Renfree, Tomlinson named ACC Players of the Week

[Duvall]

Offensive Back and Offensive Lineman of the Week (http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100311aab.html).


OFFENSIVE BACK – Sean Renfree, Duke, QB, Jr., 6-5, 225, Scottsdale, Az. Renfree completed 28-of-43 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns and led Duke to a 31-27 come-from-behind road win over FIU. He directed two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to help erase a 10-point deficit in the final 12 minutes – the 12th largest second half rally in school history and largest since 1989. His 43 pass attempts without an interception marks the ninth-highest single-game total in school history, and he engineered a Duke offense that did not turn the ball over.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Laken Tomlinson, Duke, G, Fr., 6-3, 310, Chicago, Ill. Tomlinson was a key member of Duke’s offensive line that yielded zero sacks against an FIU defense that entered the game ranked fourth nationally in sacks per game (3.75). The offensive line successfully protected Renfree and opened holes for Juwan Thompson’s two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

[MulletMan]

What's this now? Only two conference honors this week? I don't see how we can continue on with this garbage! What a joke. We should fire Cutcliffe and his whole staff now... these small improvements are unsatisfying to me.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

What's this now? Only two conference honors this week? I don't see how we can continue on with this garbage! What a joke. We should fire Cutcliffe and his whole staff now... these small improvements are unsatisfying to me.
Furthermore, no defensive players were named to conference honors at all.

[OldPhiKap]

I long for the day when the only player who ever received praise was the punter.


Congrats to both, and to the whole team/staff for a satisfying win.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I long for the day when the only player who ever received praise was the punter.


Congrats to both, and to the whole team/staff for a satisfying win.
I love this article's headline ..... Cutcliffe: Renfree, O-line Excellent Against FIU. http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205307913&DB_OEM_ID=4200

During the years in the desert, the O-line was a source of continuing pain and lamentations.

[davekay1971]

Well deserved honors on both counts. I'm not surprised to see Renfree named, given his gaudy stat line and excellent play. I was suprised to see Tomlinson, only insofar as I never expected the awards gurus to pay any attention whatsoever to Duke's offensive line. Congratulations to both of these athletes.

Would have also liked to see Vernon honored, but I guess Duke can't hog up all the awards in one week.

[uh_no]

Well deserved honors on both counts. I'm not surprised to see Renfree named, given his gaudy stat line and excellent play. I was suprised to see Tomlinson, only insofar as I never expected the awards gurus to pay any attention whatsoever to Duke's offensive line. Congratulations to both of these athletes.

Would have also liked to see Vernon honored, but I guess Duke can't hog up all the awards in one week.

I cna't help but say, renfree has been incredible. We're lucky to have such a guy behind center. He's putting up these numbers even with some dropped passes. when was the last time he threw an int?

[DueBlevil]

when was the last time he threw an int?

Renfree threw a pick-6 last week. But I agree with your point

[uh_no]

Renfree threw a pick-6 last week. But I agree with your point

good point :) how easily we push those out of our mind in the blowout win. He hasn't been SACKED in a few weeks though. He has 2 ints on the season by my count, and more TD's than that

[killerleft]

When a Duke player is offensive lineman of the week, that's news! When he's just a freshman, I laken that to some very good news, indeed!!! Congrats to both.

[DueBlevil]

He has 2 ints on the season by my count, and more TD's than that

yup, 2 INTs to 5 TDs. 71% completion percentage and 1361 yards through 5 games. Tempting to project those out over the whole season (fwiw: 12 TD, 5 INT, 3266 yards), but the quality of the opposition will probably go up so his stats might suffer a bit. Then again, he wasn't really utilized properly the first couple games (as admitted by Cut), and the entire team seems to be playing at an increasingly high level. I would not be surprised to see him average more than the 1 TD per game going forward.

[davekay1971]

yup, 2 INTs to 5 TDs. 71% completion percentage and 1361 yards through 5 games. Tempting to project those out over the whole season (fwiw: 12 TD, 5 INT, 3266 yards), but the quality of the opposition will probably go up so his stats might suffer a bit. Then again, he wasn't really utilized properly the first couple games (as admitted by Cut), and the entire team seems to be playing at an increasingly high level. I would not be surprised to see him average more than the 1 TD per game going forward.

I think it's quite reasonable to think he'll average at least 1 TD per game. During the BC game, Duke seemed to figure out how to generate TDs off the pass. They've kept that up for our 3 wins, and we've seen a nice quick-strike ability develop to score TDs on the pass from about the 30 yard line on in.

As for the TD-Int ratio, keep in mind we can absolve Renfree from the blame on the BC one. So we've got a QB who's arm is the vast majority of our offense, who has to deal with opposing teams guarding almost exclusively against the pass, who's throwing at a 70+% completion rate, a ton of pass attempts per game, and is responsible for only one pick. Go on back to the 2nd half of last season, and it's obvious we've got a QB who can throw alot, against heavy pass coverage, without making the big mistakes.

I mentioned in the FIU thread that Renfree will be playing on Sundays, and I truly believe that. He's got the prototypical NFL body type for a pocket passer, great vision, great decisionmaking, arm strength, the ability to make short and medium range throws AND throw accurate bombs. He's being coached by one of the best QB coaches in the business. I'd argue that he's already the best passing QB in the conference. And he's got 1 and 1/2 years to go.

To put it another way: of the junior QBs in the country right now, who's a better pro prospect? Not saying there isn't one...but no one comes to mind where I can say he's clearly better than Renfree.

[duke09hms]

To put it another way: of the junior QBs in the country right now, who's a better pro prospect? Not saying there isn't one...but no one comes to mind where I can say he's clearly better than Renfree.

I get your point, and I love Sean, but I think a certain junior QB out in Cali by the name of Andrew Luck comes to mind.

A tangential but somewhat relevant remark: now that we have a somewhat decent offensive line, we need to go back and talk about just HOW GREAT Thaddeus Lewis was for us. The man had NO offensive line and NO run game whatsoever but was still able to be one of the most prolific passers in Duke history and the ACC. Tough as nails too. I wonder if they sell his #9 jersey in the Duke Store. Here's to Thad!

[Newton_14]

I get your point, and I love Sean, but I think a certain junior QB out in Cali by the name of Andrew Luck comes to mind.

A tangential but somewhat relevant remark: now that we have a somewhat decent offensive line, we need to go back and talk about just HOW GREAT Thaddeus Lewis was for us. The man had NO offensive line and NO run game whatsoever but was still able to be one of the most prolific passers in Duke history and the ACC. Tough as nails too. I wonder if they sell his #9 jersey in the Duke Store. Here's to Thad!

Regarding Thad, even more impressive is he did not get the benefit of a Red Shirt year like most QB's, and he played for different Offensive Coordinator's each of his first 3 years, and 2 Head Coaches with entirely different offensive philosophy's. Add all that together and then consider how well he played his Sr year and it is very impressive. Pretty darn good as a Jr as well.

Great post.

[gep]

yup, 2 INTs to 5 TDs. 71% completion percentage and 1361 yards through 5 games. Tempting to project those out over the whole season (fwiw: 12 TD, 5 INT, 3266 yards), but the quality of the opposition will probably go up so his stats might suffer a bit. Then again, he wasn't really utilized properly the first couple games (as admitted by Cut), and the entire team seems to be playing at an increasingly high level. I would not be surprised to see him average more than the 1 TD per game going forward.

Also... but didn't the recent success of Duke in the red-zone and Renfree's success coincide with not going with the so-called "Connette package"? (I hope I'm remembering correctly) Note: I really do not intend to demean Connette, especially with his injury...

[Olympic Fan]

yup, 2 INTs to 5 TDs. 71% completion percentage and 1361 yards through 5 games. Tempting to project those out over the whole season (fwiw: 12 TD, 5 INT, 3266 yards), but the quality of the opposition will probably go up so his stats might suffer a bit. Then again, he wasn't really utilized properly the first couple games (as admitted by Cut), and the entire team seems to be playing at an increasingly high level. I would not be surprised to see him average more than the 1 TD per game going forward.

I think Renfree turned the corner midway through last season. It's not just the five games this season ... he was equally good in the last five games of 2010.

Allow me to break it down:

His first seven starts: 54 percent completions, 249 yards a game, 8 TDs, 15 interceptions (one every 18 passes)
His last five starts of 2010: 72 percent complettions, 298 yards a game, 4 TDs, two interceptions (one every 101 passes)
His first five starts of 2011: 71 percent completions, 272 yards a game, 5 TDs, two interceptions (one every 99 passes)

That's 10 games of consistent performance. I think we're looking at a real level of performance and not just a temporary hot streak. And, yes, the competition wilol get tougher, but it should be noted that his strong finish in 2010 came against four bowl teams, Duke is also 5-5 over Renfree's last 10 starts, which ain't great, but it's one of the program's better 10-game stretches in the last 15 years.

[davekay1971]

I get your point, and I love Sean, but I think a certain junior QB out in Cali by the name of Andrew Luck comes to mind.

A tangential but somewhat relevant remark: now that we have a somewhat decent offensive line, we need to go back and talk about just HOW GREAT Thaddeus Lewis was for us. The man had NO offensive line and NO run game whatsoever but was still able to be one of the most prolific passers in Duke history and the ACC. Tough as nails too. I wonder if they sell his #9 jersey in the Duke Store. Here's to Thad!

Agree with everything you say about Thad.

Andrew Luck is a senior, and, without question, the most pro-ready college quarterback in the nation. I was very comparing Sean only to junior quarterbacks, as I was thinking about Sean's prospects the draft after his senior season.

[roywhite]

Agree with everything you say about Thad.

Andrew Luck is a senior, and, without question, the most pro-ready college quarterback in the nation. I was very comparing Sean only to junior quarterbacks, as I was thinking about Sean's prospects the draft after his senior season.

Well, actually Renfree and Luck are both red-shirt juniors, in their 4th year of college, and 3rd year of playing.
Players are now eligible for the NFL draft after 3 years in college; Luck chose not to enter the draft last year, but almost certainly will do so this year.
Haven't heard anything about Renfree's draft potential, but I'm sure the pro scouts are watching him. He's the real deal.

Here's a list of "pro-style" QB's in the high school recruiting class of 2008, according to Rivals

Some familiar names at Quarterback (http://rivals.yahoo.com/BWI/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-rivalspsqb/2008)

To add to the comments on Renfree, I was very impressed with his poise and decision-making against FIU.
He was frequently under pressure in the pocket and was consistently able either to find a receiver or throw the ball away.

[devildeac]

Furthermore, no defensive players were named to conference honors at all.

And we will not have many defensive players named to conference honors if we continue to give up 560-580 yds/game and have trouble tackling. And yes, I am aware we came up with a great stop on their last drive and caused/recovered a huge fumble in the 4th quarter, too. I'd also bet that one of Cut's "observations" were the above as he said we have some things to work on during our bye week/s.

[DueBlevil]

I think Renfree turned the corner midway through last season. It's not just the five games this season ... he was equally good in the last five games of 2010.

Allow me to break it down:

His first seven starts: 54 percent completions, 249 yards a game, 8 TDs, 15 interceptions (one every 18 passes)
His last five starts of 2010: 72 percent complettions, 298 yards a game, 4 TDs, two interceptions (one every 101 passes)
His first five starts of 2011: 71 percent completions, 272 yards a game, 5 TDs, two interceptions (one every 99 passes)

That's 10 games of consistent performance. I think we're looking at a real level of performance and not just a temporary hot streak. And, yes, the competition wilol get tougher, but it should be noted that his strong finish in 2010 came against four bowl teams, Duke is also 5-5 over Renfree's last 10 starts, which ain't great, but it's one of the program's better 10-game stretches in the last 15 years.

Yes those are all good points

[Reilly]

.... Duke is also 5-5 over Renfree's last 10 starts....

5-5 in last 10 games and the five losses include losses by 5, 5, and 2 points.

Other records over their last 10 games: VT 8-2, UNC 7-3, NCSU 5-5, WFU 4-6, UVA 4-6.

[Reilly]

5-5 in last 10 games and the five losses include losses by 5, 5, and 2 points.

....

5-5 in last 10 games and the five wins include wins by 1, 3, and 4 points.

There will always be close games that could go either way. We could have easily won the Richmond game this year and the BC game last year ... could have easily lost this year's BC game and FIU game.

Perhaps more telling, 8 our last 10 games have been either wins or close (7 pts or less) losses: 80%.

In the three years before Cut, only 25% of our games were wins or close losses. Not fun to watch 3/4 of the games.

In the first three years of Cut, 58% of our games were wins or close losses. Fun to watch more than half of the games.

During this last 10 game stretch, we've won or had a close loss in 80% of the games. Exciting football most every time out, for the whole game. Some of those will go our way (BC, FIU), and some won't (BC, UR). The important thing is to keep competing ... keep growing that number of games that can break our way, given the breaks of the game.

[jafarr1]

yup, 2 INTs to 5 TDs. 71% completion percentage and 1361 yards through 5 games. Tempting to project those out over the whole season (fwiw: 12 TD, 5 INT, 3266 yards), but the quality of the opposition will probably go up so his stats might suffer a bit. Then again, he wasn't really utilized properly the first couple games (as admitted by Cut), and the entire team seems to be playing at an increasingly high level. I would not be surprised to see him average more than the 1 TD per game going forward.

I see this particular sentiment spoken louder week by week, but people need to remember that it wasn't just a question of utilization. Renfree made his own admission, that he played scared the first two weeks. He too often checked down to the short receivers and played as if he was afraid to make a mistake. So part of the improvement is a change in utilization, and part is due to Renfree loosening up and trusting in his skills.

I like that people don't want to toss Renfree under the bus, because usually the QB is a favorite target, but it is oversimplification to say it was all a question of play-calling.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

And we will not have many defensive players named to conference honors if we continue to give up 560-580 yds/game and have trouble tackling. And yes, I am aware we came up with a great stop on their last drive and caused/recovered a huge fumble in the 4th quarter, too. I'd also bet that one of Cut's "observations" were the above as he said we have some things to work on during our bye week/s.

My comment was tongue in cheek following MulletMan's post.

One thing about the FIU game, as our radio commentators observed, FIU has lost every game this season in which they gained more yards and had greater possession time. The games they won, their stats were lower than those of the team they beat.

Improvement is needed on the defense's part, but I think it will come. I tend to look at things through a telescope, not a microscope.

[Olympic Fan]

Improvement is needed on the defense's part, but I think it will come. I tend to look at things through a telescope, not a microscope.

If you are looking through a telescope, you should see that the defense HAS improved this year. Again:

2010 -- 35.4 ppg allowed ... 2011 -- 28.0 ppg

2010 -- 450 yards allowed per game ... 2011 -- 401 yards alllowed per game.

Still a long way to go, but midway through this season our young defense -- basically a lot younger than last yea's -- is giving up a touchdown and almost 50 yard a game LESS than last year's defense did.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

If you are looking through a telescope, you should see that the defense HAS improved this year. Again:

2010 -- 35.4 ppg allowed ... 2011 -- 28.0 ppg

2010 -- 450 yards allowed per game ... 2011 -- 401 yards alllowed per game.

Still a long way to go, but midway through this season our young defense -- basically a lot younger than last year's -- is giving up a touchdown and almost 50 yard a game LESS than last year's defense did.
All important points to remember as we fans try to assimilate what's going on. I like how you think!:cool:

[Reilly]

...

2010 -- 35.4 ppg allowed ... 2011 -- 28.0 ppg....

You could also break it down like you did Renfree's stats:

First seven games of 2010: D gives up 38.7 points/game
Last five games of 2010: D gives up 30.8 points/game
First five games of 2011: D gives up 28 points/game

To put it mildly, we were beyond confused at the beginning last year. Don't know if that was due to a new, first-time DC (Hobby), unclear lines of authority/too many cooks (Hobby/Knowles), improper schemes, lack of talent, youth, some combination thereof ... I'm still curious as to what went down w/ Hobby going to Clemson --was he told Knowles was getting final say this year? Anyway, we're improving, and Cut is singing the praises of Knowles and Petri ...

[uh_no]

I see this particular sentiment spoken louder week by week, but people need to remember that it wasn't just a question of utilization. Renfree made his own admission, that he played scared the first two weeks. He too often checked down to the short receivers and played as if he was afraid to make a mistake. So part of the improvement is a change in utilization, and part is due to Renfree loosening up and trusting in his skills.

I like that people don't want to toss Renfree under the bus, because usually the QB is a favorite target, but it is oversimplification to say it was all a question of play-calling.

While there is a lot of oversimplification going on, its important to note that cut came out and said thet the coaches weren't happy with their own play calling and needed to better utilize renfree.

[davekay1971]

Well, actually Renfree and Luck are both red-shirt juniors, in their 4th year of college, and 3rd year of playing.
.

I guess me and ESPN.com are wrong about Luck. My apologies. If Luck is, indeed, a junior, then I'll say "OTHER THAN LUCK, can you name a junior quarterback who's clearly a better pro prospect than Renfree?" :cool:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/380470/andrew-luck