FB: NC State 31, Duke 20

[Class of '94]

At this point (and there is time for things to turnaround), last year's team looks better than this year's team; and Quentin Harris imo opinion looks like a better quarterback than Brice. I don't this year's defense has the lateral quickness that last year's team and teams of the last few seasons had.

It hurts to say this; and welcome anyone's points as to why this isn't the case.

Also, this year's team doesn't appear be sharp in terms of taking care of the details. They appear to be physically soft; and lack the physicality of past Duke football teams.

I wonder if the pandemic combined lack of practice time (no spring practice) and in-person team workouts really affected this team. The problem is that other teams have had to deal with the same issues. Granted, few in the ACC had to deal with breaking in a new QB, new players and key skill positions, O-line and defense as well as new assistant coaches with little in-person practice time; but this still has veteran players. Where is the veteran leadership right now.

This team could've beaten State today; but we once again shot ourselves in the foot by missing or not making plays or both offense and defense.

And what's scary for me is that if Brice is our best QB, what does that say about our other QBs like Gunnar?

Again, to be fair, Chase hasn't had the kind of offseason he really needed to get acclimated to the system and team prior to playing this season. But again, it still makes me wonder how good our other QBs are if Chase still won the competition under those circumstances.

Sorry for the rant; I'm just disappointed in the performance of this team. I thought they would be better than this.

[heyman25]

I agree that Chase Brice played fierce today; however, he also threw three interceptions. Six games is half a season so I do not believe I am premature in saying Brice is not the answer at QB. His inaccuracy is stunning.

Chase Brice is not sharp. Brice's inaccuracy in scoring opportunity times is atrocious. I know he had a successful Clemson backup for Trevor Lawrence when he got injured. He has been a huge disappointment. I thought he was going to be great. Duke will be hard pressed to win any games.Syracuse was a moment of optimism. Reality Bites.

[jimsumner]

I asked Cut about the end-of-the-first half.

He said he did not think Duke would have been able to run out the clock and needed a first down to avoid punting.

So, I went back and looked again.

Duke got the ball back with 1:34 left. State with one timeout.

Duke runs the ball.

Clock keeps moving.

It takes 14 seconds for the officials to spot the ball and start the 35-second play clock.

That's 1:20.

Duke snaps the ball with 1:01 left on game clock and 16 on play clock, throws an incompletion and stops the clock.

Why?

Instead of passing, snap the ball with one second on play clock, 44 on game clock.

Assume State stops clock with 38 to 40 seconds. Third down and all Duke has to do is burn five seconds or so. Child's play. The officials aren't going to spot the ball for fourth down with more than 35 seconds left. So, Duke just stands there and twiddles their thumbs until halftime.

Duke has to have somebody on the sideline who can figure it out in real time. I know I was doing the math in real time and was dumbfounded when Duke threw it. Duke should NEVER have had to punt that ball. That's on the coaches.

[uh_no]

I asked Cut about the end-of-the-first half.

He said he did not think Duke would have been able to run out the clock and needed a first down to avoid punting.

So, I went back and looked again.

Duke got the ball back with 1:34 left. State with one timeout.

Duke runs the ball.

Clock keeps moving.

It takes 14 seconds for the officials to spot the ball and start the 35-second play clock.

That's 1:20.

Duke snaps the ball with 1:01 left on game clock and 16 on play clock, throws an incompletion and stops the clock.

Why?

Instead of passing, snap the ball with one second on play clock, 44 on game clock.

Assume State stops clock with 38 to 40 seconds. Third down and all Duke has to do is burn five seconds or so. Child's play. The officials aren't going to spot the ball for fourth down with more than 35 seconds left. So, Duke just stands there and twiddles their thumbs until halftime.

Duke has to have somebody on the sideline who can figure it out in real time. I know I was doing the math in real time and was dumbfounded when Duke threw it. Duke should NEVER have had to punt that ball. That's on the coaches.

for better or worse, this kind of time management has always been a major weakness of cut's regimes.

[tteettimes]

for better or worse, this kind of time management has always been a major weakness of cut's regimes.

Really?....is anyone here really surprised???....disappointed I understand ....but surprised??
Delusional....

[OldPhiKap]

I asked Cut about the end-of-the-first half.

He said he did not think Duke would have been able to run out the clock and needed a first down to avoid punting.

So, I went back and looked again.

Duke got the ball back with 1:34 left. State with one timeout.

Duke runs the ball.

Clock keeps moving.

It takes 14 seconds for the officials to spot the ball and start the 35-second play clock.

That's 1:20.

Duke snaps the ball with 1:01 left on game clock and 16 on play clock, throws an incompletion and stops the clock.

Why?

Instead of passing, snap the ball with one second on play clock, 44 on game clock.

Assume State stops clock with 38 to 40 seconds. Third down and all Duke has to do is burn five seconds or so. Child's play. The officials aren't going to spot the ball for fourth down with more than 35 seconds left. So, Duke just stands there and twiddles their thumbs until halftime.

Duke has to have somebody on the sideline who can figure it out in real time. I know I was doing the math in real time and was dumbfounded when Duke threw it. Duke should NEVER have had to punt that ball. That's on the coaches.

Absolutely infuriating. This is hard to watch.

[killerleft]

I asked Cut about the end-of-the-first half.

He said he did not think Duke would have been able to run out the clock and needed a first down to avoid punting.

So, I went back and looked again.

Duke got the ball back with 1:34 left. State with one timeout.

Duke runs the ball.

Clock keeps moving.

It takes 14 seconds for the officials to spot the ball and start the 35-second play clock.

That's 1:20.

Duke snaps the ball with 1:01 left on game clock and 16 on play clock, throws an incompletion and stops the clock.

Why?

Instead of passing, snap the ball with one second on play clock, 44 on game clock.

Assume State stops clock with 38 to 40 seconds. Third down and all Duke has to do is burn five seconds or so. Child's play. The officials aren't going to spot the ball for fourth down with more than 35 seconds left. So, Duke just stands there and twiddles their thumbs until halftime.

Duke has to have somebody on the sideline who can figure it out in real time. I know I was doing the math in real time and was dumbfounded when Duke threw it. Duke should NEVER have had to punt that ball. That's on the coaches.

I asked this question in chat BEFORE the series started. Just doing simple math got us to halftime. Why can Cut and Company NOT figure it out. They get PAID BIG BUCKS to know this stuff.

This would be hard to believe IF we hadn't seen such ignorance before. There is no doubt we'll see it again.

[CameronBlue]

Cut has a conventional approach to the game simply centered on the maxim that if you do your job, stick with your assignments and win the individual matchups--call it the big picture approach--then managing the game clock to steal a few seconds of ball possession time here or there doesn't matter. There is no other rational explanation. (CB 2:18) I think it compels him to run the ball, repeatedly, predictably, infuriatingly and play the long game--tire out the defense--when game conditions are more exigent. But it's a bad strategy for Duke, it doesn't fit the personnel and it places a premium on playing mistake free football, and takes a lot of the guesswork out of the game for the defense.

[DU82]

I asked Cut about the end-of-the-first half.

He said he did not think Duke would have been able to run out the clock and needed a first down to avoid punting.

So, I went back and looked again.

Duke got the ball back with 1:34 left. State with one timeout.

Duke runs the ball.

Clock keeps moving.

It takes 14 seconds for the officials to spot the ball and start the 35-second play clock.

That's 1:20.

Duke snaps the ball with 1:01 left on game clock and 16 on play clock, throws an incompletion and stops the clock.

Why?

Instead of passing, snap the ball with one second on play clock, 44 on game clock.

Assume State stops clock with 38 to 40 seconds. Third down and all Duke has to do is burn five seconds or so. Child's play. The officials aren't going to spot the ball for fourth down with more than 35 seconds left. So, Duke just stands there and twiddles their thumbs until halftime.

Duke has to have somebody on the sideline who can figure it out in real time. I know I was doing the math in real time and was dumbfounded when Duke threw it. Duke should NEVER have had to punt that ball. That's on the coaches.

It’s a 40 second play clock, isn’t it? (25 in certain situations, such as after a penalty.)

Otherwise, spot on. The Announcers questioned why the second down play was snapped with so much time left on the play clock. And, it’s counter to Cut’s typical conservative play at the end of the half with relatively poor field position. I liked actually trying to make a play, but pretty bad play calling, and worse clock management.

[sagegrouse]

What were we? First and goal at the four-yard line? When State sends in its jumbo package -- we pass. All day, every day. Fourth-and-one is too late. I'll be pleased to accept the game ball when my advice is heeded.

[DukieAtlanta]

What were we? First and goal at the four-yard line? When State sends in its jumbo package -- we pass. All day, every day. Fourth-and-one is too late. I'll be pleased to accept the game ball when my advice is heeded.

This is my first time responding to this thread. I have enjoyed following it as I know this is a group of die-hard Duke football fans like me. I have met Cut in person and think he has done some great things, but the last season and a half have been frustrating to watch. We no longer look like the well-coached, disciplined Cut teams from a few years ago. And what happened to the offense?

Quentin Harris didn’t look like a D1 QB after 5 games last year but we stuck with him and the stale offense continued for the rest of the season. Like most of you, I was excited about the move to bring Brice in. But it is very clear that he is not the answer. He showed some toughness today running, but his turnovers, decision making and pocket presence make him a liability. If I see one more INT on a short throw across the middle, I will lose my mind! And they all seem to occur at the worst time.

We could easily have 3 or 4 wins with even average QB play. If we are going to have an RPO offense with a short to medium passing game, we need a better game manager and fewer TOs from the QB. Forget the lack of preseason work, 6 ACC games have shown us enough. Gunnar seems like answer right now. He had an impressive HS career and was rated higher than Brice. Seems obvious to all of us that a change is needed. We can still salvage some of this season with a lot of winnable games.
I know Cut has been criticized for being too loyal to his assistants, but is he too loyal to his players? Harris last year and Brice this year. A bye week and the Charlotte game seem like a great time to work in a new QB

[Bob Green]

Jim Sumner recap on front page:

https://www.dukebasketballreport.com...0-acc-football

[jv001]

I waited until this morning to post on this thread. I wanted to see if my feelings regarding Brice and Cut would change. The answer is NO. Brice cannot hit a receiver in stride to save his life. Well, not a Duke receiver anyway. I would love to know his stats for his play in the first half this season. They have to be terrible and his 2nd half stats can't be much better. As for Cut, I have supported him since he came to Duke and I still respect him but his play calling is no better than Roper's. One of the TV announcers in one of Duke earlier games made the point it's not a good idea for him to be calling the plays because it takes away the awareness on other aspects of the game like defense and special teams. In his half time interview he basically said the block punt for a TD came from not setting up properly. That's on the coaches. As others have mentioned the clock management part of this game was terrible as was failing to take the chip shot FG. Then throw in the end of half ineptness it was a total disaster for our head coach. I feel right now I hope I don't see Brice throw another pass in a Duke uniform. He's going to get one of our receivers killed by putting them in vulnerable positions. I say this reluctantly, NEXT PLAY.

GoDuke!

[roywhite]

It’s a 40 second play clock, isn’t it? (25 in certain situations, such as after a penalty.)

Otherwise, spot on. The Announcers questioned why the second down play was snapped with so much time left on the play clock. And, it’s counter to Cut’s typical conservative play at the end of the half with relatively poor field position. I liked actually trying to make a play, but pretty bad play calling, and worse clock management.

Well, the time management was so bad that Duke had time enough to get a Field Goal after the blocked punt.

[Devilwin]

I agree that Brice is not the answer. Certainly not what I expected coming out of Clemson. Too erratic with his throws. At least I got the spread right.(predicted 35=24 State) But wanted to be wrong.
Brice isn't the only issue. The O line got manhandled. Made way too many dumb penalties. Defensive backs gave up several big plays...

[budwom]

I don’t understand what the guy calling the plays is watching or thinking. Run on first down for no gain or a loss over and over.

That, and our obsession with throwing to receivers who are at the line of scrimmage on third and six or seven, just mystifying as to what that's going to do. We did that more than a few times yesterday, it's our bread and butter.

Interesting discussion and rumors at the Devils Den for those who like to dig in further.

[Bob Green]

It starts with the OL and ours is terrible. Link below is to tweet from Takoby Cofield:

https://twitter.com/takobyc73/status...238388744?s=21

[arnie]

That, and our obsession with throwing to receivers who are at the line of scrimmage on third and six or seven, just mystifying as to what that's going to do. We did that more than a few times yesterday, it's our bread and butter.

Interesting discussion and rumors at the Devils Den for those who like to dig in further.

I think it’s a given that Kevin White isn’t going to terminate Cut. The question is will he give Cut a contract extension in the near term? Doesn't Cut’s contract expire in a year or two, and to enable recruiting, White will have to make a decision soon. Not quite the same as the McCallie situation when he extended her contract, but some similarities.

In the end, I don’t think Admin really cares about Duke football and if Cut can avoid 0-12 he’s likely safe. One other comment, no School has ever lost more than 8 ACC games in a season, Syracuse and Duke could both take that honor this year.

[arnie]

I think it’s a given that Kevin White isn’t going to terminate Cut. The question is will he give Cut a contract extension in the near term? Doesn't Cut’s contract expire in a year or two, and to enable recruiting, White will have to make a decision soon. Not quite the same as the McCallie situation when he extended her contract, but some similarities.

In the end, I don’t think Admin really cares about Duke football and if Cut can avoid 0-12 he’s likely safe. One other comment, no School has ever lost more than 8 ACC games in a season, Syracuse and Duke could both take that honor this year.

Should have googled contract before posting. Cut is good till June 30, 2023 so White can kick the can down the road a bit longer.

[szstark]

This is my first time responding to this thread. I have enjoyed following it as I know this is a group of die-hard Duke football fans like me. I have met Cut in person and think he has done some great things, but the last season and a half have been frustrating to watch. We no longer look like the well-coached, disciplined Cut teams from a few years ago. And what happened to the offense?

Quentin Harris didn’t look like a D1 QB after 5 games last year but we stuck with him and the stale offense continued for the rest of the season. Like most of you, I was excited about the move to bring Brice in. But it is very clear that he is not the answer. He showed some toughness today running, but his turnovers, decision making and pocket presence make him a liability. If I see one more INT on a short throw across the middle, I will lose my mind! And they all seem to occur at the worst time.

We could easily have 3 or 4 wins with even average QB play. If we are going to have an RPO offense with a short to medium passing game, we need a better game manager and fewer TOs from the QB. Forget the lack of preseason work, 6 ACC games have shown us enough. Gunnar seems like answer right now. He had an impressive HS career and was rated higher than Brice. Seems obvious to all of us that a change is needed. We can still salvage some of this season with a lot of winnable games.
I know Cut has been criticized for being too loyal to his assistants, but is he too loyal to his players? Harris last year and Brice this year. A bye week and the Charlotte game seem like a great time to work in a new QB

Totally agree. Continuing to play Brice and expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity. Give someone else a chance.