Duke 45 - Virgina Tech 43 - 4OT Post-game Thread

[JasonEvans]

If your heart is still beating, post your thoughts here.

[ChrisP]

Awesome! Gutty win! I will refrain from talking about playcalling and instead just focus on the BIG W!!! :cool:

[CDu]

Sirk had a shaky day (again) with accuracy problems. But he made two huge plays to end it.

Big win surviving two shocking Martin misses and some awful playcalling by Montgomery.

Coastal division is still very much in play!

[DukeFanSince1990]

That was awesome!

[Olympic Fan]

It's amazing: Ross Martin has missed four -- and only four -- field goals in the last two years ... two against VPI last year (that cost us the game) and two against VPI this year (that forced us to endure that gut-wrenching OT). He's perfect in the other 18 games Duke has played in 2014 and 2015.

Of course, he DID hit some clutch field goals -- including two in the overtime periods.

[royalblue]

2 point play was a
Sirk du Soleil

[JasonEvans]

So, the unsung hero on the winning play is Shaq Powell. He blocks a guy and goes to the ground, then he gets up and sees Sirk about to be stood up at the 1. Powell throws himself into Sirk and the defender, pushing them over into the end zone. Sirk had awesome effort, but I'm not sure he gets in if Powell doesn't give him an extra push.

Watch the play again and you will see what I mean. Great job by Powell in never giving up on the play.

-Jason "I gotta find a video of that play so ya'll can see what I am talking about" Evans

[CameronBlue]

Great game if you're a fan of college football. Average life expectancy of Duke fans, let's just say you should bet the under.

[devildeac]

Treating myself for cardiac arrest now as I type.:o

[JasonEvans]

So, the unsung hero on the winning play is Shaq Powell. He blocks a guy and goes to the ground, then he gets up and sees Sirk about to be stood up at the 1. Powell throws himself into Sirk and the defender, pushing them over into the end zone. Sirk had awesome effort, but I'm not sure he gets in if Powell doesn't give him an extra push.

Watch the play again and you will see what I mean. Great job by Powell in never giving up on the play.

-Jason "I gotta find a video of that play so ya'll can see what I am talking about" Evans

Here is the play.


http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13963186

Powell takes on #90, one of their defensive ends, and puts the dude on the ground. That was the key block that gave Sirk a little more time to survey the field. Then, Powell makes the push for the win.

H-E-R-O!

[gotoguy]

I hoped, I implored, I yelled, I swore, I fell to the floor. My dog hid behind the sofa. I cried, I groaned, I hoped, I despaired, I again hoped, I held my breath, I screamed and I danced and the dog joined me.

Go Devils!

[SilkyJ]

Holy cow! What a long way we've come. Years ago we would lose all of these types of games; now we win them regularly. 4 straight years of bowl games, that's got to be a record or getting close to it. Certainly not something we've seen since the 60s...

[Bob Green]

Awesome run by Sirk on the 2-PT conversion to win it! He refused to be denied. A gutty performance by a lot of players today starting with the defensive line. Sirk passed for 270 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 109 more yards. The quarterback keeper up the middle was available so we kept taking it. The offense and coaching staff deserve credit for taking advantage of what the opponent was giving up.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

So, the unsung hero on the winning play is Shaq Powell. He blocks a guy and goes to the ground, then he gets up and sees Sirk about to be stood up at the 1. Powell throws himself into Sirk and the defender, pushing them over into the end zone. Sirk had awesome effort, but I'm not sure he gets in if Powell doesn't give him an extra push.

Watch the play again and you will see what I mean. Great job by Powell in never giving up on the play.

-Jason "I gotta find a video of that play so ya'll can see what I am talking about" Evans
Yep. Didn't notice that until you pointed it out. Angry Powell is my favorite player on the field.

[BD80]

2 point play was a
Sirk du Soleil

Looked like the Blue-Man Group to me.

[Indoor66]

Treating myself for cardiac arrest now as I type.:o

At least you know what to do. What the heck do I do?

[Olympic Fan]

Listening the Cut's postgame interview ...

He pointed out that this is not his longest OT game -- he coached in a seven OT game at Ole Miss ... losing to Arkansas. That game was the one that caused the NCAA to put in the rule that teams that have to score a two-point conversion after the second OT -- that rule made the difference today.

He did raise something to worry about. He mentioned that the 2001 OT game destroyed that Ole Miss team. It was 6-1 before that game ... but that OT loss was the first of a 3-game losing streak.

I think he was talking about the disappointment of losing game that his team seemed to have won in regulation -- like this one. Losing a game like that has to be crushing.

But winning it might be a great lift for this team.

[Tripping William]

Treating myself for cardiac arrest now as I type.:o

Send the invoice to the guys in stripes. Those two interference calls on VPISU's two-point conversion toward the end of regulation looked ...... (ummmm .... how to say this charitably) "questionable."

[Bob Green]

Those two interference calls on VPISU's two-point conversion toward the end of regulation looked ...... (ummmm .... how to say this charitably) "questionable."

The first call on Saxton was clearly interference. The second one on Borders was questionable.

[Native]

I'll say just one thing: the best teams are the ones that find ways to win games like these.

[fidel]

Sirk almost hitting open receivers for TD's was a bummer (all there but the timing). But his running was all heart. Even knowing he was going to do it, he still produced.

And Jason, great call on the last conversion. Nice second effort there. No quit, and thats what makes a difference.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

Send the invoice to the guys in stripes. Those two interference calls on VPISU's two-point conversion toward the end of regulation looked ...... (ummmm .... how to say this charitably) "questionable."

The first one looked like a good call to me but that second one was disgusting.
Love, Ima

[uh_no]

I'll say just one thing: the best teams are the ones that find ways to win games like these.

Disagree. The best teams are the ones who don't put themselves in situations like this. It's harsh, but winning close games means you're not good enough to win easily. FSU last year is the perfect anecdote. They "won close games" all year and everyone talked about how great it was that they were pulling these games out....then they got their butts handed to them by oregon.

I wouldn't say that our winning this game was a demonstration of anything, other than we put ourselves in a position to NEED to win like that. The missed opportunities were overwhelming


missed FG
missed receivers
inability to move the ball consistently in the second half (becoming a bad trend...)
poor clock management (ditto)
head scratching play calling (not scoring from inside the 5 in 3OT could be its own point)
giving up massive drives on D


It seems we tried REALLY hard to lose that game, and then made some great plays to win it. I wouldn't say that shows character, I'd say it shows we need to work harder so we're not in that position. If you consistently put yourself in that position, you are GOING to lose some of those games. Heck, we already have.

We had some really really good things happen...winning not the least of all. Sirk seemed more comfortable (though wasn't the most accurate on the long ball...he connected a few times). We had no turnovers, didn't really give up huge plays....lots of good stuff. Scoring early....but despite that, we still ended up in a very bad spot.

[Listen to Quants]

Here is the play.


http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13963186

Powell takes on #90, one of their defensive ends, and puts the dude on the ground. That was the key block that gave Sirk a little more time to survey the field. Then, Powell makes the push for the win.

H-E-R-O!


Yep. Didn't notice that until you pointed it out. Angry Powell is my favorite player on the field.

Neither did I (notice it until the JasonEvans note). I remembering thinking how impressive it was that Sirk pushed a Dlineman into the end zone. ... with a little help from his friend. I don't know NCAA rules, but I remember at some levels it is actually illegal to push your own ball carrier forward, you have to be trying to block an opponent. So, that's what Powell was really doing and doing well.

[plimnko]

Neither did I (notice it until the JasonEvans note). I remembering thinking how impressive it was that Sirk pushed a Dlineman into the end zone. ... with a little help from his friend. I don't know NCAA rules, but I remember at some levels it is actually illegal to push your own ball carrier forward, you have to be trying to block an opponent. So, that's what Powell was really doing and doing well.

the rule was changed around the time reggie bush was at usc

[cspan37421]

Glad we won but there is so much to work on. As someone said last week, is there any reason not to use more time off the clock when you have the ball with 8 m to play, up 8? And you're snapping with 15-18 seconds left on the clock? Seems crazy. Speaking of snapping, Sirk's downward LH motion seems to give away the timing of the snap. I wonder if VT noticed that and used it to their advantage.

The 3rd OT playcalling was nuts.

Was it me, or did it seem that Sirk was the only runner that could do anything up the middle against VT? I don't know why we kept running our RBs up the middle. It's like they needed a FB that wasn't there, whereas when Sirk ran, he often had Powell make the key block in front of him.

Feel bad for Martin but he's our guy and will bounce back. Very odd that he's only missed against VT these last 2 years. It's not like they had anything to do with it, that I could tell.

For all the faults, we've come a long way from the days when I would get asked about Duke, "You guys play a lot of homecoming games, don't you?"

Well, tonight in Blacksburg, I think there won't be happy drunks. Just hope our guys can get out of town safely.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I'll say just one thing: the best teams are the ones that find ways to win games like these.

What we saw today is what winning teams do. Now as fans, it's up to us to develop the sort of thinking to recognize it.

Coach Cutcliffe said early on that not only would the players have to learn to think like winners, so would the fans. We're definitely on that journey!

[Listen to Quants]

the rule was changed around the time reggie bush was at usc
Do you know the rule at hs and nfl levels?

[uh_no]

Glad we won but there is so much to work on. As someone said last week, is there any reason not to use more time off the clock when you have the ball with 8 m to play, up 8?

The only justification I can imagine is some intangible "keeping the flow of the offense" for which the easy rebuttal is "well the offense wasn't moving anyway"

Anyway, It's been a consistent problem under Cut....dating back as far as I can remember with him. It's hard to remember too many specific games, but the UNC games 2 and 3 years ago stand out large in my mind....along with most of our wins this year.

[Dukehky]

VT with Brewer under center is a real team, unlike without him. If this had been his 3rd week back, I'm not sure we win that game. They're good, and winning it, in whatever fashion we may have, is huge.

We are probably going to get Miami's back-up QB because Kaya will likely be out with a concussion. They also just got stomped, moral will be low, they probably won't have their coach. This is a good position for us to be in, if we don't overlook Miami we should win handily. They still have the athletes to compete though. Hopefully we head into Kenan stadium 7-1.

Let's take a big sigh of relief, and a big gulp of whatever is sitting in front of us, and enjoy the fact that we're going bowling and have taken the steps needed so far to still have a shot at the Coastal. Everything else will work itself out.

Bang bang, Duke gang.

[Atlanta Duke]

Glad we won but there is so much to work on. As someone said last week, is there any reason not to use more time off the clock when you have the ball with 8 m to play, up 8?

Because stall ball has not always been embraced by Duke fans?:)

See 1.e. of Throatybeard's DBR Manifesto/Pocket Reference

http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?10527-DBR-Manifesto-%28AKA-Throaty-s-Handy-Pocket-Reference%29&p=672204#post672204

[Neals384]

OK, after all the hoopla, I finally watched my first Duke FB game ever. Great game, great finish! I was impressed with the defense. The offense seems poorly conceived, but then I did miss the first two touchdowns.


snip
I wouldn't say that our winning this game was a demonstration of anything, other than we put ourselves in a position to NEED to win like that. The missed opportunities were overwhelming


missed FG
missed receivers
inability to move the ball consistently in the second half (becoming a bad trend...)
poor clock management (ditto)
head scratching play calling (not scoring from inside the 5 in 3OT could be its own point)
giving up massive drives on D



Who in the world puts the backup QB into the game in the 3rd OT? And lets him throw a pass (if that's what you call it).


2 point play was a
Sirk du Soleil

Oooooh.

[eddiehaskell]

OK, after all the hoopla, I finally watched my first Duke FB game ever. Great game, great finish! I was impressed with the defense. The offense seems poorly conceived, but then I did miss the first two touchdowns.I never really watched football at any level until Duke started coming alive a few years ago. I don't know much on the technical side of football, but it's fun to watch, learn and see how far Duke can go. Now I watch other teams and root for them to lose if it helps Duke. I think it'd be awesome to at some point have the football and basketball teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. :eek:

[eddiehaskell]

Defense allowed 24 points through 4 quarters - the highest amount allowed this season...not too shabby. 24 points is also the highest amount allowed by both Clemson and FSU thus far.

[plimnko]

Do you know the rule at hs and nfl levels?

i don't. the only reason i know the rule change at the college level is because they mentioned it on the espn 30 for 30 about the pete carroll years at usc.

[Highlander]

The first call on Saxton was clearly interference. The second one on Borders was questionable.

See, I thought the exact opposite when I saw them live. Saxton seemed to look back and get his arm across the defender's catch radius right as the ball got there. Borders never got his head around in 1x1 coverage.

[fuse]

All I can muster is....wow!

[FerryFor50]

Disagree. The best teams are the ones who don't put themselves in situations like this. It's harsh, but winning close games means you're not good enough to win easily. FSU last year is the perfect anecdote. They "won close games" all year and everyone talked about how great it was that they were pulling these games out....then they got their butts handed to them by oregon.

I wouldn't say that our winning this game was a demonstration of anything, other than we put ourselves in a position to NEED to win like that. The missed opportunities were overwhelming


missed FG
missed receivers
inability to move the ball consistently in the second half (becoming a bad trend...)
poor clock management (ditto)
head scratching play calling (not scoring from inside the 5 in 3OT could be its own point)
giving up massive drives on D


It seems we tried REALLY hard to lose that game, and then made some great plays to win it. I wouldn't say that shows character, I'd say it shows we need to work harder so we're not in that position. If you consistently put yourself in that position, you are GOING to lose some of those games. Heck, we already have.

We had some really really good things happen...winning not the least of all. Sirk seemed more comfortable (though wasn't the most accurate on the long ball...he connected a few times). We had no turnovers, didn't really give up huge plays....lots of good stuff. Scoring early....but despite that, we still ended up in a very bad spot.

Wait. Did you seriously just use last year's FSU team as an example of what team that isn't considered the "best" is?

Didn't they make the college football national championship final four? I'd take that ANY day of the week, even if it meant a whipping by Oregon every year.

BAD teams fold in games like that. Yes, Duke put themselves in a bad spot with missed FGs (wtf Ross Martin) and some missed open receivers. But they also dug themselves out. This VT team had a real QB under center finally and figured out who their starting tailback was just this past week. And Duke still held them to 24 in regulation. Winning close games means YOU WON THE GAME. Bottom line. Just like losing close games mean you lost and don't go to bowl games.

Sure, Duke's not the BEST team, but they are certainly a top 25 team and are bowl eligible in OCTOBER. And you must not watch a ton of college football. There are a lot of teams that do head scratching things. The difference between the best teams and the rest? Recruiting, bottom line. The fact that Cutcliffe has a team of mostly 3 star recruits in a power conference at 6-1 is a feat unto itself.

I don't ever expect Duke to be one of the national powerhouses, but they're at least to be taken seriously now and aren't a laughingstock. That means they'll attract more talent (as they already are), including top level QBs. Keep in mind, Sirk was a 3 star recruit and was always more of a dual threat guy than a pure passer. Just imagine if Duke can start landing the 4 or 5 star QBs that actually are proficient passers...

Final point: It's unbecoming to nitpick this much after a big win away from home in one of the loudest, raucous stadiums in the entire country. It reeks of being spoiled, and if you're of the opinion that Duke "isn't there yet," then you probably should allow your fandom reflect that as opposed to acting like a team that couldn't win A SINGLE GAME as recently as 2006 should be at the level of an OSU, Florida State, etc. This ain't Texas.

[Kedsy]

4 straight years of bowl games, that's got to be a record or getting close to it. Certainly not something we've seen since the 60s...

I'm pretty sure that three straight years of Duke going to bowl games was a record (when we did it last season). If so (and, like I said, I'm pretty sure it is), then four straight is definitely a record.

[uh_no]

Wait. Did you seriously just use last year's FSU team as an example of what team that isn't considered the "best" is?

Didn't they make the college football national championship final four? I'd take that ANY day of the week, even if it meant a whipping by Oregon every year.
by definition of "best," you don't get your butt whupped in a semifinal.



Sure, Duke's not the BEST team, but they are certainly a top 25 team and are bowl eligible in OCTOBER. When was the last time that happened? last year...we were ranked after week 4 and after week 10 and bowl eligible after week 7. so were we ranked and bowl eligible at the same time in october? no. but I'm not sure it matters significantly



And you must not watch a ton of college football. good ad hominem argument.

There are a lot of teams that do head scratching things. so we should accept them? lots of teams have lots of penalties and turnovers...so should be be okay if we do to?



Final point: It's unbecoming to nitpick this much after a big win away from home in one of the loudest, raucous stadiums in the entire country. It reeks of being spoiled, and if you're of the opinion that Duke "isn't there yet," then you probably should allow your fandom reflect that as opposed to acting like a team that couldn't win A SINGLE GAME as recently as 2006 should be at the level of an OSU, Florida State, etc. This ain't Texas.

wow. just wow.
you're talking to someone who volunteers 7 hours every duke game day to staff the games...who then takes the money and donates it to charity.
to someone who went to games every week in the roof era and stood with the other couple dozen students into the fourth quarter thinking there was still a chance
Is that spoiled? I don't know.

where did I say we should be at the level of OSU and florida? I pointed out things that we could have done better. You know what Cut is probably going to say to the team tomorrow? the same stuff. Is he spoiled too? Should he just pat the team on the back and say "job well done?"

You don't get better at stuff by focusing on things you're doing well. you point them out (which I did) and then get to work on fixing things that aren't as good (which I also pointed out. If you find a drive to continuously be better "unbecoming," then I don't know what to tell you.

[dukelifer]

Disagree. The best teams are the ones who don't put themselves in situations like this. It's harsh, but winning close games means you're not good enough to win easily. FSU last year is the perfect anecdote. They "won close games" all year and everyone talked about how great it was that they were pulling these games out....then they got their butts handed to them by oregon.

I wouldn't say that our winning this game was a demonstration of anything, other than we put ourselves in a position to NEED to win like that. The missed opportunities were overwhelming


missed FG
missed receivers
inability to move the ball consistently in the second half (becoming a bad trend...)
poor clock management (ditto)
head scratching play calling (not scoring from inside the 5 in 3OT could be its own point)
giving up massive drives on D


It seems we tried REALLY hard to lose that game, and then made some great plays to win it. I wouldn't say that shows character, I'd say it shows we need to work harder so we're not in that position. If you consistently put yourself in that position, you are GOING to lose some of those games. Heck, we already have.

We had some really really good things happen...winning not the least of all. Sirk seemed more comfortable (though wasn't the most accurate on the long ball...he connected a few times). We had no turnovers, didn't really give up huge plays....lots of good stuff. Scoring early....but despite that, we still ended up in a very bad spot.

Still not quite ready to think of Duke Football as a top program worthy of the kind of critique we give to the basketball team. I am still surprised that Duke is winning in the ACC. This is still a fun ride after so many miserable seasons. Duke certainly has a lot of work to do- but building a winning culture takes winning and time. Sometimes that comes from skill and sometimes it comes from luck. Cut has made big changes in the culture that are lasting.

[FerryFor50]

by definition of "best," you don't get your butt whupped in a semifinal.

You don't make it to a semi final at all if you're not one



last year...well bowl eligible...weren't ranked yet


I edited the part about "last time that happened" after I realized it was last year. But still.. awesome for the program.



so we should accept them? lots of teams have lots of penalties and turnovers...so should be be okay if we do to?


Accept them? To an extent. But surely point out the positives in addition to the things that can be fixed.



wow. just wow.
you're talking to someone who volunteers 7 hours every duke game day to staff the games...who then takes the money and donates it to charity.
to someone who went to games every week in the roof era and stood with the other couple dozen students into the fourth quarter thinking there was still a chance
Is that spoiled? I don't know.

where did I say we should be at the level of OSU and florida? I pointed out things that we could have done better. You know what Cut is probably going to say to the team tomorrow? the same stuff. Is he spoiled too? Should he just pat the team on the back and say "job well done?"

You don't get better at stuff by focusing on things you're doing well. you point them out (which I did) and then get to work on fixing things that aren't as good (which I also pointed out. If you find a drive to continuously be better "unbecoming," then I don't know what to tell you.


My apologies. I didn't realize you worked so much on the program or suffered as long as I have with Duke football. Just felt like the criticism was a bit undue after a big win. It's not about accepting things, but your entire post was basically an indictment on the team after a win with really nothing positive about the win.

I wasn't saying we should say "job well done." And no, Cut wouldn't say that either. But a lot of what you said were nits. The game outcome was more about the missed FGs (which was odd for Martin. Why only miss vs VT?) and the prolonged drive by VT (particularly allowing the FB to get a 1st down on 3rd and 20 that ended up getting VT to 21-16). Winning ugly is still winning.

[devildeac]

Send the invoice to the guys in stripes. Those two interference calls on VPISU's two-point conversion toward the end of regulation looked ...... (ummmm .... how to say this charitably) "questionable."

Thanks to TWC, I had no espnu so I didn't see it but folks in 2 different chats said 1 was legit and the other was an uncatchable ball. We did ourselves no favors with 2 missed FGA and failure to stop VT on 2 long drives in the 2nd half. Amazingly, I don't recall any PI calls until the 2 in a row against us:mad:. How convenient:mad:.

[uh_no]

Accept them? To an extent. But surely point out the positives in addition to the things that can be fixed.

It's not about accepting things, but your entire post was basically an indictment on the team after a win with really nothing positive about the win.


I appreciate the response, and I'd like to point out the last paragraph of my original post.


We had some really really good things happen...winning not the least of all. Sirk seemed more comfortable (though wasn't the most accurate on the long ball...he connected a few times). We had no turnovers, didn't really give up huge plays....lots of good stuff. Scoring early....but despite that, we still ended up in a very bad spot.

I probably could have split these out into a list of their own, but I didn't. There's more here too.

* cash
* the defense fighting hard despite being on the field for most of the second half...as well as a couple of huge stops in OT
* monday flipped the field on one punt....we went from our own 10, got a couple plays, and suddenly they were at THEIR 10.

[nyesq83]

We won. Our guys played better than their guys to win.

We are not perfect. WE ARE DUKE!

And we won tonight.

[75Crazie]

I am surprised that anybody is complaining about either of the pass interference calls on the 2-point conversion. My initial reaction was that both penalties were blatant and deserved ... and on second viewing, I do not see anything to change that opinion.

Repeating an observation from the in-game thread: I think VT play-calling in the OT played a big factor in the result. McMillan was a stud in the fourth quarter, and Duke did not seem to have anything in their arsenal to stop him. But they seemed to mostly forget about using McMillan in the first three OTs, and after scoring the TD in the fourth they again did not make use of him on the conversion; Duke went to their horse on their conversion, and that was the game.

[OldPhiKap]

Incredible win by a maturing offense. Hard to believe anyone is really focusing on the negatives. That's for the coaches to do in the film room Monday.

Life is good, enjoy the wine while it is prime.

[Sixthman]

The first call on Saxton was clearly interference. The second one on Borders was questionable.

I was say the second play involving Borders was offensive interference. Borders is facing the ball, his hands are clean, and the reveiver pulls his arm across Border's neck/ shoulder enough to impact his ability to make a play.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Incredible win by a maturing offense. Hard to believe anyone is really focusing on the negatives. That's for the coaches to do in the film room Monday.

Life is good, enjoy the wine while it is prime.

Amen, Brother! Let the revival begin!

[jimsumner]

Cut sure didn't look or sound like a coach focused on all the things Duke did wrong. This was a big win, on the road, in a big-time environment. VT played well. Duke did to. Not perfect by any means. But I haven't seen a lot of perfect college football teams.

Duke absolutely will look at the things they can do better and try to do them better. But Duke had lots of chances to lose this game and at they were the last team standing. Kudos all around.

Especially the defense. They were on the field darn near the entire second half and still had enough left to force two FGs in OT and stop a two-point conversion. These guys were toast. A.J. Wolf told me he had never been so tired. And he looked it.

I thought it was a heck of a game.

[Listen to Quants]

<snipped a lot>

Sirk seemed more comfortable (though wasn't the most accurate on the long ball...he connected a few times).


I think this may be important. Yes, Sirk missed those throws but he made early, accurate read and got the ball out with good timing. This is not check-down caution which we saw before. Sirk is still very inexperienced, these throws, which can change games in a hurry, may get better. Even the few connections he did make should help the running game by forcing safeties back.

[OldPhiKap]

Cut sure didn't look or sound like a coach focused on all the things Duke did wrong. This was a big win, on the road, in a big-time environment. VT played well. Duke did to. Not perfect by any means. But I haven't seen a lot of perfect college football teams.

Duke absolutely will look at the things they can do better and try to do them better. But Duke had lots of chances to lose this game and at they were the last team standing. Kudos all around.

Especially the defense. They were on the field darn near the entire second half and still had enough left to force two FGs in OT and stop a two-point conversion. These guys were toast. A.J. Wolf told me he had never been so tired. And he looked it.

I thought it was a heck of a game.

Tried to send Sporkz but must spread the love. Exactamundo. We went to perhaps the toughest road environment in the Coastal and pulled out a thrilling victory. This could do wonders for our team. Bowl eligible for the fourth straight year AT MINIMUM, and at max have our destiny in our hands to win the Coastal and play in Charlotte. If you cannot enjoy this, you have my condolences.

[killerleft]

Cut sure didn't look or sound like a coach focused on all the things Duke did wrong. This was a big win, on the road, in a big-time environment. VT played well. Duke did to. Not perfect by any means. But I haven't seen a lot of perfect college football teams.

Duke absolutely will look at the things they can do better and try to do them better. But Duke had lots of chances to lose this game and at they were the last team standing. Kudos all around.

Especially the defense. They were on the field darn near the entire second half and still had enough left to force two FGs in OT and stop a two-point conversion. These guys were toast. A.J. Wolf told me he had never been so tired. And he looked it.

I thought it was a heck of a game.

Thanks for pointing out how tired our defense was. It puts another exclamation point on just how gritty and fine a win we got tonight. They never gave up on a play. Sometimes the defense needs a little help, and tonight the offense stepped up and provided it.

I don't think he's been mentioned in the post-game thread, but the long TD run by Shaun Wilson was big - real big! He turned on the speed down the sideline, and then broke that tackle like Duke could seldom do in the not-so-distant past.

[TwoaT]

I've watched most of the the televised Duke games this year and one encouraging aspect that really stands out: Sirk threw tons of balls downfield! It was just two games ago (GT? Northwestern?) that almost every pass was behind the line of scrimmage. Sure he missed on a number of those long ones today, but he hit quite a few; here's hoping that it will only improve...

[uh_no]

I've watched most of the the televised Duke games this year and one encouraging aspect that really stands out: Sirk threw tons of balls downfield! It was just two games ago (GT? Northwestern?) that almost every pass was behind the line of scrimmage. Sure he missed on a number of those long ones today, but he hit quite a few; here's hoping that it will only improve...

tons of balls to tight ends too. especially early it was really effective.

[wilson]

I've watched most of the the televised Duke games this year and one encouraging aspect that really stands out: Sirk threw tons of balls downfield! It was just two games ago (GT? Northwestern?) that almost every pass was behind the line of scrimmage. Sure he missed on a number of those long ones today, but he hit quite a few; here's hoping that it will only improve...This was clearly a point of emphasis in the game plan. I thought Sirk's accuracy left something to be desired, but he did connect on enough long passes to keep the defense open through the middle and allow him to make plays with his feet. I also thought Sirk's touch on mid-range throws was solid today, including several tricky throws in traffic, resulting in a number of 7-10 yard gains instead of the 0-3 we were getting on many of Sirk's hair-trigger checkdowns earlier in the season. And I thought Sirk's final pass of the game was his finest of the day, not just because it won the game, but also because it required precise touch and placement. Schneider also made a nice grab and took a perfect line to get into the end zone.

[DU82]

Just got home from the game. A couple of comments/responses:

On the pass interference calls, we felt the TD call was clear, and the second 2 point conversion. The first 2 point conversion PI was on the other side of the end zone from us, but it seemed questionable.

Still haven't been able to see the final play. As with the Pitt game last year, the 2 point conversion was in the other end zone, and the only way we knew he scored was watching the team run on the field.

No problems with the fans getting out alive, their fans were fine (and, certainly, a bit stunned.) Only problem was getting out of Blacksburg. The game ended about 7:30 (I must confess I don't really know when it ended!), got out of Blacksburg at 9PM.

I thought we left a bunch of points out there, with Sirk mis-timing early downfield throws. I thought he got better later in the game, although a couple were broken up by good defensive plays. We couldn't understand why with about 9 minutes to go we snapped the ball with about 20 seconds on the play clock (twice), and then again late in the game the same thing. Clock management when leading is a problem.

Facing our first decent offensive passing team in a while, some of our coverage was lacking. But for the most part coverage was good, there were a few good catches and a few lucky plays for the Hokies. They were successful with the sweep, running around the corner. Plays up the middle, not so much. Defense is still a strength, and I thought the D-line played well.

Let's see what happens in Miami tomorrow (is Golden still the coach?) I hope he is, because teams playing for interim coaches seem to play well the first week out.

[CameronBlue]

This was clearly a point of emphasis in the game plan. I thought Sirk's accuracy left something to be desired, but he did connect on enough long passes to keep the defense open through the middle and allow him to make plays with his feet. I also thought Sirk's touch on mid-range throws was solid today, including several tricky throws in traffic, resulting in a number of 7-10 yard gains instead of the 0-3 we were getting on many of Sirk's hair-trigger checkdowns earlier in the season. And I thought Sirk's final pass of the game was his finest of the day, not just because it won the game, but also because it required precise touch and placement. Schneider also made a nice grab and took a perfect line to get into the end zone.

3 of those sideline routes that Sirk overthrew were on first down. Later in the game several of his quarterback draws were also on first down. Though he missed the sideline routes early those plays served their purpose. Probably not entirely coincidental.

[mr. synellinden]

Three pages of posts and (at least I didn't see one) not one post about the incredible in stride on the numbers throw Sirk made on the game tying touchdown pass in the 4th OT on the first play after VT took the lead with a TD. That call, route and throw were all things of beauty. And quite and answer to a raucous crowd. Between that throw and the ensuing run, Sirk made two unbelievable winning plays. That's what I'm taking away from this game - sometimes that will to win and composure under pressure are more important than raw talent.

[brevity]

From the OPF thread...


Well, with Cal (No. 20 AP; No. 19 coaches) losing big Thursday night, that's one team Duke is pointed to jump in the polls next week ... provided, of course, Duke wins at Virginia Tech.

Temple, which is just ahead of Duke in the AP poll and two spots behind Duke in the coaches poll, rallied from a 14-10 deficit to score two TDs in the final four minutes to beat East Carolina last night. The Owls are unbeaten and could be jumping us in the coaches soon -- although they play Notre Dame next week, so that should be short lived.

The AP Top 25 saw losses by #3 Utah, #9 FSU, #15 Texas A&M, and #20 California. Duke (currently #23) will probably move ahead of Texas A&M and California, but could be leapfrogged by #24 Ole Miss, which beat Texas A&M. In the Coaches Poll, Duke was #21, ahead of undefeated Houston and Temple, and also Ole Miss. I think two of those teams will leapfrog, so Duke stays put. #22 AP, #21 Coaches.

P.S. You could make a good argument that Duke should also be ranked ahead of FSU, and I might agree, but I don't think it's going to happen. Yet.

[Bob Green]

The first call on Saxton was clearly interference. The second one on Borders was questionable.


See, I thought the exact opposite when I saw them live. Saxton seemed to look back and get his arm across the defender's catch radius right as the ball got there. Borders never got his head around in 1x1 coverage.


I was say the second play involving Borders was offensive interference.

I agree with Sixthman. On the second 2 PT try, the receiver bumped, grabbed, pushed Borders just as much as Borders bumped, grabbed, pushed the receiver. The ref could have called offensive pass interference as easily as he called defensive, which means a no call was in order.

[oldnavy]

VT with Brewer under center is a real team, unlike without him. If this had been his 3rd week back, I'm not sure we win that game. They're good, and winning it, in whatever fashion we may have, is huge.

We are probably going to get Miami's back-up QB because Kaya will likely be out with a concussion. They also just got stomped, moral will be low, they probably won't have their coach. This is a good position for us to be in, if we don't overlook Miami we should win handily. They still have the athletes to compete though. Hopefully we head into Kenan stadium 7-1.

Let's take a big sigh of relief, and a big gulp of whatever is sitting in front of us, and enjoy the fact that we're going bowling and have taken the steps needed so far to still have a shot at the Coastal. Everything else will work itself out.

Bang bang, Duke gang.

I get what your are saying, but I am not sure that Brewer could have played a whole lot better than he did. The kid impressed me a lot!

I made a comment while texting some fellow Duke fans after the game about how funny it seemed to be nit picking things like play calling and such after a win at VT, who had DOMINATED us over the past 14 years, not counting the last 3. Just a couple of years back and a lot of "us" wouldn't have even bothered to watch the game. Duke football is the real deal folks!

We have a lot of room to improve, Sirk can get a better on his touch and accuracy, but he did make some very good throws last night. If he keeps getting better and gains confidence I like our chances to get back to the ACC championship game.

[moonpie23]

wow.....reading this thread this morning after keeping up with the game at the state fair. The lte at the fair was bogged down so my sling box would only show about 3 seconds of the action, then freeze, then skip about 1 min .. :( very frustrating, so i switched to the play by play on Sportacular and slothed through that.

I was entering the Whacky Worm ride when it went to the 4th OT..... i handed the phone to mrs pie and told her, "i am placing my sports obsession in YOUR HANDS to pull duke through"......she took the phone and said...."i got this!"

on lap 2 of the Whacky Worm, when it came around to where she was standing, she yelled, "DUKE WON!"..


i have no idea how anyone could nit-pick any negative part of THAT.......WE WON!!! A 4 OVERTIME FOOTBALL GAME AT THEIR HOUSE!!!!!!


sheesh...

[cspan37421]

I made a comment while texting some fellow Duke fans after the game about how funny it seemed to be nit picking things like play calling and such after a win at VT, who had DOMINATED us over the past 14 years, not counting the last 3. Just a couple of years back and a lot of "us" wouldn't have even bothered to watch the game. Duke football is the real deal folks!


I think you're hinting at a shared feeling that explains why there seems to be such nitpicking here the day after a dramatic road win.

First and foremost, expectations for Duke football have risen. That's a good thing! Would we want it otherwise? So despite the fact that (IIRC) Va Tech was slightly favored ...

[Second,] Va Tech had a losing record, both overall and in conference, prior to yesterday. Yes, it's an away game, but if we want to justify being a top 25 team, we should generally expect to beat those outside the top 25.

Third, and related, of the mistakes we made yesterday, how many of those would be enough to sink our chances against other top 25 teams? We have started to regularly go to bowl games under Coach Cutcliffe (which is great, but a bowl game is not nearly as selective an honor as being in the top 25, right?), but we have not won one in 54+ years. If we do go to a bowl, we will not likely be playing a Va Tech caliber team, but a better one. So if we think of yesterday as essentially the sports version of a statistical tie, how well are we playing w/r/t a future bowl opponent?

I think we're all very proud of Cut and the team for what they've been able to do. One need not act joyously shocked and giddy at the win to have been happy with it. I think we see some regularly recurring concerns with respect to playcalling and clock management*. [Beamer's playcalling may be of even greater concern if I was a VT fan!]. I also have concerns about our CBs (and have for years). Most of those interference calls could have been defended cleanly - if you're close enough to shove, you're close enough to bat down the pass. So there is room to improve.

* someone suggested that the FB staff must have determined that it was more advantageous to snap quickly than kill the clock with a late lead. I must say, I see little evidence of that, esp. in yesterday's game. VT defensively was very solid in the 2nd half. As we regularly failed to open up running holes in the middle (except for Sirk), who was really benefiting from the quick snap? I'm not sure we were.

[RepoMan]

I don't have any problem with people pointing out places where improvement is possible, but that sure wasn't the first thing I was thinking about.

Make no mistake, that was a big time win. Blacksburg is a tough place to play, and they knew that they needed a win to save their season and to prevent the increasing pressure on their beloved coach.

They had their QB back -- before he was injured, VT was keeping it close vs Ohio St

And, while perhaps we missed some offensive opportunities, Sirk played a big time game and is getting better and better.

Martin missed a couple, and the fact that it came against VT again is weird, but you are not going to make 100% of your kicks. He wasn't rattled in OT

This was a great win, and we have a real chance to keep this going and play for a championship. Amazing!!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I was at the game yesterday, as I was two years ago. I'll post my thoughts later today when I am home and cay type on my computer rather than from my iPhone. Like someone else said, sitting high in the Duke section, we only knew we won when the team rushed the field and the scoreboard changed from from 43 to 45! We never saw the refs signal touchdown for either the scoring pass nor the 2 point conversion. Yay DUKE!

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

Cutcliffe's most memorable quote when he came here: "We will NEVER go away."

Never more true than yesterday! Love, Ima

[tux]

First and foremost, expectations for Duke football have risen. That's a good thing! Would we want it otherwise? So despite the fact that (IIRC) Va Tech was slightly favored ...

[Second,] Va Tech had a losing record, both overall and in conference, prior to yesterday. Yes, it's an away game, but if we want to justify being a top 25 team, we should generally expect to beat those outside the top 25.

There is always going to be a split between folks who want to come on the boards to celebrate and those who want to talk about the bad (along with the good) after a game. But you can't just whistle past the fact that VT was favored, regardless of their record. They have a great home field advantage, and several of those losses were without their starting QB.

As an example, a top ten team (FSU) lost to an unranked GT on the road in a close game (headed to OT before a crazy play), so... it's important to keep things in perspective --- open receivers are going to get missed or drop the ball, guys are going to get turned around on D and commit penalties, FGs are gonna get missed. FSU will probably stay in the top 25, so I'm not sure I agree that a top-25 team should always be expected to beat anyone outside the top-25. USC (unranked, I think) also handled #3 Utah -- USC was also favored.

That said... I would be interested in hearing Cut explain why they don't focus more on the play clock during the 2nd half. I really noticed it during that last drive in regulation when Martin missed the 40-something yard FG. We were in FG range and could have run 20-40 seconds more off the clock, making it impossible for VT to get another chance to tie the game (assuming Martin made the FG).

Also, I thought Sirk was really good and has improved over the last several games. I mentioned in a previous football thread that I thought a Sirk-Wilson option could be effective, so I was excited to see that play result in a nice TD. I wish Duke would do more of that to mix up the play calling a bit.

Finally, I thought a couple plays highlighted what I consider to be the next step for Sirk. After VT scored on that long TD drive in the second half, they attempted an onside kick. Duke had great field position and needed to sustain a drive to let the defense rest. On 3rd and medium, Sirk dropped back to pass and the pocket started to collapse. Instead of using his legs to move out (there was no one to the right side) and buy more time for his receivers to get open, Sirk forced a pass into coverage. It was a missed opportunity and really hurt the D, who had to immediately come back out. Contrast that to Brewer's TD pass in OT, where he moved away from the pressure and found the receiver in the back of the end zone. Sirk is a great runner. He needs to learn to use that speed to improvise a little more. Good things will happen when he does b/c the D will have to respect his ability to run; and receivers will find holes as the D moves to contain him.

[budwom]

"Third, and related, of the mistakes we made yesterday, how many of those would be enough to sink our chances against other top 25 teams? We have started to regularly go to bowl games under Coach Cutcliffe (which is great, but a bowl game is not nearly as selective an honor as being in the top 25, right?), but we have not won one in 54+ years. If we do go to a bowl, we will not likely be playing a Va Tech caliber team, but a better one. So if we think of yesterday as essentially the sports version of a statistical tie, how well are we playing w/r/t a future bowl opponent? "

You make a lot of good points. But one thing I think I can point out (do i have my facts straight?) is that in our previous three bowls under Cut (Cincy, Texas A&M and ASU) we have
been underdogs. You'd think at some point we might actually get a foe who is not as good as we are. For example, it looked for a while last year we'd get
Penn St. in the Pinstripe, and I feel pretty confident we could have taken care of them.

Sometimes it's tough to gauge how good opponents are...it SEEMS that VT is a lot better now that Brewer is back...he hit a bunch of pretty well defended third down passes. Then again, they
may totally collapse in the coming weeks...I just don't know.

Miami poses a most interesting challenge: will they be uninspired, or ultra psyched under a new coach? I fear the latter...

[tteettimes]

Where and when is it? The inside Carolina show is on!! Sure wanted to see it this noon time!GO DEVILS,! We are proud !!

[BD80]

VT is a football school.

Duke is a basketball school.

Duke beat VT AT VT in football.

Commence (or resume) celebration!

[Bob Green]

USC (unranked, I think) also handled #3 Utah -- USC was also favored.

An unranked team being favored over the #3 ranked team in the nation illustrates the ridiculousness of polls.


I mentioned in a previous football thread that I thought a Sirk-Wilson option could be effective, so I was excited to see that play result in a nice TD. I wish Duke would do more of that to mix up the play calling a bit.

I'm pretty sure I agreed with you before and I'll agree with you again. Wilson with the ball outside the tackle is a dangerous runner. His touchdown run on the option pitch was out of the Pistol Formation.

Another positive from the game is the performances of receivers Anthony Nash and Erich Schneider.

[budwom]

An unranked team being favored over the #3 ranked team in the nation illustrates the ridiculousness of polls.



I'm pretty sure I agreed with you before and I'll agree with you again. Wilson with the ball outside the tackle is a dangerous runner. His touchdown run on the option pitch was out of the Pistol Formation.

Another positive from the game is the performances of receivers Anthony Nash and Erich Schneider.

Kind of makes me wonder why we didn't try to get the ball to Wilson out there a tad more. But let me express my state of elation over the
lack of bubble screens and slow developing swing passes to running backs.

[bleudiable]

Find some balance. Those of us who have been Duke football fans for 40 years are reveling in winning at all. But I can see that this team has room for improvement. That fact makes me even happier.

[Faison1]

Unless I'm missing something, this team is pretty young. Glancing at the roster, it looks like there's only a few seniors on the team, with some significant talent in the Freshman and Sophomore classes.

So, first, I'll give them and the coaching staff a break in regards to improvement; and second, I'll say that I'm super psyched for now and the future.

That was a HUGE win!!! Unfortunately, I was reduced to camping in front of the ticker to see score updates. No TV's in California were tuned to the game. I could only guess/imagine what took place every 3 minutes when the score would update.

[wilko]

i handed the phone to mrs pie and told her, "i am placing my sports obsession in YOUR HANDS to pull duke through".....she took the phone and said..."i got this!"

I think you found a winning formula.
Let her keep the phone till May sometime.

[Potato Head]

An unranked team being favored over the #3 ranked team in the nation illustrates the ridiculousness of polls.

I bet the most accurate weekly ranking system would be some sort of algorithm that included Vegas spreads.

[84crazy]

Between the late night drama with my Royals the night before and the nail biting four overtimes I'm almost glad to not be in intensive care today! Anybody else think the refs blew a pass interference on VT before we missed that 49 yard FG attempt off the upright. We should have had at least a much closer field goal attempt if the call is made. In a way i'm almost glad because of how much leadership cred this gives to Sirk winning the way we did.
Next step we need to somehow recruit a receiver with some height to compete with the big boys. Glad to see our tight ends getting more throws they could really help get us that second coastal title. Way to finish Sirk!!!!

[OZZIE4DUKE]

It's good to be home.

First and foremost, a fabulous win over a vastly improved team that has it's starting quarterback back. Everyone's comments about conditioning are right on. While our defense was "gassed", they still performed well when they had to!

Lots of nitpicks, but even I, as the paradigm of optimism, was very pleasantly surprised we pulled out the win. And I sure am glad that Frank Beamer and staff so badly mismanaged the clock and play selection in the last minute of the game.

Now, the nitpicks.
1. I didn't understand the clock management during our 4 play "drive" in the fourth quarter, when we only ran 4 plays between the 9 minute mark and the 8 minute mark.

2. The three pass interference calls on their last regulation scoring drive -- well, thoughts of the USA-Russian Olympic bball game in 1972 came to mind. While one or two of the interference calls were somewhat legitimate, those same types of contact were NOT called during the rest of the game - for either team. The exact opposite of Carlos Boozers not getting foul shots when fouled on his putback/layup attempt as the clock ran out way back when.

3. Why Parker Boehme for the "Connette package" in the third overtime, when A} Sirk runs it better and B) Boehme has rarely been used all season? The only legitimizing thought process I can come up with is "fresh legs". Get a runner who is fresh and not tired in there to blast it in on quickness the defense no longer has. OK, it didn't work the first time, but to leave him in to try the jump pass on second down? I think that down was wasted. Better Sirk try that.

4. The refs at the far end of the field never signaled "touchdown" for either the touchdown pass nor the winning 2 point conversion rush, at least not that we could see. It was only when the scoreboard changed to 45 from 43 that we knew we'd won!

And now a word or three on the Virginia Tech fans. They are incredibly gracious, friendly and welcoming. Not just a couple of them, but MOST of them. We parked about 12:30, looking for a tailgate we were invited to second hand. From the moment we left our car and started walking, VT fans, decked out in full VT gear, said "Welcome to Virginia Tech! Enjoy yourselves. Hope it's a good game." Not one or two people, not just older folks, not just twenty-somethings, but dozens of them. While walking past a tailgate group, we asked them if they knew where Hahn Park was (where our tailgate was located)? Their response, to four people decked out in Duke gear, "No, but would you like some beer and wine?" They invited us into their tailgate, which was a first class operation, and we stayed for about 30 minutes. Then a Duke frat brother, whose daughter went to VT and he was tailgating with them, came by to say hi and we ended up going to their tailgate, on the opposite side of the stadium. And then the tailgate group next to them offered us more food and beverage. Again, VT fans said very friendly, complimentary things to this group of Duke fans as we walked.

And after the game, just like two years ago when I was there and we beat them, not a disparaging word of frustration, just congratulations and well played. Amazing. Simply amazing.

I wish all Duke fans, myself included, were as nice to visitors to Wallace Wade Stadium and Cameron Indoor Stadium. I will be proactively nice to visitors, starting this Saturday afternoon. :cool:

[Bob Green]

Unless I'm missing something, this team is pretty young. Glancing at the roster, it looks like there's only a few seniors on the team...

Lots of seniors:

Jeremy Cash, Carlos Wray, Dwayne Norman, Deion Williams, Kyler Brown, Ross Martin, Will Monday, Matt Skura, Lucas Patrick, Shaq Powell, Braxton Deaver, Britton Grier, Max McCaffrey, David Reeves.

I'm sure I missed someone...

[-jk]

I bet the most accurate weekly ranking system would be some sort of algorithm that included Vegas spreads.

Isn't that about what the dork polls (http://masseyratings.com/cf/compare.htm) are supposed to do? (I like the Massey composites, though I suspect the FB one is a big step behind the BB one due to many fewer games. We have a spread of 7th to 39th, but a tight SD.)

-jk

[loran16]

Isn't that about what the dork polls (http://masseyratings.com/cf/compare.htm) are supposed to do? (I like the Massey composites, though I suspect the FB one is a big step behind the BB one due to many fewer games. We have a spread of 7th to 39th, but a tight SD.)

-jk

No, because that would be doubling up on common inputs between certain systems (Football Outsiders combines their two metrics because the two measure football performance in different ways, so they avoid this to some extent). Moreover, again, Vegas does not share the same goal as the advanced stats - for example, not a single advanced stat prediction for this game had VT favored other than at best by a marginal amount, certainly not favored by 6 in this game. Vegas opened at VT by 6. The logical reasoning for this is that Vegas figured that people would overbet on VT on name value if the line was set close to what was a projected score, so they tried to even it out (and promptly had duke bets flood in, so that didn't work)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Couple quick thoughts on this game:
1. We basically abandoned the swing/screen pass game entirely this game, which was interesting (I recall one attempt, which Sirk threw over the head of the receiver on 3rd down). I'm not sure that's optimal either - We should certainly not be using them every series, but near the end of the game, I thought they would've been ideal as VT wouldn't be expecting them. Moreover, VT was stuffing the RBs inside, so they would give the RBs more space to work (which we saw worked brilliantly with the Wilson pitch).

2. The 2PC and OT2 Touchdown make me wonder why we don't call roll out plays for Sirk at all. Sirk basically never rolls out of the pocket to extend plays on his own (if he does anything, it's attempt to go up the middle, and he basically never does that on plays he decides to pass initially), which is silly with his ability, ,so why not call designed roll outs like those plays? At worst case, he can attempt to run - in best case, he can attempt to pass to the guys on that right side. Just seems like an obvious weapon to add to his arsenal.

3. I hope TJ Rahming is all right. Was listed as probable going into the game, then didnt' see a snap till the second quarter. On his second snap, Sirk lofted a high fade-like pass to him, which Rahming was confused by and stopped running like 5 yards short (the refs threw a flag which they picked up). I don't think Rahming saw another snap. He'd been in trouble with Cut earlier this year, which is why Taylor was starting over him (and now Anthony Nash), but he's a big weapon for this team that they really shouldn't be trying to do without.

[3rd Dukie]

Find some balance. Those of us who have been Duke football fans for 40 years are reveling in winning at all. But I can see that this team has room for improvement. That fact makes me even happier.

I agree completely. The last time I saw a Duke team this good seemed to involve guys with names like Curtis, Wilkinson, Dunaway, etc. It has been a long time. My Dad was a huge Bobby Dodd fan, even with sons at Duke, and I used to hate those games. When Tech won, I'd watch the Bobby Dodd show the next day praying for a different outcome. :(

[peloton]

VT is a football school.

Duke is a basketball school.

One has to ask...is it possible to be both? If so, I think one David Cutcliffe and Duke football are on a mission to make that happen. Wow...what an incredible game and ending. There's not much I can say other than this team could have folded several times but didn't due to their confidence and resolve to win - very impressive considering we were on the road in Blacksburg. Congrats to the entire team, Coach Cutcliffe, and the coaching staff. While I hope they briefly enjoy the spoils of victory, let's hope that the team maintains their focus, learns from their mistakes, and continues to work hard. Although the Miami program is having its share of problems now, I certainly don't think that next Saturday's game will be "easy". Their program has too much pride (and talent) to not put up a real fight in Durham.

Ozzie, insightful comments concerning the VT faithful and their respect for opposing fans - let's hope that most Duke fans are gracious while winning and losing also.

Ima, as you know Coach Cut has been responsible for so many great quotes while at Duke - thanks for reminding me of one that I'd forgotten. It's hard to say which one is most memorable, but "we will NEVER go away" definitely ranks right near the very top of the list.

[loran16]

One has to ask...is it possible to be both? If so, I think one David Cutcliffe and Duke football are on a mission to make that happen. Wow...what an incredible game and ending. There's not much I can say other than this team could have folded several times but didn't due to their confidence and resolve to win - very impressive considering we were on the road in Blacksburg. Congrats to the entire team, Coach Cutcliffe, and the coaching staff. While I hope they briefly enjoy the spoils of victory, let's hope that the team maintains their focus, learns from their mistakes, and continues to work hard. Although the Miami program is having its share of problems now, I certainly don't think that next Saturday's game will be "easy". Their program has too much pride (and talent) to not put up a real fight in Durham.

Ozzie, insightful comments concerning the VT faithful and their respect for opposing fans - let's hope that most Duke fans are gracious while winning and losing also.

Ima, as you know Coach Cut has been responsible for so many great quotes while at Duke - thanks for reminding me of one that I'd forgotten. It's hard to say which one is most memorable, but "we will NEVER go away" definitely ranks right near the very top of the list.

Seriously, we should stop spreading this now myth. As my friend who's a UVA fan now jokes:
Virginia is a basketball school.
Duke is a football school!

We're both now. That's why we can both celebrate these wins and hope for better! Remember, the class of '16 is graduating having never seen Duke fail to make a bowl game.

[Sixthman]

Seriously, we should stop spreading this now myth. As my friend who's a UVA fan now jokes:
Virginia is a basketball school.
Duke is a football school!

We're both now. That's why we can both celebrate these wins and hope for better! Remember, the class of '16 is graduating having never seen Duke fail to make a bowl game.

Great point, although only somone from a basketball school would count player careers in four year increments;)

[Olympic Fan]

We'll be a football school when we start putting crowds in Wallace Wade that approximate the capacity crowds we routinely put in Cameron. Two years ago, when we played Miami in Wade, we were on a five-game winning streak and headed for a 10-win, Coastal Division championship season -- and we were 4,000 under capacity.

A year ago, we were in first place in the Coastal, on a four-game win streak and No. 19 in the nation when we faced Virginia Tech -- and we were 4,000 under capacity (and that was with 6-8,000 VPI fans on hand).

Our last three home games (admittedly two in poor weather) we drew 24,127; 20,101 and 20,009

Don't tell me Duke is a football school, no matter how much success Coach Cut and his team have had and are having.

[Jim3k]

A bit of a post-mortem from the VPI standpoint (http://www.roanoke.com/sports/colleges/va_tech/mcfarling-virginia-tech-s-erosion-is-in-front-of-our/article_535755ef-bdb5-58f5-99fe-40ed30082b75.html). The Roanoke Times was pretty complimentary of our OT defense. They were also upset with VPI's clock-handling as the game wound down. Nevertheless, they thought Sirk was very good: "Duke threw the ball 40 times. Quarterback Thomas Sirk wasn’t sacked once. Sure, he makes smart decisions and gets rid of the ball quickly, but not a single sack by this vaunted Tech defensive line?"

Although down on the Hokie defense, in different column another writer gives the Devils a back-handed compliment on our offense (http://www.roanoke.com/sports/columns_and_blogs/blogs/andy_bitter_virginia_tech_football/five-thoughts-the-day-after-the-hokies-loss-to-duke/article_e81f43ba-7b1a-11e5-af0c-1bffe637bf2f.html): "... twice in overtime the Hokies had a touchdown lead, only needing their defense to keep the Blue Devils out of the end zone, and twice Duke scored touchdowns, following up the second with the game-winning two-point conversion. But what was striking was how easily the Blue Devils did it. In the second overtime, it took Duke three snaps to get in the end zone -- a pass interference, a 6-yard run and a 4-yard pass. The fourth overtime was even faster: a 25-yard pass up the sideline to tight end Erich Schneider that was the entire drive."

I agree with them: Sirk and the Devils are a lot better than some of our own fans want to acknowledge. VPI with its returned QB Michael Brewer is a very good team. It is no longer the pushover that it became when Brewer went out.

[75Crazie]

Does anyone have an explanation regarding the rushing touches in this game? Sirk had 18 rushes, more than the combination of the three primary backs (Wilson 4, Powell 7, Duncan 1). While Sirk is a very good runner and deserves at least some of those carries, I do not like seeing such a heavy reliance on having the quarterback run the ball when we have three tailbacks who I believe are also more than capable. Having said that ... take away the one 58 yard TD run and the other 11 non-quarterback rushes gained a total of 10 yards, so maybe there is some sort of problem there. Is the O-line having a problem sustaining blocks that make it more likely that a quick-hitting quarterback run might be successful? Whatever the reason ... I just don't like seeing the quarterback run that often, because I think (usually) it is easier replacing an injured running back than it is an injured quarterback.

[Dukehky]

Does anyone have an explanation regarding the rushing touches in this game? Sirk had 18 rushes, more than the combination of the three primary backs (Wilson 4, Powell 7, Duncan 1). While Sirk is a very good runner and deserves at least some of those carries, I do not like seeing such a heavy reliance on having the quarterback run the ball when we have three tailbacks who I believe are also more than capable. Having said that ... take away the one 58 yard TD run and the other 11 non-quarterback rushes gained a total of 10 yards, so maybe there is some sort of problem there. Is the O-line having a problem sustaining blocks that make it more likely that a quick-hitting quarterback run might be successful? Whatever the reason ... I just don't like seeing the quarterback run that often, because I think (usually) it is easier replacing an injured running back than it is an injured quarterback.

He was the only runner getting any yards up the middle. Because you don't have to pay 10000000000 dollars for a QB in college, they get used to get yards in whatever fashion that may be. In Sirk's case, when the RBs aren't getting it done up the middle to keep the D honest, he's gonna get his number called.

And to answer your other question, yes the Line does not block and push up. On nearly every Sirk running play Powell would hit the LB who was standing right in the running lane. If that's a hand off, that play is getting destroyed. Our line is really good at pass protection, but we are not as good at running up the gut. But we lost 2 NFL players on the left side of the line, that's to be expected.

[TKG]

Golden out a Miami head coach.

[Bob Green]

Does anyone have an explanation regarding the rushing touches in this game? Sirk had 18 rushes, more than the combination of the three primary backs (Wilson 4, Powell 7, Duncan 1).

As Olympic Fan pointed out in the pregame thread discussion, Virginia Tech has struggled with running quarterbacks. They struggled yesterday so the coaching staff took what the defense was giving. On many of Sirk's runs up the middle, Shaq Powell was the lead blocker successfully taking on the VT middle linebacker. Because we run out of single back formations, when one of the running backs ran the ball there was no lead blocker.

[BD80]

We'll be a football school when we start putting crowds in Wallace Wade that approximate the capacity crowds we routinely put in Cameron. Two years ago, when we played Miami in Wade, we were on a five-game winning streak and headed for a 10-win, Coastal Division championship season -- and we were 4,000 under capacity.

A year ago, we were in first place in the Coastal, on a four-game win streak and No. 19 in the nation when we faced Virginia Tech -- and we were 4,000 under capacity (and that was with 6-8,000 VPI fans on hand).

Our last three home games (admittedly two in poor weather) we drew 24,127; 20,101 and 20,009

Don't tell me Duke is a football school, no matter how much success Coach Cut and his team have had and are having.

What is capacity? How many students are on campus? How many grads in the immediate area?

This isn't like a big state school with 50,000+ students on campus and hundreds of thousands of local alum, plus a strong local fan base.

[Scorp4me]

What is capacity? How many students are on campus? How many grads in the immediate area?

This isn't like a big state school with 50,000+ students on campus and hundreds of thousands of local alum, plus a strong local fan base.

I agree. I seem to remember there being some consternation about Cameron and the crowd as well. The fact is if Cameron sat 30k I imagine we'd be having similar conversations. Big state supported schools are struggling to fill their stadiums so it stands to reason that Duke might struggle too.

[PSurprise]

I agree. I seem to remember there being some consternation about Cameron and the crowd as well. The fact is if Cameron sat 30k I imagine we'd be having similar conversations. Big state supported schools are struggling to fill their stadiums so it stands to reason that Duke might struggle too.

Even ones that don't cheat?!? 😉

[devilirium]

There's something to be said for putting your hand in the dirt and playing the game. I know that you try and recover a little bit later in the thread with some good observations, but this game was far from a layup. VT with Brewer and a much better OL than we've faced all year (much better than GT or NW). We were facing a pretty desperate team that had tOSU on the ropes in the 3rd Q prior to Brewer's injury. Miami and some of these teams had the luxury of not facing Brewer prior. There are perplexing calls and outcomes that happen in some games. I agree that we could've put that team away in regulation, but the team collectively moved on and took care of it. You have to balance that with coaching up the screw ups.


Quote Originally Posted by uh_no View Post

Disagree. The best teams are the ones who don't put themselves in situations like this. It's harsh, but winning close games means you're not good enough to win easily. FSU last year is the perfect anecdote. They "won close games" all year and everyone talked about how great it was that they were pulling these games out...then they got their butts handed to them by oregon.

I wouldn't say that our winning this game was a demonstration of anything, other than we put ourselves in a position to NEED to win like that. The missed opportunities were overwhelming

•missed FG
•missed receivers
•inability to move the ball consistently in the second half (becoming a bad trend...)
•poor clock management (ditto)
•head scratching play calling (not scoring from inside the 5 in 3OT could be its own point)
•giving up massive drives on D


It seems we tried REALLY hard to lose that game, and then made some great plays to win it. I wouldn't say that shows character, I'd say it shows we need to work harder so we're not in that position. If you consistently put yourself in that position, you are GOING to lose some of those games. Heck, we already have.

We had some really really good things happen...winning not the least of all. Sirk seemed more comfortable (though wasn't the most accurate on the long ball...he connected a few times). We had no turnovers, didn't really give up huge plays...lots of good stuff. Scoring early...but despite that, we still ended up in a very bad spot.

[Jim3k]

A bit of a post-mortem from the VPI standpoint (http://www.roanoke.com/sports/colleges/va_tech/mcfarling-virginia-tech-s-erosion-is-in-front-of-our/article_535755ef-bdb5-58f5-99fe-40ed30082b75.html). The Roanoke Times was pretty complimentary of our OT defense. They were also upset with VPI's clock-handling as the game wound down. Nevertheless, they thought Sirk was very good: "Duke threw the ball 40 times. Quarterback Thomas Sirk wasn’t sacked once. Sure, he makes smart decisions and gets rid of the ball quickly, but not a single sack by this vaunted Tech defensive line?"

Although down on the Hokie defense, in different column another writer gives the Devils a back-handed compliment on our offense (http://www.roanoke.com/sports/columns_and_blogs/blogs/andy_bitter_virginia_tech_football/five-thoughts-the-day-after-the-hokies-loss-to-duke/article_e81f43ba-7b1a-11e5-af0c-1bffe637bf2f.html): "... twice in overtime the Hokies had a touchdown lead, only needing their defense to keep the Blue Devils out of the end zone, and twice Duke scored touchdowns, following up the second with the game-winning two-point conversion. But what was striking was how easily the Blue Devils did it. In the second overtime, it took Duke three snaps to get in the end zone -- a pass interference, a 6-yard run and a 4-yard pass. The fourth overtime was even faster: a 25-yard pass up the sideline to tight end Erich Schneider that was the entire drive."

I agree with them: Sirk and the Devils are a lot better than some of our own fans want to acknowledge. VPI with its returned QB Michael Brewer is a very good team. It is no longer the pushover that it became when Brewer went out.


Times-Dispatch (http://www.richmond.com/sports/college/football/article_b097946e-8669-5488-97c0-a6e2681182c4.html)


The Blue Devils play relentless defense.

“My hat's off to them,” said Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler. "They made us work from Monday all the way till Saturday morning, for crying out loud.

“It's as sophisticated a defense as it gets. We adjusted on almost every series in this game. We had to. They're super intelligent football players."

Duke's offense is led by quarterback Thomas Sirk, a redshirt junior who is equally dangerous passing (270 yards, four touchdowns) and running (109 yards and the game-winning 2-point conversion in the fourth overtime).



Nice professional observation from the other side of the ball.

[budwom]

I watched the game again last night, and concluded that we did a whole lot of things much better than we had in previous weeks.
A lot more passes downfield, no bubble screens or awkward lateral passes to running backs. I think the improvement was
significant and encouraging. VT is a much, much better team with Brewer at the helm.

Now concerns turn to a possibly aroused bunch of hurricanes who disgraced themselves last week.

[Channing]

Admittedly, I was down on Sirk. We don't need him to be an all american (though it would be nice), but it seemed he was having huge confidence issues as recently as a the last few games and was struggling to lead the team on offense. While it seemed like all we threw were swing passes or short hitches/crossing routes. I wonder if the lack of short passes was a direct order (i.e., making Sirk throw down field and taking away his safety blanket). To be able to reintegrate the short swing game while keeping the defense honest with a downfield threat would seem to be even more dangerous.

[OldPhiKap]

I watched the game again last night, and concluded that we did a whole lot of things much better than we had in previous weeks.
A lot more passes downfield, no bubble screens or awkward lateral passes to running backs. I think the improvement was
significant and encouraging. VT is a much, much better team with Brewer at the helm.

Now concerns turn to a possibly aroused bunch of hurricanes who disgraced themselves last week.

I watched the game again last night as well. Agree that the offense looked dynamic. Missed a few passes downfield but they are lower percentage passes, critics cannot have it both ways. (Not talking about Budwom).

Defense looked very good as well. VT offensive line won the final full series they had, really the only one all day. Gotta tip your hat, they employed a lot more lateral movement in playcalling and blocking. Per one of their coaches, VT tried to adjust every series because we run a very sophisticated defensive scheme. Brewer is a darn good QB.

And my money is still on Ross in any situation. Tough day for him, a normal performance and we don't even go to overtime. But as I said, I am comfortable with the game on the line and him taking our shot. Anytime.


Worried about getting caught up in the storm surrounding the Hurricanes, agreed. We need to stay focused and bring the energy.

[devildeac]

Nice summary from the star of one the recent DBR podcasts:


http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/duke-now/article41401686.html


Stuff I liked:


“I know that was part of the game plan,” he (Sirk) said. “I knew I had to go out there, and I had to run the ball.”



"Sirk averaged 6.1 yards per carry and didn’t lose a yard, a testament to his offensive line and his ability to pick the right hole to hit as he takes off from the shotgun."

(yea, the OL that some folks think aren't very good)

One more:

"And one more group deserves credit for Sirk’s success: Duke’s running backs. Outside of one 58-yard option pitch touchdown run by Shaun Wilson, the Blue Devils’ running backs had 11 carries for 10 yards. But they spent most of the game doing the unsung work of blocking for Sirk.

“A lot of those lead draws, our backs are sticking their nose in there hitting a mike linebacker,” Sirk said, “And that makes it all possible.”

Yea, like Mad Shaq taking out a very large DE (or DT) with his initial block and then "assisting" Sirk into the 2 point promised land through another large DL.

I'll keep my "mouth" shut more in chat in the future:o.

[tux]

Admittedly, I was down on Sirk. We don't need him to be an all american (though it would be nice), but it seemed he was having huge confidence issues as recently as a the last few games and was struggling to lead the team on offense. While it seemed like all we threw were swing passes or short hitches/crossing routes. I wonder if the lack of short passes was a direct order (i.e., making Sirk throw down field and taking away his safety blanket). To be able to reintegrate the short swing game while keeping the defense honest with a downfield threat would seem to be even more dangerous.


My take is that the coaches, at the start of the season, emphasized ball protection and getting the ball into the hands of our biggest threats. Since Sirk is a new QB, they probably wanted him to focus on managing the game and not feeling like he had to "win the game". Thus, what we saw early on was a very conservative Sirk, one who would rather complete the short pass for two yards than force a pass into coverage downfield. It's a very understandable strategy, especially with such a good defense and special teams. Duke, unlike some past seasons, doesn't need to score a bunch of points to have a chance to win. And at 6-1, it's very hard to argue with how the staff has approached the offense.

But, as a fan, it's also hard to watch the games and not come away with the impression that the offense is leaving a lot of meat on the bone. On the other hand, if Martin makes those FGs (which he normally would) we would have scored 30 in Blacksburg after most folks predicted a 13-10 game. And we would have won in regulation. So, I find myself wanting more from our offense and simultaneously feeling like I'm being too hard on the offense...

[BigWayne]

I don't know what it tells us, but I found it very odd that the entire game was played with no fumbles or interceptions. The box score does not even show a unlost fumble. I'm sure this has happened many times before, but I can't remember the last game I saw without a turnover by either team.

[Indoor66]

I don't know what it tells us, but I found it very odd that the entire game was played with no fumbles or interceptions. The box score does not even show a unlost fumble. I'm sure this has happened many times before, but I can't remember the last game I saw without a turnover by either team.

No matter how many times it has happened, it is still quite a statistic. I am impressed by Duke's progress. VT has been there before, Duke, not so much.

(And please don't go all history on me. I know about 1938!)

[Tom B.]

I watched the game again last night, and concluded that we did a whole lot of things much better than we had in previous weeks.
A lot more passes downfield, no bubble screens or awkward lateral passes to running backs. I think the improvement was
significant and encouraging. VT is a much, much better team with Brewer at the helm.

One more word about Sirk, and the TD pass to Schneider in the fourth overtime. It wasn't just the pass that was perfect -- after Sirk takes the snap, watch him sell the screen pass with a perfect shoulder fake, which helped Schneider get a little bit of space on the defender. Everything about that play was spot on -- the fake, the timing, Sirk's touch and placement of the ball, and Schneider's route.

Yes, Sirk still needs to work on his downfield accuracy. But the difference I saw in this game was that he looked so much more confident -- his decisionmaking was light years better, and he stood tall and kept his poise under pressure in the OT periods. Easily his best game as a Blue Devil.

[Olympic Fan]

I don't know what it tells us, but I found it very odd that the entire game was played with no fumbles or interceptions. The box score does not even show a unlost fumble. I'm sure this has happened many times before, but I can't remember the last game I saw without a turnover by either team.

Well, there wasn't a turnover -- by either team -- in Duke's 55-0 victory over NCCU earlier this season.

I don't know if either team had a fumble that was no lost.

[TKG]

I don't know what it tells us, but I found it very odd that the entire game was played with no fumbles or interceptions. The box score does not even show a unlost fumble. I'm sure this has happened many times before, but I can't remember the last game I saw without a turnover by either team.

Deflated footballs.

[Tom B.]

Well, there wasn't a turnover -- by either team -- in Duke's 55-0 victory over NCCU earlier this season.

I don't know if either team had a fumble that was no lost.

Another statistical oddity -- the team were almost dead even in yardage, despite Virginia Tech dominating time of possession.


Rushing Yards

Duke -- 179 (Sirk had 109 of these)
Virginia Tech -- 182


Passing Yards

Duke -- 270
Virginia Tech -- 270


Total Yards

Duke -- 449
Virginia Tech -- 452


Time of Possession

Duke -- 23:09
Virginia Tech -- 36:51

[TruBlu]

Deflated footballs.

Except on that 263 yard field goal try by VT. When they lined up to try it, I screamed for the officials to check the football to see if it had been over-inflated.

[devildeac]

Except on that 263 yard field goal try by VT. When they lined up to try it, I screamed for the officials to check the football to see if it had been over-inflated.

I screamed for Devon to run it back for the game winning TD because I wasn't too sure about our offensive efficiency and/or any remaining defensive energy in OT as I thought those guys were gassed after being on the field so long in the 2nd half. :o

[Highlander]

Another statistical oddity -- the team were almost dead even in yardage, despite Virginia Tech dominating time of possession.


Rushing Yards

Duke -- 179 (Sirk had 109 of these)
Virginia Tech -- 182


Passing Yards

Duke -- 270
Virginia Tech -- 270


Total Yards

Duke -- 449
Virginia Tech -- 452


Time of Possession

Duke -- 23:09
Virginia Tech -- 36:51

Here's another one:

Duke is the first team to win back to back games in Blacksburg since Virginia Tech did it... in 2013. :)

[Tom B.]

Here's another one:

Duke is the first team to win back to back games in Blacksburg since Virginia Tech did it... in 2013. :)


And one more:

Our season finale against Wake Forest will be Cut's 100th game at Duke. He's currently 46-49, so there's a chance he could get to .500 for his career at Duke by the end of this season. In fact, if we assume that Duke will be playing in a bowl, and we lose no more than one more game this season (either in the regular season, or in a bowl game), Cut will finish the season above .500 at Duke.

[oldnavy]

I watched the game again last night as well. Agree that the offense looked dynamic. Missed a few passes downfield but they are lower percentage passes, critics cannot have it both ways. (Not talking about Budwom).

Defense looked very good as well. VT offensive line won the final full series they had, really the only one all day. Gotta tip your hat, they employed a lot more lateral movement in playcalling and blocking. Per one of their coaches, VT tried to adjust every series because we run a very sophisticated defensive scheme. Brewer is a darn good QB.And my money is still on Ross in any situation. Tough day for him, a normal performance and we don't even go to overtime. But as I said, I am comfortable with the game on the line and him taking our shot. Anytime.


Worried about getting caught up in the storm surrounding the Hurricanes, agreed. We need to stay focused and bring the energy.

Brewer impressed me! That pass he made late in the game while getting hit was a thing of beauty. He was very good all day.

Sirk, caused me to add a few coins to the swear jar with the overthrows on the wheel/sideline routes early on, but I must admit he kept plugging and made some VERY nice passes through out the game.

With the exception of one questionable play (pass over the middle during one of the OT's??? SMH), I thought the play calling was MUCH more diverse.

Again, you know we are in a good place when we are digging into the minutia after a win at VT to go 6-1!!

At least one of my teams is having a good year, I fully expect my favorite NFL team to be the exact opposite of Duke, (1-6) after tonight! What a disaster of a year on that front!

[Tom B.]

Here's another one:

Duke is the first team to win back to back games in Blacksburg since Virginia Tech did it... in 2013. :)


Yeah, Virginia Tech last won back-to-back games in Blacksburg on October 12, 2013. The Hokies had a bye the following week, then lost at home in their next game to...wait for it...Duke.

[Richard Berg]

We'll be a football school when we start putting crowds in Wallace Wade that approximate the capacity crowds we routinely put in Cameron.
In 2014, our worst-attended football game (Tulane) held more than twice as many people as Cameron did vs Carolina.

I suppose you might care more about fill % than raw numbers, but that perspective implies we should remove seats from WW and move the basketball team to a big soulless dome. I don't agree.

[Richard Berg]

3. I hope TJ Rahming is all right. Was listed as probable going into the game, then didnt' see a snap till the second quarter. On his second snap, Sirk lofted a high fade-like pass to him, which Rahming was confused by and stopped running like 5 yards short (the refs threw a flag which they picked up). I don't think Rahming saw another snap. He'd been in trouble with Cut earlier this year, which is why Taylor was starting over him (and now Anthony Nash), but he's a big weapon for this team that they really shouldn't be trying to do without.
On a similar note: Alls only played a few snaps, looked rusty, and quickly got the hook in favor of RJr Nash*. Cut seems to have his youngsters on a tight disciplinary leash, talent notwithstanding.

*Not so long ago, Jim Sumner suggested Nash still had work to do, if he wanted to earn a 5th scholarship. Congrats to him for persistence.

[jimsumner]

On a similar note: Alls only played a few snaps, looked rusty, and quickly got the hook in favor of RJr Nash*. Cut seems to have his youngsters on a tight disciplinary leash, talent notwithstanding.

*Not so long ago, Jim Sumner suggested Nash still had work to do, if he wanted to earn a 5th scholarship. Congrats to him for persistence.

Ditto that. Nash missed much of the preseason with a hamstring injury. He got a chance when Barnes missed the first half of a game with a suspension and then Rahming missed the Army game and most of the VT game with an injury. So, Nash channeled his inner-Steve Winwood, saw his chance and took it.

In the preseason I suggested that five redshirt juniors had to make a case to be invited back for a fifth season. I think Nash and Corbin McCarthy have done so. Dan Beilinson, Allen Jackson and Keilin Rayner likely have not.

Assuming Nash comes back for 2016, McCaffrey would be Duke's only WR loss and he has had a pretty good senior season. But Duke should return everyone else at WR and will add touted recruit Scott Bracey. So, Duke should have a lot of options for Sirk.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I screamed for Devon to run it back for the game winning TD because I wasn't too sure about our offensive efficiency and/or any remaining defensive energy in OT as I thought those guys were gassed after being on the field so long in the 2nd half. :o

I told Nina that Devon was going to run the short kick back for the winning touchdown. Would have saved us a lot of anxiety, that's for sure. And it would have served Beamer right for even trying a 67 yard field goal. I think they would have had a better shot at winning by throwing a hail Mary, hoping we got called for pass interference (of course, this is before the 3 pass interference calls in OT). That would have taken 15 yards off the resulting FG try, something their kicker had the range for.

I must say a couple of words about Shaun Wilson's 58 yard TD run. It was a thing of beauty! :cool: He broke tackles, he made two moves that left more than one defensive jock strap on field, and out ran several defenders. Wow!

[camion]

Va Tech greatly outdistanced us rushing as the graph below clearly shows. :eek:

5613

[Bob Green]

I must say a couple of words about Shaun Wilson's 58 yard TD run. It was a thing of beauty! :cool: He broke tackles, he made two moves that left more than one defensive jock strap on field, and out ran several defenders. Wow!

I agree Wilson's run was a thing of beauty! That pitch option play was run out of the Pistol Formation. I saw us run the play once earlier in the 1st half with Jela Duncan at running back, but Sirk kept the ball and ran for a short gain. I would really like to see us include this play as a regular part of the offense to complement the inside read option. Wilson with the ball outside the tackle is a good thing.

Wilson has the longest touchdown reception of the season at 89 yards and the longest rushing touchdown at 58 yards.

[Olympic Fan]

In 2014, our worst-attended football game (Tulane) held more than twice as many people as Cameron did vs Carolina.

I suppose you might care more about fill % than raw numbers, but that perspective implies we should remove seats from WW and move the basketball team to a big soulless dome. I don't agree.

Obviously, percentage is what's significant -- Duke has not had an unsold ticket in Cameron since November 1990 (and that was only because of an awkward deal with preseason NIT tickets) ... While Duke has had a handful of sellouts in football in this century, there's never been a real ticket crunch -- our "sellout" against NCCU this season involved thousands of free give-aways.

I know UNC-Cheat, with a much bigger student/alumni/fan base has attendance problems too. But that's because they are still a basketball school too.

On the other hand, our neighbors for Raleigh put 57,000-plus in the stands for Troy and Eastern Kentucky. The terrible weather than limited Duke's home crowd against Boston College to 20,009, limited heir home crowd against Louisville the same day to 56,417. THAT is a football school.

Coach Cut and Kevin White have done a terrific job improving the Duke brand -- from results on the field, to talent on the roster to facilities.

The one place that they haven't made headway is attendance. That's the last piece that has to fall in place before Duke can claim to be a football school. (PS and imagine the boost it would give recruiting if Duke started packing them in at home!)

[devildeac]

Ditto that. Nash missed much of the preseason with a hamstring injury. He got a chance when Barnes missed the first half of a game with a suspension and then Rahming missed the Army game and most of the VT game with an injury. So, Nash channeled his inner-Steve Winwood, saw his chance and took it.

In the preseason I suggested that five redshirt juniors had to make a case to be invited back for a fifth season. I think Nash and Corbin McCarthy have done so. Dan Beilinson, Allen Jackson and Keilin Rayner likely have not.

Assuming Nash comes back for 2016, McCaffrey would be Duke's only WR loss and he has had a pretty good senior season. But Duke should return everyone else at WR and will add touted recruit Scott Bracey. So, Duke should have a lot of options for Sirk.

Then I guess Nash's 45 yard reception and his 4 yard TD catch put him Back in the High Light (sic) Again.;)

[OldPhiKap]

Then I guess Nash's 45 yard reception and his 4 yard TD catch put him Back in the High Light (sic) Again.;)

He sure can take a hit in Traffic.

[devildeac]

He sure can take a hit in Traffic.

And, because he could Hold On, he was Still in the Game.


We worried a bit about our large number of WRs at the beginning of the season. I'm pretty glad we've had that many to count on now.

[oldnavy]

Obviously, percentage is what's significant -- Duke has not had an unsold ticket in Cameron since November 1990 (and that was only because of an awkward deal with preseason NIT tickets) ... While Duke has had a handful of sellouts in football in this century, there's never been a real ticket crunch -- our "sellout" against NCCU this season involved thousands of free give-aways.

I know UNC-Cheat, with a much bigger student/alumni/fan base has attendance problems too. But that's because they are still a basketball school too.

On the other hand, our neighbors for Raleigh put 57,000-plus in the stands for Troy and Eastern Kentucky. The terrible weather than limited Duke's home crowd against Boston College to 20,009, limited heir home crowd against Louisville the same day to 56,417. THAT is a football school.

Coach Cut and Kevin White have done a terrific job improving the Duke brand -- from results on the field, to talent on the roster to facilities.

The one place that they haven't made headway is attendance. That's the last piece that has to fall in place before Duke can claim to be a football school. (PS and imagine the boost it would give recruiting if Duke started packing them in at home!)

I can't disagree with anything you have said, but I would like to know... what were the avg. attendance numbers over each of the past 10 years for football? I'd like to see if any growth has occurred (I suspect it has) and how much (line graph anyone?). The second thing I'm interested in is how much growth will happen in the next, 5 years. With the winning consistency the football program is showing on the field (THE most important factor) plus the investment that the University is making in the stadium (yea, new bathrooms!!) I wouldn't be surprised to see us pass UNC and possibly in time approach NCSU and ECU's numbers.... What I am saying is we aren't there yet, but I believe the base is out there as is the potential to have much larger crowds, but it will take a while...

Note: I spent many a Duke BB game sitting at mid court - brass rail level (before it was actually brass!) without a ticket (as a concession volunteer) during my middle school days in the early to mid 70's! So I wouldn't be surprised to see WW seating get a little more crowded over the next few years.

[OldPhiKap]

And, because he could Hold On, he was Still in the Game.


We worried a bit about our large number of WRs at the beginning of the season. I'm pretty glad we've had that many to count on now.

Are you taking any of that on Blind Faith?

[loran16]

Really nice film analysis of the Duke-VT game from the VT side can be found here:

http://www.thekeyplay.com/virginia-tech-football/2015/10/10711/blue-devils-read-book-hokies-defense

Some cool stuff about how Duke adjusted for VT's weaknesses.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I agree Wilson's run was a thing of beauty! That pitch option play was run out of the Pistol Formation. I saw us run the play once earlier in the 1st half with Jela Duncan at running back, but Sirk kept the ball and ran for a short gain. I would really like to see us include this play as a regular part of the offense to complement the inside read option. Wilson with the ball outside the tackle is a good thing.

Wilson has the longest touchdown reception of the season at 89 yards and the longest rushing touchdown at 58 yards.

For 4 seasons (not counting his injury redshirt year) I kept hoping to see Josh Snead get the ball outside the tackles on a quick pitch or option, but it never happened. :mad:

[duke blue brewcrew]

I took my parents fishing on the NC coast this weekend, so I had to keep up with the game on my phone. I did record it and am still trying to finish watching it, as I've had lots to do since my return home. A few things I've noticed so far -

1. Sirk showed improvement, and I believe that has been pointed out by lots of posters on here. He was decisive in his passes, no matter the length. He was very accurate with short and intermediate routes. He's still refining his long ball, but it's getting better. Sirk is a bull in a china shop on the run, and that designed run is a real weapon for the offense. I believe his stats for the game factored against the level of competition = his best game as a Blue Devil to date.

2. Jeremy Cash is even more talented than I realized. In the VT game, he lined up all over the field. In fact, the only places he didn't line up were NT and CB. He is capable of shooting a gap anywhere along the line at the snap to make a play in the backfield. He covers well, and can defend the pass with the best of them.

3. The lines on both sides of the ball played their butts off for Duke. The D-Line continues to impress with pressure on the QB, and playing strong against the run.

4. Anthony Nash is coming into his own and I'm very glad to see it. McCaffrey had a great game, and a strong Sr year for that matter. It's also good to see Als is back, Rahming is healthy and that the overall depth at WR has improved.

5. Sirk was effective as a runner, but the RBs were bottled up most of the day besides the Wilson scamper for a TD, that was a pretty play! I would like to see Jela get more involved.

[Listen to Quants]

No, because that would be doubling up on common inputs between certain systems (Football Outsiders combines their two metrics because the two measure football performance in different ways, so they avoid this to some extent). Moreover, again, Vegas does not share the same goal as the advanced stats - for example, not a single advanced stat prediction for this game had VT favored other than at best by a marginal amount, certainly not favored by 6 in this game. Vegas opened at VT by 6. The logical reasoning for this is that Vegas figured that people would overbet on VT on name value if the line was set close to what was a projected score, so they tried to even it out (and promptly had duke bets flood in, so that didn't work)

"Vegas" is surely a complex entity. There seem to be book makers who are like stock market makers who only aim for a small sliver of the transaction and play middle man the way you say. Others, particularly off shore, according to the WSJ are starting to set the line by quality analysis (i.e., statistical and other analysis [e.g., injury] that has tested out) then stick to it to effectively bet against the public. Other parts of "Vegas" are big money operators who also bet against the rubes and shift the line toward the best estimate, again like on Wall Street. In the VT-Duke example, I'd guess part of the reason for the gap between the quality statistical and the Vegas line was the return of the Virginia Tech QB. He looked pretty good and the position is critical, perhaps worth 3-6 points, depending upon the replacement.

As far as I know, no stat formula has beat the Vegas line. Football Outsiders, some years ago, proudly claimed to be a superior predictor of NFL outcomes to all the other stat systems they tested and only a little behind the Vegas line.

[Listen to Quants]

<snip good stuff>

Assuming Nash comes back for 2016, McCaffrey would be Duke's only WR loss and he has had a pretty good senior season. But Duke should return everyone else at WR and will add touted recruit Scott Bracey. So, Duke should have a lot of options for Sirk.
That is very encouraging. I think of WR as a position that shows more than average improvement across years of experience (QB, being the most perhaps, and some defensive positions the least?). IF that is true, the WR position may be very strong next year.

[awhom111]

Ratings are in and the game averaged 722,000 viewers. That is the 9th highest rated national cable broadcast game of the day, which is about where you would expect it to fall. All of the national broadcast channel games probably also beat it.

[OldPhiKap]

I took my parents fishing on the NC coast this weekend, so I had to keep up with the game on my phone. I did record it and am still trying to finish watching it, as I've had lots to do since my return home. A few things I've noticed so far -

1. Sirk showed improvement, and I believe that has been pointed out by lots of posters on here. He was decisive in his passes, no matter the length. He was very accurate with short and intermediate routes. He's still refining his long ball, but it's getting better. Sirk is a bull in a china shop on the run, and that designed run is a real weapon for the offense. I believe his stats for the game factored against the level of competition = his best game as a Blue Devil to date.

2. Jeremy Cash is even more talented than I realized. In the VT game, he lined up all over the field. In fact, the only places he didn't line up were NT and CB. He is capable of shooting a gap anywhere along the line at the snap to make a play in the backfield. He covers well, and can defend the pass with the best of them.

3. The lines on both sides of the ball played their butts off for Duke. The D-Line continues to impress with pressure on the QB, and playing strong against the run.

4. Anthony Nash is coming into his own and I'm very glad to see it. McCaffrey had a great game, and a strong Sr year for that matter. It's also good to see Als is back, Rahming is healthy and that the overall depth at WR has improved.

5. Sirk was effective as a runner, but the RBs were bottled up most of the day besides the Wilson scamper for a TD, that was a pretty play! I would like to see Jela get more involved.

Excellent points.

The most complete conference game we have lied this year, let's hope we improve every week from here on out.

[brlftz]

I agree Wilson's run was a thing of beauty! That pitch option play was run out of the Pistol Formation. I saw us run the play once earlier in the 1st half with Jela Duncan at running back, but Sirk kept the ball and ran for a short gain. I would really like to see us include this play as a regular part of the offense to complement the inside read option. Wilson with the ball outside the tackle is a good thing.

Wilson has the longest touchdown reception of the season at 89 yards and the longest rushing touchdown at 58 yards.

This, so much. It pains me to see Wilson going up the middle when he's in there. He's the open field guy, give him some space to use his speed.

[duke blue brewcrew]

Excellent points.

The most complete conference game we have lied this year, let's hope we improve every week from here on out.

Most complete conference game is a great way to think about it. Improving is a must. Miami is going to be fired up after last week, so Duke can't come in flat after a draining 4OT Win the week before.


This, so much. It pains me to see Wilson going up the middle when he's in there. He's the open field guy, give him some space to use his speed.

I agree. Between the tackles is not Wilson's strong suit. Get him into space, let him make someone miss and accelerate!