Wander
11-02-2011, 05:55 PM
The last stretch of the season is upon us. Phase II didn't go as we'd hoped, but we learned some things. Desmond Scott is our #1 option in the run game. We can play really well against good teams. Our punter is awesome. I won't touch on any of these things, because I think they're established. Instead, here are the questions that I think most need to be answered. Phase III is now until the end of the (regular) season.
1. Can Duke stay reasonably healthy?
In keeping with the spirit of the basketball phases the past few years, I'll have this stay at #1. As I've mentioned before, it's not realistic in football to get by without any major injuries (and we've already been hurt by some), but hopefully any remaining injuries are minor or to our deeper positions.
2. Can Duke score early?
Virginia Tech scored the first touchdown and held Duke scoreless in the first quarter. Wake Forest jumped out to a 17-0 lead. The halftime score of the FSU game was 27 to 3. It's aggravating to be playing from behind all the time, especially when you later have proof that your team is capable of scoring against these guys. Duke scored a whopping 3 points in the combined three first quarters of Phase II. I want that to change.
3. Is the secondary going to step up?
At this point, I think we're going to have to accept that we don't have a good pass rush. Our best player in that department is out for the season with an injury, and I don't think there's enough experienced talent left to make a sudden jump in this area this late in the season. That said, our secondary can help make up for this. They played poorly against FSU, and we were routed. On the other hand, they played quite well against Virginia Tech, and as a result we had IMO our best game of the season. The truth is probably somewhere between the FSU and VT games, but which one is closer to what we'll see in the last four games? It's a little unfair to have this much pressure on our corners and safeties to perform, but I think this answer will go a long way toward deciding if we can win some of our remaining games.
4. What's going to happen with our kicking game?
Snyderwine's performance this year has clearly been hurt badly by his injury. I consider that question from Phase II to be, unfortunately, answered. The next question becomes: what do we do about it? Are we going to keep giving him tries to let him try and work through it on the field? Are we going to try a backup, maybe even give Asack a chance? Or will we simply see Duke go for conversions and/or punts more often on fourth down?
5. Does Renfree have a higher gear?
Many of us have this intuitive feeling that Renfree is juuuuuuuust on the verge of becoming a really really good ACC quarterback. Maybe he needs more time from his O-line. Maybe he needs some different plays. Maybe he just needs to continue getting experience to make better decision making. Whatever the case, he's not an especially young player, and I think he's capable of still making a significant jump before the end of the season. Given how good our receivers are (I'd argue our best unit), any improvement here is doubly good.
6. Are we going to see any change in the playcalling?
Bob Green outlined some plays (like the end-around) Duke has had success with, but rarely uses. Many posters here, including myself, think the Boone package is more likely to hurt than help and wouldn't mind seeing it shown the door. Overall, there's a general sentiment that playcalling is a big coaching area that can be improved upon. Given the three straight losses, I'm curious if this translates to any sort of change on the field.
7. Do we have any hidden stars ready to turn in a big performance?
From Matt Daniels to Alex King, we've seen some fantastic performances recently. Is there anyone else with a trick up their sleeve for the last stretch? Is Desmond Scott going to blow us away and finally give Duke a star runningback? Can Charlie Hatcher prove me wrong that our pass rush is more or less hopeless this season? We're so damn close to a big victory, not just for the season, but for the program. One strong individual performance could push us over the edge.
1. Can Duke stay reasonably healthy?
In keeping with the spirit of the basketball phases the past few years, I'll have this stay at #1. As I've mentioned before, it's not realistic in football to get by without any major injuries (and we've already been hurt by some), but hopefully any remaining injuries are minor or to our deeper positions.
2. Can Duke score early?
Virginia Tech scored the first touchdown and held Duke scoreless in the first quarter. Wake Forest jumped out to a 17-0 lead. The halftime score of the FSU game was 27 to 3. It's aggravating to be playing from behind all the time, especially when you later have proof that your team is capable of scoring against these guys. Duke scored a whopping 3 points in the combined three first quarters of Phase II. I want that to change.
3. Is the secondary going to step up?
At this point, I think we're going to have to accept that we don't have a good pass rush. Our best player in that department is out for the season with an injury, and I don't think there's enough experienced talent left to make a sudden jump in this area this late in the season. That said, our secondary can help make up for this. They played poorly against FSU, and we were routed. On the other hand, they played quite well against Virginia Tech, and as a result we had IMO our best game of the season. The truth is probably somewhere between the FSU and VT games, but which one is closer to what we'll see in the last four games? It's a little unfair to have this much pressure on our corners and safeties to perform, but I think this answer will go a long way toward deciding if we can win some of our remaining games.
4. What's going to happen with our kicking game?
Snyderwine's performance this year has clearly been hurt badly by his injury. I consider that question from Phase II to be, unfortunately, answered. The next question becomes: what do we do about it? Are we going to keep giving him tries to let him try and work through it on the field? Are we going to try a backup, maybe even give Asack a chance? Or will we simply see Duke go for conversions and/or punts more often on fourth down?
5. Does Renfree have a higher gear?
Many of us have this intuitive feeling that Renfree is juuuuuuuust on the verge of becoming a really really good ACC quarterback. Maybe he needs more time from his O-line. Maybe he needs some different plays. Maybe he just needs to continue getting experience to make better decision making. Whatever the case, he's not an especially young player, and I think he's capable of still making a significant jump before the end of the season. Given how good our receivers are (I'd argue our best unit), any improvement here is doubly good.
6. Are we going to see any change in the playcalling?
Bob Green outlined some plays (like the end-around) Duke has had success with, but rarely uses. Many posters here, including myself, think the Boone package is more likely to hurt than help and wouldn't mind seeing it shown the door. Overall, there's a general sentiment that playcalling is a big coaching area that can be improved upon. Given the three straight losses, I'm curious if this translates to any sort of change on the field.
7. Do we have any hidden stars ready to turn in a big performance?
From Matt Daniels to Alex King, we've seen some fantastic performances recently. Is there anyone else with a trick up their sleeve for the last stretch? Is Desmond Scott going to blow us away and finally give Duke a star runningback? Can Charlie Hatcher prove me wrong that our pass rush is more or less hopeless this season? We're so damn close to a big victory, not just for the season, but for the program. One strong individual performance could push us over the edge.