FB: Post Game Thread - Duke 49, NCCU 6

[loran16]

Figure it's time for a post-game thread for further discussion.

It's hard to figure out how much to take from this game. Obviously the score is irrelevant - NCCU isn't even a great FCS team and it shows: Their offense was ridiculously poor and never threatening, and their D was only a slight better step. Still there are some things that we can take from this I think:

The Good:

Jones looked solid with a cannon for an arm at times. Boehme looked like a solid dual threat for the Connette package where I suspect he'll spend a lot of time this year. Jela Duncan is still a total beast. Joe Giles Harris looked like a beast early, and AJ Wolf was excellent.

Duke also used the tight ends a lot in the receiving game, which is a change from last year. Even with a healthy Deaver, Sirk eschewed the TEs. That's something to keep an eye on.

I don't mean to minimize the above players' contributions, or the contributions of other guys, but it's really hard to tell otherwise how much was due to caliber of opponent.

The Bad:

The bad things are more obvious. First obviously there were too many penalties and too many turnovers. Most of the turnovers were by the third unit, but one was Ryan Smith muffing a punt, which was a problem last year as well. Kid needs better sense about when to field the punt or to let it go.

Second, the D didn't play as well as it looked honestly. NCCU's QB was incompetent and missed a number of wide open receivers. Meanwhile the D Line failed to get much penetration outside of blitzes - most of our tackles for loss were due to coverage sacks - which are good, but are harder to pull off vs good teams.

Similarly, the offensive line allowed penetration into the backfield on runs a bunch, which is unacceptable vs NCCU level players.

Oddly - Shaun Wilson could not get anything going this game. While Duncan ran over NCCU defenders, Wilson could not use his speed to break space. I hope this is a one time thing as we're most likely going to rely on him (along with Jela) more this year.

----------------------------
Again, I'm not trying to harp on the bad. This was a successful debut for this team and the new guys and you can't complain about that. But there were some issues that we should work out before Wake next week. Wake's O is garbage, but their D isn't, so that should be a bigger challenge.

[Isaac Sours]

Didn't the depth chart list Shaun Wilson as the primary punt returner? Or did I misread that? Because I expected Wilson to be returning the majority of punts, and was surprised to see Smith out there so much. Maybe we'll see more of Wilson next week.

[loran16]

Didn't the depth chart list Shaun Wilson as the primary punt returner? Or did I misread that? Because I expected Wilson to be returning the majority of punts, and was surprised to see Smith out there so much. Maybe we'll see more of Wilson next week.

It listed the two as co-first team punt returners.

[Isaac Sours]

It listed the two as co-first team punt returners.

That's my bad, then. Thanks.

[Olympic Fan]

Figure it's time for a post-game thread for further discussion.

It's hard to figure out how much to take from this game. Obviously the score is irrelevant - NCCU isn't even a great FCS team and it shows: Their offense was ridiculously poor and never threatening, and their D was only a slight better step. Still there are some things that we can take from this I think:

The Good:

Jones looked solid with a cannon for an arm at times. Boehme looked like a solid dual threat for the Connette package where I suspect he'll spend a lot of time this year. Jela Duncan is still a total beast. Joe Giles Harris looked like a beast early, and AJ Wolf was excellent.

Duke also used the tight ends a lot in the receiving game, which is a change from last year. Even with a healthy Deaver, Sirk eschewed the TEs. That's something to keep an eye on.

I don't mean to minimize the above players' contributions, or the contributions of other guys, but it's really hard to tell otherwise how much was due to caliber of opponent.

The Bad:

The bad things are more obvious. First obviously there were too many penalties and too many turnovers. Most of the turnovers were by the third unit, but one was Ryan Smith muffing a punt, which was a problem last year as well. Kid needs better sense about when to field the punt or to let it go.

Second, the D didn't play as well as it looked honestly. NCCU's QB was incompetent and missed a number of wide open receivers. Meanwhile the D Line failed to get much penetration outside of blitzes - most of our tackles for loss were due to coverage sacks - which are good, but are harder to pull off vs good teams.

Similarly, the offensive line allowed penetration into the backfield on runs a bunch, which is unacceptable vs NCCU level players.

Oddly - Shaun Wilson could not get anything going this game. While Duncan ran over NCCU defenders, Wilson could not use his speed to break space. I hope this is a one time thing as we're most likely going to rely on him (along with Jela) more this year.

----------------------------
Again, I'm not trying to harp on the bad. This was a successful debut for this team and the new guys and you can't complain about that. But there were some issues that we should work out before Wake next week. Wake's O is garbage, but their D isn't, so that should be a bigger challenge.

Just a couple of disagreements -- (1) Deaver was NEVER healthy last year. He played, but wasn't the same player he was in 2013 -- the last time he was healthy. And The interior tackles combined for four sacks -- (Wolf 3, McSwain 1) -- which more than Duke's tackles managed all last year -- so there was significant penetration without blitzing.

I just got back and I wanted to warn about reading too much into the this game. The first half was ludicrously easy and the second half was like the late innings of a little league game, where the coach has to make sure everybody plays. Believe me -- everybody, including a bunch of walk-ons got significant minutes in the second half.

Jones looked good (10-of-15 for 189 yards and two touchdown passes, no interceptions; 28 yards rushing with one more TD). But to put those numbers into context, please remember that a year ago against NCCU, Thomas Sirk hit 15-of-22 passes for 315 yards and three TDs (and rushed for 83 more yards). The guy that couldn't throw downfield averaged more than 20 yards a reception against NCCU.

That's not to denigrate Jones, who was very sharp in his debut, just to suggest we wait and see him against a real opponent.

Hard to judge the offense, which was spectacular through most of the first half (when the first-team OL was basically intact -- we alternated QBs, RBs and TEs). With 49 points and over 400 yards total offense at the break, we could have put up some spectacular numbers if Cut doesn't take his foot off the gas.

And while I suggest we withhold judgment on the offense, I thought that there were signs than the defense was better than a year ago when we shut them out -- but gave up 9 first downs and 186 yards. This defense gave up four (4!) first downs and just 112 total yards (and much of that came against our third/scrub defense). NCCU returns a third-team all-MEAC QB and a first-team All-MEAC running back. They are not great by FBS standards, but they should be better than they were last year.

A few other observations:

-- As I said, a lot of players played. That includes eight true freshmen: PK AJ Reed, three DEs James Hornbuckle (who looked to be on the second team), Chidi Okonya and Terrell Lucas, CB Mark Gilbert, S Dylan Singletary, LB Koby Quansah and OG Julian Santos. Scott Bracey didn't dress. I was surprised that neither RB Brittain Brown or Elijah Deveaux got in the game. I thought one would play. Santos became the first true freshman OL prospect to play in the Cut era. Brian Morgan, a freshman under Roof, was the last freshman OL starter

-- Quentin Harris was awful. I wish I could say otherwise, but while Jones and Boehme both made plays, all Harris did was hand off ... and he didn't do that well. At least three of our six fumbles (5 lost) were bad exchanges by Harris. Maybe he'll have better days ahead. I hope so.

-- We showed off our depth at TE. Schneider showed the pass receiving skills that he was always touted to have. Helm set up a TD with a nice catch and even Koppenhaver made a couple of nice grabs, including his TD catch. Dan Beilenson did some good work up front. No wonder touted freshman Mark Birmingham didn't play.

-- Hate to second guess Cut, especially in a game like that. But why with two minutes left and a fourth and five inside the 10, did he not let AJ Reed try a field goal? I understand that you don't want to run up the score, but you've got a true freshman kicker here. Why not let him take his first FG try in a no pressure situation?

-- Disappointed that Devon Edwards didn't get a chance to return a kick. He was only out there for the second half kickoff -- and that one went into the end zone. Shaun Wilson got to return the other two.

-- I could be wrong, but I didn't see any Duke injuries. Zach Baker limped off at one point, but I think he came back.

Now get ready for Wake. Keep in mind that they opened Thursday night, so they have two extra days to prepare for us.

[BandAlum83]

-- Hate to second guess Cut, especially in a game like that. But why with two minutes left and a fourth and five inside the 10, did he not let AJ Reed try a field goal? I understand that you don't want to run up the score, but you've got a true freshman kicker here. Why not let him take his first FG try in a no pressure situation?

I totally agree and was thinking the same thing. The only thing I could think was that he did get 7 opportunities for extra points.

[OZ]

Just a couple of disagreements -- (1) Deaver was NEVER healthy last year. He played, but wasn't the same player he was in 2013 -- the last time he was healthy. And The interior tackles combined for four sacks -- (Wolf 3, McSwain 1) -- which more than Duke's tackles managed all last year -- so there was significant penetration without blitzing.

I just got back and I wanted to warn about reading too much into the this game. The first half was ludicrously easy and the second half was like the late innings of a little league game, where the coach has to make sure everybody plays. Believe me -- everybody, including a bunch of walk-ons got significant minutes in the second half.

Jones looked good (10-of-15 for 189 yards and two touchdown passes, no interceptions; 28 yards rushing with one more TD). But to put those numbers into context, please remember that a year ago against NCCU, Thomas Sirk hit 15-of-22 passes for 315 yards and three TDs (and rushed for 83 more yards). The guy that couldn't throw downfield averaged more than 20 yards a reception against NCCU.

That's not to denigrate Jones, who was very sharp in his debut, just to suggest we wait and see him against a real opponent.

Hard to judge the offense, which was spectacular through most of the first half (when the first-team OL was basically intact -- we alternated QBs, RBs and TEs). With 49 points and over 400 yards total offense at the break, we could have put up some spectacular numbers if Cut doesn't take his foot off the gas.

And while I suggest we withhold judgment on the offense, I thought that there were signs than the defense was better than a year ago when we shut them out -- but gave up 9 first downs and 186 yards. This defense gave up four (4!) first downs and just 112 total yards (and much of that came against our third/scrub defense). NCCU returns a third-team all-MEAC QB and a first-team All-MEAC running back. They are not great by FBS standards, but they should be better than they were last year.

A few other observations:

-- As I said, a lot of players played. That includes eight true freshmen: PK AJ Reed, three DEs James Hornbuckle (who looked to be on the second team), Chidi Okonya and Terrell Lucas, CB Mark Gilbert, S Dylan Singletary, LB Koby Quansah and OG Julian Santos. Scott Bracey didn't dress. I was surprised that neither RB Brittain Brown or Elijah Deveaux got in the game. I thought one would play. Santos became the first true freshman OL prospect to play in the Cut era. Brian Morgan, a freshman under Roof, was the last freshman OL starter

-- Quentin Harris was awful. I wish I could say otherwise, but while Jones and Boehme both made plays, all Harris did was hand off ... and he didn't do that well. At least three of our six fumbles (5 lost) were bad exchanges by Harris. Maybe he'll have better days ahead. I hope so.

-- We showed off our depth at TE. Schneider showed the pass receiving skills that he was always touted to have. Helm set up a TD with a nice catch and even Koppenhaver made a couple of nice grabs, including his TD catch. Dan Beilenson did some good work up front. No wonder touted freshman Mark Birmingham didn't play.

-- Hate to second guess Cut, especially in a game like that. But why with two minutes left and a fourth and five inside the 10, did he not let AJ Reed try a field goal? I understand that you don't want to run up the score, but you've got a true freshman kicker here. Why not let him take his first FG try in a no pressure situation?

-- Disappointed that Devon Edwards didn't get a chance to return a kick. He was only out there for the second half kickoff -- and that one went into the end zone. Shaun Wilson got to return the other two.

-- I could be wrong, but I didn't see any Duke injuries. Zach Baker limped off at one point, but I think he came back.

Now get ready for Wake. Keep in mind that they opened Thursday night, so they have two extra days to prepare for us.



Thanks for a good summary. I also thought that Giles-Harris had a good game. He shows the caliber of players Cut is recruiting and the development of these young men under his leadership. I don't think we are going to have the fall off from one year to the next as we once experienced. As players graduate, there are going to be talented and developed people to take their place

[Reilly]

Lloyd looked like a player.

[Bob Green]

An excellent half of football by the Blue Devils last evening. With a 49 - 0 lead, I am glad Coach Cutcliffe took his foot off the gas.

Daniel Jones looked very good, the most important thing to me is he looked comfortable in the pocket. There were no indications of happy feet.

Jena Duncan is such a strong runner he needs 15 - 20 carries a game.

Seeing eight true freshmen play with the possibility of a couple more in future weeks really drives home how much recruiting is improving.

On to Week 2...

[moonpie23]

well.......1-0

[budwom]

Along with the three true frosh DEs who played, R-FR Mugala also played...great to see four new faces at a position of ultra need.

Lloyd has good size and strength for a receiver...

I would bet four beers that much of the playbook was not revealed.....I think getting the ball to Wilson in space will be a priority among other things.

Next week should be very interesting (as well as crucial for the success of our season)...

[OldPhiKap]

First half was fun to watch.

Second half gave Cut a lot to bark about.

Win-win.

[Indoor66]

First half was fun to watch.

Second half gave Cut a lot to bark about.

Win-win.

Did Duke play the 2nd half like a scrimmage?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I totally agree and was thinking the same thing. The only thing I could think was that he did get 7 opportunities for extra points.
I made the same comments before and after we didn't try the field goal. A short distance, low pressure first opportunity was ideal to break in a true frosh kicker. We should have kicked a field goal to give AJ #1. Hopefully.

[devildeac]

Did Duke play the 2nd half like a scrimmage?

Someone upthread compared it to the late innings of a little league baseball game when the coach is trying to get everyone to play a few minutes. Apt comparison. It wasn't pretty.

[dukelifer]

An excellent half of football by the Blue Devils last evening. With a 49 - 0 lead, I am glad Coach Cutcliffe took his foot off the gas.

Daniel Jones looked very good, the most important thing to me is he looked comfortable in the pocket. There were no indications of happy feet.

Jena Duncan is such a strong runner he needs 15 - 20 carries a game.

Seeing eight true freshmen play with the possibility of a couple more in future weeks really drives home how much recruiting is improving.

On to Week 2...

Jones showed a lot of poise- of course he was never forced out of his comfort zone. Still he made a number of nice throws down field. Looks to have good accuracy and touch. He had troubles throwing across his body to the back across the field - but that will come. He also showed decent speed as a runner although he is not as big and strong as Sirk. Good start although it gets much tougher from here on out.

[sagegrouse]

Did Duke play the 2nd half like a scrimmage?

Not exactly. We ran the same few plays over and over, so we wouldn't show Wake Forest anything.

[grossbus]

Thought jones did very well with ball fakes.

[Olympic Fan]

Thanks for a good summary. I also thought that Giles-Harris had a good game. He shows the caliber of players Cut is recruiting and the development of these young men under his leadership. I don't think we are going to have the fall off from one year to the next as we once experienced. As players graduate, there are going to be talented and developed people to take their place

I had a friend at the game emphasize to me how much recruiting has taken off by pointing out the career tract of LB Xavier Carmichael.

Two years ago. Carmichael played in 13 games as a true freshman. Last year opened the season as a starter. He didn't play poorly, but by midseason last year, he had lost his starting job at midseason to Tinasha Bere, a classmate who redshirted in 2014.

Now, he and Bere are second team behind two 2015 recruits -- true soph Ben Humphreys and redshirt freshman Joe Giles Harris.

His point was that in two years, we have significantly upgraded the talent at LB. We have two second-year players starting and two third-year guys on second team.

And just behind them are at least a couple of true freshmen with great skills -- Kuansah is already playing -- Gagnon and Hill are waiting in the wings.

That kind of upgrade is going on in a number of places.

[Bob Green]

I had a friend at the game emphasize to me how much recruiting has taken off by pointing out the career tract of LB Xavier Carmichael.

Six of the eight true freshmen who played last night are defensive players. Add in redshirt freshmen such as Joe Giles-Harris, Twazanga Mugala, Trevon McSwain, Brandon Feamster and the youngsters are looking to make real contributions this season.

[budwom]

Yeah, Cutcliffe has emphasized that his program isn't so much rebuilding as simply building...recruiting classes have become
increasingly better, lots of talent building up where before there wasn't that much (e.g. defensive end, linebacker)

[ipatent]

games like these were in doubt and avoiding a winless season was a good year.