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sagegrouse
09-04-2011, 12:13 AM
A. Let's change the subject. Duke has done all it can to make Stanford overconfident. Now we have to play a decent football game.

B. Looking at the weather map, Katia should be in the "neighborhood" by next weekend. I hope the "neighborhood" is defined as the Western Atlantic, not the State of North Carolina.

sagegrouse
'I will make a rare appearance at a football game. Looking forward to putting faces with names.'

uh_no
09-04-2011, 12:19 AM
A. Let's change the subject. Duke has done all it can to make Stanford overconfident. Now we have to play a decent football game.

B. Looking at the weather map, Katia should be in the "neighborhood" by next weekend. I hope the "neighborhood" is defined as the Western Atlantic, not the State of North Carolina.

sagegrouse
'I will make a rare appearance at a football game. Looking forward to putting faces with names.'

I'm not a student anymore and didn't go to tonights game, but I'm going next week for sure....not because I want to watch a game, but because I think duke will win...and I want to be there when we tear down the goalposts

Acymetric
09-04-2011, 12:28 AM
I was going to do everything I could to get out of working this Saturday. Now I guess if it works out it works out but I'm not going to press hard for it.

dukebsbll14
09-04-2011, 12:30 AM
I'm a student. I'll be there. Ready to chant "safety school."


I'm not a student anymore and didn't go to tonights game, but I'm going next week for sure....not because I want to watch a game, but because I think duke will win...and I want to be there when we tear down the goalposts

One goalpost is going in front of the chapel. The Chapel Shot will have to be redone cause it'll look even cooler if Kyle also got it through the uprights, then its a legit 6 point shot. The other is going to East Campus to be a trophy in Brodie Gym.

uh_no
09-04-2011, 12:34 AM
I'm a student. I'll be there. Ready to chant "safety school."

One goalpost is going in front of the chapel. The Chapel Shot will have to be redone cause it'll look even cooler if Kyle also got it through the uprights, then its a legit 6 point shot. The other is going to East Campus to be a trophy in Brodie Gym.

Since you're a student now it means you weren't a student LAST time we tore down the goalposts....let me tell the tale...i was there

we beat northwester (at northwestern) for our first win in 22? games....it was about 10-11pm on a saturday....an away game...and we all went to the stadium and tore down the goalpost...brought it to in front of the chapel....people tried to stand it up and it fell and nearly killed a girl......carrying them down campus drive would be the way to go I think.... or the chapel as long as we don't try to stand them up....the next day when I was working on the track, the lug nuts were still on the giant bolts that hold the things in place....and to this dya I wish I had taken one

dukebsbll14
09-04-2011, 12:44 AM
Since you're a student now it means you weren't a student LAST time we tore down the goalposts....let me tell the tale...i was there

we beat northwester (at northwestern) for our first win in 22? games....it was about 10-11pm on a saturday....an away game...and we all went to the stadium and tore down the goalpost...brought it to in front of the chapel....people tried to stand it up and it fell and nearly killed a girl......carrying them down campus drive would be the way to go I think.... or the chapel as long as we don't try to stand them up....the next day when I was working on the track, the lug nuts were still on the giant bolts that hold the things in place....and to this dya I wish I had taken one

aha my RA from last year was involved in that. I guess he knew the girl. Jeez, now I'm all excited. Unlikely, but I hope we can pull it off. I'll get some extra time in the weight room this week just in case...

PumpkinFunk
09-04-2011, 12:28 PM
I'm not a student anymore and didn't go to tonights game, but I'm going next week for sure....not because I want to watch a game, but because I think duke will win...and I want to be there when we tear down the goalposts

I was there when we tore them down for Northwestern, and it was awesome. That being said... Coach Cut's orders are pretty clear: Don't tear down the goalposts until we beat Carolina (I think it's a good policy, given the mess that happened last time... and being that winning is less of a big deal than it used to be). I'm just looking forward to watching the next starting QB for the Washington Redskins in Wally Wade next Saturday. As he's getting destroyed by Matt Daniels, Ross Cockrell, Johnny Williams, and the rest of our defense.

watzone
09-04-2011, 01:43 PM
If Duke beats Stanford, Watzone would lead the charge and tear down one goal post all by myself. Of course, we all know that aint gonna happen;)

OZZIE4DUKE
09-04-2011, 02:24 PM
If Duke beats Stanford, Watzone would lead the charge and tear down one goal post all by myself. Of course, we all know that aint gonna happen;)
I can assure you that you will not be alone, my friend. It will be a two man effort!

Bob Green
09-04-2011, 02:31 PM
If Duke beats Stanford, I will do back flips in the stands; however, I'm going on record right now my old tired butt will not be running out onto the field and helping tear down the goal posts. That is an evolution best left to the young (and being young at heart doesn't qualify).

SoCalDukeFan
09-04-2011, 02:47 PM
Upsets can happen. While many USC people were saying you can not look past anyone, some assumed USC would win and were looking forward to games that might keep USC from having an undefeated season.

USC was a 41 point favorite and ranked number 1 in the country. In 2006 Stanford was 1-11 and had lost to USC at home 0-42. To top it off Stanford's starting QB was out.

Final score at USC Stanford 24 USC 23.

So upsets can happen.

SoCal

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-04-2011, 02:57 PM
Upsets can happen. While many USC people were saying you can not look past anyone, some assumed USC would win and were looking forward to games that might keep USC from having an undefeated season.

USC was a 41 point favorite and ranked number 1 in the country. In 2006 Stanford was 1-11 and had lost to USC at home 0-42. To top it off Stanford's starting QB was out.

Final score at USC Stanford 24 USC 23.

So upsets can happen.

SoCal
When that big win finally happens for Duke football, there will be many who may ask, "Why didn't I see that coming?"

Rogue
09-04-2011, 05:42 PM
go duke
beat stanford

Bob Green
09-04-2011, 09:56 PM
I'll be keeping my eye on the weather as I prepare to travel to North Carolina for vacation:

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/forecast.asp

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/15-day-forecast.asp?partner=newsObserver&zipcode=27601

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-04-2011, 10:06 PM
I'll be keeping my eye on the weather as I prepare to travel to North Carolina for vacation:

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/forecast.asp

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/15-day-forecast.asp?partner=newsObserver&zipcode=27601
Forecasts for Durham via Accuweather and the Weather Channel indicate that Saturday has the lowest possibility of rain of any day the entire week..... 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms..... low to mid eighties with pretty high humidity...... pretty much seasonal weather!

Newton_14
09-04-2011, 10:12 PM
Forecasts for Durham via Accuweather and the Weather Channel indicate that Saturday has the lowest possibility of rain of any day the entire week..... 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms..... low to mid eighties with pretty high humidity...... pretty much seasonal weather!

Yeah, but there is a hurricane lurking in the Atlantic, and they are not 100% sure it will turn right. If Katia decides to visit instead of hanging that right, we could have an interesting day.

By the way, as usual, I got their late last night, and missed you before you headed into the game. Hopefully I catch you guys Saturday.

Bob Green
09-04-2011, 10:14 PM
Forecasts for Durham via Accuweather and the Weather Channel indicate that Saturday has the lowest possibility of rain of any day the entire week..... 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms..... low to mid eighties with pretty high humidity...... pretty much seasonal weather!

I want that big orange thing we don't see a lot of in the Seattle/Puget Sound area to be prominent in the sky during my entire week in NC. :D

Bob Green
09-04-2011, 10:16 PM
Yeah, but there is a hurricane lurking in the Atlantic...

Hurricane? No, no, nooooooooo! Sunshine is a must. Hmmm, actually it rained in 2009 when I visited and we beat Maryland that day.

Newton_14
09-04-2011, 10:22 PM
Hurricane? No, no, nooooooooo! Sunshine is a must. Hmmm, actually it rained in 2009 when I visited and we beat Maryland that day.

I remember that game all to well. I pulled a double that day as Duke Hoops had an exhibition game that night. I sat through that monsoon, not missing a single play, and nearly drowned. Then went to the truck, changed into dry clothes and headed into Cameron. A very long, but great day...

Jarhead
09-04-2011, 10:24 PM
I'll be keeping my eye on the weather as I prepare to travel to North Carolina for vacation:

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/forecast.asp

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/15-day-forecast.asp?partner=newsObserver&zipcode=27601

Here is next weeks extended forecast from the Accuweather site (http://www.accuweather.com/us/nc/durham/27712/forecast-details.asp?fday=7). It looks promising, but I don't know if Hurricane Katia will be in play. Today's 5:00 PM report had its predicted path shifting more to the Northeast. Looks like a good chance for a pleasant experience.

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-04-2011, 10:42 PM
Yeah, but there is a hurricane lurking in the Atlantic, and they are not 100% sure it will turn right. If Katia decides to visit instead of hanging that right, we could have an interesting day.

By the way, as usual, I got their late last night, and missed you before you headed into the game. Hopefully I catch you guys Saturday.
The weather definitely will need to be checked for changes daily. The tropical storms in the Atlantic certainly shape what we experience!

Bob Green
09-04-2011, 10:49 PM
I'm sure most folks are already aware of these sites, but I'll post links anyway as a public service announcement for anyone not already in tune with available resources. First, a link to the National Hurricane Center website:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml?atl#KATIA

where you can read advisory messages such as this one (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT2+shtml/050234.shtml).

Next, is a link to the NOAA Geostationary Satellite Server site:

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/

where you can view images off of the government weather satellites:

2045

The leading edge of Katia is just entering the frame.

devildeac
09-04-2011, 11:19 PM
I'll be keeping my eye on the weather as I prepare to travel to North Carolina for vacation:

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/forecast.asp

http://newsobserver.accuweather.com/mcclatchy/news_observer/15-day-forecast.asp?partner=newsObserver&zipcode=27601


I want that big orange thing we don't see a lot of in the Seattle/Puget Sound area to be prominent in the sky during my entire week in NC. :D

Here's another good meteorological source (Is that an oxymoron?) for those planning on being in WW on 9/10/11:

http://www.wral.com/weather/

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-04-2011, 11:21 PM
Here's another good meteorological source (Is that an oxymoron?) for those planning on being in WW on 9/10/11:

http://www.wral.com/weather/
If you plug in 27708 for the zip code (Duke zip), you may get a somewhat different forecast for Saturday.

CameronBornAndBred
09-05-2011, 01:24 AM
I'm a student. I'll be there. Ready to chant "safety school."



One goalpost is going in front of the chapel. The Chapel Shot will have to be redone cause it'll look even cooler if Kyle also got it through the uprights, then its a legit 6 point shot. The other is going to East Campus to be a trophy in Brodie Gym.
I want to give a shoutout to you and the rest of the students. I was very impressed with the attendance Saturday night, and not only for the first half. Hopefully y'all will turn out this Saturday as well. A big round of applause to you guys, great showing.

bluepenguin
09-05-2011, 02:20 PM
of us seeing Klemnop running naked in Chapel Hill!


If Duke beats Stanford, Watzone would lead the charge and tear down one goal post all by myself. Of course, we all know that aint gonna happen;)

Cell-R
09-05-2011, 04:52 PM
I want to give a shoutout to you and the rest of the students. I was very impressed with the attendance Saturday night, and not only for the first half. Hopefully y'all will turn out this Saturday as well. A big round of applause to you guys, great showing.

We will definitely be there next Saturday!!! Some of us will even continue coming to games even if we do happen to lose to Stanford, which isn't very likely.

dukebsbll14
09-05-2011, 05:07 PM
We will definitely be there next Saturday!!! Some of us will even continue coming to games even if we do happen to lose to Stanford, which isn't very likely.

hmm should we bring out the big whiteboard? Would be fun to use, but its kinda too far for the players to see...not as close as we are in Cameron. And if the game doesn't go well we can amuse ourselves by writing things about how bad Stanford is academically.

pbc2
09-05-2011, 05:18 PM
All injuries are considered day-to-day at this point.

Juwan Thompson sounds more likely to play Saturday than Desmond Scott. Both will be evaluated tomorrow morning at practice - "Bloody Tuesday."

Bob Green
09-05-2011, 07:21 PM
The projected storm track looks promising:

2047

Of course, we all know these storms have a mind of their own. Here is a nice color photo off the West Atlantic GOES Satellite:

2048

Cell-R
09-05-2011, 08:02 PM
hmm should we bring out the big whiteboard? Would be fun to use, but its kinda too far for the players to see...not as close as we are in Cameron. And if the game doesn't go well we can amuse ourselves by writing things about how bad Stanford is academically.

Sounds good to me! We should make a sign too while we're at it.

OZZIE4DUKE
09-06-2011, 10:23 AM
All injuries are considered day-to-day at this point.

Juwan Thompson sounds more likely to play Saturday than Desmond Scott. Both will be evaluated tomorrow morning at practice - "Bloody Tuesday."
Thanks for the update on Scott and Thompson. Any update on Snead? Any idea what his foot injury is?

shellz
09-06-2011, 11:15 AM
We need both Juwan Thompson and Scott to be healthy and I hope they are.

Hopefully, we can slow them down on defense and air it out on offense.

davekay1971
09-06-2011, 01:00 PM
When your BCS championship hopes have been dashed, as ours were on Saturday, you can start to look at each week of the football season as a building process, rather than a must-win game. Oh, what misery for fans of programs like Alabama, Oklahoma, and Boise St, to look at each Saturday as a playoff elimination game! We Duke fans have the luxury of enjoying each game, win or lose, as a building, learning, and growing process!

So, what am I looking for in Duke's game against an impressive Stanford team?

1) Will the defense look improved against a 1st class offense? The D looked much improved against Richmond. Stanford is a different beast. A lot of our trouble last year was inability to get pressure on the quarterback, which let good quarterbacks carve up our young secondary. Well, there's a pretty good quarterback coming into Wally Wade Saturday. If our D can limit Luck in any way, it's an improvement from last year, when he would have carved us up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

2) How will Renfree play? Last year's Alabama game really set him back. I'm not looking for Renfree to guide us to victory (though that would be nice), but if he can have an effective game, play relatively error free, and orchestrate some sustained drives against Stanford, that would be huge. Stanford's D is probably not quite as good as Alabama's was last year, and our O should be better. Let's see if we can put some points on the board and not put our D in bad positions.

3) Any chance at a running game? Hard to say at this point with the injuries. I think if we can get ANYTHING out of our running game, that would very beneficial in our next games. We need to establish at least enough of a run game to force teams to honestly defend against the run and to make play-action believable. That may not happen against Stanford, but if we can get something out of our run game on Saturday, it'll help immensely down the road.

I don't believe we're looking at certain defeat on Saturday, but realistically looking at the game and trying to see what positives there are to gain, other than a 1 in the W column. Go Duke, and let's take the first step to showing the Richmond game was an aberration!

dukebsbll14
09-06-2011, 10:01 PM
Anyone got any dirt on the Stanford players? I got some free time so I figured I'd start looking up stuff. We're gonna need all the help we can get....

Bob Green
09-06-2011, 11:58 PM
Here are the Stanford game notes:

https://www.nmnathletics.com//pdf8/783214.pdf?&ATCLID=205267269&SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Duke of Nashville
09-07-2011, 09:00 AM
Let's Go Duke! Beat Stanford!

Duke 28 Stanford 26

WS with the game winner.

hq2
09-07-2011, 09:47 AM
This reminds me a little of the '71 game, where Stanford came in overconfident and lost to Duke in a major upset (as I recall, Stanford had been to the Rose Bowl the previous year.) That Duke team, however, was one of the better ones of that era, however, finishing at 6-5. I'd be very surprised if Duke pulled it off this time; but, you never know.

OZZIE4DUKE
09-07-2011, 10:18 AM
This reminds me a little of the '71 game, where Stanford came in overconfident and lost to Duke in a major upset (as I recall, Stanford had been to the Rose Bowl the previous year.) That Duke team, however, was one of the better ones of that era, however, finishing at 6-5. I'd be very surprised if Duke pulled it off this time; but, you never know.
To almost quote Steve Spurrier before we played Clemson "We don't belong on the same field as those folks..." http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/16.gif Maybe Randy Cuthbert is around this weekend too!

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-07-2011, 12:09 PM
There is a Varsity Club event scheduled before the Stanford game.

duke79
09-07-2011, 12:14 PM
This reminds me a little of the '71 game, where Stanford came in overconfident and lost to Duke in a major upset (as I recall, Stanford had been to the Rose Bowl the previous year.) That Duke team, however, was one of the better ones of that era, however, finishing at 6-5. I'd be very surprised if Duke pulled it off this time; but, you never know.

Obviously, a win over Stanford on Saturday would be a HUGE upset (especially after the loss to Richmond), but, realistically, (and I don't mean to be pessimistic) I think this has the significant potential to be a blowout, a la Alabama last year. I think if we can stay within 2 to 3 touchdowns of Stanford, it would be the proverbial "moral victory". Looks like the initial point spread is Stanford by 20.0 to 21.5.

DueBlevil
09-07-2011, 01:04 PM
The ONLY thing I am hoping for from this game is that if we lose, there's not the same hangover effect that Cut and others cited as being a problem after the Alabama game last year. We cannot let the outcome of this game completely dictate our outlook on the rest of the season, the quality of our team, or the progress we are making as a program (unless of course we win :))

Scorp4me
09-07-2011, 02:40 PM
Prayer for our secondary...in particular our corners might not be a bad idea. Going back to the Franks era we have secondary that makes average quarterbacks look like All-Americans. Hate it when actual All-American quarterbacks come in. Like many of you I dread 3rd and long situations more than anything else cause you just know it's going to be big.

Gewebe14
09-08-2011, 01:24 PM
Let's get the discussion going again -- any injury updates out there? How are Thompson and Scott?

I forget where to find them, I usually look on the pre-game threads.

There's no way Stanford can be better than Alabama last year right?

Bluedog
09-08-2011, 01:45 PM
Let's get the discussion going again -- any injury updates out there? How are Thompson and Scott?


RB Juwan Thompson (leg) – Probable
S Jordon Byas (foot) — Questionable
C Brian Moore (arm) – OUT
RB Desmond Scott (leg) – OUT
RB Josh Snead (foot) – OUT

http://sports.chronicleblogs.com/2011/09/08/duke-football-injury-report/

Not good news that Scott won't be able to play....

jimsumner
09-08-2011, 01:57 PM
RB Juwan Thompson (leg) – Probable
S Jordon Byas (foot) — Questionable
C Brian Moore (arm) – OUT
RB Desmond Scott (leg) – OUT
RB Josh Snead (foot) – OUT

http://sports.chronicleblogs.com/2011/09/08/duke-football-injury-report/

Not good news that Scott won't be able to play....

Thompson has been practicing. He, Hollingsworth and Kurunwune comprise the RB corps for Saturday.

Can never have too many running backs. Football cliche 101 for a reason.

sagegrouse
09-08-2011, 06:54 PM
OK, boys from Stanford in Silicon Valley, watch out for Duke. Here's what just happened to Carol Bartz, the head of Yahoo--


Bartz confirmed that she was fired over the phone by Yahoo chairman Roy Bostock while she was in New York City speaking at Citigroup's technology conference.

I believe that is former footballer Roy (who also did a stint at Fuqua).

sagegrouse

Jim3k
09-08-2011, 06:59 PM
OK, boys from Stanford in Silicon Valley, watch out for Duke. Here's what just happened to Carol Bartz, the head of Yahoo--



I believe that is former footballer Roy (who also did a stint at Fuqua).

sagegrouse

And for whom the Bostock half of the Duke Library is named due to his sizable contribution.

Jim3k
09-08-2011, 07:08 PM
Sage and I both remember RB Roy Bostock on the sidelines, suited up (but usually without pads) as he assisted Coach Murray make substitutions in the then-in-effect limited two-platoon bean-counting system. Roy had control of all the numbered beans (OK, buttons) corresponding to the players' numbers.

AFAIK, he never got into a game. But his impact was pretty strong. He always knew who was in and who was out.

One of Duke's most important alums.

jimsumner
09-08-2011, 07:27 PM
Sage and I both remember RB Roy Bostock on the sidelines, suited up (but usually without pads) as he assisted Coach Murray make substitutions in the then-in-effect limited two-platoon bean-counting system. Roy had control of all the numbered beans (OK, buttons) corresponding to the players' numbers.

AFAIK, he never got into a game. But his impact was pretty strong. He always knew who was in and who was out.

One of Duke's most important alums.

He's listed as having lettered in 1961.

duke79
09-09-2011, 08:55 AM
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-09/yahoo-chairman-roy-bostock-may-lose-own-job-after-firing-bartz.html

Story today on Bloomberg.com on Roy Bostock. Brief mention of Duke in the story.

DevilWearsPrada
09-09-2011, 10:37 AM
Who is on the Injury List? Josh Snead was for the Richmond game, and now Desmond Scott, since he was on crutches during the 4th quarter last weekend. And there were two others, they were helped off the field, during the last minutes of the game.

Everyone wear a Duke Blue shirt to the game, and cheer loud! Our Team will need great support!

Rogue
09-09-2011, 12:26 PM
"mount up men, ride to the sound of the cannon fire, there's a battle to be fought"


DUKE 28

STANFORD 7



GOOOO DUKE

jimsumner
09-09-2011, 01:17 PM
Who is on the Injury List? Josh Snead was for the Richmond game, and now Desmond Scott, since he was on crutches during the 4th quarter last weekend. And there were two others, they were helped off the field, during the last minutes of the game.

Everyone wear a Duke Blue shirt to the game, and cheer loud! Our Team will need great support!

Juwann Thompson is listed as probable and Kyle Hill is fine. That's really good news. Both are key players.

Snead, Scott and Brian Moore are the major absences. Could be awhile on all three, unfortunately.

As for 28-7. Wouldn't that be something? But I hope no one is giving Stanford 21 points. :)

Kewlswim
09-09-2011, 03:45 PM
Hi,

The game is at Duke.
The running game is depleted so we will be forced to pass more.
Our Offensive Game plan can't be any worse than it was for Richmond.

Cardinal players will be over-confident (may I hope?)
Duke players will be hungry (may I hope?)
Duke will play with a chip on shoulder the size of Gibraltar (may I hope?)

Go DUKE!

duke79
09-09-2011, 03:47 PM
Juwann Thompson is listed as probable and Kyle Hill is fine. That's really good news. Both are key players.

Snead, Scott and Brian Moore are the major absences. Could be awhile on all three, unfortunately.

As for 28-7. Wouldn't that be something? But I hope no one is giving Stanford 21 points. :)

Looks like the point spread has fallen to 20.5 on some oddsmakers' sites. I'm not a gambler, but, if I were betting on this game and had no allegiance to Duke, I would bet on Stanford with the current point spread. My guess is that Stanford is out to absolutely steamroll Duke, to maintain their top 5 or 6 ranking in the polls. As always, i could be wrong and Duke plays them tougher than that.

77devil
09-09-2011, 09:19 PM
OK, boys from Stanford in Silicon Valley, watch out for Duke. Here's what just happened to Carol Bartz, the head of Yahoo--



I believe that is former footballer Roy (who also did a stint at Fuqua).

sagegrouse

I appreciate the humor, but not Roy's finest hour however. Firing her over the phone reading a script, really?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904103404576558863339122044.html?K EYWORDS=how+not+to+fire

fuqua1997
09-09-2011, 09:30 PM
I can assure you that you will not be alone, my friend. It will be a two man effort!

I will help you all out! I am going to the game, and will be tailgating in the parking lot next to Koskinen Stadium. Oh great times! I missed the first game due to work, but I am not going to miss this one. GO DEVILS!

Newton_14
09-09-2011, 09:34 PM
I am sorry, but I see no positives at all in the fact that both Desmond and Josh are out tomorrow. Once we got going last week, Desmond and Thompson both ran the ball darn well. It was the best running I have seen at Duke in a long time. I was looking forward to see the Soph version of Snead as well. Losing both those guys is a huge detriment tomorrow. Hopefully Juwann is feeling well and can have a big game tomorrow.

I want the passing game clicking on all cylinders as much as anyone, but we still have to run the ball to be successfull. I hope we can get Desmond and Josh back soon. Still maintain that a very dirty play led to Desmond's injury to begin with. Should have never happened.

One of the keys tomorrow is not being awestruck like we were last year in the Bama game. The guys have to come out fully believing they can compete and win. They have to attack and not play scared.

Kewlswim
09-09-2011, 10:16 PM
Hi,

Throw first, ask questions later. It worked for Coach Walsh and it will work for Coach Cut (if he opens up the playbook, my goodness throw the ball father than 15 yards...the gridiron is big...use all of it).

GO DUKE!

Duke 88 Stanford 96 (hey those are the years I graduated and a very entertaining football score)

that is with 1:00 minute left before Duke puts on an amazing push....

Ties it at 96 with 0:00 on the clock and wins it on O.T. with a field goal...

99 to 96 :)

GO DUKE!


I am sorry, but I see no positives at all in the fact that both Desmond and Josh are out tomorrow. Once we got going last week, Desmond and Thompson both ran the ball darn well. It was the best running I have seen at Duke in a long time. I was looking forward to see the Soph version of Snead as well. Losing both those guys is a huge detriment tomorrow. Hopefully Juwann is feeling well and can have a big game tomorrow.

I want the passing game clicking on all cylinders as much as anyone, but we still have to run the ball to be successfull. I hope we can get Desmond and Josh back soon. Still maintain that a very dirty play led to Desmond's injury to begin with. Should have never happened.

One of the keys tomorrow is not being awestruck like we were last year in the Bama game. The guys have to come out fully believing they can compete and win. They have to attack and not play scared.

devildeac
09-10-2011, 10:40 AM
Duke 28
Cardinal 49

We score more points than Wake did against them last year and they don't destroy us like 'Bama did last year. And it'll be 35-21 going into the 4th Q so we'll make a respectable showing but run outta gas on a hot late summer afternoon at WW. Scott and Snead being injured is really gonna hurt us.

OldPhiKap
09-10-2011, 12:15 PM
35-31, Duke. The team comes out focused and with a huge chip on its shoulder. Cardinal are overconfident.

Although I must admit that i'm not a betting man.

Cell-R
09-10-2011, 12:35 PM
Duke 31 - 28 Luck

Luck throws 2 interceptions in the 4th quarter leading to a close Duke win.

dukebsbll14
09-10-2011, 12:43 PM
Hope everyone is strategically changing some article of clothing from last week. For me its a different pair of shorts, different boxers, and the addition of a hat.

hudlow
09-10-2011, 01:20 PM
Hope everyone is strategically changing some article of clothing from last week. For me its a different pair of shorts, different boxers, and the addition of a hat.

I'm naked and I urge all the rest of you who are true believers to be the same.

hud

loldevilz
09-10-2011, 02:02 PM
Stanford 49 - Duke 14 because I live in the real world. I encourage Cutcliffe to do the same.

TruBlu
09-10-2011, 03:07 PM
I'm naked and I urge all the rest of you who are true believers to be the same.

hud

T.M.I.

TruBlu
09-10-2011, 03:11 PM
I'm naked and I urge all the rest of you who are true believers to be the same.

hud

p.s. I hope you are watching from home and not in the stands!

Acymetric
09-10-2011, 03:16 PM
I'm naked and I urge all the rest of you who are true believers to be the same.

hud

At the stadium, taking your advice...there was a decent crowd but for some reason seems to have thinned to 3 or so people.

OldPhiKap
09-10-2011, 03:36 PM
I'm naked and I urge all the rest of you who are true believers to be the same.

hud

Ix-nay on the acetime-fay.

hudlow
09-10-2011, 03:37 PM
At the stadium, taking your advice...there was a decent crowd but for some reason seems to have thinned to 3 or so people.

Be patient.

throatybeard
09-10-2011, 03:56 PM
Drive it all the way down the field, stall inside the ten, miss a 27-yard field goal. That's some textbook Duke football right there.

Acymetric
09-10-2011, 04:34 PM
Why run play clock to 0 before that t.o.?

grossbus
09-10-2011, 04:58 PM
FG misses costly. Mistakes (like shanked punt) holding us back.

arnie
09-10-2011, 05:10 PM
Drive it all the way down the field, stall inside the ten, miss a 27-yard field goal. That's some textbook Duke football right there.

We play well on defense, execute two great trick play calls, and still down by 10 cause we can't punt the ball or kick field goals. You're right, textbook Duke football for the past decades.

dukediv2011
09-10-2011, 05:15 PM
Gotta score on this first drive of the 2nd half! Duke's D is playing exceptionally well. LET'S GO DUKE!

OldPhiKap
09-10-2011, 05:16 PM
Gotta score on this first drive of the 2nd half! Duke's D is playing exceptionally well. LET'S GO DUKE!

Playing well, bad time for fg woes. Get 'em in the second half!

dukediv2011
09-10-2011, 05:18 PM
Playing well, bad time for fg woes. Get 'em in the second half!

And our offense has to start putting the ball in the end zone... NO MORE SACKS! (please...)

AluminumDuke
09-10-2011, 05:21 PM
Just wondering. Which is worse for a kicker's confidence, missing a 49 yarder or having the attempt given to your backup?

cspan37421
09-10-2011, 05:21 PM
FG misses costly. Mistakes (like shanked punt) holding us back.

It's more than that. One of our linemen regularly failed to block his man, leaving our Renfree on his back. I won't call him out here but watch the replay and you'll see him looking back at the carnage a few times.

Like last game I was dying for Renfree to throw the ball more than 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. However, at least this time, I can recognize that he simply isn't being given enough time. The protection is just not there against Stanford.

Obviously the lack of running game is hurting us. We miss Desmond Scott, and Thompson is not at 100%.

Kicking game is pretty bad, obviously. Once again, I'm noticing that the hold is pretty far from vertical. Perhaps Snyderwine wants it that way, but it's not what I'm used to seeing. Perhaps I've not paid enough attention and am only noticing it because of all the misses. But I'm trying to figure out how a kid who was so good last year has had such a bad season so far this year, and the hold is all I can notice. It's been noted that Will S is a walk-on; perhaps it's time to use a scholarship for a place-kicker?

We're not going to be able to trick-play our way into wins. Part of their limited efficacy is the element of surprise, and we're taking chances left and right. It's not a surprise anymore.

I really detest the platooning with running QB Connette. Perhaps the only benefit of it is that at least Renfree won't be on his back every play. Some plays, it'll be Connette.

cspan37421
09-10-2011, 05:25 PM
Just wondering. Which is worse for a kicker's confidence, missing a 49 yarder or having the attempt given to your backup?

Doesn't matter - you got to man up. Start making them. Obviously it couldn't have been a confidence problem going into the Richmond game. As for now, hey, if you're 0-4 with 0-2 inside of 30, you have to know you're on the hot seat anyway. The first attempt by his backup was actually fairly close, but Stanford called the TO. The second one was ugly. Our starter could have missed much better than that.

Luck is good but didn't seem at all invincible. He's thrown some bad balls - but those dump off passes really worked for him in that end-of-half drive. Wish we could do more of that. You don't need that much pass protection to do those. And we don't have much PP to offer anyway.

AluminumDuke
09-10-2011, 05:29 PM
Just wondering. Which is worse for a kicker's confidence, missing a 49 yarder or having the attempt given to your backup?

Oh, they're saying his foot is injured. I guess that answers my question.

Bluedog
09-10-2011, 05:31 PM
At least the offensive playcalling and gutsiness has been there. We certainly can't fault Cutcliffe for being aggressive, and it has largely paid off. Just some key miscues that are keeping us out of it, especially on special teams. Reminds me of teams in the Roof era where special teams would make me cringe basically every time - although of course the onside kick was done to perfection. But, hey, most people thought we were going to get demolished and we're certainly in the game. If we could make a FG or get a first down near the end of the half, it'd be a different story right now. We're doing some good things on offense to move the ball and our D didn't play very well on two drives, but besides that has been solid. Overall, I'm pleased with the playcalls, staying aggressive, and the effort by the players. We just had some lapses in execution, but overall looks like a different team than against Richmond, in my opinion.

buddy
09-10-2011, 05:39 PM
I am glad to see us being aggressive, faking the punt, kicking on side, but can we can the Connette in the Red Zone activity. The way to kill a drive is to take out Renfree.

grossbus
09-10-2011, 05:39 PM
At least the offensive playcalling and gutsiness has been there.


Really? We march down the field with passes then run three times leaving us with a 4th down pass play? Fail!

grossbus
09-10-2011, 05:48 PM
Oof!

Well that probably does it. Decent job by the D until that play.

Bluedog
09-10-2011, 05:48 PM
At least the offensive playcalling and gutsiness has been there.


Really? We march down the field with passes then run three times leaving us with a 4th down pass play? Fail!

Relative to the Richmond game I'd say our playcalling has been a lot more aggressive. Not many coaches go for it on fourth and 4, fourth and 9, fake a punt, and attempt an onside kick in the first half. We've also actually attempted some down the field passes as opposed to simply doing play action or quick slants. It's all relative, I guess...

AluminumDuke
09-10-2011, 05:49 PM
We just had some lapses in execution, but overall looks like a different team than against Richmond, in my opinion.

Yeah, the team against Richmond scored a few times between lapses in execution.

Bluedog
09-10-2011, 06:10 PM
Yeah, the team against Richmond scored a few times between lapses in execution.

The talent that Stanford has is much much better than Richmond. It's not even close. We were more talented than Richmond and still couldn't dictate play as much as we wanted. We are much less talented the Stanford, so yeah, I considered the first half as more impressive than the entire game vs. Richmond. This second half, however, I've only been half paying attention and looks like the wheels are coming off. After watching this team against Richmond, I expected Stanford to beat us by 40+, so the first half was better than I expected. I don't know why everybody is being so negative - I realize it's frustrating, but against this Cardinal team, it's what I expected. Against the Richmond team it was unexpected, so was much more frustrating from my perspective.

AluminumDuke
09-10-2011, 06:16 PM
The talent that Stanford has is much much better than Richmond. It's not even close. We were more talented than Richmond and still couldn't dictate play as much as we wanted. We are much less talented the Stanford, so yeah, I considered the first half as more impressive than the entire game vs. Richmond.

I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just frustrated that the offense hasn't been able to convert their hard work into points. Also very frustrated that the kicking game has fallen so far since last year.

Acymetric
09-10-2011, 07:52 PM
Nothing anyone could ever say will make me think the Connette package is a good idea. Make him an RB, make him the backup QB, heck make him the starter if you think he gives the team the best chance to win...but certainly don't try to tell me its a good idea to play musical chairs with our quarterbacks. If the staff thinks that is our best chance to score then I would hate to see what our offense looks like if we used our QBs the way we're supposed to.

On the other hand, defense impressed me. Crowder impressed me. Boone will be good for us down the road, unless we do whatever we did to Renfree to Boone too. Great poise on that botched snap.

Sixthman
09-10-2011, 08:48 PM
We lost this game in the trenches. If our defense stopped them at the line that meant they gained four yards (because they pushed the whole line down field). If their defense stopped us at the line, that meant a loss of two yards (same reason). Renfree not given adequate protection, although we should have moved him out the pocket to buy some time. Our defense looked great. They were so good that in the first half, Luck looked positively pedestrian. In the second half he made several passes that had NFL QB written all over them. Finally, I wish our coaches would show our defense film of the Stanford defense making tackles twice a week for eternity. By my count, only one Duke player made yards after the initial defensive hit by Stanford until their scrubs were playing in the fourth quarter. Their form is textbook, their strength in obvious, and they are big -- significantly bigger than Duke. It was also notable that the Stanford linemen on both sides with large without being fat. All of them big, fit and fast. All of this said, the intangible feel of the game -- which could not have been worse in the Richmond game -- was good here. If our quarterback play had been a little better and our kicking game had not killed us (field goals and punting were hapless), we would have left this game saying we were competitive. We can fix these problems.

Class of '94
09-10-2011, 09:17 PM
Nothing anyone could ever say will make me think the Connette package is a good idea. Make him an RB, make him the backup QB, heck make him the starter if you think he gives the team the best chance to win...but certainly don't try to tell me its a good idea to play musical chairs with our quarterbacks. If the staff thinks that is our best chance to score then I would hate to see what our offense looks like if we used our QBs the way we're supposed to.

On the other hand, defense impressed me. Crowder impressed me. Boone will be good for us down the road, unless we do whatever we did to Renfree to Boone too. Great poise on that botched snap.

Renfree, IMO, is doing it to himself and it has nothing to do with the coaches. For all the good reports coming out of preseason practices, Renfree, the offense, and now the kicking game has simply not lived up to the hype in terms of translating sucess to the actual games. By the third quarter, Renfree looked rattled (similar to the Alabama game last year). I actually thought Boone looked better than Connette as a passer in terms of poise and accuracy and I would love to see him play more. Granted, Boone played against back-up players. the dissapointing thing for me frow watching these two games is that I thought the offense would be ahead of the defense given all of the returning talent on the offensive side of the ball; but it has been the defense that has stepped up and kept Duke in these games for as long as they could. Coach K said it best on the ESPNU telecast in that we lost the momentum of the game at the end of the first half when we didn't score any points; and if we had scored, he felt the game could've been different because once the kids [the offense] score the ball the first time, they would've done it again and again because of doing it the first time. I just did not expect the offense and kicking game to struggle as much as they have been.

uh_no
09-10-2011, 09:27 PM
Renfree, IMO, is doing it to himself and it has nothing to do with the coaches.

19-27 for 180 yds....not sure you can criticize the guy when he got sacked FIVE TIMES, and was hurried countless times....thats on the O-line....and you cna't blame renfree for the coaches only letting him pass in the redzone on fourth down the one drive....

he didn't relaly have an opportunity to show his stuff today, and that's not his fault. He did the best anyone would have done completing >2/3 of his passes and not throwing a single int despite being under so much pressure all game

Acymetric
09-10-2011, 09:28 PM
Renfree, IMO, is doing it to himself and it has nothing to do with the coaches.

What had Sean done 5 minutes into the game, on the teams first drive, after going 4-4 for 46 yards to take the team from their own 21 to Stanford's 14 to warrant being yanked for a play in favor of Connette? Granted, they did put Sean back in on 2nd down so at least he got 2 shots to get a first or score instead of the usual Connette on 1st and 2nd, Sean on 3rd and long strategy we seem to love.


This isn't Renfree losing PT because he isn't effective enough, its the coaches thinking they're smarter than everyone else and trying to get way to cute. Everybody knows what is coming when BC comes in the game. Probably even the guys on the other team who get paid to know.

devildeac
09-10-2011, 09:49 PM
What had Sean done 5 minutes into the game, on the teams first drive, after going 4-4 for 46 yards to take the team from their own 21 to Stanford's 14 to warrant being yanked for a play in favor of Connette? Granted, they did put Sean back in on 2nd down so at least he got 2 shots to get a first or score instead of the usual Connette on 1st and 2nd, Sean on 3rd and long strategy we seem to love.


This isn't Renfree losing PT because he isn't effective enough, its the coaches thinking they're smarter than everyone else and trying to get way to cute. Everybody knows what is coming when BC comes in the game. Probably even the guys on the other team who get paid to know.

From the report I got texted after the game, it looks/sounds like we might not have to worry about Connette for a while due to a "torn AC in his shoulder."
IANAO (I am not an orthopod) and not sure exactly what that means but I am going to "think/assume" it means a torn acromio-clavicular joint. This is where the acromion part of the scapula joins with the clavicle.

cspan37421
09-10-2011, 09:50 PM
We lost this game in the trenches. If our defense stopped them at the line that meant they gained four yards (because they pushed the whole line down field). If their defense stopped us at the line, that meant a loss of two yards (same reason). Renfree not given adequate protection, although we should have moved him out the pocket to buy some time. ... Their form is textbook, their strength in obvious, and they are big -- significantly bigger than Duke. It was also notable that the Stanford linemen on both sides with large without being fat. All of them big, fit and fast. All of this said, the intangible feel of the game -- which could not have been worse in the Richmond game -- was good here. If our quarterback play had been a little better and our kicking game had not killed us (field goals and punting were hapless), we would have left this game saying we were competitive. We can fix these problems.

I largely agree though I'm not convinced our QB play could have been much better in THIS game. Renfree just didn't have time to throw longer balls, and he didn't throw a pick. That said, with the Stanford D-line in our backfield within 2 seconds, you might have hoped for more dumpoff passes that could get 5-7 yards a play, consistently.

The kicking game was by any measure poor, but we didn't lose by 8, we lost by 30. I liked our first-half defense but we gave up some big plays in the second half.

I don't know how much you can do when you're facing a much bigger line. It's not impossible though - TCU was quite a bit smaller than Wisconsin last year - W's line was expected to totally manhandle them - yet TCU won the bowl game. I bet Boise is smaller, or at least was, than a lot of these top 25 teams they've regularly beaten. So it can be done. But probably 9 times out of 10 (unless your coach is Patterson or Peterson), a significantly bigger line will win the game.

Let's not forget our top running back was out and our next one was not 100%. Not that we would have won the game - it didn't look like there were many holes we opened up for our runners - but it would have helped.

cspan37421
09-10-2011, 09:52 PM
From the report I got texted after the game, it looks/sounds like we might not have to worry about Connette for a while due to a "torn AC in his shoulder."
IANAO (I am not an orthopod) and not sure exactly what that means but I am going to "think/assume" it means a torn acromio-clavicular joint. This is where the acromion part of the scapula joins with the clavicle.

We have had really bad luck with injuries this young season.

OldPhiKap
09-10-2011, 09:59 PM
Very happy with the effort, wish we had kicked better. But, when you compare this to the Alabama measure stick last year, a good try.

Now we know what we need to impove. Time to turn it up. Kudos to Cut and the staff's game plan and play calling.

Hope Renfree and Connette are okay.

pbc2
09-10-2011, 10:02 PM
Great to meet many DBR folks in Blue Devil Alley today. Tough loss, but the team continues to show flashes of its potential. It's a matter of putting all the pieces together, and Cut mentioned this in the postgame, playing 60 minutes of good football, not just good football at times. Hopefully they turn the corner next week at BC.

Anyway, here's a BDN Rapid Reaction (http://bit.ly/n6WvSv) with Matt Daniels and Kelby Brown interviews.

devildeac
09-10-2011, 10:05 PM
We have had really bad luck with injuries this young season.

Cut said after the game Snyderwine twisted his ankle on the on-side kick (from Newton_14) and should be fine.

It was really tough sitting there in the last 1:30 of the 1st half and most of the 2nd half and see the wheels fall off. To have the "mo" after the on-side kick and then lose about 10 yards and then proceed to have a 13 yard punt and give up a TD in about 40 seconds were killers. Add that to the 6 or 9 points we left on the field with the missed FGs and our horrible coverage on their long completion on their 1st TD drive, we could have easily been down by only 1 or 4 points or even leading at the half. Painful.

devildeac
09-10-2011, 10:23 PM
Best thing was our star-studded tailgate with such dignitaries (in no particular order) as Bob Green, Newton_14, CB&B (and his ribs), sagegrouse, Ozzie, Laettner (he refused to "stomp" on my chest but kindly consented to a photo with my older daughter and her husband-to-be, both of whom are unc fans), Greg Newton (the poster, not the MBB player;)), TNTDevil's ribs and wings and outrageous desserts, Marty (still doesn't foul) Clark, allenmurray, Acymetric and several others made appearances and stayed for quite a while. Dennard was a no-show.

Newton_14
09-10-2011, 10:30 PM
Cut said after the game Snyderwine twisted his ankle on the on-side kick (from Newton_14) and should be fine.

It was really tough sitting there in the last 1:30 of the 1st half and most of the 2nd half and see the wheels fall off. To have the "mo" after the on-side kick and then lose about 10 yards and then proceed to have a 13 yard punt and give up a TD in about 40 seconds were killers. Add that to the 6 or 9 points we left on the field with the missed FGs and our horrible coverage on their long completion on their 1st TD drive, we could have easily been down by only 1 or 4 points or even leading at the half. Painful.

Leaving all those point on the table in that first half was a morale killer for one, but that, combined with the sequence of plays immediately following the successful onside kick, was just plain brutal. You mentioned the sacks and shanked punt, but then they score quickly, we drive down the field and miss yet another FG. Add up all that and it killed our spirits and set the tone for the 2nd half. Maybe they hang 27 on us in the 2nd half anyway, but I would have loved to have had the chance to start the 2nd half up 16-10, and then get 3 or 7 out of that first drive in the 2nd Half where we had to go for it on 4th down in the red zone due to Will being out at that point.

Just shows how quickly things can get out of hand when you do not capitalize on scoring opportunities.

Newton_14
09-10-2011, 10:40 PM
Best thing was our star-studded tailgate with such dignitaries (in no particular order) as Bob Green, Newton_14, CB&B (and his ribs), sagegrouse, Ozzie, Laettner (he refused to "stomp" on my chest but kindly consented to a photo with my older daughter and her husband-to-be, both of whom are unc fans), Greg Newton (the poster, not the MBB player;)), TNTDevil's ribs and wings and outrageous desserts, Marty (still doesn't foul) Clark, allenmurray, Acymetric and several others made appearances and stayed for quite a while. Dennard was a no-show.

I second that. Food was outstanding. Also had DevilInTheBlueDress, Sagegrouse, Jarhead, Killerleft and a couple of others who's names escapes me. Also, Wojo, with wife, Chris Collins, and Jeff Capel sat 4 rows in front of us during the game.

Whoever cooked the ribs should open a restaurant! Best ribs I have enjoyed in years! Awesome job by all!

Big thanks to DevilDeac, and CameronBorn&Bred for allowing a mod to sit with them during the game!:)

uh_no
09-10-2011, 10:41 PM
There were so many positives to come out of this game, quite the contrast from last week. I still fail to understand why we use connette in the redzone, especially when over the past 2 years, cutcliffe has commented that we need to improve our redzone efficiency. Maybe renfree shows in practice that he's just not good in those situations? who knows, but the definition of insanity is doing the same thing expecting different results.....not that I think the coaches are insane :P, but I wonder what their justification is for not trying different things when we get so close.

While the 13 yd punt was bad, its good to note that on his other three punts, he averaged about 45 yards, which is pretty good.

Will has proven he's a pretty good kicker, and i'm sure he'll get himself straightened out.

as others have pointed out, renfree threw no interceptions and was 19-27 for 180 yds, which considering the circumstances is pretty good I think. I believe at one point in the first half he was at an even higher percentage, but i don't konw for sure. Redzone issues aside, that was some darn good football we played (all things considered) in the first half.

I hope the guys can come out of it with their heads held high, with so many more positives than came out of the bama game last year. I wish all the banged up guys speedy returns.....after that showing in the first half, there isn't any reason we can't hang with anyone in the ACC, and if we hang with teams, we'll beat some of them. The hardest game of the year is behind us now, and that's a very promising thought.

6th Man
09-10-2011, 10:46 PM
Wow, we have got to get field goals down. 3 missed field goals in the first half. Score should have been 17-16. Duke would have then kicked a field goal on the first posession in the second half instead of going for it on 4th down. Should have been 19-17 Duke and then it would have been a totally different ballgame.

On a side note I love the aggresive playcalls by the coaches, but I will never understand the Connette thing. Particularly when you are playing a team physically bigger and stronger. Never fails that Renfree is on fire moving us down field and then Connette gets the call in the redzone. It's like JJ Redick hitting 3 three's in a row and then pulling him for a walk-on. That one strategy alone does make me question our staff. That just isn't going to work on a team like Stanford. I still think it cost us a game against B.C. last year. Frustrating. I'd rather you run it with our running backs or throw it with Renfree. Connette doesn't run it as well as our backs and doesn't throw it as well as Renfree...just astonishing that this is our redzone "go to" play. We aren't catching anyone by surprise at this point with it.

bloodevil
09-10-2011, 10:52 PM
I don't often cruise message boards, and it is even more rare that I post. I was unable to attend the 1st 2 games (I think there is a conspiracy against football by youth soccer), but I made sure I had Duke fans in my seats. Despite the loss, I am encouraged by the tone of the Stanford thread versus the Richmond thread. Developing a winning culture takes time and patience. I understand and sympathize with even the most negative comments, but to me, that is evidence of a certain passion. We have the right person at the helm. We just need to keep the faith, and give our full support. Go Devils!

Newton_14
09-10-2011, 10:52 PM
Wow, we have got to get field goals down. 3 missed field goals in the first half. Score should have been 17-16. Duke would have then kicked a field goal on the first posession in the second half instead of going for it on 4th down. Should have been 19-17 Duke and then it would have been a totally different ballgame.

On a side note I love the aggresive playcalls by the coaches, but I will never understand the Connette thing. Particularly when you are playing a team physically bigger and stronger. Never fails that Renfree is on fire moving us down field and then Connette gets the call in the redzone. It's like JJ Redick hitting 3 three's in a row and then pulling him for a walk-on. That one strategy alone does make me question our staff. That just isn't going to work on a team like Stanford. I still think it cost us a game against B.C. last year. Frustrating. I'd rather you run it with our running backs or throw it with Renfree. Connette doesn't run it as well as our backs and doesn't throw it as well as Renfree...just astonishing that this is our redzone "go to" play. We aren't catching anyone by surprise at this point with it.

Just one correction. As noted earlier, Will got hurt on the onside kick. He did not attempt the last FG in the first half due to the injury, and we went for it on the first series in the 2nd half due to Will being hurt, and no confidence in his backup.

I agree with you on the Connette strategy. Boone looked better today to be honest, (albeit against backups), threw the ball well, and showed great poise on a bad snap.

devildeac
09-10-2011, 10:55 PM
I second that. Food was outstanding. Also had DevilInTheBlueDress, Sagegrouse, Jarhead, Killerleft and a couple of others who's names escapes me. Also, Wojo, with wife, Chris Collins, and Jeff Capel sat 4 rows in front of us during the game.

Whoever cooked the ribs should open a restaurant! Best ribs I have enjoyed in years! Awesome job by all!

Big thanks to DevilDeac, and CameronBorn&Bred for allowing a mod to sit with them during the game!
:)
Is that worth a "get out of jail free card" or "bonus sporks" in the future?;)

2050

Sixthman
09-10-2011, 11:06 PM
I largely agree though I'm not convinced our QB play could have been much better in THIS game. Renfree just didn't have time to throw longer balls, and he didn't throw a pick. That said, with the Stanford D-line in our backfield within 2 seconds, you might have hoped for more dumpoff passes that could get 5-7 yards a play, consistently.

The kicking game was by any measure poor, but we didn't lose by 8, we lost by 30. I liked our first-half defense but we gave up some big plays in the second half.

I don't know how much you can do when you're facing a much bigger line. It's not impossible though - TCU was quite a bit smaller than Wisconsin last year - W's line was expected to totally manhandle them - yet TCU won the bowl game. I bet Boise is smaller, or at least was, than a lot of these top 25 teams they've regularly beaten. So it can be done. But probably 9 times out of 10 (unless your coach is Patterson or Peterson), a significantly bigger line will win the game.

Let's not forget our top running back was out and our next one was not 100%. Not that we would have won the game - it didn't look like there were many holes we opened up for our runners - but it would have helped.

My thought about Renfree is not to criticize what he did, but to lament what it seems he is not doing, or what the coaches are having him not do. There is no feeling this year -- at least so far -- that he is a leader on the field. He is executing within reason, given the limitations of the team as a whole, but IMO he is not trying to be a difference maker -- a play maker. He appears to lack energy and does lack innovation. He is not throwing the ball down field much (which may be a coaches decision), and instead, is mostly dumping the ball off to others, hoping they will be play makers. Of course, reading the field and making the right choice is key to enabling others, but sometimes, the right choice is to make the play yourself -- by making a great throw or by creating options using your feet. It's not that he is trying and failing on this count, but that he seems not to be trying. You could fairly defend him by saying that without adequate time, it is tough to get the ball down field. You could also say that without time, the playbook is cut by two-thirds, and there is an even greater premium on making gutsy plays. I have no idea if this is fair as a criticism of Renfree or the play calling. I do believe that we cannot be a good football team without a quarterback who is a difference maker.

6th Man
09-10-2011, 11:07 PM
Just one correction. As noted earlier, Will got hurt on the onside kick. He did not attempt the last FG in the first half due to the injury, and we went for it on the first series in the 2nd half due to Will being hurt, and no confidence in his backup.

That's why I said kicking in general and didn't single out Snyderwine. Plus Snyderwine is 0-4 this year. The first series of the seond half was set up perfectly in the middle of the field. At that point I can't argue having no confidence, but 3 field goals should have been made in the first half. Regardless of who the kicker is, a 4th should have been made to make it 19-17. Honestly we should have a backup that can make those kicks. Our kicking game needs MAJOR work.

Newton_14
09-10-2011, 11:30 PM
That's why I said kicking in general and didn't single out Snyderwine. Plus Snyderwine is 0-4 this year. The first series of the seond half was set up perfectly in the middle of the field. At that point I can't argue having no confidence, but 3 field goals should have been made in the first half. Regardless of who the kicker is, a 4th should have been made to make it 19-17. Honestly we should have a backup that can make those kicks. Our kicking game needs MAJOR work.

Yeah, I hear you. Will is in a slump for sure and now has the injury to deal with. It appears at this point, we have limited options in terms of backups. Asack handled the kickoff duty after the Boone touchdown, and had a pretty decent kick there, getting it to the endzone. No clue on how good he is at FG's but if Will misses any time, we will likely find out.

FWIW, Cutcliffe spoke at length on the situation with Will during the post-game. Cut said he told Will, that he is a good kicker, and did NOT somehow become a bad kicker overnight. Cut related it to a baseball player in a hitting slump, and a golfer who has lost his swing. The advice he gave Will, was, using the golf analogy, to not tinker with the swing. He doesn't think it is a mechanics issue. Cut told him his rhythm is off, and he needs to focus on his routine. Get his mind set on the routine, and approach he has always taken, leading up to the point of the kick, and then just kick the dang thing. Cut is confident he will get back to normal.

We sure need him. It hurt us big time in both games. He was 21 for 24 last season and perfect on the year from 30 yards in, so I have to believe he bounces back..

devildeac
09-10-2011, 11:34 PM
Drive it all the way down the field, stall inside the ten, miss a 27-yard field goal. That's some textbook Duke football right there.

The delay of game in the 2nd half as we lined up to punt with 4th and 10 from our 8 yard line that cost us half the distance was pretty classic, too. Outcome was decided by that time but still was irritating. Kinda like the TO we called against Richmond last week just before a critical 3rd down play and then came out of the TO and had an illegal procedure penalty called on us:mad:.

SupaDave
09-11-2011, 12:32 AM
I'd just like to point out that Stanford put a first round draft pick on the field today - at QB. Potential multiple trophy winner. That was a great team. Blue Devils will show lots of improvement in the next game.

Class of '94
09-11-2011, 01:20 AM
My thought about Renfree is not to criticize what he did, but to lament what it seems he is not doing, or what the coaches are having him not do. There is no feeling this year -- at least so far -- that he is a leader on the field. He is executing within reason, given the limitations of the team as a whole, but IMO he is not trying to be a difference maker -- a play maker. He appears to lack energy and does lack innovation. He is not throwing the ball down field much (which may be a coaches decision), and instead, is mostly dumping the ball off to others, hoping they will be play makers. Of course, reading the field and making the right choice is key to enabling others, but sometimes, the right choice is to make the play yourself -- by making a great throw or by creating options using your feet. It's not that he is trying and failing on this count, but that he seems not to be trying. You could fairly defend him by saying that without adequate time, it is tough to get the ball down field. You could also say that without time, the playbook is cut by two-thirds, and there is an even greater premium on making gutsy plays. I have no idea if this is fair as a criticism of Renfree or the play calling. I do believe that we cannot be a good football team without a quarterback who is a difference maker.

You put into words what I was feeling about the QB play of Renfree. I'm not trying to unfarily critcize him; but while he may have ben 18-27 for 180 yds an no interceptions, he had no touchdowns either. That may have been the result of the coaches' playcalling and not letting Renfree loose. I don't know.....but I would do know is that Sean has got to do more (or be allowed to do more) when he gets pressured. Granted, out O-line wasn't give Sean help most times on Stanford's rush; but I still found myself wishing Thad was back on center again because I wanted a QB to be that leader on the field and make gutsy plays. I thought Sean showed flashes of that and maybe that can be cause for optimism in future games. And again, I was impressed by what Boone showed today; moreso than what Connette did (and that could be a direct result of playcalling and the backups Boone was playing against). And I do think that despite the loss, The Devils did looked like a better team and showed improvement against Stanford compared to Richmond. Now we just have to put all together and win some games.

Greg_Newton
09-11-2011, 01:23 AM
Great to meet many DBR folks in Blue Devil Alley today.

Seconded! Fun to meet everyone and put faces with "names"...

I'd be really interested to know what the first-half stats looked like. Even given the fact that a Duke 1st-and-10 in Stanford territory with 2:15 left ended up in a Stanford Touchdown with 45 seconds left, we still would have had a 17-16 game at the half against a top 10 team. Plus, their only touchdown in the first 28 minutes came largely from a flea-flicker - our defense actually made last year's #1 pick look pretty awful during that span.

I was never expecting a win, so I just hope the team can use this game as a positive source of confidence going forward - proof that they can play with anyone - rather than it having the opposite, deflating effect that the Alabama game had last year.

Couple other things-

-I'm a little torn on Renfree. On the one hand, you can't really fault a guy when his line only gives him 1-2 seconds to release a pass - he was really mostly limited to bubble screens and quick slants today. However, at some point, you have to accept the reality that our line isn't going to allow our QB much time in the pocket, and question whether how well his skill set can be utilized in that context; he'd be great if he had Alabama's O-line, but he's very slow and methodical in his movements, seems to take hits pretty hard, and has virtually zero escapability. When Boone rolled out of the pocket when his protection broke down and got a big completion on the run, I remember thinking how that would have almost certainly been a sack with Renfree in. Something to consider, at least.

-I was again pretty impressed by Thompson - he's the toughest RB we've had in a while, in that he can actually run between the tackles and gain yards after a hit. I like him a lot.

-Big props to the staff for letting loose and pulling out all the stops - the fake punt, the onsides kick, the first couple 4th down conversions were the kind of brilliant, aggressive moves we'd been hoping to see. However, I think not kicking a FG down 17-7 was a huge mistake... I mean, our red zone offense is atrocious anyway, and it's not like our offense was exactly rolling. I'm in the "let your shooters keep shooting" school; I'd much rather drive 60 yards and miss a FG than drive 60 yards and turn the ball over on downs because you're going for it on 4th-and-long by default.

watzone
09-11-2011, 01:36 AM
Best thing was our star-studded tailgate with such dignitaries (in no particular order) as Bob Green, Newton_14, CB&B (and his ribs), sagegrouse, Ozzie, Laettner (he refused to "stomp" on my chest but kindly consented to a photo with my older daughter and her husband-to-be, both of whom are unc fans), Greg Newton (the poster, not the MBB player;)), TNTDevil's ribs and wings and outrageous desserts, Marty (still doesn't foul) Clark, allenmurray, Acymetric and several others made appearances and stayed for quite a while. Dennard was a no-show.


Interestingly, just after I met some of you and left the tailgate for the media room, there was Kenny loading his plate with Chickin and BBQ and whatever else he could fit on without falling off:0 We chatted about "Rubber Hurley," a long story ... They do feed media well but it paled in comparison to what I xmelled in yalls group. Next time Watzone comes along, at least offer him a bone, LOL.

Bob Green
09-11-2011, 06:07 AM
Best thing was our star-studded tailgate...

The tailgate was great! Each year I attend it is enjoyable to connect more names with faces. My dad, brother and nephew had a grand time so many thanks to Ozzie4Duke, CB&B, DukePA, TNTDevil, DevilDeac and the entire True Blue 'Cue Crew for their continued hospitality to me and my family.

This year I met Sagegrouse, pbc2, Newton 14 and Greg Newton (and others) during the tailgate! Despite the final score, the day was a huge success.

devildeac
09-11-2011, 07:22 AM
Interestingly, just after I met some of you and left the tailgate for the media room, there was Kenny loading his plate with Chickin and BBQ and whatever else he could fit on without falling off:0 We chatted about "Rubber Hurley," a long story ... They do feed media well but it paled in comparison to what I xmelled in yalls group. Next time Watzone comes along, at least offer him a bone, LOL.

Ooops, not only do I forget to mention you, pbc2 and Blue Devil Nation in our list of "dignitaries," but you call me/us out on being bad hosts at our tailgate for not even offering you a bite to eat and a cool beverage:o. Apologies extended your way and an invitation to join us next time for some refreshment. I'll send you a PM or you can contact Ozzie who takes care of most of the details with our tent group. We do feed ourselves well. Very well. And folks like you stopping by makes our experience in Devil's Alley that much better.

OZZIE4DUKE
09-11-2011, 09:23 AM
Seconded! Fun to meet everyone and put faces with "names"...

I'd be really interested to know what the first-half stats looked like. Even given the fact that a Duke 1st-and-10 in Stanford territory with 2:15 left ended up in a Stanford Touchdown with 45 seconds left, we still would have had a 17-16 game at the half against a top 10 team. Plus, their only touchdown in the first 28 minutes came largely from a flea-flicker - our defense actually made last year's #1 pick look pretty awful during that span.

I was never expecting a win, so I just hope the team can use this game as a positive source of confidence going forward - proof that they can play with anyone - rather than it having the opposite, deflating effect that the Alabama game had last year.

Couple other things-

-I'm a little torn on Renfree. On the one hand, you can't really fault a guy when his line only gives him 1-2 seconds to release a pass - he was really mostly limited to bubble screens and quick slants today. However, at some point, you have to accept the reality that our line isn't going to allow our QB much time in the pocket, and question whether how well his skill set can be utilized in that context; he'd be great if he had Alabama's O-line, but he's very slow and methodical in his movements, seems to take hits pretty hard, and has virtually zero escapability. When Boone rolled out of the pocket when his protection broke down and got a big completion on the run, I remember thinking how that would have almost certainly been a sack with Renfree in. Something to consider, at least.

-I was again pretty impressed by Thompson - he's the toughest RB we've had in a while, in that he can actually run between the tackles and gain yards after a hit. I like him a lot.

-Big props to the staff for letting loose and pulling out all the stops - the fake punt, the onsides kick, the first couple 4th down conversions were the kind of brilliant, aggressive moves we'd been hoping to see. However, I think not kicking a FG down 17-7 was a huge mistake... I mean, our red zone offense is atrocious anyway, and it's not like our offense was exactly rolling. I'm in the "let your shooters keep shooting" school; I'd much rather drive 60 yards and miss a FG than drive 60 yards and turn the ball over on downs because you're going for it on 4th-and-long by default.
Good meeting you yesterday. Newton 14 and Sagegrouse too! pcb2 I seem to have missed you. Stop by at the Tulane game again!

I thought our defense played very well yesterday. Making Andrew Luck and the Stanford offense look very ordinary for the first half was outstanding! Kudos to Lee Butler for running the INT all the way back for a TD! Our (young) O-line just was physically outmatched by Stanford's D and we couldn't protect Renfree. I would love to have seen more medium range passing, but I doubt he had time for even that. Maybe next week. I hope Sean's neck is OK. I'm sorry that Connette has gotten hurt, and Boone did well against their last team defense, leading us to the last minute touchdown (YAY!), but taking downs away from Renfree in the redzone just doesn't work when you can't run the ball. It was fantastically successful last year for/with Connette, but we're not surprising anyone and the defense knows that if he's in the game, he's running with it 99% of the time. If the line can open a hole for him, that's one thing, but...



Interestingly, just after I met some of you and left the tailgate for the media room, there was Kenny loading his plate with Chickin and BBQ and whatever else he could fit on without falling off:0 We chatted about "Rubber Hurley," a long story ... They do feed media well but it paled in comparison to what I xmelled in yalls group. Next time Watzone comes along, at least offer him a bone, LOL.
My apologies. Guess we were all preoccupied with Laettner being there at the time. All you had to do was ask! You're always welcome and I've got a frosty beverage in the cooler for you! And I'm really ticked that Dennard didn't make it our way. He had assured me he would.


The tailgate was great! Each year I attend it is enjoyable to connect more names with faces. My dad, brother and nephew had a grand time so many thanks to Ozzie4Duke, CB&B, DukePA, TNTDevil, DevilDeac and the entire True Blue 'Cue Crew for their continued hospitality to me and my family.

This year I met Sagegrouse, pbc2, Newton 14 and Greg Newton (and others) during the tailgate! Despite the final score, the day was a huge success.
Great to see you again Bob. And I'm glad your brother graciously accepted the message that there is no openly rooting for carolina in our tent :eek:

Ooops, not only do I forget to mention you, pbc2 and Blue Devil Nation in our list of "dignitaries," but you call me/us out on being bad hosts at our tailgate for not even offering you a bite to eat and a cool beverage:o. Apologies extended your way and an invitation to join us next time for some refreshment. I'll send you a PM or you can contact Ozzie who takes care of most of the details with our tent group. We do feed ourselves well. Very well. And folks like you stopping by makes our experience in Devil's Alley that much better.

uh_no
09-11-2011, 11:05 AM
The tailgate was great! Each year I attend it is enjoyable to connect more names with faces. My dad, brother and nephew had a grand time so many thanks to Ozzie4Duke, CB&B, DukePA, TNTDevil, DevilDeac and the entire True Blue 'Cue Crew for their continued hospitality to me and my family.

This year I met Sagegrouse, pbc2, Newton 14 and Greg Newton (and others) during the tailgate! Despite the final score, the day was a huge success.

Its amazing how the atmosphere gets better and better each year. given everyone here went to games long before I did, but being the last duke class to be here during the roof era, really allowed me to see the dramatic change. Seeing people out on the quad just chilling, going behind the allen building and finding bands of people grilling and playing cornhole....that's what gameday in college is about....and I await monday's chronicle to see the outcome of the second "new" tailgate for the students. I hope cutcliffe is thrilled that 3 years of work is finally instilled a change in the pregame environment.

devildeac
09-11-2011, 01:13 PM
It's progress.

Last year, we lost to 'Bama by 49 and it was basically over after the 1st Q, down 0-28, IIRC. I remember extrapolating the score for an entire game and really hoping they would not score 100 points on us:o. Stanford beat WFU last year by a similar score, something like 63-24. Pretty bad Saturday for ol' devildeac:(.

This year, we had ourselves a ball game at the half and think what might have been if 4 or 5 events had been different: failure to cover a wide open WR on their flea flicker for about a 50 yard gain, our 1st FG miss, our 3 and out after the successful on-side kick followed by a 13 yard punt and making one of two FG tries from beyond 40 yards. Not saying we would have won. Not saying they still would not have hung 27 points on us in the second half but just thinking out loud if it would have been different.

I hope Cut and the staff can keep them focused and prevent them from becoming dispirited. I hope we can heal a bit physically and not turn this one L into another one like happened last year after 'Bama destroyed us.

uh_no
09-11-2011, 01:15 PM
I hope Cut and the staff can keep them focused and prevent them from becoming dispirited. I hope we can heal a bit physically and not turn this one L into another one like happened last year after 'Bama destroyed us.

Our players should have their heads held high....just too many positives to come away thinking about the failures.

Olympic Fan
09-11-2011, 01:39 PM
I didn't post about football after the Richmond loss (and barely glanced at the postgame debate) because I was so discouraged. I went into the season with high hopes and was devastated by Duke's poor showing. There was simply no positives to come out of the game.

I feel a bit better after the Stanford game. Obviously, I'm disappointed about the second-half collapse, but I'm encouraged that Duke could go head-to-head with a legit top 10 team for a half and hold its own. Indeed, with a decent kicking game -- which was supposed to be a strength this season -- Duke probably leads at the half. No telling how long they hang if that happens -- missing all those field goals really changed the momentum of the game.

That said, I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by Duke's inability to convert long drives into touchdowns. That was a problem a year ago, although it was somewhat covered up by Snyderwine's ability to convert such drives into field goals with great consistency. But in the long run, a good team needs to convert about two-thirds of its red zone penetrations into touchdowns. We haven't been close to that for two seasons.

Part of the problem is the inability to line up and blast people on the ground. As a passing team, it's tougher as the field gets smaller. Even when Spurrier was here, that was a problem. Still, you've got to try and let Renfree throw for the touchdown -- in two games this year, DUKE HAS NOT TRIED A SINGLE PASS INTO THE END ZONE. Instead, we bring in the Connette package and try to use him to run it in. It had some limited success last year (he had eight running touchdowns), but opponents are becoming increasingly aware of his game and are clamping down on it. Against Stanford, Connette rushed six times and didn't gain a single yard -- he lost on most of his attempts.

In the long run, I wonder what it does to Renfree to march the team all the way down the field -- usually with accurate short passes -- than to get unside the 10 or 15 and replace him with Connette. Two failed runs and Renfree is back facing a third and long. That's tough. I think it's time for Coach Cut to make a commitment to Renfree. He's our QB, he's a good one and I want to see him given the opportunity to get us in the end zone.

As discouraged as I still am about the Richmond loss, I saw the team I expected to see this year in the first half against Stanford. I do not believe the season is lost. If you remember 2009, Duke suffered a tough loss to Richmond in the opener and bounced back to get to 5-3 at the end of October before injuries decimated the team and led to four straight losses.

There's still a long of young talent on this team. We need to get Snyderwine back on track. We need to convert our long drives into touchdowns. We're not that far away ...

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-11-2011, 01:47 PM
I didn't post about football after the Richmond loss (and barely glanced at the postgame debate) because I was so discouraged. I went into the season with high hopes and was devastated by Duke's poor showing. There was simply no positives to come out of the game.

I feel a bit better after the Stanford game. Obviously, I'm disappointed about the second-half collapse, but I'm encouraged that Duke could go head-to-head with a legit top 10 team for a half and hold its own. Indeed, with a decent kicking game -- which was supposed to be a strength this season -- Duke probably leads at the half. No telling how long they hang if that happens -- missing all those field goals really changed the momentum of the game.

That said, I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by Duke's inability to convert long drives into touchdowns. That was a problem a year ago, although it was somewhat covered up by Snyderwine's ability to convert such drives into field goals with great consistency. But in the long run, a good team needs to convert about two-thirds of its red zone penetrations into touchdowns. We haven't been close to that for two seasons.

Part of the problem is the inability to line up and blast people on the ground. As a passing team, it's tougher as the field gets smaller. Even when Spurrier was here, that was a problem. Still, you've got to try and let Renfree throw for the touchdown -- in two games this year, DUKE HAS NOT TRIED A SINGLE PASS INTO THE END ZONE. Instead, we bring in the Connette package and try to use him to run it in. It had some limited success last year (he had eight running touchdowns), but opponents are becoming increasingly aware of his game and are clamping down on it. Against Stanford, Connette rushed six times and didn't gain a single yard -- he lost on most of his attempts.

In the long run, I wonder what it does to Renfree to march the team all the way down the field -- usually with accurate short passes -- than to get unside the 10 or 15 and replace him with Connette. Two failed runs and Renfree is back facing a third and long. That's tough. I think it's time for Coach Cut to make a commitment to Renfree. He's our QB, he's a good one and I want to see him given the opportunity to get us in the end zone.

As discouraged as I still am about the Richmond loss, I saw the team I expected to see this year in the first half against Stanford. I do not believe the season is lost. If you remember 2009, Duke suffered a tough loss to Richmond in the opener and bounced back to get to 5-3 at the end of October before injuries decimated the team and led to four straight losses.

There's still a long of young talent on this team. We need to get Snyderwine back on track. We need to convert our long drives into touchdowns. We're not that far away ...
Great observations. Connette's injury will no doubt cause some adjustments in the game plans. I agree regarding many positives hidden among the plays yesterday.

uh_no
09-11-2011, 02:04 PM
Part of the problem is the inability to line up and blast people on the ground. As a passing team, it's tougher as the field gets smaller. Even when Spurrier was here, that was a problem. Still, you've got to try and let Renfree throw for the touchdown -- in two games this year, DUKE HAS NOT TRIED A SINGLE PASS INTO THE END ZONE. Instead, we bring in the Connette package and try to use him to run it in. It had some limited success last year (he had eight running touchdowns), but opponents are becoming increasingly aware of his game and are clamping down on it. Against Stanford, Connette rushed six times and didn't gain a single yard -- he lost on most of his attempts.


I think this must be frustrating for renfree, and I think most of us here are really frustrated by this approach....as you said, its obvious what's coming, and even when it wasn't it wasn't highly successful....and then brinigng in renfree on 4th down to give him one shot to throw? how can the guy be the leader on the team when he's never given the opportunity to get the ball into the endzone? I imagine it must be demoralizing for a lot of the guys on the team too


We'll see for sure with connette out whether having renfree in the redzone is actually more successful than the connette package......or who knows...maybe the next thing will be to go wildcat in the redzone... (speaking of which, go fins)

killerleft
09-11-2011, 04:02 PM
Great tailgate experience... thanks for the hospitality, folks! Nice to see again/meet so many nice people.

Only echoing earlier posts... but how strange that our supposed strengths, kicking game and offense, have held us back in the first two games. Kudos to the defense, I thought they just had to stay on the field way too long and finally wore down. The playcalling was better. Connette (hopefully his injury isn't too serious) has little chance of showing his full potential being used as a run-only quarterback. And QB Anthony Boone showed great decisiveness and confidence in himself during his touchdown series at the end of the game. Finally - that onside kick play was beautifully done.

uh_no
09-11-2011, 04:51 PM
Only echoing earlier posts... but how strange that our supposed strengths, kicking game and offense, have held us back in the first two games. Kudos to the defense, I thought they just had to stay on the field way too long and finally wore down. The playcalling was better. Connette (hopefully his injury isn't too serious) has little chance of showing his full potential being used as a run-only quarterback. And QB Anthony Boone showed great decisiveness and confidence in himself during his touchdown series at the end of the game. Finally - that onside kick play was beautifully done.


Despite the lack of points, the offense put up 335 yards.....and renfree moved the ball down the field all game. The lack of points cannot be attributed to renfree, who hardly saw a play before 4th down in the endzone, but also to the kicking team (which you point out was a problem). Looking past that, the offense was actually really good....we lost our top two running backs, had no running game and STILL put up over 300 yards off the pass....I'm not sure you could have asked much more from the offense (in terms of overall productivity.

I don't know how you can say that the defense was on the field too long when we out possessed stanford by 40%.....25 to 35.....if anything THEIR defense should have been the ones complaining about wearing down.

the connette redzone 2 year long experiment is a continuing disaster. Renfree has shown to be perfectly capable elsewhere. I'm not sure why connette should be in trying to prove himself in the stanford game (while it was still close).

Boone was playing against the bottom of the depth chart, but looked good nonetheless.

dukediv2011
09-11-2011, 06:44 PM
I didn't post about football after the Richmond loss (and barely glanced at the postgame debate) because I was so discouraged. I went into the season with high hopes and was devastated by Duke's poor showing. There was simply no positives to come out of the game.

I feel a bit better after the Stanford game. Obviously, I'm disappointed about the second-half collapse, but I'm encouraged that Duke could go head-to-head with a legit top 10 team for a half and hold its own. Indeed, with a decent kicking game -- which was supposed to be a strength this season -- Duke probably leads at the half. No telling how long they hang if that happens -- missing all those field goals really changed the momentum of the game.

That said, I'm becoming increasingly frustrated by Duke's inability to convert long drives into touchdowns. That was a problem a year ago, although it was somewhat covered up by Snyderwine's ability to convert such drives into field goals with great consistency. But in the long run, a good team needs to convert about two-thirds of its red zone penetrations into touchdowns. We haven't been close to that for two seasons.

Part of the problem is the inability to line up and blast people on the ground. As a passing team, it's tougher as the field gets smaller. Even when Spurrier was here, that was a problem. Still, you've got to try and let Renfree throw for the touchdown -- in two games this year, DUKE HAS NOT TRIED A SINGLE PASS INTO THE END ZONE. Instead, we bring in the Connette package and try to use him to run it in. It had some limited success last year (he had eight running touchdowns), but opponents are becoming increasingly aware of his game and are clamping down on it. Against Stanford, Connette rushed six times and didn't gain a single yard -- he lost on most of his attempts.

In the long run, I wonder what it does to Renfree to march the team all the way down the field -- usually with accurate short passes -- than to get unside the 10 or 15 and replace him with Connette. Two failed runs and Renfree is back facing a third and long. That's tough. I think it's time for Coach Cut to make a commitment to Renfree. He's our QB, he's a good one and I want to see him given the opportunity to get us in the end zone.

As discouraged as I still am about the Richmond loss, I saw the team I expected to see this year in the first half against Stanford. I do not believe the season is lost. If you remember 2009, Duke suffered a tough loss to Richmond in the opener and bounced back to get to 5-3 at the end of October before injuries decimated the team and led to four straight losses.

There's still a long of young talent on this team. We need to get Snyderwine back on track. We need to convert our long drives into touchdowns. We're not that far away ...

Great comments. I was EXTREMELY pleased by the effort in the first half. Had Duke scored after the onside kick, I think it would be a different ball game. I hate to see Connette go down, but I think it will be better to see Boone in the redzone anyway. Boone showed great poise in the pocket and an accurate arm.

GO DUKE! BEAT BOSTON COLLEGE!

uh_no
09-11-2011, 06:52 PM
Great comments. I was EXTREMELY pleased by the effort in the first half. Had Duke scored after the onside kick, I think it would be a different ball game. I hate to see Connette go down, but I think it will be better to see Boone in the redzone anyway. Boone showed great poise in the pocket and an accurate arm.

GO DUKE! BEAT BOSTON COLLEGE!

I think it will be better to see renfree have a chance in the redzone....apparently he becomes incapable of passing the ball inside 20 yds.....I'm sure the coaching staff has their reasons, but neither of them could do worse than connette, who i rushed for -17 yds on the game. I just fail to understand why renfree doesn't even get a shot....ever....at least it would avoid tipping the defense that we're going to run...its like a pitcher telling a batter the next pitch will be a curveball....

sagegrouse
09-11-2011, 08:02 PM
My first game in five years --- my previoius Wally Wade extravaganza was the Stones concert. I enjoyed the game and the several tailgates immensely. Impressed with the HDTV and DirecTV under the tent. Surely no one stayed next to the cooler and watched TV! But didn't someone have to guard the valuable electronics?

I enjoyed meeting Bob Green, who also traveled a great distance -- and his family -- we sat together in the end zone. Great to meet the very familiar DitBD, DevilDeac, the instantly recognizable Ozzie, the fine chefs CBB and TNTDevil -- great food! Also met newton14 and Greg Newton -- neither with obvious tattoos -- plus Watzone and a bunch of others.

sagegrouse

hudlow
09-11-2011, 08:11 PM
Ix-nay on the acetime-fay.

I'm going to try something different next game...

GO DUKE!

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-11-2011, 08:42 PM
My first game in five years --- my previoius Wally Wade extravaganza was the Stones concert. I enjoyed the game and the several tailgates immensely. Impressed with the HDTV and DirecTV under the tent. Surely no one stayed next to the cooler and watched TV! But didn't someone have to guard the valuable electronics?

I enjoyed meeting Bob Green, who also traveled a great distance -- and his family -- we sat together in the end zone. Great to meet the very familiar DitBD, DevilDeac, the instantly recognizable Ozzie, the fine chefs CBB and TNTDevil -- great food! Also met newton14 and Greg Newton -- neither with obvious tattoos -- plus Watzone and a bunch of others.

sagegrouse

Saturday was indeed a special day!

OZZIE4DUKE
09-11-2011, 09:07 PM
My first game in five years --- my previoius Wally Wade extravaganza was the Stones concert. I enjoyed the game and the several tailgates immensely. Impressed with the HDTV and DirecTV under the tent. Surely no one stayed next to the cooler and watched TV! But didn't someone have to guard the valuable electronics?

I enjoyed meeting Bob Green, who also traveled a great distance -- and his family -- we sat together in the end zone. Great to meet the very familiar DitBD, DevilDeac, the instantly recognizable Ozzie, the fine chefs CBB and TNTDevil -- great food! Also met newton14 and Greg Newton -- neither with obvious tattoos -- plus Watzone and a bunch of others.

sagegrouse
Great to meet you too! We do it every game, so come back often!

duke79
09-12-2011, 09:41 AM
I watched most of the game on Saturday on ESPN-U. Always nice to see Duke football on national TV. However, I was somewhat dismayed that it looked like about one-third (at least) of the stadium seats were empty for the game, even in the first half. Maybe the view from TV was misleading. But can't Duke get more fans in the seats to see a top 5 Team - and Stanford at that - play in Durham on a nice afternoon?? I mean, there is just not that much to do in Durham on a Saturday afternoon, for either students, professors, or Durham residents. I'd be curious to see what the "official" ticket sales were for the game. I actually feel sorry for Coach Cut and the Duke players that they are playing in what looks like a half-empty stadium. If Duke can't fill more seats for Stanford, what is it going to look like for some of the lesser teams that are coming to Durham?

sagegrouse
09-12-2011, 10:06 AM
I watched most of the game on Saturday on ESPN-U. Always nice to see Duke football on national TV. However, I was somewhat dismayed that it looked like about one-third (at least) of the stadium seats were empty for the game, even in the first half. Maybe the view from TV was misleading. But can't Duke get more fans in the seats to see a top 5 Team - and Stanford at that - play in Durham on a nice afternoon?? I mean, there is just not that much to do in Durham on a Saturday afternoon, for either students, professors, or Durham residents. I'd be curious to see what the "official" ticket sales were for the game. I actually feel sorry for Coach Cut and the Duke players that they are playing in what looks like a half-empty stadium. If Duke can't fill more seats for Stanford, what is it going to look like for some of the lesser teams that are coming to Durham?

You saw the "sun side." The "shade side" was very full. It was hot!

sagegrouse

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-12-2011, 10:22 AM
You saw the "sun side." The "shade side" was very full. It was hot!

sagegrouse
As Ima pointed out, there were lots of people standing in the shade behind the wall watching. It was hot enough that the plan for hot weather was in effect. EMT's attended to someone in our section who left on a stretcher with an IV and another instance of the same sort of assistance in the closed end of the stadium. There may have been more instances of medial assistance. I witnessed just those two.

El_Diablo
09-12-2011, 10:39 AM
I watched most of the game on Saturday on ESPN-U. Always nice to see Duke football on national TV. However, I was somewhat dismayed that it looked like about one-third (at least) of the stadium seats were empty for the game, even in the first half. Maybe the view from TV was misleading. But can't Duke get more fans in the seats to see a top 5 Team - and Stanford at that - play in Durham on a nice afternoon?? I mean, there is just not that much to do in Durham on a Saturday afternoon, for either students, professors, or Durham residents. I'd be curious to see what the "official" ticket sales were for the game. I actually feel sorry for Coach Cut and the Duke players that they are playing in what looks like a half-empty stadium. If Duke can't fill more seats for Stanford, what is it going to look like for some of the lesser teams that are coming to Durham?

I know it was a rhetorical question, and a somewhat ironic one at that (since it's coming from someone who is "dismayed" by attendance but who didn't actually attend the game), but it really should come as no surprise that the crowds will get smaller as the team's losses mount. If the team starts winning, then attendance will generally improve. Most of the season ticket holder seats along the Duke sideline were full. The student section was almost full, and some pockets of students even moved over into the sparsely populated areas of Sections 12-18 (near the end zone). As for the paying public, I don't really blame them for declining to pay $45+ for a ticket, given what happened the week before. Many people walked out of the Richmond game extremely frustrated with the coaching and execution, and while there were some improvements in both against Stanford, there are still a lot of mistakes being made by the coaches (e.g., calling a timeout with 8 seconds left in the half rather than let it go down to 3 before attempting the FG, which gives the opponent a completely avoidable extra chance to run back a kickoff or throw a hail mary) and the players (some blown coverage, atrocious kicking and punting). And yes, the punting was atrocious. While someone gave the punter props for making some 45-yard punts before the 13-yarder, those punts were actually 25-30 yard punts that were so short and had so little hang time that the Stanford returner did not even attempt to catch it. They rolled another 15 yards or so out of luck before being downed, but they also could have bounced sideways or even backwards. Our special teams definitely needs a lot of work, but overall I saw some good things this weekend and feel that we will start putting it all together and surprise someone at some point.

I will keep attending games through thick and thin this season, but if Duke wants the more casual fans to keep coming out, we need to start winning. Otherwise the athletics department should recognize the product for what it is and lower ticket prices or start giving them away.

sagegrouse
09-12-2011, 10:48 AM
And yes, the punting was atrocious. While someone gave the punter props for making some 45-yard punts before the 13-yarder, those punts were actually 25-30 yard punts that were so short and had so little hang time that the Stanford returner did not even attempt to catch it. They rolled another 15 yards or so out of luck before being downed, but they also could have bounced sideways or even backwards. Our special teams definitely needs a lot of work, but overall I saw some good things this weekend and feel that we will start putting it all together and surprise someone at some point.

I will keep attending games through thick and thin this season, but if Duke wants the more casual fans to keep coming out, we need to start winning. Otherwise the athletics department should recognize the product for what it is and lower ticket prices or start giving them away.

I agree with your overall post re wins and attendance. WRT punting: Alex King was attempting rugby-style kicks that rotated horizontally and produced a forward roll (one thing that was truly visible from my endzone seat). These were effective -- and intentional. But he did shank one that was supremely ug-ly.

sagegrouse

duke79
09-12-2011, 11:04 AM
I know it was a rhetorical question, and a somewhat ironic one at that (since it's coming from someone who is "dismayed" by attendance but who didn't actually attend the game), but it really should come as no surprise that the crowds will get smaller as the team's losses mount. If the team starts winning, then attendance will generally improve. Most of the season ticket holder seats along the Duke sideline were full. The student section was almost full, and some pockets of students even moved over into the sparsely populated areas of Sections 12-18 (near the end zone). As for the paying public, I don't really blame them for declining to pay $45+ for a ticket, given what happened the week before. Many people walked out of the Richmond game extremely frustrated with the coaching and execution, and while there were some improvements in both against Stanford, there are still a lot of mistakes being made by the coaches (e.g., calling a timeout with 8 seconds left in the half rather than let it go down to 3 before attempting the FG, which gives the opponent a completely avoidable extra chance to run back a kickoff or throw a hail mary) and the players (some blown coverage, atrocious kicking and punting). And yes, the punting was atrocious. While someone gave the punter props for making some 45-yard punts before the 13-yarder, those punts were actually 25-30 yard punts that were so short and had so little hang time that the Stanford returner did not even attempt to catch it. They rolled another 15 yards or so out of luck before being downed, but they also could have bounced sideways or even backwards. Our special teams definitely needs a lot of work, but overall I saw some good things this weekend and feel that we will start putting it all together and surprise someone at some point.

I will keep attending games through thick and thin this season, but if Duke wants the more casual fans to keep coming out, we need to start winning. Otherwise the athletics department should recognize the product for what it is and lower ticket prices or start giving them away.

Yea, I would attend more games, IF I lived closer to Durham. But I'm 700 miles away and travelling to Durham on a regular basis is not in the cards for me. I didn't realize that the individual tickets to the game cost $45.00, which I find ridiculous to watch one of the worst (arguably) Division 1 football teams in the country play their games. I can understand now why many people in Durham do not attend the games. Frankly, if I had no direct allegiance to Duke, I wouldn't pay $45.00 to watch them play, even if I lived next door to the campus. Without any knowledge of what other colleges charge for their tickets, I would guess Duke should be in the $10-$15-$20 per ticket range for their games. I assume there are package deals that lower the per game price for the tickets, but I would guess they do lose some of the spur-of-the-moment, let's go to a football game fan that might otherwise attend some of the games.

killerleft
09-12-2011, 11:08 AM
Despite the lack of points, the offense put up 335 yards.....and renfree moved the ball down the field all game. The lack of points cannot be attributed to renfree, who hardly saw a play before 4th down in the endzone, but also to the kicking team (which you point out was a problem). Looking past that, the offense was actually really good....we lost our top two running backs, had no running game and STILL put up over 300 yards off the pass....I'm not sure you could have asked much more from the offense (in terms of overall productivity.

I don't know how you can say that the defense was on the field too long when we out possessed stanford by 40%.....25 to 35.....if anything THEIR defense should have been the ones complaining about wearing down.

the connette redzone 2 year long experiment is a continuing disaster. Renfree has shown to be perfectly capable elsewhere. I'm not sure why connette should be in trying to prove himself in the stanford game (while it was still close).

Boone was playing against the bottom of the depth chart, but looked good nonetheless.

I was really surprised when you pointed out the time of possession, I guess I was the one who got tired:). The offense DID do well at times, but not near or in the red zone. My comment regarding Connette was me trying to be critical constructively. Like you, I'd rather see Sean all the time. But if Connette is gonna play, he needs a series, not a down. It is silly to telegraph a running play just by sending a new QB in the game.

For sure it was an uneven performance. We weren't able to sustain the good things long enough to feel great about the game, but we didn't play badly for the most part, either.

Quite a step up, overall, from the Richmond game. Stanford is not Alabama, but we competed so much better against a real good team. I certainly feel better about the team than I did after the first game.

CameronBornAndBred
09-12-2011, 11:40 AM
I second that. Food was outstanding. Also had DevilInTheBlueDress, Sagegrouse, Jarhead, Killerleft and a couple of others who's names escapes me. Also, Wojo, with wife, Chris Collins, and Jeff Capel sat 4 rows in front of us during the game.

Whoever cooked the ribs should open a restaurant! Best ribs I have enjoyed in years! Awesome job by all!

Big thanks to DevilDeac, and CameronBorn&Bred for allowing a mod to sit with them during the game!:)
No restaurant plans but we are competing in a BBQ cookoff in October! Great hanging with everyone this weekend, even if Laettner didn't do any chest stomping. He was too busy signing autographs and eating ribs.
As far as the game goes...so many thoughts, but none that haven't been expressed already. Still was a fun day though.

killerleft
09-12-2011, 12:19 PM
I know it was a rhetorical question, and a somewhat ironic one at that (since it's coming from someone who is "dismayed" by attendance but who didn't actually attend the game), but it really should come as no surprise that the crowds will get smaller as the team's losses mount. If the team starts winning, then attendance will generally improve. Most of the season ticket holder seats along the Duke sideline were full. The student section was almost full, and some pockets of students even moved over into the sparsely populated areas of Sections 12-18 (near the end zone). As for the paying public, I don't really blame them for declining to pay $45+ for a ticket, given what happened the week before. Many people walked out of the Richmond game extremely frustrated with the coaching and execution, and while there were some improvements in both against Stanford, there are still a lot of mistakes being made by the coaches (e.g., calling a timeout with 8 seconds left in the half rather than let it go down to 3 before attempting the FG, which gives the opponent a completely avoidable extra chance to run back a kickoff or throw a hail mary) and the players (some blown coverage, atrocious kicking and punting). And yes, the punting was atrocious. While someone gave the punter props for making some 45-yard punts before the 13-yarder, those punts were actually 25-30 yard punts that were so short and had so little hang time that the Stanford returner did not even attempt to catch it. They rolled another 15 yards or so out of luck before being downed, but they also could have bounced sideways or even backwards. Our special teams definitely needs a lot of work, but overall I saw some good things this weekend and feel that we will start putting it all together and surprise someone at some point.

I will keep attending games through thick and thin this season, but if Duke wants the more casual fans to keep coming out, we need to start winning. Otherwise the athletics department should recognize the product for what it is and lower ticket prices or start giving them away.

The punts were ugly, but the hesitation-take a step-punt set up the successful fake punt perfectly. I imagine that was by design.

By the way, Duke sold me tickets a $10 a pop via the family plan. I got my money's worth with no trouble. The shot about prices don't float.

devildeac
09-12-2011, 12:36 PM
The punts were ugly, but the hesitation-take a step-punt set up the successful fake punt perfectly. I imagine that was by design.

By the way, Duke sold me tickets a $10 a pop via the family plan. I got my money's worth with no trouble. The shot about prices don't float.

We got the family plan GA admission (sections 12-19 or thereabouts) tix also and it worked out to about $10/ticket + S&H. You'll have to get Ozzie or one of the regular season ticket holders to reveal the cost for each reserved seat ticket for each of the games. This year, the prices on the Richmond and Stanford GA tix were $25 and $45, respectively.

CameronBornAndBred
09-12-2011, 12:42 PM
There were lots of pics taken under our tent, but I had to share this one since we only get to see Bob Green once a year.

2052

devil84
09-12-2011, 12:47 PM
As Ima pointed out, there were lots of people standing in the shade behind the wall watching. It was hot enough that the plan for hot weather was in effect. EMT's attended to someone in our section who left on a stretcher with an IV and another instance of the same sort of assistance in the closed end of the stadium. There may have been more instances of medial assistance. I witnessed just those two.

I went with my mom, an amazing woman who has several acute health issues. We have general admission seats. Mom wanted to go for the Iron Duke/Varsity Club event and the tailgates and because it was a beautiful, relatively cool day. Boy, were we surprised at the heat in the stadium! We left early in the second quarter, just after seeing the person taken out on a stretcher in the shade. Mom just didn't want to meet the EMS crew for heat related illness like she did a couple of years ago. I imagine we weren't the only ones leaving before someone had real problems.

Sorry we missed everyone at the tailgate tents on Blue Devil Alley (though I did get to say hi to Ozzie!). I was really looking forward to saying "hi!"

CDu
09-12-2011, 01:08 PM
By the way, Duke sold me tickets a $10 a pop via the family plan. I got my money's worth with no trouble. The shot about prices don't float.

The shot floats a little more if you aren't talking about the family plan. Season tickets for reserved seats are $30 per ticket per game. General admission tickets without the family plan (which make little sense, in my opinion) are $20 per ticket per game. At $10 a pop, it's a solid value. At $30 a pop? It gets dicey. And that's only if you actually bought season tickets. Individual game tickets are generally even pricier.

CDu
09-12-2011, 01:19 PM
Gotta get points off of long, sustained drives. The failure to convert multiple trips into the red zone into ANY points is backbreaking. Hopefully we get the kicking game figured out, and hopefully we get the red zone playcalling and execution to improve. I'm not a fan of going with the wildcat with Connette every time we reach the red zone. It stops being creative when you do it every time.

The defense played a terrific first half. The offense played well at times in the first half. The special teams mostly stunk in the first half. We were fortunate to get a couple of nice punts (rugby-style kicks that went short and rolled a long way) and a successful onside kick, but we had one AWFUL punt, and of course the awful kicking.

I don't think we should have realistically expected to challenge Stanford for 4 quarters. To have done so for 2+ quarters was pretty impressive. Still a long way to go, but there was a lot more positive to take from this past weekend than there was from the Richmond game. The BC game will be a HUGE test. We really need to win that game, because it may turn out to be our easiest conference game of the year (Wake looked good against NC State).

devildeac
09-12-2011, 01:38 PM
There were lots of pics taken under our tent, but I had to share this one since we only get to see Bob Green once a year.

2052

Awesome. Looks like Bob was giving Christian pointers either about his jump shot or his vertical. (jk)

killerleft
09-12-2011, 02:08 PM
The shot floats a little more if you aren't talking about the family plan. Season tickets for reserved seats are $30 per ticket per game. General admission tickets without the family plan (which make little sense, in my opinion) are $20 per ticket per game. At $10 a pop, it's a solid value. At $30 a pop? It gets dicey. And that's only if you actually bought season tickets. Individual game tickets are generally even pricier.

Of course. But... don't worry, be happy. Pay for the package you can most afford, and/or the one that leaves you in a more positve state of mind, win or lose. As things now stand, general admission ticket buyers can still end up in pretty good seats most games. The more we win the less true that is.

alteran
09-12-2011, 02:15 PM
I agree with your overall post re wins and attendance. WRT punting: Alex King was attempting rugby-style kicks that rotated horizontally and produced a forward roll (one thing that was truly visible from my endzone seat). These were effective -- and intentional. But he did shank one that was supremely ug-ly.

sagegrouse

It looked to me like the really ugly kick that King shanked was the mirror image of the fake punt, with him having to choose the "punt" option rather than the "kick" option.

I remember when he made that ugly punt, I was trying to figure out why the heck he was completely out of the pocket on the sun side of the field trying to kick the ball. It was just weird. When the same thing happened 1-2 possessions later, I was turning to my brother to ask, "what in the heck is he doing?" when King made the pass.

Did anybody else see it this way?

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-12-2011, 02:29 PM
It looked to me like the really ugly kick that King shanked was the mirror image of the fake punt, with him having to choose the "punt" option rather than the "kick" option.

I remember when he made that ugly punt, I was trying to figure out why the heck he was completely out of the pocket on the sun side of the field trying to kick the ball. It was just weird. When the same thing happened 1-2 possessions later, I was turning to my brother to ask, "what in the heck is he doing?" when King made the pass.

Did anybody else see it this way?
The discussion in our section was about how the surprise pass was set up over several plays by creating an expectation, then out of the blue....... PASS.

Kimist
09-12-2011, 03:40 PM
I just took a look at my (reserved seat) season tickets. Prices are/were as follows:

Richmond $25
Stanford $45
Tulane $25
Fla State $45
Wake Forest $35
Va Tech $45
Ga Tech $35

I am sure there is a reason for the variances, but it escapes me.

As for the Stanford game, there were PLENTY of people trying (without success) to move tickets. $10 for any seat was about the best any knowledgeable person would pay. I actually had one extra ticket but finally gave up and went inside.

It should be noted that both unc and Wake (vs NC State) had home games, which likely attracted some potential Wally Wade attendees.

Oh yeah: The stadium lights were on for the entire game....

k

Greg_Newton
09-12-2011, 04:26 PM
Despite the lack of points, the offense put up 335 yards.....and renfree moved the ball down the field all game. The lack of points cannot be attributed to renfree, who hardly saw a play before 4th down in the endzone, but also to the kicking team (which you point out was a problem). Looking past that, the offense was actually really good....we lost our top two running backs, had no running game and STILL put up over 300 yards off the pass....I'm not sure you could have asked much more from the offense (in terms of overall productivity.

Actually, we ran the ball pretty well; if you take out our QBs' "rushing numbers" (i.e., sacks), we ran 19 times for 73 yards. That's not too shabby against one of the best run defenses in the country, all things considered.

I believe Connette and Renfree lost over 50 yards on sacks (their net rushing for the game was -50, but I remember Renfree had at least one positive run)... another thing that really hurt us. We were close to breaking 400 yards, otherwise.

Devilsfan
09-12-2011, 04:27 PM
I see improvement from week to week. If some major backers want to pull their support for WW renovation so be it. If Cut and his staff can't make us competitive nobody can, IMO. We need to be patient. Go Coach Cut! We are lucky to have you head up our program. Go Devils!

Reilly
09-12-2011, 04:36 PM
I just took a look at my (reserved seat) season tickets. Prices are/were as follows:

Richmond $25
Stanford $45
Tulane $25
Fla State $45
Wake Forest $35
Va Tech $45
Ga Tech $35

I am sure there is a reason for the variances, but it escapes me....


In order:

$45 - Stanford - top 10 team w/ Heisman favorite
$45 - FSU - top 10 team
$45 - VT - top 15 team that travels well

$35 - WFU - ACC game, close by rival
$35 - GT - ACC team

$25 - Tulane - worst I-A team we play at home
$25 - UR - I-AA team

I'm guessing the reason for the variances is based on perceived interest .

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-12-2011, 04:39 PM
In order:

$45 - Stanford - top 10 team w/ Heisman favorite
$45 - FSU - top 10 team
$45 - VT - top 15 team that travels well

$35 - WFU - ACC game, close by rival
$35 - GT - ACC team

$25 - Tulane - worst I-A team we play at home
$25 - UR - I-AA team

I'm guessing the reason for the variances is based on perceived interest .
The variation in ticket price/game has been around a long time.

OZZIE4DUKE
09-12-2011, 05:58 PM
In order:

$45 - Stanford - top 10 team w/ Heisman favorite
$45 - FSU - top 10 team
$45 - VT - top 15 team that travels well

$35 - WFU - ACC game, close by rival
$35 - GT - ACC team

$25 - Tulane - worst I-A team we play at home
$25 - UR - I-AA team

I'm guessing the reason for the variances is based on perceived interest .
Last season the Alabama and unc tickets were $50 each. Other conference games were less, similar to the above and the early 1-AA games were $25 like above.

Olympic Fan
09-12-2011, 06:08 PM
Actually, we ran the ball pretty well; if you take out our QBs' "rushing numbers" (i.e., sacks), we ran 19 times for 73 yards. That's not too shabby against one of the best run defenses in the country, all things considered.

I believe Connette and Renfree lost over 50 yards on sacks (their net rushing for the game was -50, but I remember Renfree had at least one positive run)... another thing that really hurt us. We were close to breaking 400 yards, otherwise.

You are quite right that it is wrong to judge rushing stats with sacks inc;luded. The NFL is smarter -- sack yardage come off passing yards.

However, you are wrong to subtract Connette's negative yardage from the rushing consideration. He was trying to run, not pass, when he was dropped for loss yardage. I know there's an element of judgement, but a sack is when the statistician believes the QB is trying to throw ... when he's running and loses yardage, it's just a Tackle For Loss.

I think the Duke stat crew screwed up the numbers since Connette's minus-17 rushing was counted in sack yardage -- and as I said, he was not dropped trying to pass, but trying to run. The numbers actually don't add up.

Officially, Duke rushed fror 80 yards on 28 carries, if you subtract the 5 sacks for 50 lost yards. Connette, as I said, really hurt the rushing game -- he carried six times without gaining a single yard (he was minus 17 total). Our three tailbacks were a little more successful -- a combined 17 carries for 66 yards. Most of that was Thompson, a solid 43 yards on nine carries. Least effective was Kurunwune -- five carries for 13 net yards. Hollinsworth was 3 carries for 10 net yards (although he did catch three passes for 37 yards).

Those numbers indicate what I wrote in postseason -- after Duke's big three of Thompson, Scott and Snead, there is a big dropoff in the rushing ability of Duke's runners. Hollingsworth is a good all-arounjd back -- he's good at protection and very good as a receiver, but is not nearly the runner any of the Big Three are. Kurunwune is a short-yardage specialist (or should be).

I think our running game will be fine if we could get at least one of our other two studs back to alternate with Thompson. He's not durable enough yet to carry 20-25 times in a name. We need Scott or Snead to split time ... with Hollinsworth getting spot duty when his skills are needed.

CameronBornAndBred
09-12-2011, 07:29 PM
Last season the Alabama and unc tickets were $50 each. Other conference games were less, similar to the above and the early 1-AA games were $25 like above.
Difference was Alabama fans bought all of those tickets.

Newton_14
09-12-2011, 07:36 PM
Difference was Alabama fans bought all of those tickets.

Yeah, the whole "Stanford travels almost as well as Alabama" rumors did not hold water, huh? Not even close. If any team travels as well as Bama fans do, I would love to see it. Bama fans bought a ton of Season Ticket packages last year, then sent the rest of the tickets back to the Duke Office for resale.

formerdukeathlete
09-12-2011, 07:36 PM
how badly is Brandon injured?

I think it is useful to point out that this kid was recruited and offered by Stanford, recruiting top 20 classes at the time, but chose Duke because of Cutcliffe.

Obviously, our o line was not even remotely a match for Stanford's defense - that is the difference between top 65 recruiting classes and top 20 classes.

After this season we need to take a look at the situation. Can Duke compete for Conference championships and or be competive in the ACC recruiting as we are? Is it fair to the kids to be as beaten up as they were in the Stanford game? Vandy is 2-0 and they are recruiting off the charts compared to Duke, right now. At some point it may be time to hit the reset button.

Newton_14
09-12-2011, 07:52 PM
how badly is Brandon injured?

I think it is useful to point out that this kid was recruited and offered by Stanford, recruiting top 20 classes at the time, but chose Duke because of Cutcliffe.

Obviously, our o line was not even remotely a match for Stanford's defense - that is the difference between top 65 recruiting classes and top 20 classes.

After this season we need to take a look at the situation. Can Duke compete for Conference championships and or be competive in the ACC recruiting as we are? Is it fair to the kids to be as beaten up as they were in the Stanford game? Vandy is 2-0 and they are recruiting off the charts compared to Duke, right now. At some point it may be time to hit the reset button.

As stated before, Apples & Oranges. Due to Duke being arguably the worst D1 FB Program in the nation when Cut took over, recruiting for him was a gazillion times more challenging than it was/is for Harbaugh at Stanford, and recruiting to Vanderbilt. Cutcliffe is building brick by brick and it takes time. He has made great strides and the talent level now is much higher than when he took the task on 4 years ago.

If you seriously think that in 4 short years, Duke would go from being embedded in the bottom of the barrel of College FB, to being a Top 5 team in the country, then you are simply not a realist. As Jim Sumner has pointed out in great detail in the last 2 weeks on this board, real progress is being made. To hit the "reset" button now, would be a really bad move. It took years for Duke to get to rock bottom, and it will take more than 4 years to get to where competing for conference championships and BCS Bowl bids is a reasonable goal.

We have the right man at the helm, not just for coaching football, but more importantly, for building a program on a solid foundation.

Scorp4me
09-12-2011, 10:40 PM
how badly is Brandon injured?

I think it is useful to point out that this kid was recruited and offered by Stanford, recruiting top 20 classes at the time, but chose Duke because of Cutcliffe.

Obviously, our o line was not even remotely a match for Stanford's defense - that is the difference between top 65 recruiting classes and top 20 classes.

After this season we need to take a look at the situation. Can Duke compete for Conference championships and or be competive in the ACC recruiting as we are? Is it fair to the kids to be as beaten up as they were in the Stanford game? Vandy is 2-0 and they are recruiting off the charts compared to Duke, right now. At some point it may be time to hit the reset button.

Hit the reset? Yeah I guess it's about time. Duke tends to do that about every 4 years doesn't it. And people wonder why it takes time to dig out of the hole we're in.

The past resets were probably necessary. But as someone else said if Cut can't get us out we may be in worse shape than feared. Luckily it looks like we're on the right road even if it's slower than some would like.

Im just glad the administration doesn't consider message boards when making decisions. Even K would probably be looking for a job lol.

Richard Berg
09-12-2011, 11:56 PM
The discussion in our section was about how the surprise pass was set up over several plays by creating an expectation, then out of the blue....... PASS.
My guess is we design the fake around our normal punting habits, not the other way around. Doesn't make sense to compromise a common play in favor of a trick. (Unless you forsee us switching to a habitual 4-down offense, which does have statistical merit, especially when your kicking game is faltering...)

The advantage of stepping out of the pocket is how it lets your special teams get farther downfield. We saw this several times: the trajectory & spin were amenable to a long roll ("rugby style", others called it) -- but even more importantly, we had several guys pounce on the landing site as the ball arrived, ensuring the ball could be downed after the most favorable bounce, completely denying Stanford a chance to return it (an area we used to give up lots of field position).

It's essentially like extra "hang time", without needing to fight gravity. Instead, you're gambling against an early tackle or blocked punt.

killerleft
09-13-2011, 08:47 AM
My guess is we design the fake around our normal punting habits, not the other way around. Doesn't make sense to compromise a common play in favor of a trick. (Unless you forsee us switching to a habitual 4-down offense, which does have statistical merit, especially when your kicking game is faltering...)

The advantage of stepping out of the pocket is how it lets your special teams get farther downfield. We saw this several times: the trajectory & spin were amenable to a long roll ("rugby style", others called it) -- but even more importantly, we had several guys pounce on the landing site as the ball arrived, ensuring the ball could be downed after the most favorable bounce, completely denying Stanford a chance to return it (an area we used to give up lots of field position).

It's essentially like extra "hang time", without needing to fight gravity. Instead, you're gambling against an early tackle or blocked punt.

I don't think we did that hesitate-step-step-punt against Richmond, at least I don't remember it. Maybe I was looking downfield.

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-13-2011, 09:02 AM
I don't think we did that hesitate-step-step-punt against Richmond, at least I don't remember it. Maybe I was looking downfield.
You're correct.

CDu
09-13-2011, 09:37 AM
Of course. But... don't worry, be happy. Pay for the package you can most afford, and/or the one that leaves you in a more positve state of mind, win or lose. As things now stand, general admission ticket buyers can still end up in pretty good seats most games. The more we win the less true that is.

But the point you contested was that ticket prices don't need to drop because they're $10 a pop. My point was that single-game ticket prices aren't $10 a pop (they were $45). Unless you want to pay $280 or hope for success with the scalpers, you can't get those $10 prices. So your comment is misleading. For the average joe trying to show up to a single game, I think El_diablo's comment holds more water than you were suggesting.

killerleft
09-13-2011, 10:49 AM
But the point you contested was that ticket prices don't need to drop because they're $10 a pop. My point was that single-game ticket prices aren't $10 a pop (they were $45). Unless you want to pay $280 or hope for success with the scalpers, you can't get those $10 prices. So your comment is misleading. For the average joe trying to show up to a single game, I think El_diablo's comment holds more water than you were suggesting.

It does. If I could afford the regular price tickets I would have them, too. It would be nice to have a permanent seat located between the 20s, preferably on the back row. I was suggesting that there are alternatives to feeling like one isn't getting their money's worth. But I hope that others don't all do this, because that's going to drive up the price of family plans. And Duke needs all the folks who want to be there to, uh, be there.

What I really hope is that within 3-4 years those regular season ticket prices (which are NOT high compared to most D-1 schools) will seem like a real bargain.

CDu
09-13-2011, 11:12 AM
It does. If I could afford the regular price tickets I would have them, too. It would be nice to have a permanent seat located between the 20s, preferably on the back row. I was suggesting that there are alternatives to feeling like one isn't getting their money's worth. But I hope that others don't all do this, because that's going to drive up the price of family plans. And Duke needs all the folks who want to be there to, uh, be there.

The family plans are only a bargain if you can make most of the games. If you can only make 1-3 games (and don't have 3 folks to join you for those games), it's still cheaper to go the single-game route. And in that case, it's definitely not a bargain to see a struggling team.


What I really hope is that within 3-4 years those regular season ticket prices (which are NOT high compared to most D-1 schools) will seem like a real bargain.

Completely agree - although if we get to the point where the on-field quality has improved drastically, I suspect that ticket prices will likely go up accordingly.

Devil in the Blue Dress
09-13-2011, 11:17 AM
The family plans are only a bargain if you can make most of the games. If you can only make 1-3 games (and don't have 3 folks to join you for those games), it's still cheaper to go the single-game route. And in that case, it's definitely not a bargain to see a struggling team.



Completely agree - although if we get to the point where the on-field quality has improved drastically, I suspect that ticket prices will likely go up accordingly.
There's another alternative for purchasing tickets with value pricing. The mini plans include tickets for three games (reserved seats) and are priced at $99 for the package.

Tickets continue to be readily available outside the stadium on game day at bargain prices and in some instances, free.

duke blue brewcrew
09-13-2011, 11:55 AM
As stated before, Apples & Oranges. Due to Duke being arguably the worst D1 FB Program in the nation when Cut took over, recruiting for him was a gazillion times more challenging than it was/is for Harbaugh at Stanford, and recruiting to Vanderbilt. Cutcliffe is building brick by brick and it takes time. He has made great strides and the talent level now is much higher than when he took the task on 4 years ago.

If you seriously think that in 4 short years, Duke would go from being embedded in the bottom of the barrel of College FB, to being a Top 5 team in the country, then you are simply not a realist. As Jim Sumner has pointed out in great detail in the last 2 weeks on this board, real progress is being made. To hit the "reset" button now, would be a really bad move. It took years for Duke to get to rock bottom, and it will take more than 4 years to get to where competing for conference championships and BCS Bowl bids is a reasonable goal.

We have the right man at the helm, not just for coaching football, but more importantly, for building a program on a solid foundation.

While I agree with you that Coach Cut is the man for the job and is doing a tremendous job in the face of such a daunting task, I would like to see him get away from the Red Zone Connette package. It's as predictable as death and taxes and everyone knows its coming. I was at the Stanford game, and the crowd literally BOO'ed everytime Connette took the field. It was an automatic momentum killer and waste of down everytime Brandon came in to run the package. If Cut wants a different look in the redzone, why not use Boone? Boone appears to possess a more diverse skill set and be a greater threat than Connette. My apologies if this has already been discussed earlier in the thread.

OZZIE4DUKE
09-13-2011, 12:42 PM
While I agree with you that Coach Cut is the man for the job and is doing a tremendous job in the face of such a daunting task, I would like to see him get away from the Red Zone Connette package. It's as predictable as death and taxes and everyone knows its coming. I was at the Stanford game, and the crowd literally BOO'ed everytime Connette took the field. It was an automatic momentum killer and waste of down everytime Brandon came in to run the package. If Cut wants a different look in the redzone, why not use Boone? Boone appears to possess a more diverse skill set and be a greater threat than Connette. My apologies if this has already been discussed earlier in the thread.
Since Connette was hurt during the Stanford game, and although we don't have the official injury report yet devildeac reported above that his inside source tweeted that he tore the AC in his shoulder, I suspect we won't see "the Connette package" for a while. We'll see "the Boone package". I hope Renfree gets to run the offense in the red zone, unless and until BC (or any opponent) presents us with a defense that is more susceptible to the run (and forgets that Boone is in there to run...)

jimsumner
09-13-2011, 03:23 PM
Since Connette was hurt during the Stanford game, and although we don't have the official injury report yet devildeac reported above that his inside source tweeted that he tore the AC in his shoulder, I suspect we won't see "the Connette package" for a while. We'll see "the Boone package". I hope Renfree gets to run the offense in the red zone, unless and until BC (or any opponent) presents us with a defense that is more susceptible to the run (and forgets that Boone is in there to run...)

Connette did not practice today. Renfree and Boone got all the QB reps.

Kewlswim
09-14-2011, 09:58 PM
Connette did not practice today. Renfree and Boone got all the QB reps.

Hi Jim,

Did you go to practice? Do you have any idea what the mood of the team was? I am really excited about Saturday. I have a good feeling this is going to be a very good team moving forward who might upset a team or two. If they play like they did the first half (except for the field goals of course) it could be a lot of fun.

GO DUKE!!

P.S. I should note that I never think the Devils will lose, I am looking forward to a nice tidy 10-2 season. :D

duke09hms
09-14-2011, 10:17 PM
I hate to see any player get injured, but does anyone else think Connette's injury could be good for the offense in that it forces them to ride Renfree all the way? I feel bad for the kid, but I honestly think it's better for the team. No more telegraphing QB rushes in the red zone.

We're going to live and die with Renfree - which is what you SHOULD BE DOING when your top 10 QB recruit is now a redshirt junior!

Gotta say though, I am dreading the continuation of the 2-QB system with Boone replacing Renfree in the red zone . . . ughhhh

OldPhiKap
09-14-2011, 10:39 PM
I hate to see any player get injured, but does anyone else think Connette's injury could be good for the offense in that it forces them to ride Renfree all the way? I feel bad for the kid, but I honestly think it's better for the team. No more telegraphing QB rushes in the red zone.

We're going to live and die with Renfree - which is what you SHOULD BE DOING when your top 10 QB recruit is now a redshirt junior!

Gotta say though, I am dreading the continuation of the 2-QB system with Boone replacing Renfree in the red zone . . . ughhhh

Hate to see Connette injured, hope he has a quick recovery.

Like Boone, think he has a lot of potential. Granted he was in against the second-string defense, but he got it done when he was in against Stanford.

Renfree could be the best QB in the conference, and he's got the chance to show it. Go Sean!!!!

jimsumner
09-15-2011, 09:34 AM
I was not at practice Tuesday. Duke has a media luncheon on Tuesday.

The injury report will come out later today. Will try to update.

The absence of Connette likely means the Connette package becomes the Boone package.

Cut says Duke had lots of 1 v1 drills in practice. Emphasis on winning your individual battles.

Cut said Saturday in answer to some pointed questions that Duke would evaluate everything it is doing, including play-calling. Wouldn't discuss further yesterday, for obvious reasons. We shall see.

Duke trying to get Snyderwine healthy. He was hurt much of preseason, which I didn't know until recently. Missed lots of reps. Asack will handle all the kickoffs at BC. Monday will travel but Duke still hopes to redshirt him.

Team seems to recognize importance of game Saturday. And opportunity.