FB: Duke 34, GaTech 20

[wilson]

I believe that was the single finest defensive performance we've ever seen from a Cutcliffe team. They were absolutely dominant, and Jeremy Cash lived up to every bit of his All-American billing. In past years, GA Tech has been a particularly tough opponent for us, and especially coming off a sobering loss, this was an all-around performance to be proud of. Very exciting day.

[Nugget]

I believe that was the single finest defensive performance we've ever seen from a Cutcliffe team. They were absolutely dominant, and Jeremy Cash lived up to every bit of his All-American billing. In past years, GA Tech has been a particularly tough opponent for us, and especially coming off a sobering loss, this was an all-around performance to be proud of. Very exciting day.

Amen to that. Other than the goofy failure to cover the sticks on 3rd and 18 and the touchdown at the end of the first half after the odd decision not to take the holding penalty, was an amazing performance by the Duke D - despite getting almost no help from the offense after the first quarter.

Hard to believe we've reached the day where a seemingly fated 27-26 loss is averted by our D stuffing a top 5 running offense on consecutive 3rd and 2 and 4th and 2 plays. Wow.

[kcduke75]

It was wet and it was awesome. Questionable play calling and tremendous defense. Lot's of heart. I love coach cut!

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

LOTS of props to the Duke fans on hand. They stayed -- cold and wet -- they stayed. They stood. They chanted. They cheered. And at the end were yelling "WE ARE DUKE!"

But we can still do better. And we will. Bless our hearts!!!!!
Love, Ima

[Wander]

Jeremy Cash is pretty decent.

[AustinDevil]

LOTS of props to the Duke fans on hand. They stayed -- cold and wet -- they stayed. They stood. They chanted. They cheered. And at the end were yelling "WE ARE DUKE!"

But we can still do better. And we will. Bless our hearts!!!!!
Love, Ima

I loved seeing this from those who stayed. Well done! Felt a little like Clemson '94.

[uh_no]

I loved seeing this from those who stayed. Well done! Felt a little like Clemson '94.

not only that, but the GT visitors were great. they were really into the game. Special call out to the band who were having a great time all game....cheered for DUMB through their two shows. I thought they really made for a great atmostphere over on that side of the stadium.

[Troublemaker]

Great bounce-back win by our boys.

7.5-pt underdogs, and we beat them by 2 TDs!

[jipops]

Did the offense even get one first down in the 2nd half? Three turnovers and a rather large deficit on time of possession and Duke still pulled this out. Hats off to a dominating defensive performance (GT 2.9 ypc!!) and big play special teams. The Duke of old could never have pulled this one out.

[NYBri]

I was a little miffed at the play call near the end of the half ... 3rd and 1 and we go for the bomb. We were unstoppable and move the sticks, eat the clock and put more points on the board. Instead, we punt it away and they score a late TD.

BUT, that said, great defensive game and important win for the good guys. Proud of the team.

[Olympic Fan]

Great win -- allow me to suggest that the defensive stand in the fourth quarter after Sirk's second interception is the most significant Duke defensive series in this century. It's 26-20, Georgia Tech has all the momentum after scoring a TD and they have the ball at the Duke 30 -- their first two runs gain nine yards ... then they are stuffed on third and one and fourth and one.

Other observations:
-- We may have suffered our first significant in-game injury this season. OT Casey Blaser was helped off the field late ... Cut said it was a toe injury. When a reporter suggested that's not as bad as a knee or an ankle, Cut pointed out that a toe injury could just as easily be a season-ender, but that he wouldn't know until x-rays were taken later today. AJ Wolf and Dwayne Norman were also helped off earlier in the game, but both were merely stunned and both returned to the game. The loss of Blaser would hurt. Unless Cody Robinson miraculously gets healthy (which would allow Tanner Stone to move back to tackle), is a redshirt freshman -- probably Christian Harris.

-- The Duke offense was no better -- and maybe even worse -- in this game than against Northwestern ... just one first down in the second quarter, one in the third and one in the fourth. Less than 300 yards total offense (about 50 less than last week). Also three turnovers. The difference was the reversal in the kicking game -- the TD on the Ko return by Edwards and the one-yard TD drive, thanks to the punt return by Ryan Smith. We also got a short field on Tech's botched punt snap. Good coverage on kickoffs and Monday did a MUCH better job of spotting his kicks -- two touchbacks, but one was in the final 3 seconds of the first half and the other barely dribbled in at the pylon. The only negative in the kicking game were two botched holds by Monday -- his first miscues in that area in two years.

-- I told somebody before the game that Duke has the best run support safeties in the ACC ... I think today proved why Jeremy Cash is the best run support safety in college football. I tell; you the trade with Ohio State -- backup kicker Jack Willoughby for Cash, was the best deal in Duke history. Also, if Dwayne Norman could play Georgia Tech every week, he'd be an All-American. He had the best game of his career in Atlanta last year ... then topped that today.

-- If I were going to attack Duke's secondary, I'd make sure to go after soph CB Alonzo Saxton and do everything possible to avoid CB Breon Borders. I'm pretty sure that every big GT completion today was vs. Saxton and none were against Borders, who had an INT and two breakups. I don't think Saxton is bad, but Borders is one of the best cover corners in the ACC. The sad thing is than Bryon Fields was just as good ... as good as the Duke defense is, how good would it be with a healthy Fields (and a healthy Kelby Brown)?

-- Does anybody remember before the season when we though the weak point of this team was the defensive front? Boy, were we wrong.

-- Tough call on Johnnel Barnes late in the game -- the targeting call that banished him from the game. It was technically the right call (it was helmet to helmet contract), but it was a situation where he was trying to react to the muffed punt and went low. The worst part of that is that Barnes will miss the first half next week.

-- Interesting test next week. Boston College has the best defense in college football (they were not only No. 1 in total defense, but also No. 1 in rushing defense and No. 1 in pass defense). But they might have the worst offense in the power five conferences.

- One second guess -- were was Shaq Powell after the first quarter? He was the MAN in the first 15 minutes, then he disappeared until the final drive after Cash forced the fumble, then he was the MAN again. It was nice to see Duncan back out there and he ran well, but Powell should have gotten more touches in the second, third and early fourth quarters.

[Richard Berg]

I remember in 2013, our secondary was depleted by graduation and injuries, forcing us to start true freshmen in each corner. To the surprise of most fans, Borders & Fields ended up being a team strength, turning a 2-2 start into a 10-2 season. Are we due for a similar surprise along the front 6? After Wolf went down, I saw 4-star frosh Humphreys and another new face (Cerenord?) out there holding the line at crunch time...

[Richard Berg]

The worst part of that is that Barnes will miss the first half next week.
OTOH, Taylor has earned this opportunity. Barnes is a good weapon to have, but like Blakeney the previous few years, I'm not sure his athletic talent have outstripped his mental errors, yet.

[OldPhiKap]

Great win -- allow me to suggest that the defensive stand in the fourth quarter after Sirk's second interception is the most significant Duke defensive series in this century. It's 26-20, Georgia Tech has all the momentum after scoring a TD and they have the ball at the Duke 30 -- their first two runs gain nine yards ... then they are stuffed on third and one and fourth and one.

Other observations:
-- We may have suffered our first significant in-game injury this season. OT Casey Blaser was helped off the field late ... Cut said it was a toe injury. When a reporter suggested that's not as bad as a knee or an ankle, Cut pointed out that a toe injury could just as easily be a season-ender, but that he wouldn't know until x-rays were taken later today. AJ Wolf and Dwayne Norman were also helped off earlier in the game, but both were merely stunned and both returned to the game. The loss of Blaser would hurt. Unless Cody Robinson miraculously gets healthy (which would allow Tanner Stone to move back to tackle), is a redshirt freshman -- probably Christian Harris.

-- The Duke offense was no better -- and maybe even worse -- in this game than against Northwestern ... just one first down in the second quarter, one in the third and one in the fourth. Less than 300 yards total offense (about 50 less than last week). Also three turnovers. The difference was the reversal in the kicking game -- the TD on the Ko return by Edwards and the one-yard TD drive, thanks to the punt return by Ryan Smith. We also got a short field on Tech's botched punt snap. Good coverage on kickoffs and Monday did a MUCH better job of spotting his kicks -- two touchbacks, but one was in the final 3 seconds of the first half and the other barely dribbled in at the pylon. The only negative in the kicking game were two botched holds by Monday -- his first miscues in that area in two years.

-- I told somebody before the game that Duke has the best run support safeties in the ACC ... I think today proved why Jeremy Cash is the best run support safety in college football. I tell; you the trade with Ohio State -- backup kicker Jack Willoughby for Cash, was the best deal in Duke history. Also, if Dwayne Norman could play Georgia Tech every week, he'd be an All-American. He had the best game of his career in Atlanta last year ... then topped that today.

-- If I were going to attack Duke's secondary, I'd make sure to go after soph CB Alonzo Saxton and do everything possible to avoid CB Breon Borders. I'm pretty sure that every big GT completion today was vs. Saxton and none were against Borders, who had an INT and two breakups. I don't think Saxton is bad, but Borders is one of the best cover corners in the ACC. The sad thing is than Bryon Fields was just as good ... as good as the Duke defense is, how good would it be with a healthy Fields (and a healthy Kelby Brown)?

-- Does anybody remember before the season when we though the weak point of this team was the defensive front? Boy, were we wrong.

-- Tough call on Johnnel Barnes late in the game -- the targeting call that banished him from the game. It was technically the right call (it was helmet to helmet contract), but it was a situation where he was trying to react to the muffed punt and went low. The worst part of that is that Barnes will miss the first half next week.

-- Interesting test next week. Boston College has the best defense in college football (they were not only No. 1 in total defense, but also No. 1 in rushing defense and No. 1 in pass defense). But they might have the worst offense in the power five conferences.

- One second guess -- were was Shaq Powell after the first quarter? He was the MAN in the first 15 minutes, then he disappeared until the final drive after Cash forced the fumble, then he was the MAN again. It was nice to see Duncan back out there and he ran well, but Powell should have gotten more touches in the second, third and early fourth quarters.

Outstanding analysis, agree in full.

Quality performance, the defense and special teams we're outstanding. Offensive line was great. As long as Sirk keeps improving, we are in great shape.

[Jeffrey236]

Jeremy Cash is pretty decent.

LOL. I'm beginning to think the entire defense is getting blood transfusions from him. This is shaping up to be the best Duke defensive unit since I've been following us - 1971. Fast and with an attitude. Hopefully we'll get our O untracked - when that happens, look out ACC.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

LOTS of props to the Duke fans on hand. They stayed -- cold and wet -- they stayed. They stood. They chanted. They cheered. And at the end were yelling "WE ARE DUKE!"

But we can still do better. And we will. Bless our hearts!!!!!
Love, Ima
It can rain on us every week if it means more wins like that. Heck, the rain didn't even register on our give-a-crap meter. What a blast that was!

[devildeac]

There were a lot of WTFs in the stands today with the stripes: phantom holding call on Duke, back judge (?) throwing his flag in our defensive back field, then picking it up and throwing it a second time 10 yds closer to the GT line of scrimmage and we're all thinking offensive holding on GT and the announcement is "no penalty," no PI on our 3rd and 1 deep ball (could have called GT for defensive holding twice before our WR got taken down, the targeting call (my son-in-law, former FB manager, explained that it's supposed to be you leave your feet and aim at the head). I'm sure I missed 2-3 more as Cut was on the field a couple more times giving the stripes several earfuls.

Preliminary stats when we returned to our tent were we lost the TO game, the ToP game, missed not one but 2 PATs and the total yardage game with Sirk throwing for 114 yds on 25 passes, completing 17, got precious few 1st downs after the 1st Q and gave up a 3rd and 18 1st down and a 3rd and 11 TD. (I may be off by a down or two and/or a yard or two:o.) But, outside of those, our D was really, really good and the O put that last TD on the board when we really, really needed some points from that side of the ball. (I still don't know how Powell got through that line for that last TD.)

Well worth sitting in a light to moderate rain (when the noon/1PM/2PM forecasts were for 6%/0%/0% chance) for about 3/4 of the game for that finish.

[Bob Green]

I don't have anything to add at this moment but I'll echo the points others have stated. It was a great day in the stands as the rain couldn't dampen our enthusiasm and our defense is very, very good. The secondary, linebackers and defensive line all made plays today to swat the Yellow Jacket. The offense appears to be searching for their identity.

This was a momentous win!

[loran16]

Great win -- allow me to suggest that the defensive stand in the fourth quarter after Sirk's second interception is the most significant Duke defensive series in this century. It's 26-20, Georgia Tech has all the momentum after scoring a TD and they have the ball at the Duke 30 -- their first two runs gain nine yards ... then they are stuffed on third and one and fourth and one.

Other observations:
-- We may have suffered our first significant in-game injury this season. OT Casey Blaser was helped off the field late ... Cut said it was a toe injury. When a reporter suggested that's not as bad as a knee or an ankle, Cut pointed out that a toe injury could just as easily be a season-ender, but that he wouldn't know until x-rays were taken later today. AJ Wolf and Dwayne Norman were also helped off earlier in the game, but both were merely stunned and both returned to the game. The loss of Blaser would hurt. Unless Cody Robinson miraculously gets healthy (which would allow Tanner Stone to move back to tackle), is a redshirt freshman -- probably Christian Harris.

-- The Duke offense was no better -- and maybe even worse -- in this game than against Northwestern ... just one first down in the second quarter, one in the third and one in the fourth. Less than 300 yards total offense (about 50 less than last week). Also three turnovers. The difference was the reversal in the kicking game -- the TD on the Ko return by Edwards and the one-yard TD drive, thanks to the punt return by Ryan Smith. We also got a short field on Tech's botched punt snap. Good coverage on kickoffs and Monday did a MUCH better job of spotting his kicks -- two touchbacks, but one was in the final 3 seconds of the first half and the other barely dribbled in at the pylon. The only negative in the kicking game were two botched holds by Monday -- his first miscues in that area in two years.

-- I told somebody before the game that Duke has the best run support safeties in the ACC ... I think today proved why Jeremy Cash is the best run support safety in college football. I tell; you the trade with Ohio State -- backup kicker Jack Willoughby for Cash, was the best deal in Duke history. Also, if Dwayne Norman could play Georgia Tech every week, he'd be an All-American. He had the best game of his career in Atlanta last year ... then topped that today.

-- If I were going to attack Duke's secondary, I'd make sure to go after soph CB Alonzo Saxton and do everything possible to avoid CB Breon Borders. I'm pretty sure that every big GT completion today was vs. Saxton and none were against Borders, who had an INT and two breakups. I don't think Saxton is bad, but Borders is one of the best cover corners in the ACC. The sad thing is than Bryon Fields was just as good ... as good as the Duke defense is, how good would it be with a healthy Fields (and a healthy Kelby Brown)?

-- Does anybody remember before the season when we though the weak point of this team was the defensive front? Boy, were we wrong.

-- Tough call on Johnnel Barnes late in the game -- the targeting call that banished him from the game. It was technically the right call (it was helmet to helmet contract), but it was a situation where he was trying to react to the muffed punt and went low. The worst part of that is that Barnes will miss the first half next week.

-- Interesting test next week. Boston College has the best defense in college football (they were not only No. 1 in total defense, but also No. 1 in rushing defense and No. 1 in pass defense). But they might have the worst offense in the power five conferences.

- One second guess -- were was Shaq Powell after the first quarter? He was the MAN in the first 15 minutes, then he disappeared until the final drive after Cash forced the fumble, then he was the MAN again. It was nice to see Duncan back out there and he ran well, but Powell should have gotten more touches in the second, third and early fourth quarters.

Pretty spot on here. A few additions:
1. The OLine is basically average this year - a few moments of brilliance, but the run blocking has way too frequently been poor, which was the case in the 2nd through 4th quarters. Losing a member from it is going to hurt late game execution there even more. Eek.

2. The loss of Barnes is basically null. Barnes is athletically gifted enough to be a #1 receiver. He's not actually one - like say Isaac Blakeny he has issues holding on to the ball (at least one drop on third down today and the almost-fumble), and god, he's just not smart at times (his injury as a Frosh, the targeting penalty today). Like Blakeny in previous years, it's maybe better if he's not there for Duke to try to force balls to for a little bit.

3. A statistical profile of BC with advanced stats can be found here, updated through last week. Will be updated mid-week for this week's #s. http://www.footballstudyhall.com/pages/2015-boston-college-advanced-statistical-profile. Not quite as good as the raw profile you mention, but close. They're VERY similar to Northwestern - no O, all D.

BC Passing O: 82nd,
BC Passing D: 8th.
BC Rushing O: 74rd
BC Rushing D: 5th.

4. The Defensive Front is finally a strength. They are terrific. Most people didn't want to say it, but graduating and replacing much of the D line the last two years has been huge (3/4 of the Defensive Line starters today were different from last year's game - only Wray remained). Last year we allowed 6.1 YPC to Tech. This year, 2.9!!!! That is insanely good. If only the offense was nearly as good.

5. They need to rework the offensive playbook for Sirk - he clearly struggles at passing downfield, where he has to wait for someone to get open, identify who is open, and then throw a pass to them that allows them to catch it.

6. Oh god that 3rd and 1 deep pass in the 2nd quarter needs to be burned from the playbook. It's one thing to call at midfield where you might go for it on 4th. But there, with a QB who obviously isn't comfortable with that type of play, when you have a good lead and momentum, it's just awful.

[S_West30]

New member, first post on the boards.

My thoughts on the game:
-Jeremy Cash is living up to his pre-season All-American hype. His closing speed on Thomas and ability to shoot the gap time after time forced Tech into 2nd and 3rd downs that were much longer than they would've liked. This was key to getting stops and limiting drives for Tech.
-Once again, Sirk's play is a tale of two halves. He seemed to be in perfect control in the first half and had no problem making tough throws. His second half play was reminiscent of last week's game against Northwestern, sadly. He seemed indecisive and unsure of himself before the ball had even been snapped, and when it was snapped, he stared down one receiver and telegraphed his passes. Thankfully he only ended up with two picks, there could've been plenty more.
-Interesting stat: Sirk only averaged 4.6 yards per pass this afternoon. If the coaching staff wants to boost his confidence they need to give him opportunities to do so. I'd hope Scottie Montgomery looks to put more designed deep plays into the gameplan in the coming weeks.
-DeVon Edwards might be the scariest kick returner in all of college football. His ability to find the open lanes on kickoffs is a skill that not many others possess. His touchdown in the 3rd may have saved the game from a Tech comeback too. They were down just six points before, and with Duke's offensive woes being what they were in the second half, there's no telling what would've happened had he not broke that return for a TD.
-It was a nice change of pace to see Powell get the majority of the carries with 14, while Duncan and Wilson combined only had 7. Has Cut finally decided on a full-time running back? We'll see.
-Overall, this may be the one of the best defensive performances Duke has had under Cut. Maybe the 4-3 will be here to stay with the amount of success it had today. If they can keep that level of intensity and execution up with better second half play on the offensive side, they'll be in a good spot. Their upcoming schedule and level of play right now is making a trip to Charlotte on December 5th seem quite possible.

Go Blue Devils!

[Atldukie79]

Possibly the only game I will make all year...the outcome will make my return to Atlanta that much more delightful.

I like this team. The offense is perplexing...are the receivers not open or is Sirk not seeing them? The units that are far exceeding expectations are the D line and linebacker corps. I suppose we all expected the secondary to exceed and they have. Other than picking on our rookie corner, Tech had little success.

I must say that during the late 3rd Qtr and all of the 4th, I was surprised that we did not burn more clock, often snapping the ball with 20 seconds on the play clock. While the game ended well, I was perplexed that we did not shorten the game...anyone else question that?

[NYBri]

Great win -- allow me to suggest that the defensive stand in the fourth quarter after Sirk's second interception is the most significant Duke defensive series in this century. It's 26-20, Georgia Tech has all the momentum after scoring a TD and they have the ball at the Duke 30 -- their first two runs gain nine yards ... then they are stuffed on third and one and fourth and one.

Boom!

[OldPhiKap]

New member, first post on the boards.

My thoughts on the game:
-Jeremy Cash is living up to his pre-season All-American hype. His closing speed on Thomas and ability to shoot the gap time after time forced Tech into 2nd and 3rd downs that were much longer than they would've liked. This was key to getting stops and limiting drives for Tech.
-Once again, Sirk's play is a tale of two halves. He seemed to be in perfect control in the first half and had no problem making tough throws. His second half play was reminiscent of last week's game against Northwestern, sadly. He seemed indecisive and unsure of himself before the ball had even been snapped, and when it was snapped, he stared down one receiver and telegraphed his passes. Thankfully he only ended up with two picks, there could've been plenty more.
-Interesting stat: Sirk only averaged 4.6 yards per pass this afternoon. If the coaching staff wants to boost his confidence they need to give him opportunities to do so. I'd hope Scottie Montgomery looks to put more designed deep plays into the gameplan in the coming weeks.
-DeVon Edwards might be the scariest kick returner in all of college football. His ability to find the open lanes on kickoffs is a skill that not many others possess. His touchdown in the 3rd may have saved the game from a Tech comeback too. They were down just six points before, and with Duke's offensive woes being what they were in the second half, there's no telling what would've happened had he not broke that return for a TD.
-It was a nice change of pace to see Powell get the majority of the carries with 14, while Duncan and Wilson combined only had 7. Has Cut finally decided on a full-time running back? We'll see.
-Overall, this may be the one of the best defensive performances Duke has had under Cut. Maybe the 4-3 will be here to stay with the amount of success it had today. If they can keep that level of intensity and execution up with better second half play on the offensive side, they'll be in a good spot. Their upcoming schedule and level of play right now is making a trip to Charlotte on December 5th seem quite possible.

Go Blue Devils!

Hell of a first post. Spot on. The only thing I would add is that the rainy conditions may have impacted Sirk's downfield efforts. I loved Boone, but I am very comfortable with Sirk back there. Keep learning, keep improving, we will be fine.

[Mabdul Doobakus]

The defense was pretty terrific. They've never looked faster or more aggressive, and they were very disciplined against the option, which I would have to think has a lot to do with good coaching and players buying into the system and not freelancing. I was a little disappointed in our pass coverage at first because there were a few plays where it seemed like our DBs either showed poor ball skills or poor situational awareness, but then I saw that Georgia Tech only completed 6 passes all day, so it can't have been all that bad.

Clock management. This is my single biggest complaint about the game because it's the easiest to fix. Why is our completely ineffective offense snapping the ball with 20 seconds left on the play clock in the middle of the 4th quarter when we're head by two scores? Why are they doing it later in the 4th when we're up by 6? I could understand, maybe, if we were trying not to disrupt our offensive rhythm, but they clearly had no rhythm. In fact, maybe slowing things down a little for Sirk would've helped him out. I'm assuming this is a coaching decision and not Sirk going rogue.

Our offense turned the ball over in our own territory three times. Georgia Tech on the 3 ensuing drives:

6 plays, 16 yards, 52 yard FG
4 plays, 2 yards, 48 yard FG
4 plays, 9 yards, turnover on downs

I think that was the single biggest key to the game.

Will Monday was excellent yesterday, don't you think? :)

Well, except for the botched PATs.

[Teton Jack]

watching a Duke football game. In 2013 I kept expecting Duke to somehow find a way to lose. They, in my mind, always seemed on the brink of falling into old patterns. Last year the team generally won the games they were supposed to and lost the ones they were not expected to win. Duke, when it won, generally won on offense with a defense that would "bend not break".

I never expected this year to be one where Duke worried about its offense but won with dominant defense. I haven't seen a defense like this since Mike McGee's teams in the 1970's with Ernie Jackson. Congratulations on a spectacular victory.

By the way, I about lost my mind on the 3rd and 1 bomb. In the first half the offensive line was a dominant as the defense. I would have run the ball till GT could prove they could stop it.

Now, if we can keep focus I'll be able to fly to Charlotte and watch the championship game. Go Duke! Beat BC.

[dragoneye776]

The AP and Coach's polls haven't come out yet, but there is no respect for Duke in this week's ESPN power rankings. Duke gets only 1 vote and Georgia Tech has dropped out altogether. Heck, I was expecting top 25 this week.

[WillJ]

Clock management. This is my single biggest complaint about the game because it's the easiest to fix. Why is our completely ineffective offense snapping the ball with 20 seconds left on the play clock in the middle of the 4th quarter when we're head by two scores? Why are they doing it later in the 4th when we're up by 6? I could understand, maybe, if we were trying not to disrupt our offensive rhythm, but they clearly had no rhythm. In fact, maybe slowing things down a little for Sirk would've helped him out. I'm assuming this is a coaching decision and not Sirk going rogue.




Great win, but I also found the 4th quarter clock management very puzzling. I'm sure they had some good reason for doing it, but it wasn't obvious to me at all what it was.

[budwom]

Cash gets the Walter Camp defensive player of the week award (national). Well deserved.

[Olympic Fan]

Cash gets the Walter Camp defensive player of the week award (national). Well deserved.

He was also one of about 5-6 players to get a helmet sticker on ESPN's Football Final late, late last night (actually about 2 an Sunday morning).

It will be interesting to see how many Duke guys are honored by the ACC. Through the first three weeks, we had just one -- Barnes as the ACC Receiver of the Week after the Tulane game, Edwards is a candidate at Specialist ... while Cash should be a lock for DB of the week. How about Tinashe Bere as Rookie of the Week -- 10 tackles and some big plays against the Tech option?

[Mabdul Doobakus]

The AP and Coach's polls haven't come out yet, but there is no respect for Duke in this week's ESPN power rankings. Duke gets only 1 vote and Georgia Tech has dropped out altogether. Heck, I was expecting top 25 this week.

Don't think I would've voted for Duke in the Top 25 either. Not that I'm familiar with every team's resume, but we've played two bad teams and two pretty good teams, both at home, and split those two. Yes, if we were a traditional SEC power, and that was our resume, we'd be ranked in the Top 25, but we're not.

[killerleft]

Excellent win. How great is it to be watching a Duke defense and EXPECT those guys to make the plays needed to win a game? Woo-hoo!

As someone mentioned above, this game made me think of the big win against Clemson in '89. The weather yesterday was slightly better, but the atmosphere was very good. Those of us present can pat ourselves on the back. I'll bet I'm not the only one whose voice is scratchy and in a lower register today. The students who showed up were demonstrative, and the band was superb.

As is often the case, the players were high-fiving fans and students alike after the game. All in all, the victory over the Yellow Jackets was sweet, indeed! Thanks to Cash & Co. for removing all the stingers before they could ruin our Drizzle Party!!

Everybody knows that 'BC' is really defined as that dark time before we found a guy who can recruit, coach up, and motivate a football team to perform even better than the sum of its parts. So be warned, Boston College.

[Son of Jarhead]

Will Monday was excellent yesterday, don't you think? :)

Well, except for the botched PATs.

I didn't think the fault for those botched PAT's can all be placed on Will Monday. On the PAT for our first score, the snap was a little high, but Will got it down for Ross and that try was good. On our second TD, the snap was even higher, too high for Will to catch cleanly and get down. On our third TD, the snap hit the ground short of Will, again making it hard for Will to field. Both botched PAT's were the result of bad snaps. I'm sure Will thinks he could of handled them better, but from my vantage point, the odds were against him with those snaps.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I didn't think the fault for those botched PAT's can all be placed on Will Monday. On the PAT for our first score, the snap was a little high, but Will got it down for Ross and that try was good. On our second TD, the snap was even higher, too high for Will to catch cleanly and get down. On our third TD, the snap hit the ground short of Will, again making it hard for Will to field. Both botched PAT's were the result of bad snaps. I'm sure Will thinks he could of handled them better, but from my vantage point, the odds were against him with those snaps.

All of what you described regarding the snaps and handing of the ball for PATs are an index of how very wet the conditions were during much of the game.

[Son of Jarhead]

All of what you described regarding the snaps and handing of the ball for PATs are an index of how very wet the conditions were during much of the game.

Absolutely.

And great observations by all above. Wonderful game, glad I was there. Me and my Duke alum brother left happy and our GaTech alum brother left wet and bummed. Wish our dad, dear ol' "Jarhead", had been there, but nice to have all three "Sons of Jarhead" present.

Our defense was very impressive all day. It looked to me like Cash was basically playing at linebacker all game, and what a great game he had. Well deserving of Nat'l Defensive Player of the Week.

Let's keep the ol' mo going! Beat BC!

Go Duke!!!!

[MarkD83]

I read the following over on PackPride....

"Saw WRAL's FB show Sunday morning & they pointed out how well the Blue Hens ran the ball on Sat & said GT's even better. Also that UNC's D doesn't have the athletes that Duke does on D.

Who ever thought that Duke would be perceived to have better athletes on D than UNC?"

Is this actually a compliment?

[Wander]

Duke football with the shout-out during the Sunday night NFL game! Remark about how Duke had one of the best ACC players (Laken Thomlinson) last year.

[uh_no]

Duke football with the shout-out during the Sunday night NFL game! Remark about how Duke had one of the best ACC players (Laken Thomlinson) last year.

they mentioned duke earlier as well talking about juwan i think and how they liked he was a hard worker and came in and knew his stuff so they keep him around.

[Son of Jarhead]

they mentioned duke earlier as well talking about juwan i think and how they liked he was a hard worker and came in and knew his stuff so they keep him around.

Juwan injured his neck in the first half and missed the rest of the game. Hopefully, it is not serious and he will not miss any more.

[duke blue brewcrew]

Duke football with the shout-out during the Sunday night NFL game! Remark about how Duke had one of the best ACC players (Laken Thomlinson) last year.

the quote was (after making a joke about Coack K having great guards, No Duh!), "Duke Guard Laken Tomlinson was the ACC Athlete of the Year"