ACCCG: Florida St 45, Duke 7 -- Post-Game Thread

[JBDuke]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

[jv001]

Cut with cold congratulations to fisher. Not many Duke players eager to shake his hand. GoDuke!

[dukebballcamper90-91]

On the snub that was mentioned.....prolly cause jimblow is out there with a champs hat on. I can't recall seeing a coach with a shirt or hat on after the game

[uh_no]

Put your post-game thoughts here.

it was a good run...winning tonight was a long shot. goal for next year: be back in this game and be more competitive

we'll get there...we've been spoiled this year, rome wasn't built in a year

[Dukehky]

Cut really snubbed Jimbo, I wonder what that was about. I'm sure we'll hear about in the press conference.

Proud of the team this year. FSU has by far the most talented roster in the country. We fought hard had our chances and got beat by a better team. I think Duke Football is here to stay.

I'll be pulling for FSU in the National Championship. I actually like Jameis Winston...

[dukebballcamper90-91]

Congrats to our guys. Great season.

[burnspbesq]

We showed up, we played hard (and a lot cleaner than FSU) for 60 minutes, and we got out with no serious injuries. Mission accomplished.

Sooner than you think, Duke will be dishing out that kind of beating.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

Cut with cold congratulations to fisher. Not many Duke players eager to shake his hand. GoDuke!

I would have done exactly the same thing as Coach Cut. FSU tried to disrespect and humiliate Duke and Coach thought it was classless, as did the Duke players.

[TruBlu]

Cut really snubbed Jimbo, I wonder what that was about. I'm sure we'll hear about in the press conference.


Maybe for leaving the starting QB in the game til late in the 4th qtr with a huge lead and trying to run up the score?

[Merlindevildog91]

Proud of our guys, for sure. It was a memorable run, and we still have a bowl game to go.

I will have a hard time pulling for F$U in the championship. Chapel Hill might have to freeze over before I am willing to do so.

[DueBlevil]

I have no problem with cold congratulations; Cut has no obligations to make friends out there. I also have nothing against FSU scoring as many points as they want. This was a championship game and Duke did not play championship-caliber football.

[davekay1971]

Immensely proud of Duke. We fought and fought hard. FSU is incredibly talented at every position, and it wore us down.

One more game for this remarkable group of guys to play. One more chance to surprise people.

[dukebballcamper90-91]

Winston was about to admit it if he would've kept talking. Smart move to pull him away.

[throatybeard]

I'll root for FSU in the title game. I think it's rather petty to call them "F$U." I want the ACC to be relevant. And Michigan State just made Auburn pretty relevant, I think. Unless Ohio State can score twice in two minutes.

[Faison1]

My impressions:

1. Wow, that was a quick handshake by Cut. He must have been as annoyed as I was by FSU's BS.

2. Despite the score, I felt Duke was extremely respectable tonight.

3. Now that we're a football school, I will begin to dislike FSU after having liked them for the past 20 years.

4. If Duncan had caught that pass in the first quarter, or we had gone for it on 4th down at the end of the 2nd quarter, I felt the game might have come out a bit differently.

5. The Peach Bowl should feel confident we can hold our own against the #5 team from the SEC.

6. Kelby Brown is a Bad*ss.....major props to him...and the rest of the defense......great season guys!!!

[buddy]

On the snub that was mentioned.....prolly cause jimblow is out there with a champs hat on. I can't recall seeing a coach with a shirt or hat on after the game

Interesting contrast with John Danowski who told the lacrosse team NOT to put on championship shirts and hats until after they had gone through the handshake line.

The best way to deal with such lack of class is to beat it.

[Faison1]

Forgot one:

7. Ending the 1st quarter tied at 0-0 was a major, major victory IMHO. Would have been better if it was 3-0, us. But that's OK. Still a major accomplishment.

[AluminumDuke]

Immensely proud of Duke. We fought and fought hard.

Mark me down as immensely proud as well. While I didn't want to concede defeat before the game, I did have a mental list of moral victories and we checked off quite a few.

In the game at the end of the first quarter (tied, in fact!).

Scored a touchdown (albeit late).

Turned them over (two interceptions on the future Heisman trophy winner!).

We played hard and, even if it only lasted for a quarter, we put a scare in them. Definitely something to build on.

[Faison1]

Sorry, but one more:

8. That interview with Winston at the end was pretty uncool. The kid is on his way to the National Championship, and probably Heisman, and the reporter asks 4 out of 5 questions focusing on an investigation to which he has been acquitted. THAT IS JUST BAD JOURNALISM. Have just a little respect.....

[uh_no]

Sorry, but one more:

8. That interview with Winston at the end was pretty uncool. The kid is on his way to the National Championship, and probably Heisman, and the reporter asks 4 out of 5 questions focusing on an investigation to which he has been acquitted. THAT IS JUST BAD JOURNALISM. Have just a little respect.....

most on field reporters are clueless...which is why i like people like gregg popovich who calls out reporters who ask stupid questions....if you watch K's pressers, he'll often do similar things when people ask dumb questions

[SoCalDukeFan]

Interesting contrast with John Danowski who told the lacrosse team NOT to put on championship shirts and hats until after they had gone through the handshake line.

The best way to deal with such lack of class is to beat it.

Put on the ACC Champs hat right after.

SoCal

[hudlow]

Go Duke...next game.

[Dukehky]

I don't really have a problem with teams playing their starters throughout the game; it's a championship game. If you want the offense to stop scoring, stop them. We run the score up on people in basketball when we play our starters who need to work on stuff. I remember specifically a game at wake in 06, we won by 26 and Redick was still playing in the last 4 minutes.

I honestly didn't see much poor behavior out of Florida State tonight, maybe I wasn't watching closely enough through the second half. A few late hits and stuff, but football is a violent game, it happens, we did it too.

Whatever though, game's over. Nothing we can do about it even if they did try and run the score up (substantially lower output than most of their games this year) except complain about it. Whining about running the score up admits that you don't belong on the field with their starters, which I don't think is a good message to send to the players. We have hopefully a big bowl game coming up. If it's west of the Mississippi then I'll be there.

Go Duke.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

I don't really have a problem with teams playing their starters throughout the game; it's a championship game. If you want the offense to stop scoring, stop them. We run the score up on people in basketball when we play our starters who need to work on stuff. I remember specifically a game at wake in 06, we won by 26 and Redick was still playing in the last 4 minutes.

I honestly didn't see much poor behavior out of Florida State tonight, maybe I wasn't watching closely enough through the second half. A few late hits and stuff, but football is a violent game, it happens, we did it too.

Whatever though, game's over. Nothing we can do about it even if they did try and run the score up (substantially lower output than most of their games this year) except complain about it. Whining about running the score up admits that you don't belong on the field with their starters, which I don't think is a good message to send to the players. We have hopefully a big bowl game coming up. If it's west of the Mississippi then I'll be there.

Go Duke.

Couple of things stuck out that I thought showed a lack of class:

1) FSU running the ball at the end of the game instead of the victory formation.

2) Throwing the ball down the field 30 yards up 38-0 with 8 minutes left instead of running the ball to run the clock out.

To equate it to basketball, it would be like Duke repeatedly setting up alley oops in the last 4 minutes up 27 and then trying to score with 10 seconds left with the ball up 30.

I can't remember Duke ever doing that under Coach K.

[Son of Jarhead]

Well, we looked good early, but they just have more pros than we do... well, really, more than some pro teams do. And we are better than we showed, not enough O & too many turnovers wore our D down, but... congrats to FSU, they are #1 for a reason. FSU, you better bring the Naty back to the ACC... don't screw it up. Now we wait to see where we are bowling. Proud of my Blue Devils, 2013 Coastal Division Champs, 11 All-ACC honors, Nat'l Coach of the Year for Cut, etc.... let's go win that bowl game!

On Cut's quick handshake-&-bolt, he looked annoyed as he was walking across the field, working that gum... don't know what he was annoyed about, and likely won't find out, either. It could have been at FSU, or maybe about our play, or maybe the refs... or maybe it was that cameraman in his way right then. I would like to know what Fisher said to someone next to him right after Cut walked away, presumably in response to them asking something like "what was that about with Coach Cutcliffe?" It sounded like "He probably wants...", but I couldn't make out the rest. Anybody catch that?

[NYBri]

Best thing to do is REMEMBER. In two years we will be smacking the likes of FSU around and it will be very sweet. Remember how sweet it was to beat UNLV the second time. We will be back.

[OldPhiKap]

Just got back from the game. First of all, GREAT Duke crowd. Held our own against a much bigger school. The place was also fuller than the Belk Bowl last year.

Second, I think we played well in the first half but FSU is clearly the most talented team in the country. Even if you play flawlessly, that will wear you down.

Congrats to FSU, hope they win it all.



Re: Starters in late -- football is not basketball, in that margins of victory count with some voters. And their QB is trying to shake a bad press story to win the Heisman. I am not a fan of it, but that is the college game of football. If we don't like it, beat them next time you play.

[throatybeard]

Okay, so if you drive from Auburn to Tallahassee, it's about 195 miles. (I'm not a fan of "air miles" nor of the media-driven, supposed, ever-shrinking distance between Duke and UNC, which is now like 17 paces).

I'm wondering what is the shortest distance between schools in a FB championship game, or a bowl game that, de facto, served as such back in the day.

[Highlander]

FWIW, Bob Harris announced on the radio that Norman will have to sit out the first half of the bowl game due to his ejection.

Just got back from the game myself. Good Duke crowd. We played well for a quarter and held our own against FSU during that time. The two plays that hurt us significantly were the dropped pass to the RB when he slipped out of the backfield and Boone's interception deep in FSU territory. It certainly didn't feel like we were down 17-0, and the FSU fans around us were frustrated that they weren't blowing us out. They were also frustrated that we effectively neutralized their punt return specialist for the entire game.

Second half was a much different story. Our inability to do anything productive on offense just dug us into too deep a hole, and when you give a team like FSU an infinite number of chances to score, they will eventually hit their groove. It got out of hand pretty quickly. When they hit that 50yd TD pass, the FSU fans near us said in the direction of the FSU bench "Where have you guys been all game?" My wife and I left with about 10 min to go in the 4th and Duke punting (again), so I missed the penalty on Norman. Was it a legitimate ejection? Bob Harris certainly didn't think so.

Anyway, I didn't expect us to win. I had hoped we'd keep it respectable and we did for about 20 minutes of game time, but a loss is a loss. Next play.

[Edouble]

Okay, so if you drive from Auburn to Tallahassee, it's about 195 miles. (I'm not a fan of "air miles" nor of the media-driven, supposed, ever-shrinking distance between Duke and UNC, which is now like 17 paces).

I'm wondering what is the shortest distance between schools in a FB championship game, or a bowl game that, de facto, served as such back in the day.

About 150 miles between Gainesville and Tallahassee. 1997 Sugar Bowl.

[CameronBlue]

Couple of things stuck out that I thought showed a lack of class:

1) FSU running the ball at the end of the game instead of the victory formation.

2) Throwing the ball down the field 30 yards up 38-0 with 8 minutes left instead of running the ball to run the clock out.

To equate it to basketball, it would be like Duke repeatedly setting up alley oops in the last 4 minutes up 27 and then trying to score with 10 seconds left with the ball up 30.

I can't remember Duke ever doing that under Coach K.

Uh check the highlights of the 82-50 beat down of Carolina. Let's not get too carried away with the lack of class comments. FSU did what they were supposed to do, win. They ran the ball! Mother j McCree oh all de noyve!

[mgtr]

OK, big win for FSU. Now lets see how they do against Auburn!

[dukelifer]

OK, big win for FSU. Now lets see how they do against Auburn!

My takeaways - Duke played hard on D. Clearly they have come together as a unit this year. The O did not do their job and control the ball other than one drive. Duke tried to play Duke football but very hard to do against FSU. I think Auburn will have an easier time as they look for big plays all the time. Boone got rattled or hurt- he was very good for a while but then made too many mistakes throughout the game and the D never got rest and wore out. I was surprised how emotional/rattled Winston was in that game. He looked like a freshman at times- not an impressive performance although he had good numbers. He cannot play like that in Jan.

FSU is good but they are going to play a very loose team that will throw everything at them. FSU would have beaten OSU pretty soundly but Auburn is on a roll and they may very well get another NC for the SEC. FSU will need their A game.

[hillsborodevil]

I really enjoyed the 1st Q. Duke came out firing on all cylinders. Cut really had the team fired up.

Should see positive results on the recruiting trail from the toughness Duke displayed in the first half. Nothing to be ashamed of with the final score.

[sagegrouse]

Maybe for leaving the starting QB in the game til late in the 4th qtr with a huge lead and trying to run up the score?

Yeah, and I believe Mr. Dwayne Norman, number 40, was Cut's ambassador to Coach Fisher. Good sticking, Dwayne! We'll miss you at the bowl game but see ya' next year. And which of the DL blasted Winston on the same play?

I like that Duke didn't back down one bit.

sage

[jv001]

Proud of our defense. They put some tough hits on some of their receivers and backs. Our offensive line did a pretty good job of protecting Boone, but he was not his usual self. Most likely nerves from playing in the next to biggest game of his life. The unc game being the biggest just to make it to the championship game. But unc is not FSU. I'll be rooting for them to win a National Title. I'm not one to whine because we were beaten by a better football time. But Duke is on their way back. GoDuke!

[77devil]

Yeah, and I believe Mr. Dwayne Norman, number 40, was Cut's ambassador to Coach Fisher. Good sticking, Dwayne! We'll miss you at the bowl game but see ya' next year. And which of the DL blasted Winston on the same play?

I like that Duke didn't back down one bit.

sage

It was LB Kyler Brown who was blitzing.

FSU is clearly # 1 at whining if not winning. Throughout the game a coach or player was complaining about one thing or another; Jimbo being not least of whom.

[Bob Green]

My wife and I left with about 10 min to go in the 4th and Duke punting (again), so I missed the penalty on Norman. Was it a legitimate ejection? Bob Harris certainly didn't think so.

It was a borderline call. Norman hit the receiver in his midsection, but the refs ruled Norman led with the crown of his helmet. I will not go as far as calling it a bad call, but it was certainly a call that didn't need to be made.

[WakeDevil]

Was it Florida not that long ago that faked a kneeldown near the end zone and threw a TD pass?

As far as I'm concerned, if they tell you they're trying to score, it's your job to stop them, but why would Fisher risk an injury to a starter when the game is in hand?

[CDu]

It was LB Kyler Brown who was blitzing.

FSU is clearly # 1 at whining if not winning. Throughout the game a coach or player was complaining about one thing or another; Jimbo being not least of whom.

It was Kelby Brown, not Kyler Brown.

[CDu]

It was a borderline call. Norman hit the receiver in his midsection, but the refs ruled Norman led with the crown of his helmet. I will not go as far as calling it a bad call, but it was certainly a call that didn't need to be made.

It wasn't a borderline call. Norman led with the crown of the helmet. Easy call. It stinks for Norman, but that is the rule. The NCAA wants to crack down on that sort of play, so they have intentionally made the penalty harsh.

[4Gen]

I took away from this game that Duke football will flat hit you. Good to see.

[duke74]

Sorry, but one more:

8. That interview with Winston at the end was pretty uncool. The kid is on his way to the National Championship, and probably Heisman, and the reporter asks 4 out of 5 questions focusing on an investigation to which he has been acquitted. THAT IS JUST BAD JOURNALISM. Have just a little respect.....

Not a lawyer, but not indicted does NOT mean "acquitted"...just not enough to bring to trial.

[CDu]

Not a lawyer, but not indicted does NOT mean "acquitted"...just not enough to bring to trial.

The point remains the same though.

[Faison1]

Not a lawyer, but not indicted does NOT mean "acquitted"...just not enough to bring to trial.

I had a few drinks last night, so there is NO WAY I was going to get the difference between the two. Frankly, I was pretty impressed that I came up with "acquitted".

[johnb]

FSU has a great, fast, aggressive defense. Quite impressive.

When they asked Jameis what he learned in the last month, he said that he needed to be mature every minute bc everyone was watching. Sounded like an allusion to guilt or at least a recognition that he needs to avoid sex with someone who is saying no and heavily intoxicated. He wasn't "acquitted," by the way, or exhonerated. They declined to pursue the prosecution because the lack of evidence and poor police procedure meant successful prosecution was unlikely. The repeated questions may have been sensationalist, but they may also hint at what the journalists actually think about whether Jameis did anything illegal. A sordid mess, if you ask me, but I digress.

While I will never like Jameis (or Kobe, for the same reason), I am less upset about FSU. If we don't like running up the score, take a look at some of our women's basketball games. They were trying to do a bit of a late-game stomp down, presumably for voters who were watching the other game, but I didn't see late hits and doubt it was specifically directed at us. But what do I know?

Norman led with the crown of his helmet. Nice hit but the rule is clear. I broke a rib once after tripping on a footrest; after watching the replay, I don't know how the fsu player was able to get off the field.

As for doing the stomp down in reverse in 2 years..... we'll see. we might have risen to their level, but I doubt they'll just quit recruiting 4/5 star players.... I'm pleased that we made it close for a half, and also pleased by the fan support.

[buddy]

Several points. Yes, K keeps starters in late in games sometimes, but basketball does have a shot clock, unlike football. In football, you can try to run out the clock. In basketball, you can refuse to try to score, but I have never seen any team do that with more than 35 seconds on the clock.

When you keep your starters in late in a game already decided, you run the risk of injury--not from malice, but from football. I don't know the ins and outs of the crown rule, but it is what it is. Norman tried to separate the player from the ball in the end zone in a game where is team was behind by 38 with 8 minutes to go. And he did. Should he have not made the play because stopping FSU then would not affect the outcome? Should FSU not have tried to score because the game was decided? I for one am glad that we played hard the entire game. I thought our defense did well, but were just on the field too long.

Winston is a terrific quarterback, but he does have a lot of help. Still, I thought he looked shaky at times. FSU just is head and shoulders above us in talent. But now we know what we have to do to get where we want. This as been a delicious season, and I refuse to let a loss to a clearly superior squad affect my appreciation for what the coaching staff and this particular group of young men have accomplished.

We have made giant strides this year. We played for a championship. We held the best team in the country scoreless for 17 1/2 minutes to start the game. Next play!

[YmoBeThere]

Well, we looked good early, but they just have more pros than we do... well, really, more than some pro teams do.

No. While they are a very good team and will put a dozen players into the pros, this bit of hyperbole is merely that. Hyperbole. We shouldn't make them into something they aren't.


They were trying to do a bit of a late-game stomp down, presumably for voters who were watching the other game, but I didn't see late hits and doubt it was specifically directed at us. But what do I know?

Agreed, unless I missed it I didn't see much shenanigans on their side. I think some of the chippiness at the end of the game was actually driven by us but it is easier to see the retaliation than the instigation.

[johnb]

.... Norman tried to separate the player from the ball in the end zone in a game where is team was behind by 38 with 8 minutes to go. And he did. Should he have not made the play because stopping FSU then would not affect the outcome?

Spearing seems to lead to concussions in the spearer and injuries in the speared. Norman did prevent/defer a touchdown, but there's a reason it's an automatic expulsion. if an FSU player had done it to, say, Boone and knocked him out of the game, we'd have a whole thread about it.

Impressive bit though

[Bob Green]

...and we got out with no serious injuries.

Perry Simmons (right tackle) injured his knee.

[Wander]

Uh check the highlights of the 82-50 beat down of Carolina. Let's not get too carried away with the lack of class comments. FSU did what they were supposed to do, win. They ran the ball! Mother j McCree oh all de noyve!

Totally agreed, I was going to bring up the same game - if I remember correctly, Duke's final points of that night came from an alley-oop to Miles Plumlee. Which was awesome. Nothing to complain about for me with FSU.

There's not too much reason to be discouraged - FSU is not just the best team in the country, but had one of the most dominant regular seasons in a long time. Our defense was fine, but we needed much better quarterback play to hang with them.

[OldPhiKap]

Totally agreed, I was going to bring up the same game - if I remember correctly, Duke's final points of that night came from an alley-oop to Miles Plumlee. Which was awesome. Nothing to complain about for me with FSU.

There's not too much reason to be discouraged - FSU is not just the best team in the country, but had one of the most dominant regular seasons in a long time. Our defense was fine, but we needed much better quarterback play to hang with them.

Agreed, although as to the last point -- I am not sure how it looked on TV, but FSU's defensive backs are spectacular. There was nothing available over the middle after the first quarter, and they locked down single man on the WRs for most of the game. While Boone did have some errant passes, he had few openings and a drop or two when he got an opening. There is a reason FSU only gives up eleven or so points a game.

I thought our O line did pretty well, that fumble sack late in the third notwithstanding.

[Potato Head]

Surprised but not surprised at the number of media chalking this up more to "Duke coming back to earth/That was a cute little story but Duke was never going to be good enough", rather than just another example of FSU being the cream of the crop this year. Sure we let the game get away from us in the end, but so did everyone else they played. If we took any of our opportunities in the first quarter who knows how that game might have turned out. Was happy with how our defense kept them "in check" in the first half, with no help from our offense.

[johnb]

Agreed, although as to the last point -- I am not sure how it looked on TV, but FSU's defensive backs are spectacular...

The tv guys pointed out the quality of their corners and did recurrently show the tight coverage and mentioned that we had perhaps one WR (Crowder) who was fast like their corners are fast, but it would be difficult to really get across Boone's experience of never really seeing any of his wide outs with space. A couple of times, he "overthrew an open guy," but when they showed the replay it seems to me it was a theoretical opening in that there was a guy in front and in back and so the ball could potentially have been dropped from a bird or a plane or thrown by a superman, but we're short of all three.

And, of course, it's not like the rest of their D is chopped liver. Unless your team also happens to have next-level athletes, misdirection and slants can only get you so far.

Having said that, if we'd gotten a few more breaks (the FG, no dropped passes--including by our own QB, no Duke turnovers), it coulda been closer, but it's still hard to imagine Us having one of our great 4th quarters against FSU.

[OldPhiKap]

The tv guys pointed out the quality of their corners and did recurrently show the tight coverage and mentioned that we had perhaps one WR (Crowder) who was fast like their corners are fast, but it would be difficult to really get across Boone's experience of never really seeing any of his wide outs with space. A couple of times, he "overthrew an open guy," but when they showed the replay it seems to me it was a theoretical opening in that there was a guy in front and in back and so the ball could potentially have been dropped from a bird or a plane or thrown by a superman, but we're short of all three.

And, of course, it's not like the rest of their D is chopped liver. Unless your team also happens to have next-level athletes, misdirection and slants can only get you so far.

Having said that, if we'd gotten a few more breaks (the FG, no dropped passes--including by our own QB, no Duke turnovers), it coulda been closer, but it's still hard to imagine Us having one of our great 4th quarters against FSU.

Wish I could give Sporkz but need to spread the love. Agree on all points.

The game might have been different if we don't drop the wheel pass in the first quarter, and go for it and convert on fourth and four in the second quarter. Still, that is a long way from saying that the result would have been different. I hope we take lessons from this and go in to the Bowl with our heads up and focused -- we still have a lot to play for, and a tough opponent in our way.

[roywhite]

Well, we looked good early, but they just have more pros than we do... well, really, more than some pro teams do.




There's not too much reason to be discouraged - FSU is not just the best team in the country, but had one of the most dominant regular seasons in a long time. Our defense was fine, but we needed much better quarterback play to hang with them.

Yeah, the perspective for me is just how good FSU is. Seems to me they could be the best team ever from FSU, the best team ever from the ACC, and one of the better college teams in a long time. While they don't really compare to an NFL team, they have a ton of guys who will likely play in the NFL. I suppose we need to see how FSU will do against Auburn, but they really do seem to be an extraordinary college team.

Can Duke approach that level? Don't really think so, but Duke can continue to get better. Great job by Coach Cut and the team.

[FerryFor50]

And, of course, it's not like the rest of their D is chopped liver. Unless your team also happens to have next-level athletes, misdirection and slants can only get you so far.



While the rest of their defense is good, FSU doesn't have any elite pass rushers like from previous years. Guys like Lawrence Timmons, Kameiron Wimbley, Peter Boulware, Derrick Brooks, etc.

Most of FSU's pressure comes from coverage because of their elite secondary.

Will be an interesting matchup with Auburn, since FSU's defensive strength is pass defense, but Auburn is a run heavy (and very effectively) team.

[FerryFor50]

Yeah, the perspective for me is just how good FSU is. Seems to me they could be the best team ever from FSU, the best team ever from the ACC, and one of the better college teams in a long time. While they don't really compare to an NFL team, they have a ton of guys who will likely play in the NFL. I suppose we need to see how FSU will do against Auburn, but they really do seem to be an extraordinary college team.

Can Duke approach that level? Don't really think so, but Duke can continue to get better. Great job by Coach Cut and the team.

I don't think they are the best FSU team ever... The Charlie Ward years were probably better.

[loran16]

Perry Simmons (right tackle) injured his knee.

Cut called it a significant injury in post-game....could miss the bowl and he would be a HUGE loss.

[AZLA]

Couple of things stuck out that I thought showed a lack of class:

1) FSU running the ball at the end of the game instead of the victory formation.

2) Throwing the ball down the field 30 yards up 38-0 with 8 minutes left instead of running the ball to run the clock out.

To equate it to basketball, it would be like Duke repeatedly setting up alley oops in the last 4 minutes up 27 and then trying to score with 10 seconds left with the ball up 30.

I can't remember Duke ever doing that under Coach K.

Oh c'mon. It's a competition. Duke has big boys on their team. They can handle it. Only thing worse than getting drubbed, is complaining about how much another team "ran up" a score, when what they were doing was playing football. Sometimes it feels more classless to complain about how a team competes, which FSU was competing fairly, than whether or not a team puts up a higher score. It's not like Duke didn't continue to compete to put up 7 points and get that donut off the scoreboard. And the basketball analogy doesn't jive. This was the ACC CHAMPIONSHIP between two Top 20 teams. Not Duke versus South East Podunk State at home. Being that college football is based on pageantry and voters -- fans should come to expect that teams compete hard for all 4 quarters.

Shake hands and move on.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Living on the West Coast it is nice to see Duke football and not have the discussion about how bad they are or a lawsuit involving a female placekicker.

Duke clearly plays tough big boy football. I would expect with continued improvement in recruiting the team gets better and better. It looks like we have lots of young talent in the defensive backfield but are probably losing some veteran offensive lineman.

Rather that criticize Duke's offense, I think it makes more sense to acknowledge how good FSU's defense is.

I would have loved it for us to score first, too bad we missed the field goal and dropped the one pass. We weren't going to score many points so once FSU got their offense going it was all over.

I did not want an all SEC BCS Championship game but giving Ohio State's loss would have taken it. I am looking forward to seeing Auburn's offense against the 'Noles defense.

SoCal

[77devil]

It was Kelby Brown, not Kyler Brown.

Not unless they switched jerseys. #56 made the hit.

[sagegrouse]

It was a borderline call. Norman hit the receiver in his midsection, but the refs ruled Norman led with the crown of his helmet. I will not go as far as calling it a bad call, but it was certainly a call that didn't need to be made.

Oh, the poor O'Leary. He gets laid out by Norman about four-tenths of a second after receiving the ball; the ball dribbles away; and he is lying on his back, crying like a baby. The ref feels so sorry for him he decides to throw a flag -- a full second after the pass arrives.

From what I could see it was a shoulder pad to the midsection. Good sticking! Great play, Dwayne! I am glad to see you won't miss an entire game.

sage

[77devil]

Yeah, the perspective for me is just how good FSU is. Seems to me they could be the best team ever from FSU, the best team ever from the ACC, and one of the better college teams in a long time. While they don't really compare to an NFL team, they have a ton of guys who will likely play in the NFL. I suppose we need to see how FSU will do against Auburn, but they really do seem to be an extraordinary college team.

Can Duke approach that level? Don't really think so, but Duke can continue to get better. Great job by Coach Cut and the team.

Whether or not the best FSU ever, I agree that they are loaded in a way we almost certainly never will be. Not going to happen with Duke's admission standards. The commentators mentioned that one NFL GM said 8 of the 11 on the FSU defense will play in the league.

[Indoor66]

Maybe FSU demonstrates why Cut recruits SPEED, SPEED, SPEED. Darn they were quick - as well as big.

[DevilFalcon]

For the first quarter it really looked like we could hang. Then self imposed mistakes took us away from at least 10 points. After that things just unraveled. I am proud of Duke for making it and playing hard. I wish Boone had not had such an off night.
I am highly disappointed in Duke fans. I was at the game in a sea of maroon. There were a couple of pockets of Duke fans, but really guys where were you!? (Before I get flamed, I am not pointing out this board specifically just our fan base in general.)

[loran16]

Oh c'mon. It's a competition. Duke has big boys on their team. They can handle it. Only thing worse than getting drubbed, is complaining about how much another team "ran up" a score, when what they were doing was playing football. Sometimes it feels more classless to complain about how a team competes, which FSU was competing fairly, than whether or not a team puts up a higher score. It's not like Duke didn't continue to compete to put up 7 points and get that donut off the scoreboard. And the basketball analogy doesn't jive. This was the ACC CHAMPIONSHIP between two Top 20 teams. Not Duke versus South East Podunk State at home. Being that college football is based on pageantry and voters -- fans should come to expect that teams compete hard for all 4 quarters.

Shake hands and move on.

Yeah I'd also add that the NCAA Tournament doesn't really care too much about margin of victory. There's no benefit to running up the score - you still have to get through the tourney.

In theory, if FSU looked weak at points this season, another team might've been #1. And honestly? They'd taken out their starters every game this season - what if the BCS Title Game was close through 3 quarters? Would you want your starters to have no experience playing 4 quarters going into the title game?

[Faison1]

Oh, the poor O'Leary. He gets laid out by Norman about four-tenths of a second after receiving the ball; the ball dribbles away; and he is lying on his back, crying like a baby. The ref feels so sorry for him he decides to throw a flag -- a full second after the pass arrives.

From what I could see it was a shoulder pad to the midsection. Good sticking! Great play, Dwayne! I am glad to see you won't miss an entire game.

sage

You and I saw something different. In no way am I sticking up for O'Leary, but Norman's helmet was squarely planted in O'Leary's ribs. It's a miracle if he didn't walk away with a couple broken ones.

I don't think there was anything dirty about it. Our D was laying lumber all night long. But the rule is meant to make the defender keep his head up, something Norman clearly did not do.

[Bob Green]

It looks like we have lots of young talent in the defensive backfield but are probably losing some veteran offensive lineman.

We lose left guard Dave Harding and right tackle Perry Simmons, but Cody Robinson and Lucas Patrick will step right in as they are quality players who have played lots of snaps the past two seasons. The offensive line will be a team strength next season as it was this season.

[77devil]

You and I saw something different. In no way am I sticking up for O'Leary, but Norman's helmet was squarely planted in O'Leary's ribs. It's a miracle if he didn't walk away with a couple broken ones.

I don't think there was anything dirty about it. Our D was laying lumber all night long. But the rule is meant to make the defender keep his head up, something Norman clearly did not do.

Norman clearly lead with his helmet. He made initial contact with it after which it slid to the side and his shoulder pad followed through. The head of ACC officials was in the ABC booth and said definitively, and without hesitation, that the hit violated the rule. Like the rule or not it was the correct call.

[OldPhiKap]

I am highly disappointed in Duke fans. I was at the game in a sea of maroon. There were a couple of pockets of Duke fans, but really guys where were you!? (Before I get flamed, I am not pointing out this board specifically just our fan base in general.)

Not sure where you were, but the whole bottom ring behind the bench and over to the tunnel end zone was packed with Duke blue. Could not see the upper level behind there. But Duke has about 6,500 undergrads at any one time while FSU has close to 32,000. I would say we drew pretty well, and had a bigger turnout than for the Belk Bowl last year (which was still pretty good -- a bit more than Cincy I would guess).

Plus, like Duke basketball, FSU football has non-alum fans in droves because of sustained success. Duke can get that in football too, but it takes time. For many folks who do not remember the glory years, this is the first season that Duke football has even hit their radar.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Perry Simmons (right tackle) injured his knee.

Shaquille Powell has a sprained MCL.

[OldPhiKap]

Shaquille Powell has a sprained MCL.

I thought I heard Cut say that Connette was also banged up, any word? Or did I mishear?

[roywhite]

Whether or not the best FSU ever, I agree that they are loaded in a way we almost certainly never will be. Not going to happen with Duke's admission standards. The commentators mentioned that one NFL GM said 8 of the 11 on the FSU defense will play in the league.

Yeah, we don't necessarily recruit the same guys. But Duke has a bit higher ceiling than some think IMO; look at Stanford; they have been able to win conference championships and go to BCS bowls.

[Bob Green]

I thought I heard Cut say that Connette was also banged up, any word? Or did I mishear?

You didn't mishear. Coach Cutcliffe had no details to share on any of the injuries except he did say Simmons knee injury was significant. Hopefully we hear some details on Powell and Connette today. Good news would be good.

Kelby Brown and Jela Duncan also left the game, but Coach Cutcliffe did not mention them so I'm assuming no news is good news in their cases.

[roywhite]

You didn't mishear. Coach Cutcliffe had no details to share on any of the injuries except he did say Simmons knee injury was significant. Hopefully we hear some details on Powell and Connette today. Good news would be good.

Kelby Brown and Jela Duncan also left the game, but Coach Cutcliffe did not mention them so I'm assuming no news is good news in their cases.

Not to minimize injuries (sorry to hear about Simmons....bad break to have all those consecutive starts and miss out on his last game), but among the good things a bowl game brings are:

healing time in the next 3 weeks
practice time for the whole squad that provides a head start for next year

[loran16]

Shaquille Powell has a sprained MCL.

What is the source of this diagnosis?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

What is the source of this diagnosis?
His mother

[uh_no]

Yeah, the perspective for me is just how good FSU is. Seems to me they could be the best team ever from FSU, the best team ever from the ACC, and one of the better college teams in a long time. While they don't really compare to an NFL team, they have a ton of guys who will likely play in the NFL. I suppose we need to see how FSU will do against Auburn, but they really do seem to be an extraordinary college team.

Can Duke approach that level? Don't really think so, but Duke can continue to get better. Great job by Coach Cut and the team.

spot on....it always makes me shake my head when such comparisons are made....

so what if they have 8 guys who might make a roster....you know how many players on an NFL tea might make an NFL roster? all of them

i'll take 25 pros over 8 pros 16 times out of 16

[OldPhiKap]

You didn't mishear. Coach Cutcliffe had no details to share on any of the injuries except he did say Simmons knee injury was significant. Hopefully we hear some details on Powell and Connette today. Good news would be good.

Kelby Brown and Jela Duncan also left the game, but Coach Cutcliffe did not mention them so I'm assuming no news is good news in their cases.

If you're referring to the hit he took with about 2:30 left in the first half, I am pretty sure I saw him in the game during the third quarter. I watched him closely when he came off (it was right in front of where I was) -- they never took him back to the locker and he seemed to walk it off.

[weezie]

His mother

Oh SNAP!!!!! :cool:


Shaq was wonderful yesterday. What a joy it has been to see him mature and grow as a player. He is really going to be something super-special in these next few seasons.

[Olympic Fan]

Pardon me for arriving late to the party, but we drove back after the game and didn't get home until almost 4 a.m. Went straight to bed and slept 'til noon.

My observations:

-- Great start for the defense, which matched FSU with toughness and physicality for much of the first half. They did get worn down as the game went on. They are so freaking talented that if you give them chance after chance, they are going to start hitting plays.

-- I thought Jameis Winston helped our defense early with some missed throws. He's going to win the Heisman because he's the most accurate downfield passer in college football (other guys who are close to 70 percent do a lot more dumpoffs and flares). But he wasn't on target as the game got started. The Duke secondary was giving him small targets, but he was missing those targets. The first interception by Breon Borders was merely a badly overthrown ball that was a gift (note: his second INT was a defensive gem -- close coverage and he beat the receiver to the ball ... the first pick was a gift ... the second was an all-star play). Winston got better as the game went on (over 300 yards and four TDs), but his slow start helped Duke stay in it.

-- BTW: Love the kids in the secondary. Borders had the two picks, but Fields made plays (including a sack), Singleton made some great hits and Edwards delivered the best hit of the game. Gotta believe our secondary is in good hands for the future.

-- Duke had its offensive chances early, but kept screwing it up. The one long drive after recovering the fumble inside the 10 (GREAT strip by Cockrell) was nice, but I can't help wondering what happens if Duncan doesn't drop (and it was a clear drop) that swing pass from Boone. He catches it and it's at least a first and goal, Duke scores first and sends shock waves around the country (but, no, I don't think Duke wins if we score then ... but might have beaten the spread). After that drive Boone struggled to hit his targets. Not his best night ... I was hoping Connette would get an earlier shot. We couldn't block them straight up, I thought the zone read might work.

-- I thought FSU was very frustrated by the resistance they were getting early. I saw a number of cheap shots -- some called (they had three personal fouls in the first half), some not. The play where Thomas mauled Anunike on the FSU sideline was particularly ugly. I thought Duke got frustrated late and in the fourth quarter, began to respond. I agree that the call on Norman -- while technically correct -- was unfortunate (and watch the tape -- was far from the only similar blow delivered in the game). I think the personal foul when Winston was hit as he went out of bounds was a bad call -- watch the contact on that one -- it occurs before his foot lands on the line and it was when he was scrambling, so he's fair game like any running back.

-- The running up the score issue is a tough one. On the whole, I agree with the premise -- it's your job to stop the team from scoring. But there is a practical dimension too. It's 38-0 and FSU gets the ball back just inside the 10 yard line with just under 10 minutes left. Why put Winston in there? He already had 295 yards passing, four TD passes and one running. Does he need another drive to bolster his Heisman hopes? FSU is up 38-0 ... do they need to do more to make sure they don't drop from 1 to 3 in the BCS standings? They have a freshman backup QB who has barely played (their season long backup, Coker is hurt and out for the season). Wouldn't the smart move be to play your freshman backup and let him run the offense? If the second-team offense can march down the field and score, god bless 'em. But to put in your Heisman Trophy guy to direct a meaningless fourth-quarter TD? Why risk Winston in such a situation and why not give the inexperienced backup a chance to for some experience? BTW, no problem with FSU running the last two plays with 1:01 left -- they were simple running plays ... not trying to score. Duke still had 3 TOs left ... if they knee, Duke might try to get the ball back

-- Whoever talked about injuries -- Duke REALLY got banged up ... the worst of the season by far. Simmons is the only one we know is serious enough to keep him out of the bowl, but Connette, Powell, Duncan, Harding and (worst of all) Kelby Brown all left the game hurt. Boone was hurt at one point, but returned. Same with Cockrell. We've got three weeks until the Chick-fil-a Bowl, so several and maybe most of those guys have a chance ... but if we were playing next week, we'd be devastated.

-- Still, a good experience. The crowd was great -- Duke was very well represented -- and the weather not as bad as predicted (much better than the Belk Bowl last year). This would be a major disappointment if this were a once-in-lifetime experience, but I believe it will be the first of many championship experiences for the kids in this program. This is still a building program and if they are not quite at FSU's level, they are much closer to that level than I thought going in. It's funny, Duke lost to FSU 48-7 a year ago -- almost the same score as last night. But I saw both games and Duke was much, MUCH more competitive this time (especially defensively).

I'm looking forward to a rematch in next year's ACC title game -- and it will be like Duke-UNLV in 1990 and 1991.

[DevilWearsPrada]

Pardon me for arriving late to the party, but we drove back after the game and didn't get home until almost 4 a.m. Went straight to bed and slept 'til noon.

My observations:



-- Whoever talked about injuries -- Duke REALLY got banged up ... the worst of the season by far. Simmons is the only one we know is serious enough to keep him out of the bowl, but Connette, Powell, Duncan, Harding and (worst of all) Kelby Brown all left the game hurt. Boone was hurt at one point, but returned. Same with Cockrell. We've got three weeks until the Chick-fil-a Bowl, so several and maybe most of those guys have a chance ... but if we were playing next week, we'd be devastated.

-- Still, a good experience. The crowd was great -- Duke was very well represented -- and the weather not as bad as predicted (much better than the Belk Bowl last year). This would be a major disappointment if this were a once-in-lifetime experience, but I believe it will be the first of many championship experiences for the kids in this program. This is still a building program and if they are not quite at FSU's level, they are much closer to that level than I thought going in. It's funny, Duke lost to FSU 48-7 a year ago -- almost the same score as last night. But I saw both games and Duke was much, MUCH more competitive this time (especially defensively).

I'm looking forward to a rematch in next year's ACC title game -- and it will be like Duke-UNLV in 1990 and 1991.

Any updates with the Injury List? We have 3 weeks to heal and prepare!
Proud of our young men and what they have accomplished this Season!!!!

W E A R E D U K E !!!!

[Highlander]

I don't think they are the best FSU team ever... The Charlie Ward years were probably better.

One stat I heard last night was that the last CFB team to win all of their games by 14 or more points was 1995 Nebraska, and they are considered one of the best teams of all time. FSU is one game away from equaling their streak, with BC being the only team that has been able to hang within 14 points of FSU all year.

Hard to judge teams that played in different eras against each other, but I think there is no question that if FSU wins the NC by 14 points or more, they should be in the conversation of "best ever."

[devildeac]

Well, we did win that all important stat of possession time, 30:44-29:16, and tied the turnover battle with three each ;):rolleyes: . This isn't meant to minimize our accomplishments so far this season, of which I am extremely proud.

[FerryFor50]

One stat I heard last night was that the last CFB team to win all of their games by 14 or more points was 1995 Nebraska, and they are considered one of the best teams of all time. FSU is one game away from equaling their streak, with BC being the only team that has been able to hang within 14 points of FSU all year.

Hard to judge teams that played in different eras against each other, but I think there is no question that if FSU wins the NC by 14 points or more, they should be in the conversation of "best ever."

Difference is, this year's FSU team got both of their rivals (Miami and FSU) in severely down years... and their SOS is pretty bad. Of course they beat a bunch of bad teams by more than 14 points.

[vick]

Difference is, this year's FSU team got both of their rivals (Miami and FSU) in severely down years... and their SOS is pretty bad. Of course they beat a bunch of bad teams by more than 14 points.

Yeah, but they've beaten the four ranked teams they've played by an average score of 50-9. Obviously Maryland and Miami weren't, in the end, all that great, but that is legitimately impressive. I think the SOS argument would be stronger if one of their games against ranked competition was even vaguely competitive.

[duke09hms]

Yeah, we don't necessarily recruit the same guys. But Duke has a bit higher ceiling than some think IMO; look at Stanford; they have been able to win conference championships and go to BCS bowls.

Not the same comparison. Ever since Jim Harbaugh, Stanford has consistently landed several 4-star recruits and even a few 5-stars every year. They've even had a few top 10 or borderline top 10 recruiting classes as well. At least top 20 most years.

Duke is fielding mostly 2-and 3-star recruits, with maybe a few 4-stars across the whole roster. The current recruiting class (incoming freshmen next year) will be the best overall class we've had in a while. Vast majority of them if not all are at least 3-star recruits with a few borderline 4-stars.

Slowly but surely Cutcliffe is upgrading the talent at Duke. Of note, this current class of 16 recruits has only 3 from NC. As our recruiting gets better, we should shift to a more national focus like Stanford. There's only so many scholarly 4-star recruits in the country.

[roywhite]

Yeah, we don't necessarily recruit the same guys (as FSU). But Duke has a bit higher ceiling than some think IMO; look at Stanford; they have been able to win conference championships and go to BCS bowls.


Not the same comparison. Ever since Jim Harbaugh, Stanford has consistently landed several 4-star recruits and even a few 5-stars every year. They've even had a few top 10 or borderline top 10 recruiting classes as well. At least top 20 most years.

Duke is fielding mostly 2-and 3-star recruits, with maybe a few 4-stars across the whole roster. The current recruiting class (incoming freshmen next year) will be the best overall class we've had in a while. Vast majority of them if not all are at least 3-star recruits with a few borderline 4-stars.

Slowly but surely Cutcliffe is upgrading the talent at Duke. Of note, this current class of 16 recruits has only 3 from NC. As our recruiting gets better, we should shift to a more national focus like Stanford. There's only so many scholarly 4-star recruits in the country.

I think we are in agreement. Duke is finding good athletes and improving recruiting gradually. There is room for additional improvement and Cut seems to agree.

[Edouble]

Difference is, this year's FSU team got both of their rivals (Miami and FSU) in severely down years... and their SOS is pretty bad. Of course they beat a bunch of bad teams by more than 14 points.

They are that good, they can only beat themselves!

[Indoor66]

They are that good, they can only beat themselves!

Thank you Ndiaye. :cool:

[FerryFor50]

They are that good, they can only beat themselves!

Ha!

I meant Florida. :)

[loran16]

Confirmed: Perry Simmons tore his ACL and MCL. Out for the bowl game.

Sucks so much.

[brevity]

Confirmed: Perry Simmons tore his ACL and MCL. Out for the bowl game.

Sucks so much.

Here's the GoDuke (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=209334785&DB_OEM_ID=4200) report. I could have quoted any of the paragraphs, but I went with this one:


A two-time Academic All-America pick in each of the past two seasons, Simmons was one of 16 recipients for the National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athlete Award and also received the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award as the league’s top senior football scholar-athlete.

[throatybeard]

Thank you Ndiaye. :cool:

I think you mean Okulaja.

[Indoor66]

I think you mean Okulaja.

I think I mean him as well - I gave his first name.

[freshmanjs]

I think I mean him as well - I gave his first name.

Ademola?

[JBDuke]

Ademola?

And, of course, any mention of Ademola Okulaja must include a reference to one of the great Cameron Crazy cheers: "Ademola Okulaja beats himself" to the rhythm of "If You're Happy and You Know It". Genius…

Meanwhile, back to the game, I won't be able to make it, but I'm looking forward to it. Our secondary did a decent job containing FSU. Manziel is another great QB, but how are his receivers? And how do the lines compare? Will our D-line be able to contain their run and put some pressure on Johnny Football?

[Indoor66]

Ademola?

Darn that old memory. I stand corrected. I guess I got confused with standing on the scorers table, or something. There are so many disgusting ones over there.

[devildeac]

Thank you Ndiaye. :cool:


I think you mean Okulaja.


I think I mean him as well - I gave his first name.

My fuzzy memory seems to recall it was Maktar (sp?) Ndiaye:o.

[AluminumDuke]

And, of course, any mention of Ademola Okulaja must include a reference to one of the great Cameron Crazy cheers: "Ademola Okulaja beats himself" to the rhythm of "If You're Happy and You Know It". Genius…

Meanwhile, back to the game, I won't be able to make it, but I'm looking forward to it. Our secondary did a decent job containing FSU. Manziel is another great QB, but how are his receivers? And how do the lines compare? Will our D-line be able to contain their run and put some pressure on Johnny Football?

One of them, Mike Evans, is 6-5, has 12 touchdowns and over 1300 receiving yards this season, and averages over 20 yards per reception. He is projected as a top 20 draft pick and Sumlin tried to push him as a Heisman Trophy candidate earlier this season. Pretty tough cover!