By running the ball we take some pressure off Thad. We take pressure off our defense. It's going to take time to develop the OL to compete. Richmond is a good team, but not a div 1 team. So what does that make us? A rebuilding team. I think Coach Cut will get the job done. Go Duke!

I didn't see the game, just reading these boards.

This poster is totally correct: You can't win in football without an offensive line that works together as a unit and can BOTH pass block effectively AND move the opposing defensive front off the ball when running. This is more or less Football 101 - it starts with the line play. Duke is going to face much tougher/more athletic defenses coming up in the ACC schedule (Virginia Tech is probably the best, plus many more). Not just the offensive line but the entire team just needs to continue to practice well, learn from mistakes in games, and one assumes with Coach Cutcliffe will be coached well as to how to improve.

They need to focus on beating Army and move on from there.

[CBDUKE]

I wonder if you and I sit in the same section....

Section 30, row HH, seats 14,16, and 18

[cbfx3]

If the score would have been Duke 22 R 17 would everybody here be happy or still concerned? I would have been happy myself.. that is what the score would have been if we could fix the 3 fixable mistakes