Duke football notes, 09-09-14

[jimsumner]

Duke returns home this Saturday to play Kansas, coached by former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. You may recall that Weis hired David Cutcliffe to be a part of his staff but Cutcliffe had to drop out after heart surgery. You may also recall that Kevin White was the Notre Dame AD who hired Weis.

So, not too many degrees of separation.

Last year Anthony Boone threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Through two games this season, he has five TD passes and zero interceptions. I asked Cutcliffe what Boone was doing better this season.

After looking for some wood to knock on, Cutcliffe said Boone was making better decisions and making better throws. “He worked hard [in the off-season] at managing our offense. He knows when to pull the trigger and when not to. His command of the ball is getting better.”

Cutcliffe also praised offensive coordinator and QB coach Scottie Montgomery for providing increased structure and discipline at that position.

Cutcliffe says that Isaac Blakeney is a “work in progress who needs to continue to mature. Sometimes it comes so easy for him that he forgets that it’s not always going to be easy.”

For his part, Blakeney says he’s more focused, is working harder and is finally comfortable at wide receiver after changing positions several times earlier in his career. Blakeney had 19 catches last season and already has nine this season.

Why is walk-on Jack Willoughby getting so much of the kick-off work? Cutcliffe says he has superior hang-time. Duke charts this in practice. Duke wants better placement on its kickoffs.

Cutcliffe liked what he saw last week from redshirt freshman linebacker Chris Holmes and true freshman linebacker Zavier Carmichael. He says he’s pleased with their athleticism and progress but they need to minimize mistakes. He also praises senior David Helton for “pulling those guys along.”

Holmes has been in on 102 snaps this season, many on special teams, while Carmichael was credited with six tackles last week.

Laken Tomlinson attributed the early-game running woes against Troy to being in a foreign environment and an inability to shed defensive linemen and continue their blocks. Tomlinson said that the Troy linemen “they were grabbing us and preventing us from getting to the next level.” He mentioned this to the officials and it seemed to work out.

Cutcliffe called the Troy crowd “hostile” and hopes the Duke crowd can be equally hostile this Saturday.

[rasputin]

Duke returns home this Saturday to play Kansas, coached by former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. You may recall that Weis hired David Cutcliffe to be a part of his staff but Cutcliffe had to drop out after heart surgery. You may also recall that Kevin White was the Notre Dame AD who hired Weis.

So, not too many degrees of separation.

Last year Anthony Boone threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Through two games this season, he has five TD passes and zero interceptions. I asked Cutcliffe what Boone was doing better this season.

After looking for some wood to knock on, Cutcliffe said Boone was making better decisions and making better throws. “He worked hard [in the off-season] at managing our offense. He knows when to pull the trigger and when not to. His command of the ball is getting better.”

Cutcliffe also praised offensive coordinator and QB coach Scottie Montgomery for providing increased structure and discipline at that position.

Cutcliffe says that Isaac Blakeney is a “work in progress who needs to continue to mature. Sometimes it comes so easy for him that he forgets that it’s not always going to be easy.”

For his part, Blakeney says he’s more focused, is working harder and is finally comfortable at wide receiver after changing positions several times earlier in his career. Blakeney had 19 catches last season and already has nine this season.

Why is walk-on Jack Willoughby getting so much of the kick-off work? Cutcliffe says he has superior hang-time. Duke charts this in practice. Duke wants better placement on its kickoffs.

Cutcliffe liked what he saw last week from redshirt freshman linebacker Chris Holmes and true freshman linebacker Zavier Carmichael. He says he’s pleased with their athleticism and progress but they need to minimize mistakes. He also praises senior David Helton for “pulling those guys along.”

Holmes has been in on 102 snaps this season, many on special teams, while Carmichael was credited with six tackles last week.

Laken Tomlinson attributed the early-game running woes against Troy to being in a foreign environment and an inability to shed defensive linemen and continue their blocks. Tomlinson said that the Troy linemen “they were grabbing us and preventing us from getting to the next level.” He mentioned this to the officials and it seemed to work out.

Cutcliffe called the Troy crowd “hostile” and hopes the Duke crowd can be equally hostile this Saturday.

jimsumner, is there any significance to the fact that Kansas struggled to beat my other alma mater, Southeast Missouri State (of the Ohio Valley Conference), last weekend? I was surprised to see the final was 34-28. SEMO apparently had quite a late rally to make it close. SEMO had a great run in 2010, but has been otherwise a doormat in recent years, in a weak conference.

[BigWayne]

jimsumner, is there any significance to the fact that Kansas struggled to beat my other alma mater, Southeast Missouri State (of the Ohio Valley Conference), last weekend? I was surprised to see the final was 34-28. SEMO apparently had quite a late rally to make it close. SEMO had a great run in 2010, but has been otherwise a doormat in recent years, in a weak conference.
Checking computer ratings like Sagarin shows that SEMO is very far down the list, which is part of the reason Kansas is well below Duke on the list. This time of year teams can show a lot of improvement week to week though, so even though Kansas doesn't look so great on paper, I am sure our coaching staff will make sure the team doesn't take them lightly.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Last year Anthony Boone threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Through two games this season, he has five TD passes and zero interceptions. I asked Cutcliffe what Boone was doing better this season.

Thanks, Jim. I worry about his INT's...there were one or two opportunities in the Troy game that a more experienced team would have easily picked off. I recall at least one hitting a guy pretty much in the numbers, but was dropped.
I think Boone is definitely improving, though, and I have tons of confidence in him. All QB's throw to the other team at some point, it's part of the game.
Speaking of Boone not turning it over...we have yet to cause a turnover this year. That is something I would love to see change vs Kansas. (Troy fumbled twice but recovered both.)

[jimsumner]

jimsumner, is there any significance to the fact that Kansas struggled to beat my other alma mater, Southeast Missouri State (of the Ohio Valley Conference), last weekend? I was surprised to see the final was 34-28. SEMO apparently had quite a late rally to make it close. SEMO had a great run in 2010, but has been otherwise a doormat in recent years, in a weak conference.

Kansas had a huge lead but took their foot off the gas. Or ran out of gas.

[OldPhiKap]

jimsumner, is there any significance to the fact that Kansas struggled to beat my other alma mater, Southeast Missouri State (of the Ohio Valley Conference), last weekend? I was surprised to see the final was 34-28. SEMO apparently had quite a late rally to make it close. SEMO had a great run in 2010, but has been otherwise a doormat in recent years, in a weak conference.

UAB pasted Troy the week before we played them, and Troy was coming off a bad season too.

Troy played pretty darn well against us, though.

I think the bottom line is that there is no transitive property of football. Each week is a different match-up. I would expect Kansas and Charlie Weiss to be prepared and ready to play.

We need a great home crowd to act as the twelfth man. LGD!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

UAB pasted Troy the week before we played them, and Troy was coming off a bad season too.

Troy played pretty darn well against us, though.

I think the bottom line is that there is no transitive property of football. Each week is a different match-up. I would expect Kansas and Charlie Weiss to be prepared and ready to play.

We need a great home crowd to act as the twelfth man. LGD!
To say that there are a lot of differences between football and basketball is quite the understatement. There are some important inverses... basketball has a few players, lots of games. Football has lots of players, a few games.

Football is more likely influenced by the weather than basketball, especially if no ice is involved.;)

[sagegrouse]

Duke returns home this Saturday to play Kansas, coached by former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. You may recall that Weis hired David Cutcliffe to be a part of his staff but Cutcliffe had to drop out after heart surgery. You may also recall that Kevin White was the Notre Dame AD who hired Weis.

So, not too many degrees of separation.



Are you sure Kevin White would agree with this characterization? From what I recall, influential alumni got to the new ND president, John Jenkins, and engineered a coup that booted out Tyrone Willingham and recruited Charlie Weis as his successor. AD Kevin White merely handled the paperwork. Jenkins' predecessor, Monk Malloy, called the dismissal of Willingham "shameful" and the whole charade the result of a "Messiah complex."

I thought that incident was the major factor driving Kevin White to leave Notre Dame, to the benefit of Duke, of course.

[jimsumner]

Are you sure Kevin White would agree with this characterization? From what I recall, influential alumni got to the new ND president, John Jenkins, and engineered a coup that booted out Tyrone Willingham and recruited Charlie Weis as his successor. AD Kevin White merely handled the paperwork. Jenkins' predecessor, Monk Malloy, called the dismissal of Willingham "shameful" and the whole charade the result of a "Messiah complex."

I thought that incident was the major factor driving Kevin White to leave Notre Dame, to the benefit of Duke, of course.

White was the AD when Weis was hired. The rest is above my pay grade.

Still, not too many degrees of separation.

[Wander]

is there any significance to the fact that Kansas struggled to beat my other alma mater, Southeast Missouri State (of the Ohio Valley Conference), last weekend?

Yes. The significance is: Kansas sucks.

Kansas is 3-40 in their last five years of conference play.

[loran16]

As much as I'm hoping Boone will be a better player this year, we should note the td to int ratio is a limited tool. Boones tds were down last year since connette vultured so many opportunities while we haven't played anyone with a capable secondary yet. Remember Boone threw the bulk of those picks in only a few games (4 vs vatech for example)

[Scorp4me]

I know some will disagree, but I think Boone is what he is. The erratic throws to the receivers feet and up high still continue to this day. He's got a lot of talent though and I think will win quite a few games as he finishes his career. You'll just be much a happier enjoying what he brings and tolerating what he doesn't, than hoping he improves to something he isn't this year.

[killerleft]

I know some will disagree, but I think Boone is what he is. The erratic throws to the receivers feet and up high still continue to this day. He's got a lot of talent though and I think will win quite a few games as he finishes his career. You'll just be much a happier enjoying what he brings and tolerating what he doesn't, than hoping he improves to something he isn't this year.

I don't know what to make of this. He'll never be perfect (did you see Peyton Manning the other night?). But Boone has shown improvement each step of the way during his time at Duke. We're lucky to have him at quarterback. Why in the world would he not continue to get better? You could have added that he may miss a few throws to the left or to the right, by the way. Or that he won't make the correct read every time.

What standard of excellence do you expect Mr. Boone to meet? I think he's run a pretty good race so far.

[devildeac]

I know some will disagree, but I think Boone is what he is. The erratic throws to the receivers feet and up high still continue to this day. He's got a lot of talent though and I think will win quite a few games as he finishes his career. You'll just be much a happier enjoying what he brings and tolerating what he doesn't, than hoping he improves to something he isn't this year.


I don't know what to make of this. He'll never be perfect (did you see Peyton Manning the other night?). But Boone has shown improvement each step of the way during his time at Duke. We're lucky to have him at quarterback. Why in the world would he not continue to get better? You could have added that he may miss a few throws to the left or to the right, by the way. Or that he won't make the correct read every time.

What standard of excellence do you expect Mr. Boone to meet? I think he's run a pretty good race so far.

I don't quite understand or know how to 'splain these numbers, especially with such a small sample size, but my takeaway (pun intended) from the rankings is that I'm pretty happy having the 4th "best" QB in the ACC now and 20th overall in the nation. And AB isn't even bootleggin' with any crustaceans either:rolleyes:.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/qbr

[OldPhiKap]

I'm having difficulty being too critical of anyone on the offensive side of the ball, to be honest.

Boone works well in Cut's system and has never lost a regular season game as a starter. Damn the statistics -- that's getting it done.

(And as DD says, the stats ain't bad regardless)

[Wander]

Boone is a good college quarterback - I think we're just a little spoiled with quarterback play. Even when we were going 1-11, we had a quarterback who would see play in the NFL. Thad Lewis has to be the best starting quarterback of an 0-12 team of all time. It seems strange to say that our QB on the team that won the most games in school history isn't quite as good as the one on the last 0-12 team, but it's probably true, and that leads to a strange perception of Boone.

[devildeac]

As much as I'm hoping Boone will be a better player this year, we should note the td to int ratio is a limited tool. Boones tds were down last year since connette vultured so many opportunities while we haven't played anyone with a capable secondary yet. Remember Boone threw the bulk of those picks in only a few games (4 vs vatech for example)

And he can throw 4 more this year against VT as far as I'm concerned if I can yell "SCOREBOARD" at the end of the game;).

http://www.goduke.com/fls/4200/stats/2013-14/football/du1026.htm

I still don't know how we won that game (maybe 'cuz their QB threw 4 picks also?), but, once again, I'll take that huge (road) win. Any Saturday. Any season.

[Olympic Fan]

The Virginia Tech game last season is a good example of what Mr. Boone is and isn't quarterback.

On the surface, his numbers weren't very good that day: 7 of 25 for 105 yard, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Yet, if you actually watched the game, you would see that Boone made the plays that won the game:

-- With Duke up 3-0 late in the first half, Duke got the ball back at its own 28 with 42 seconds left. Boone hit 3-of-3 passes for 11, 16 and 7 yards in the next 40 seconds to move he ball within Ross Martin's field goal range. His 53-yard kick at the halftime gun gave us a 6-0 lead.

-- on Duke' first possession of the second half (after VPI was stopped on downs), Duke took over at its own 37. He got the drive going with a five-yard run for a first down. The drive got a big boost when VPI was called for pass interference ... but Boone finished it off with three straight runs of 6-11-9 yards, the last one for the touchdown that gave Duke the 13-0 lead ... and the eventual 13-10 victory.

Again, Boone's stats were terrible ... but he made that plays he had to make to win the game. That's why his 10-2 record as a starter is more significant than his numbers -- which aren't that bad this year (20th in the nation in pass efficiency). Okay, the competition hasn't been great, but I'm not complaining about what I'm seeing so far.

It's funny, but it's almost an exact parallel to Cutcliffe's experience at Tennessee. There's no question that Peyton Manning was a better QB than Tee Martin, but it was Martin who won the SEC and national title. Sean Renfree is a better quarterback than Anthony Boone, but Boone has been the bigger winner.

Question: When was the last time a Duke quarterback started more than 10 winning games? My guess would be Spence Fisher (he won 15 times -- one game in 1992, three in 1993, eight in 1994 and three in 1995). That may be the most in modern times (neither Dave Brown, Billy Ray, Sean Renfree, Steve Slayden, Anthony Dilweg, Mike Dunn or Ben Bennett started 15 winning games. Walt Rappold started in 15 wins in 1961-62 (the only years he started). Ah, you go back to Jerry Barger (1951-54), you get a QB who started 17 wins (for some reason, he started 10 games as a freshman, seven as a junior and 10 as a senior -- none as a sophomore).

It's not impossible that Boone will end up with more wins as a starting QB than any QB in Duke history (unless you go back and count single wing QBs, a totally different position)..

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

While stats and analysis can provide some useful insight at times, nothing beats enjoying the moment. This is a time of rising expectations and performance at Duke. I, for one, intend to relish every good play, every surprise score and every win.;)

[uh_no]

I don't know what to make of this. He'll never be perfect (did you see Peyton Manning the other night?). But Boone has shown improvement each step of the way during his time at Duke. We're lucky to have him at quarterback. Why in the world would he not continue to get better? You could have added that he may miss a few throws to the left or to the right, by the way. Or that he won't make the correct read every time.

What standard of excellence do you expect Mr. Boone to meet? I think he's run a pretty good race so far.

good response. people also forget how raw boone was just a couple years ago when he would come in behind renfree. could make big plays, yeah, and still does...but many airballed passes, or passes in the dirt....even short shippies to WRs in the flat (which you might recall, we did all the time in lieu of a running game).

he was really good for most of last year, and superb in that bowl game until the last stretch. he has yet to throw a pick yet this year, and has made some great passe. he manages the game excellently (last year that troy game might have still been up in the air late, IMO)....so it's clear to me, anyway, he's working to improve where he's weak...and i guarantee the bad passes eat him up and he strives to eliminate every single one of them.

i'm still just enjoying the ride. don't take these wins for granted...it wasn't long ago we didn't win any of em.

[ricks68]

While stats and analysis can provide some useful insight at times, nothing beats enjoying the moment. This is a time of rising expectations and performance at Duke. I, for one, intend to relish every good play, every surprise score and every win.;)

Word.

ricks

[loran16]

The Virginia Tech game last season is a good example of what Mr. Boone is and isn't quarterback.

On the surface, his numbers weren't very good that day: 7 of 25 for 105 yard, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Yet, if you actually watched the game, you would see that Boone made the plays that won the game:

-- With Duke up 3-0 late in the first half, Duke got the ball back at its own 28 with 42 seconds left. Boone hit 3-of-3 passes for 11, 16 and 7 yards in the next 40 seconds to move he ball within Ross Martin's field goal range. His 53-yard kick at the halftime gun gave us a 6-0 lead.

-- on Duke' first possession of the second half (after VPI was stopped on downs), Duke took over at its own 37. He got the drive going with a five-yard run for a first down. The drive got a big boost when VPI was called for pass interference ... but Boone finished it off with three straight runs of 6-11-9 yards, the last one for the touchdown that gave Duke the 13-0 lead ... and the eventual 13-10 victory.

Again, Boone's stats were terrible ... but he made that plays he had to make to win the game. That's why his 10-2 record as a starter is more significant than his numbers -- which aren't that bad this year (20th in the nation in pass efficiency). Okay, the competition hasn't been great, but I'm not complaining about what I'm seeing so far.

It's funny, but it's almost an exact parallel to Cutcliffe's experience at Tennessee. There's no question that Peyton Manning was a better QB than Tee Martin, but it was Martin who won the SEC and national title. Sean Renfree is a better quarterback than Anthony Boone, but Boone has been the bigger winner.

Question: When was the last time a Duke quarterback started more than 10 winning games? My guess would be Spence Fisher (he won 15 times -- one game in 1992, three in 1993, eight in 1994 and three in 1995). That may be the most in modern times (neither Dave Brown, Billy Ray, Sean Renfree, Steve Slayden, Anthony Dilweg, Mike Dunn or Ben Bennett started 15 winning games. Walt Rappold started in 15 wins in 1961-62 (the only years he started). Ah, you go back to Jerry Barger (1951-54), you get a QB who started 17 wins (for some reason, he started 10 games as a freshman, seven as a junior and 10 as a senior -- none as a sophomore).

It's not impossible that Boone will end up with more wins as a starting QB than any QB in Duke history (unless you go back and count single wing QBs, a totally different position)..

See this is a prime example of why using "wins" as a statistic in a team game for an individual player is massively flawed (see Sanchez, mark). Look at that VT game for example- All those things Boone did that you said? ALSO DONE BY LOGAN THOMAS. Seriously the four picks were also matched by a td drive led by runs and THREE (not two) drives that ended in reasonable field goal range. The difference was vt missed a 43 and 40 yard field goal, whereas Martin made both from 50.

Boone had zilch to do with that, but you give him the credit which makes no sense.

Anyway we're getting away from my original point- which was that td to int underrated Boone last year but that this year's #s don't say anything yet.

[OldPhiKap]

good response. people also forget how raw boone was just a couple years ago when he would come in behind renfree. could make big plays, yeah, and still does...but many airballed passes, or passes in the dirt....even short shippies to WRs in the flat (which you might recall, we did all the time in lieu of a running game).

he was really good for most of last year, and superb in that bowl game until the last stretch. he has yet to throw a pick yet this year, and has made some great passe. he manages the game excellently (last year that troy game might have still been up in the air late, IMO)....so it's clear to me, anyway, he's working to improve where he's weak...and i guarantee the bad passes eat him up and he strives to eliminate every single one of them.

i'm still just enjoying the ride. don't take these wins for granted...it wasn't long ago we didn't win any of em.

Excellent points.

I will throw out the recent SEC example of Conner Shaw, recently-graduated QB for the Old Ball Coach at South Carolina. Not flashy, not heralded, not a great downfield arm. But he managed the offense well and minimized his errors, making him an incredibly effective QB. And AB is a better athlete than Shaw.

Every play runs through the QB, every option is made by the QB, every audible is called by the QB. I trust AB to execute those choices in the manner he was coached to do, and I think we have one of the best QB-minded coaches in the business.

I for one am enjoying the ride, as DiBD correctly suggests we all do.

[Olympic Fan]

See this is a prime example of why using "wins" as a statistic in a team game for an individual player is massively flawed (see Sanchez, mark). Look at that VT game for example- All those things Boone did that you said? ALSO DONE BY LOGAN THOMAS. Seriously the four picks were also matched by a td drive led by runs and THREE (not two) drives that ended in reasonable field goal range. The difference was vt missed a 43 and 40 yard field goal, whereas Martin made both from 50.

Boone had zilch to do with that, but you give him the credit which makes no sense.

Anyway we're getting away from my original point- which was that td to int underrated Boone last year but that this year's #s don't say anything yet.

Yes, Martin's accuracy ended up the difference in the Virginia Tech game.

But my point, which you fail to grasp, is that even on his worst day -- and the VPI game WAS his worst day -- Boone made the game-winning plays. Obviously, he needs help -- everybody does.

How much does a quarterback have to do with winning? He's one of 22 starters (24 if you count the kickers). But I would suggest that the QB exerts a good deal more than 1/22nd (or 1/24th) of the win-loss equation. Virginia Tech is finding that out this season as they've returned to national prominence by replacing the extremely limited Logan Thomas with the much more competent Michael Brewer (and I'm not sure he's as good as Boone).

Boone's contributions to his 10-2 record as a starter go beyond the Virginia Tech game. He directed the winning FG drive against UNC last year (23 of 34 for 274 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs). In the narrow victory at Wake Forest, he hit 24 of 29 passes for 256 yards and three TDs and no interceptions. In the comeback against Virginia, he threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns (and one INT). Against Miami, he wasn't called to throw much, but he did connect on 11 of 15 attempts with no picks, while directing the run game (mostly the read option) for 358 yards. I should also note that we were 1-2 without him ... 9-2 with him last year.

Maybe he had a little something to do with that?

I'm not sure why you have so much contempt for the guy. His stats are actually pretty good -- he hit 64 percent of his passes for more than 2,200 yards last season -- the only other QBs in Duke history to do that were Sean Renfree in last two years and Ben Bennett in his senior year. The only negative were the 13 INTs ... just for comparison in their great years Renfree had 11 and 10 Interceptions and Bennett had 12. He has run for almost 500 yards in his career and even though he has often been subbed in goal line situations for Connette (and now Sirk), he's run for 13 touchdowns in his career.

Boone is in his senior year. Almost all of Cut's QBs improve their numbers as seniors. It's early, but Boone seems to be doing that -- he's up to 66 percent with 5 TDs and 0 interceptions. We'll see how it goes as the competition heats up, but he's proved in the past that he can perform at high level -- even against quality teams.

All of that and he's the winningest Duke quarterback in 50 years.

Maybe you think that's luck. Well, if he's merely the luckiest Duke QB in the last 50 years, I'm fine with that.

[peloton]

I, for one, intend to relish every good play, every surprise score and every win.;)


i'm still just enjoying the ride. don't take these wins for granted...it wasn't long ago we didn't win any of em.


I for one am enjoying the ride, as DiBD correctly suggests we all do.

I heartily agree with DITBD, Uh_no, OPK, and others - I'm thrilled with the progress that the football program has made over the last few years. As a longtime fan of Duke football, I have way too many memories of us "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory". Fortunately, I no longer wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because of a nightmare re:the upcoming game :D. On the contrary, I sometimes think I should pinch myself to make sure this isn't all a dream instead. But in all seriousness, I don't take what we're doing now for granted to any extent at all...not when I consider where we were and how incredibly far we've come. Do I hope that Anthony Boone and the rest of the team continue to improve as the season progresses? Maybe the more appropriate question is do I believe they will improve over the course of the season. The answer in my mind at least is, no doubt about it. I also try to keep things in perspective in regard to the talent we have on our team and recruiting. We have more than a few mighty talented young men who play on our team and I see no reason why recruiting won't continue to improve (up to a certain point of course). However, we'll probably never have the number of highly rated prospects that commit to the likes of FSU, Alabama, or Clemson. I'm perfectly fine with that though as long as the current coaching staff can maximize the ability of the talent that we do have on the team. That's one of the few things that I as a fan ask from any coach in any sport at this level. In my opinion, we have a head coach and staff that generally "gets the most out of our players" and for that, we're fortunate.


I think he's run a pretty good race so far.

Not to turn this general discussion about Duke football into one focusing on Mr. Boone, but I have to concur with Killerleft. I think that Anthony is a more than solid quarterback who plays and leads this team in an exemplary manner. Both he and the entire team are going to be a lot of fun to watch the rest of the season. I've said it before and I'll say it again (probably because I won't remember that I did :o), these are great times to be a Duke football fan and I'm having a blast. I truly believe that we can be even more competitive though and that's what's even more encouraging to me...that we have "upside". One game at a time though, and we have a large task in front of us this weekend in doing battle with the Kansas Jayhawks. We've made lots of progress but we certainly can't take anyone for granted. Kansas dominated us in Lawrence a few years ago and I'd like nothing more than to return the favor in Wallace Wade. Let's go Blue Devils!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

As Coach Cutcliffe has said many times, football is supposed to be fun. It's time to quit talking about what's going on and show up to be part of the fun and the history in the making.

I plan to be in Wallace Wade Stadium to cheer the team on this Saturday and invite/challenge everyone who can do so to be there. This is a special journey and it's important to experience it firsthand if possible.

As something of a public service, I would also mention that that bringing rain gear may be advisable. While some ponchos are sold in the stadium, there are never enough.:cool:

As you were, gentlemen.

[DukieInKansas]

As Coach Cutcliffe has said many times, football is supposed to be fun. It's time to quit talking about what's going on and show up to be part of the fun and the history in the making.

I plan to be in Wallace Wade Stadium to cheer the team on this Saturday and invite/challenge everyone who can do so to be there. This is a special journey and it's important to experience it firsthand if possible.

As something of a public service, I would also mention that that bringing rain gear may be advisable. While some ponchos are sold in the stadium, there are never enough.:cool:

As you were, gentlemen.

I can't be at the game - but I will, once again, be proudly sporting my Duke shirt, flag, and BluDevl license plate as I wander the streets of Overland Park, Kansas. Let's go roast some mythical, goofy looking bird.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Saturday's uniform will be all blue.