PDA

View Full Version : Does This Look Like Last Year to Anybody Else?



wolfpackdevil
10-13-2009, 10:55 PM
On Saturday, October 25th in Nashville Tennessee, the Duke Blue Devils defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 10-7 for their first road win of the season. The Duke defense was amazing for the entire game, only allowing one offensive touchdown. Kicker Nick Maggio hit a 42-yard field goal, (his career long,) late in the 3rd quarter that ended up being the deciding points in the game. Chris Rwabukamba deflected a pass in the final minute of the game in the end zone, that would have been a touchdown if not for his amazing play. So Vanderbilt turned the ball over, and Duke took a couple kneel downs to end the game.

Why am I stating this??

Well, Duke football fans across the state were as excited as they have ever been under the Cutcliffe era after that road win. Duke was 4-3, and only 2 wins away from bowl eligibility with 5 left in the season. That was Duke's first road win of the season, and a very big upset as well. Vanderbilt was 5-2 at the time, and only a single win away from qualifying for their first bowl game in over a decade. Duke did not care about VU's hopes for a bowl, and took down the Commodores on their home turf.

People across the state were blown away by how well Duke was doing, and were excited. Even myself bought tickets to the next week's game at Wake Forest because I was so excited after the Vanderbilt win.

Now I am not saying that the Vanderbilt win was as big as the NC State win on Saturday. I know that the win against State was Duke's first road ACC win since 2003. And that it was the first win against the Wolfpack in 25 years. But this time last year, people across the state were acting the same way that they are now. Duke fans were most excited last year during that week after the Vanderbilt win. Just like now, where this week Duke football fans are the most excited they have been this year.

Well last year after that huge win at VU, the Blue Devils lost their final 5 games. They lost the next week in Winston-Salem to the Demon Deacons, and then to NC State in an ugly showing. The final 3 losses were to Miami, VT, and UNC.

Now I do believe that this year's final stretch is easier that last year's final games. But all of Duke's remaining games are games that if lost would not be suprising. But I do expect Duke to win AT LEAST 2 of the final 6 games that they have left. Just like I was expecting Duke to go to a bowl game, after only needing 2 wins out of 5 games going into the final month.

So this next game against Maryland is one of the most important in this decade. How can Duke handle the pressure of being favored in an ACC game coming off of the biggest win of the year? So let's avoid the talk of Duke now being maybe a bowl team this year. And switch the talk to, "How can a Cutcliffe team handle the attention and expectations after a huge win?"

-Sam Murray

JaMarcus Russell
10-13-2009, 11:02 PM
I think there are two huge differences. First, Thaddeus Lewis got injured last year and couldn't play in two of the last three games. Second, they had already played Maryland and UVA was not on the schedule. Those are probably two of the better match-ups for Duke in the ACC.

I certainly don't think that Duke is a lock to win 6 games this year, but I think they have a better shot to be bowl eligible at 3-3 this year, as long as they don't have any more key injuries. Even if there is a repeat of last year and Lewis goes down, I think that Renfree is better equipped than Zach Asack to run the offense.

ricks68
10-13-2009, 11:07 PM
On Saturday, October 25th in Nashville Tennessee, the Duke Blue Devils defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 10-7 for their first road win of the season. The Duke defense was amazing for the entire game, only allowing one offensive touchdown. Kicker Nick Maggio hit a 42-yard field goal, (his career long,) late in the 3rd quarter that ended up being the deciding points in the game. Chris Rwabukamba deflected a pass in the final minute of the game in the end zone, that would have been a touchdown if not for his amazing play. So Vanderbilt turned the ball over, and Duke took a couple kneel downs to end the game.

Why am I stating this??

Well, Duke football fans across the state were as excited as they have ever been under the Cutcliffe era after that road win. Duke was 4-3, and only 2 wins away from bowl eligibility with 5 left in the season. That was Duke's first road win of the season, and a very big upset as well. Vanderbilt was 5-2 at the time, and only a single win away from qualifying for their first bowl game in over a decade. Duke did not care about VU's hopes for a bowl, and took down the Commodores on their home turf.

People across the state were blown away by how well Duke was doing, and were excited. Even myself bought tickets to the next week's game at Wake Forest because I was so excited after the Vanderbilt win.

Now I am not saying that the Vanderbilt win was as big as the NC State win on Saturday. I know that the win against State was Duke's first road ACC win since 2003. And that it was the first win against the Wolfpack in 25 years. But this time last year, people across the state were acting the same way that they are now. Duke fans were most excited last year during that week after the Vanderbilt win. Just like now, where this week Duke football fans are the most excited they have been this year.

Well last year after that huge win at VU, the Blue Devils lost their final 5 games. They lost the next week in Winston-Salem to the Demon Deacons, and then to NC State in an ugly showing. The final 3 losses were to Miami, VT, and UNC.

Now I do believe that this year's final stretch is easier that last year's final games. But all of Duke's remaining games are games that if lost would not be suprising. But I do expect Duke to win AT LEAST 2 of the final 6 games that they have left. Just like I was expecting Duke to go to a bowl game, after only needing 2 wins out of 5 games going into the final month.

So this next game against Maryland is one of the most important in this decade. How can Duke handle the pressure of being favored in an ACC game coming off of the biggest win of the year? So let's avoid the talk of Duke now being maybe a bowl team this year. And switch the talk to, "How can a Cutcliffe team handle the attention and expectations after a huge win?"

-Sam Murray

We can handle it because we are better than last year.;)

ricks

wolfpackdevil
10-13-2009, 11:07 PM
I think there are two huge differences. First, Thaddeus Lewis got injured last year and couldn't play in two of the last three games. Second, they had already played Maryland and UVA was not on the schedule. Those are probably two of the better match-ups for Duke in the ACC.

I certainly don't think that Duke is a lock to win 6 games this year, but I think they have a better shot to be bowl eligible at 3-3 this year, as long as they don't have any more key injuries. Even if there is a repeat of last year and Lewis goes down, I think that Renfree is better equipped than Zach Asack to run the offense.

I agree with you on the part about Thad. But my post was intended to be mostly about the next game, Maryland. Last year, Thad was 100% for the 3 games following the Vanderbilt win.

And remember Duke needs to win 7 games this year to become bowl eligible. So they would have to win 4 out of their last 6.

throatybeard
10-13-2009, 11:09 PM
I think there are two huge differences. First, Thaddeus Lewis got injured last year and couldn't play in two of the last three games. Second, they had already played Maryland and UVA was not on the schedule. Those are probably two of the better match-ups for Duke in the ACC.

I certainly don't think that Duke is a lock to win 6 games this year, but I think they have a better shot to be bowl eligible at 3-3 this year, as long as they don't have any more key injuries. Even if there is a repeat of last year and Lewis goes down, I think that Renfree is better equipped than Zach Asack to run the offense.

Actually, we had already beaten UVA.

To the OP's point, the WFU game is pivotal. Always.

OZZIE4DUKE
10-13-2009, 11:11 PM
This year's team is nothing like last year's team. We are older, and younger. We are more experienced, and we have more talented rookies. We're faster, and leaner, and possibly meaner.

A bowling we will go, a bowling we will go! Hi! Ho! The derio, a bowling we will go! :cool:

JaMarcus Russell
10-13-2009, 11:23 PM
Actually, we had already beaten UVA.

To the OP's point, the WFU game is pivotal. Always.

My mistake. I meant to say that we had already beaten UVA, and Maryland wasn't on the schedule.

FWIW, the games that Duke played after the Vandy win included Wake Forest (8-5), NC State (6-7) , Clemson (7-6), VT (10-4), and UNC (8-5). Every team went to a bowl game. I am not expecting our last 6 opponents to have those kinds of collective numbers.

However, I totally forgot about NC Central not counting as a true win, at least as far as the bowls go. I definitely think 4-2 will be a real challenge for this team, but finishing 3-3 and going 6-6 for the year is a definite possibility.

wolfpackdevil
10-13-2009, 11:36 PM
My mistake. I meant to say that we had already beaten UVA, and Maryland wasn't on the schedule.

FWIW, the games that Duke played after the Vandy win included Wake Forest (8-5), NC State (6-7) , Clemson (7-6), VT (10-4), and UNC (8-5). Every team went to a bowl game. I am not expecting our last 6 opponents to have those kinds of collective numbers.

However, I totally forgot about NC Central not counting as a true win, at least as far as the bowls go. I definitely think 4-2 will be a real challenge for this team, but finishing 3-3 and going 6-6 for the year is a definite possibility.

Yes you are definatly right that last year's final 5 games were tremendously harder than this year's final 6. But, it wasn't the other team that played better late in the season last year. It was Duke's lack of good play. They made many mistakes in the WF game that could have been won by Duke. And in the NC State game, they played very poorly and only put up 7 points on the scoreboard.

I just hope that they can play these final 6 games with the same intensity, passion, and EXECUTION that they did on Saturday in Raleigh.

ricks68
10-13-2009, 11:38 PM
Considering our past, why can't we all just be realistically hopeful and be extremely happy if we win one or two more games than last year? If we keep improving a little every year, I think we could finally develop a consistently good program. So far, so good, as far as I'm concerned. I think we are on our way. Go Devils!

ricks

CameronBornAndBred
10-14-2009, 12:05 AM
Considering our past, why can't we all just be realistically hopeful and be extremely happy if we win one or two more games than last year? If we keep improving a little every year, I think we could finally develop a consistently good program.
Two things...

First, I don't think it unrealistic to expect more than 2 wins for the remainder of our schedule. I believe the team expects to do better than that as well. That doesn't mean we will go bowling, but I can see us ending at .500. Honestly, after seeing our play the last two games, I would be be dissapointed with less.
Second, I expect us to improve more than "a little every year". I can already see that this year is a great improvement over the last. We are faster and stronger. We are developing the confidence and the skills that will make those two assets even more advantageous.

At the beginning of the year I probably would have agreed with you, but over the last 6 games this team has become more than what I expected, and I'm having fun embracing that. At the same time, however, it means that I'm now expecting to see more results this year, my guess is you wouldn't find the attitude any different in the locker room.

As to the original post, this year only looks the same to me on paper. We did not expect to win last year, but we were happy with the victories. This year the attitude is different, from the coaches and the players. There is a feeling of expectation of victory, and that is what separates the two seasons far apart.

Greg_Newton
10-14-2009, 12:45 AM
I have to agree with those recommending we calm down with the bowl talk and just take one game at a time. It's funny how fast the mass mindset goes from being furious at Cutcliffe for "lying" and "getting our hopes up" to anointing him our savior and hailing the same team as an ACC contender several weeks later. Why not just be happy and proud they have been able to elevate their play and turn in several fun-to-watch performances without heaping a new load of expectations on them as a reward? For me, that takes all the fun out of it! But to each his own, I suppose.

The team and staff should expect to win every game, but as a fan I can't "expect" anything of them but their best effort.

(note: that's not a jab at anyone here, it's just what I've noticed in the general tone of the boards...)

gep
10-14-2009, 02:14 AM
It's interesting that I read... somewhere in one of the links here... that Coach Cut seems to have had success against VT and NC State since this was the second time Duke played them. And Thad commented that the game preparation by the coaches was that the team actually knew what NC State was going to do... which made execution that much more productive. The Maryland game is the first for Coach Cut and his staff against Maryland... hopefully, he has enough game film to prepare Duke, even if he doesn't have first-hand experience playing Maryland. If Coach Cut really made great improvement by playing a team the second time, just imagine what the future holds... :)

sagegrouse
10-14-2009, 07:52 AM
How many more victories do the Blue Devils need to show progress -- in other words, to have a better record than last year? Lets focus on just the wins--

2008: JMU, Navy, UVa, and Vandy

2009: Army, Central, State

Remaining games:

Maryland, UVa, UNC, Miami, Ga Tech, Wake

One could argue that two more wins would equal last year, but it would take three wins to show year-over-year improvement. Those were pretty good wins last year and a couple of "near wins" (talk about a deflating term!) against Northwestern and Wake.

OTOH two more ACC victories would get Duke out of the cellar and into the middle of the pack.

And, of course, I don't see why we shouldn't have a chance to win every game.

sagegrouse

Indoor66
10-14-2009, 08:17 AM
And, of course, I don't see why we shouldn't have a chance to win every game.

sagegrouse

For me, the quoted statement defines the progress we have made. We are able to anticipate being in every game - we can win games. I hope we win every game - but I now know we have a chance to win every game. Cut has brought that chance to Duke football.

RelativeWays
10-14-2009, 08:30 AM
Technically Duke would only need to win two more games to show improvement over last year as with 5 wins, 4 would be against BCS opponents, 1 would be playoff division. Last year it was 3 wins against the BCS and 1 playoff division. We beat two bowl teams last year in Vandy and Navy. Army still has a shot as their schedule isn't as hard as it normally is and the Atlantic Division is weak enough for state to turn it around and get in a bowl. Of our remaining opponents that we could beat that will go to a bowl, Wake is probably going to a bowl and we have a great shot at beating them. We would have to play EXTREMELY well against GT to win. UMD is not going to a bowl, especially if we beat them next weekend. UVA is hard to tell, they fell one short last year. UNC is still a possibility since they have a great defense, the offense just has to be functional. If Duke plays like they have the past two weeks, they'll beat UMD by 14+. I think they'll have to play very smart against UVA at Charlotteseville and lights out offense at Chapuh Heeeyah to beat the sheep. Wake will come down to the wire but I think we get them this time. I do not like our chances at Miami, that could be KU part 2 this season. I think we end up a respectable 5-7.

JasonEvans
10-14-2009, 10:25 AM
How many more victories do the Blue Devils need to show progress -- in other words, to have a better record than last year? Lets focus on just the wins--

2008: JMU, Navy, UVa, and Vandy

2009: Army, Central, State

Remaining games:

Maryland, UVa, UNC, Miami, Ga Tech, Wake

One could argue that two more wins would equal last year, but it would take three wins to show year-over-year improvement.

Why wouldn't one more win equal last year and two be an improvement over last year? Help me with the math ;)

I expect at least 2 more wins, but am pleased already with the team's progress and ability to compete. To this point, there is no question that Cut is doing a fabulous job and there is no reason to think we won't continue to improve the longer he is on the job.

-Jason "the fact that we even dream about bowl eligibility is a testament to Cut's progress" Evans

Indoor66
10-14-2009, 10:28 AM
Why wouldn't one more win equal last year and two be an improvement over last year? Help me with the math ;)

I expect at least 2 more wins, but am pleased already with the team's progress and ability to compete. To this point, there is no question that Cut is doing a fabulous job and there is no reason to think we won't continue to improve the longer he is on the job.

-Jason "the fact that we even dream about bowl eligibility is a testament to Cut's progress" Evans

And remember, this is the 1st half of Cut's 2nd season!!!!!!!

I think the progress is amazing. The culture is turning from "eh, so what" to "we can beat anybody." Who'd a thunk it?

OZZIE4DUKE
10-14-2009, 10:45 AM
Why not just be realistic and stay grounded?

ricks
Because it is NOT in my nature, that's why! :D:cool:

Devil in the Blue Dress
10-14-2009, 10:46 AM
And remember, this is the 1st half of Cut's 2nd season!!!!!!!

I think the progress is amazing. The culture is turning from "eh, so what" to "we can beat anybody." Who'd a thunk it?

We'll also know that we passed into another stage of developing the football program when we cease analyzing the potential fan base in terms of students, alums and Durham. The wider view of fans drawn to winners will be a major milestone in the development of a winner's outlook.

killerleft
10-14-2009, 10:57 AM
Why wouldn't one more win equal last year and two be an improvement over last year? Help me with the math ;)

I expect at least 2 more wins, but am pleased already with the team's progress and ability to compete. To this point, there is no question that Cut is doing a fabulous job and there is no reason to think we won't continue to improve the longer he is on the job.

-Jason "the fact that we even dream about bowl eligibility is a testament to Cut's progress" Evans

Exactly.

If some Duke fans are afraid to dream for fear of being disappointed, so be it. Truth is, other than showing up to back our team, we don't have any control no matter what the expectations.

Optimism has led me back to watch Duke Football for almost 50 years. The ability to compete, as Jason puts it, is huge. Football is fun again!

Mostly, though, being able to compete means that we now have a much better chance to win any given game. Gotta love it!