Duke football report, 11-10-15

[jimsumner]

Senior day coming up. There's always something of a ritual about this, as seniors preparing to play their final games talk about how quickly time flies and how emotional it's going to be.

Doesn't mean it isn't true. And if you look at where Duke football was when these guys signed on and where it is now, then you have to give them two huge thumbs-ups.

I'll let David Reeves talk for his classmates.

"It doesn't really hit you until you're in that moment. As we approach this game, it's getting more and more heavy on me, knowing that it's passed so fast. I've enjoyed every game I've played here and this is the last one and that's a big deal."

Cutcliffe adds. "I'll be crying. I don't like goodbyes. It will be an emotional time."

Who are the seniors? Duke will introduce 23 seniors, including four walk-ons and three players (Kelby Brown, Blair Holliday and Michael Mann) whose careers were ended earlier because of injury/accident.

DT Keilin Rayner is the only recruited player leaving with remaining eligibility. He's played 12 snaps this season.

Which means Anthony Nash, Corbin McCarthy, Allan Jackson and Dan Beilinson should be back next season. Nash and McCarthy have made real contributions this season, while Jackson and Beilinson have both been hampered by injuries and play positions in which Duke will be losing multiple rotation players.

Cut said he didn't have the energy to look at the Carolina film Saturday night. But after looking at the film Sunday morning, he said it was "clearly evident" what went wrong Saturday. But he wouldn't elaborate because he didn't want to give anything away to Pitt.

Does he have something up his sleeve? Does that mean Duke will move Jeremy Cash to nose tackle or run a full-house backfield? Well, he also did say that the key to getting over Carolina was to not over-react. "Try to take a realistic view. Don't try to change everything you do. We're working back in the right direction one day at a time."

Cut did suggest that one of the problems against Carolina was having 10 players doing what they were supposed to be doing but Carolina was able to exploit those times when the 11th guy wasn't on the same page.

Duke's two recent games with Pitt have been shoot-outs. That subject has come up in practice this week. The defense has been challenged.

Kyler Brown says he had no negative impacts from playing his first game in awhile. Everything feels great.

He also said he had no explanation for the defensive slippage other than "making mistakes, some things we need to fix."

Brown on Pitt's balance. "We've got to be able to focus on our responsibility, focus on one thing at a time." Quick reaction is the key to stopping a balanced team and Pitt is very balanced.

Jeremy Cash on Duke's pass defense against star Pitt WR Tyler Boyd. "If we focus on our keys and get to the quarterback, then we can contain him. But you can't expect to stop him. He's too good. Our focus is this is what we have to do. It can get difficult if a team is max-protecting and getting time. Somebody has to make a play."

[budwom]

Good report, Jim, but a hearty chuckle at Cut figuring out what went wrong vs. unc and not wanting to give it away to Pitt.

Their wide receivers ran past our defensive backs like they were statues, our DL generated zero pass rush. I'm not sure we can keep this a secret.
Having said that, I'm hopeful for a rebound and several more wins this Fall.

[devildeac]

Cash to NT? He could/would probably do it. Wait, we don't have an NT in our defensive scheme:o .

Thanks for the chuckle at least.

Even more, thanks for the update. Should be an interesting afternoon.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Cut said he didn't have the energy to look at the Carolina film Saturday night. But after looking at the film Sunday morning, he said it was "clearly evident" what went wrong Saturday. But he wouldn't elaborate because he didn't want to give anything away to Pitt.

Thanks as always, Jim. I was telling a few people after Saturday's game that I wondered where either team would start in the film room. So much to choose from...
I do think it will be more beneficial to us than Pitt, since I truly don't think the team on film is the team we are.
Looking forward to seeing the seniors walk off victorious.

[Bob Green]

Does he have something up his sleeve? Does that mean Duke will move Jeremy Cash to nose tackle or run a full-house backfield? Well, he also did say that the key to getting over Carolina was to not over-react. "Try to take a realistic view. Don't try to change everything you do. We're working back in the right direction one day at a time."



Thanks again, Jim. Your weekly notes are fantastic.

Coach Cutcliffe is certainly correct to state it is not time to over react; however, I hope we see more commitment to the running game the rest of the season. That full-house backfield looked pretty darn effective to me. Balance is critical so we must successfully pass the ball but running to set-up the pass is the offensive approach I desire to see. It is not time to over react but it is time to react.

[Olympic Fan]

Good report, Jim, but a hearty chuckle at Cut figuring out what went wrong vs. unc and not wanting to give it away to Pitt.

Their wide receivers ran past our defensive backs like they were statues, our DL generated zero pass rush. I'm not sure we can keep this a secret.
Having said that, I'm hopeful for a rebound and several more wins this Fall.

While I agree with this in general, I'm not sure about one guy. I always thought Breon Borders was one of the best cover guys in the ACC. I watched the replay of the game Saturday, specifically looking to see if Borders got beat. I didn't see any obvious examples, although some of their guys were so free that it was hard to tell who blew an assignment.

Did anybody else check this out?

I thought going into the season that we had two top-flight cover corners. The injury to Fields has left a void that has hurt us all year, but UNC was the first team that really exploited it (VPI and Miami did to a lesser extent).

I still think Borders is pretty good. But we haven't found a second corner and out safeties/LBs are better against the run than in coverage.

Duke doesn't usually flip its corners, but going into this week's game, I'd love to see Borders locked up on Boyd on every play. He'd get beat some -- Boyd is great college receiver -- but at least he'll have a chance.

[jimsumner]

I think UNC's success throwing the ball against Duke was something of a perfect storm.

1.Great schemes. They seemed to have the right call an awful lot.

2.Williams got great protection. Lots of time to survey the landscape. Time after time. Throwing under duress is a different proposition and Duke just didn't make him throw under duress.

3.Receivers who got separation. Not every time, not against every DB. But if you go back to the protection angle, it only takes one breakdown if the QB has all day. I suspect that was part of what Cut was talking about. Chain is only as strong as its weakest link and all that.

4.Accurate throwing. I recall one time Williams just plain missed an open receiver. I mentioned to the person beside me in the media room that this was the Williams Duke hoped would show up. The bad Marquise Williams didn't show up.

5.Receivers who made catches. Did Carolina have a drop? I can't recall any, although there were times in the second half when I was looking for cute-kitten videos on the internet, so I may have missed some.

6.Yards after the catch. Williams not only hit his receivers, he hit them in full stride. Extra yards, sometimes lots of extra yards.

Carolina executed every aspect of its passing game at a very high level.

I know folks on this board don't want to hear it, but they are really good, especially on offense. If they hadn't given away their opener, we're asking whether a win over Clemson puts them into the playoffs.

The talent gap between Duke and Carolina is still there. Keep recruiting better and that gap closes, maybe disappears, maybe even flips the other way.

But it's still there. You can overcome that but you have to be very precise and Duke wasn't precise. The buzz word these days is "clean." Duke wasn't clean.

Duke can't fix talent deficits right away and Duke won't face anyone else this talented this season. But Duke can fix other issues, scheme and focus and execution.

[sagegrouse]

I think UNC's success throwing the ball against Duke was something of a perfect storm.

1.Great schemes. They seemed to have the right call an awful lot.

2.Williams got great protection. Lots of time to survey the landscape. Time after time. Throwing under duress is a different proposition and Duke just didn't make him throw under duress.

3.Receivers who got separation. Not every time, not against every DB. But if you go back to the protection angle, it only takes one breakdown if the QB has all day. I suspect that was part of what Cut was talking about. Chain is only as strong as its weakest link and all that.

4.Accurate throwing. I recall one time Williams just plain missed an open receiver. I mentioned to the person beside me in the media room that this was the Williams Duke hoped would show up. The bad Marquise Williams didn't show up.

5.Receivers who made catches. Did Carolina have a drop? I can't recall any, although there were times in the second half when I was looking for cute-kitten videos on the internet, so I may have missed some.

6.Yards after the catch. Williams not only hit his receivers, he hit them in full stride. Extra yards, sometimes lots of extra yards.

Carolina executed every aspect of its passing game at a very high level.

.

Marquise Williams is an All-American playing against us -- thank God he's gone!

[duke blue brewcrew]

Thanks again, Jim. Your weekly notes are fantastic.

Coach Cutcliffe is certainly correct to state it is not time to over react; however, I hope we see more commitment to the running game the rest of the season. That full-house backfield looked pretty darn effective to me. Balance is critical so we must successfully pass the ball but running to set-up the pass is the offensive approach I desire to see. It is not time to over react but it is time to react.

Shaq and Jela were beyond effective, and I love the anger/chip on his shoulder that Jela runs with especially! I really want to see more Jela. I was at the Outer Banks with some buddies for an annual fishing trip. The original plan was to get our last fishing of the trip in Sat morning, come back to the house, watch the game and then take off after. We left at halftime, I just couldn't watch anymore. I kept up with it on my phone, but OUCH it was bad!

I want to see the Seniors go out on top with a big W against Pitt. They deserve it, as they've left this program in much better shape than they found it...and I know that's the goal. I'm a big softy at heart, and I know I'll be sad to see these guys play their last game in Wally Wade. I feel a little better about it knowing Coach Cut will be doing the same, if not more so. LET'S GO DUKE!

[budwom]

While I agree with this in general, I'm not sure about one guy. I always thought Breon Borders was one of the best cover guys in the ACC. I watched the replay of the game Saturday, specifically looking to see if Borders got beat. I didn't see any obvious examples, although some of their guys were so free that it was hard to tell who blew an assignment.

Did anybody else check this out?

I thought going into the season that we had two top-flight cover corners. The injury to Fields has left a void that has hurt us all year, but UNC was the first team that really exploited it (VPI and Miami did to a lesser extent).

I still think Borders is pretty good. But we haven't found a second corner and out safeties/LBs are better against the run than in coverage.

Duke doesn't usually flip its corners, but going into this week's game, I'd love to see Borders locked up on Boyd on every play. He'd get beat some -- Boyd is great college receiver -- but at least he'll have a chance.

Yeah, I'm not sure about Borders either. Singleton repeatedly bit at play action, Edwards was woefully out of position a bunch. McDuffie and Saxton got torched. The problem
that unc posed was that they have at least three really good receivers, and Williams had all day (and then some) to find them.

I wouldn't be stunned if Singleton is out this week...if so we'd better improve our pass rush by a factor of about 10 if we want to give our diminished secondary a chance.

[Bob Green]

I wouldn't be stunned if Singleton is out this week...if so we'd better improve our pass rush by a factor of about 10 if we want to give our diminished secondary a chance.

I agree Singleton will probably be out - anxiously awaiting this week's injury report. We already know Cody Robinson reinjured his back and has announced his career is over. Will Shaun Wilson be back this week? Who else is hurting?

Back to Singleton, the question is who replaces him and how does it affect our schemes? Do we move Cash into Singleton's safety position and start a third linebacker such as Ben Humphreys? That would mean a traditional 4-3-4 look. Or does Phillip Carter start so we can stick with the 4-2-5?

Lots of questions with the first clues to answers coming Thursday, but we really will not know until Saturday when the teams line up and kick the ball.

[billy]

I think UNC's success throwing the ball against Duke was something of a perfect storm.

1.Great schemes. They seemed to have the right call an awful lot.

Maybe they hid videotapers in the trees around Wally Wade to tape our practices again, like they got caught doing a few years ago. I never heard of anything happening as a result of that incident...

[Class of '94]

The talent gap between Duke and Carolina is still there. Keep recruiting better and that gap closes, maybe disappears, maybe even flips the other way.

But it's still there. You can overcome that but you have to be very precise and Duke wasn't precise. The buzz word these days is "clean." Duke wasn't clean.

Duke can't fix talent deficits right away and Duke won't face anyone else this talented this season. But Duke can fix other issues, scheme and focus and execution.

Most likely this is a dumb question; but outside of the QB and receivers, where is the talent gap between UNC and Duke in which Carolina has more talent? Going into last week's game, I thought Duke had more quality depth at RB than Carolina with Jela, Shaq and Shaun compared to Hood and Logan. I thought Duke had the edge or at least the equal to UNC on special teams; and Duke's defense was better overall than Carolina's (highlighted by the play Cash). After the game, I still like our RBs over theirs, our kickers and special teams unit over theirs (despite some miscues); and our DL and safeties. I think the O-lines was a wash between both teams; and clearly Carolina's corners played better than ours.

Where do we need to improve/recruit the most to close that talent gap? And will Carolina take a step back when their DC leaves for a HC job? I wouldn't be surprised if he's only at Carolina for one season. There are a lot of good jobs out there that he might be deemed attractive for, despite his shady past.

[jimsumner]

Most likely this is a dumb question; but outside of the QB and receivers, where is the talent gap between UNC and Duke in which Carolina has more talent? Going into last week's game, I thought Duke had more quality depth at RB than Carolina with Jela, Shaq and Shaun compared to Hood and Logan. I thought Duke had the edge or at least the equal to UNC on special teams; and Duke's defense was better overall than Carolina's (highlighted by the play Cash). After the game, I still like our RBs over theirs, our kickers and special teams unit over theirs (despite some miscues); and our DL and safeties. I think the O-lines was a wash between both teams; and clearly Carolina's corners played better than ours.

Where do we need to improve/recruit the most to close that talent gap? And will Carolina take a step back when their DC leaves for a HC job? I wouldn't be surprised if he's only at Carolina for one season. There are a lot of good jobs out there that he might be deemed attractive for, despite his shady past.

Defensive linemen who can rush a QB would help. Duke is much better against the run than previously the case but still struggles to get pressure on the QB without blitzing. Carolina did a great job of picking up Duke's blitzes, which left the DBs isolated.

Even the best DBs cannot be expected to cover ACC receivers indefinitely. Duke has some young but talented DEs. Or talented but young. But Duke loses three of its top four DEs so they'd better grow up fast next season.

The linebackers can run but are under-sized. Duke is working on LBs who can run but aren't undersized.

[Gewebe14]

Someone start the pregame thread! We're not out of anything yet and this is a big game! I fully expect the holes to lose their next three. They habitually don't win the Coastal!

[TruBlu]

Someone start the pregame thread! We're not out of anything yet and this is a big game! I fully expect the holes to lose their next three. They habitually don't win the Coastal!

But they had billboards and gave out rings for a coastal championship for which they weren't eligible.

How is THAT not an impermissible benefit?!?

[Class of '94]

Defensive linemen who can rush a QB would help. Duke is much better against the run than previously the case but still struggles to get pressure on the QB without blitzing. Carolina did a great job of picking up Duke's blitzes, which left the DBs isolated.

Even the best DBs cannot be expected to cover ACC receivers indefinitely. Duke has some young but talented DEs. Or talented but young. But Duke loses three of its top four DEs so they'd better grow up fast next season.

The linebackers can run but are under-sized. Duke is working on LBs who can run but aren't undersized.

Any chance Duke is in the running for any bigtime QBs within the next 2-3 years? I heard talk of Duke trying to one of Max's younger brothers, who was supposed to be a really good QB. Its amazing to me with all of Cut's pedigree at developing good QBs, Duke hasn't attracted a bigtime QB (outside of Sean) yet. That is not meant to be a criticism of Coach Cut. I just think if Cut can get his own Johnny Dawkins (an elite recruit) at QB, I think that would also take Duke to the next level.

[grad_devil]

Laura Keeley just tweeted that Sirk is questionable?

https://twitter.com/laurakeeley/status/664829399393521664