Duke Football 2021

[TKG]

Yes they did. My seats were right next to the tunnel where the FSU team entered the stadium. I was shocked at how much bigger they were than our guys. I was proud of Duke's fight that night.

The wheel route was right in front of my seats that night. We score there and the dynamics of that game change, dramatically, IMO

[chrishoke]

The wheel route was right in front of my seats that night. We score there and the dynamics of that game change, dramatically, IMO

That was painful - I wanted it so badly.

[Acymetric]

The Texas A&M game is the only game that I will rewatch even though my team lost. What a blast.

[CameronBornAndBred]

The Texas A&M game is the only game that I will rewatch even though my team lost. What a blast.

Had it not been for Boone's car wreck, I think he would have had a longer and more memorable NFL career than that of Johnny Football. (Not that Manziel didn't help himself in his forgettableness.)

[HereBeforeCoachK]

The Texas A&M game is the only game that I will rewatch even though my team lost. What a blast.

1000 sporks (but must spread comments blah blah...) That was the peak of Duke football since when, the 60s? Big natty TV audience, packed stadium, high profile opponent, and LOTS OF POINTS. I think almost 700 yards in offense. Oh, and poor clock management end of half. Probably cost us the game. Not sure A and M comes back from 42-17. Somehow seems a lot worse than 38-17.

[TKG]

The Texas A&M game is the only game that I will rewatch even though my team lost. What a blast.

Cut emptied the playbook that night. We were seated in the middle of A&M fans and they knew Duke came to win.

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

Cut emptied the playbook that night. We were seated in the middle of A&M fans and they knew Duke came to win.

For everyone who wants Cut gone, a little history. After Bill Murray we hired four failures, Harp, McGee, Wilson and Sloan before we hired Spurrier. Then after Spurrier we hired four more failures, Barry Wilson, Goldsmith, Franks and Roof before Cut. I too am disappointed the program has gone down hill, but our history of hiring new coaches is not inspiring. Based on other schools who repeatedly change coaches, see Tennessee, hiring the right coach is more luck than skill.

This year’s team has some ability. Many on this Board predicted only three wins this year, which we already have. This is Bronco’s worst team. Maybe we can put it together and win this week at UVA.

[CameronBornAndBred]

For everyone who wants Cut gone, a little history. After Bill Murray we hired four failures, Harp, McGee, Wilson and Sloan before we hired Spurrier. Then after Spurrier we hired four more failures, Barry Wilson, Goldsmith, Franks and Roof before Cut. I too am disappointed the program has gone down hill, but our history of hiring new coaches is not inspiring. Based on other schools who repeatedly change coaches, see Tennessee, hiring the right coach is more luck than skill.

For everyone that wants Cut to stay...I get you, but I experienced the thrill to the game that he brought, and the fans. Neither are there anymore. Time to move on.
Literally, from day one, he said "Leave a place better than you found it". He is on the precipice of walking backward on that hopeful promise.

This year’s team has some ability. Many on this Board predicted only three wins this year, which we already have. This is Bronco’s worst team. Maybe we can put it together and win this week at UVA.

Maybe. But it won't be enough to leave Duke better than he found it.
To Coach Cutcliffe's credit, for which many here have shared with me, he showed how we can shine. But the polish has been lost, and it's not coming back. One ACC win sure won't do it, not at this point. (Especially not a win that hasn't happened yet.)

[martydoesntfoul]

For everyone who wants Cut gone, a little history. After Bill Murray we hired four failures, Harp, McGee, Wilson and Sloan before we hired Spurrier. Then after Spurrier we hired four more failures, Barry Wilson, Goldsmith, Franks and Roof before Cut. I too am disappointed the program has gone down hill, but our history of hiring new coaches is not inspiring. Based on other schools who repeatedly change coaches, see Tennessee, hiring the right coach is more luck than skill.

This year’s team has some ability. Many on this Board predicted only three wins this year, which we already have. This is Bronco’s worst team. Maybe we can put it together and win this week at UVA.

Slight quibble: Goldsmith went 8-4 / 5-3 during his first season (1994). But yes, after that it was all downhill and the discrimination suit was truly a black eye on the university.

[dukelifer]

For everyone that wants Cut to stay...I get you, but I experienced the thrill to the game that he brought, and the fans. Neither are there anymore. Time to move on.
Literally, from day one, he said "Leave a place better than you found it". He is on the precipice of walking backward on that hopeful promise.

Maybe. But it won't be enough to leave Duke better than he found it.
To Coach Cutcliffe's credit, for which many here have shared with me, he showed how we can shine. But the polish has been lost, and it's not coming back. One ACC win sure won't do it, not at this point. (Especially not a win that hasn't happened yet.)

To say Cut has not left Duke in a better place than he found it is wrong. It was dismal when he arrived. The culture has changed significantly. The program is not good as it was under Cut in recent seasons and there are a myriad of reasons for that- but let’s not understate Cut’s impact on the program. Last year’s poor Covid season is coloring a lot of our impressions. Duke has no margin for errors and are making mistakes
in critical moments- but they can be in games. Is it time for Cut to retire- probably yes. Sometimes a program needs a change. But I do not believe it will be easy or likely to make Duke into more than a bowl eligible team with 5-8 wins a year.

[TruBlu]

“Poor” isn’t good enough when “sorta good” was expected.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

To say Cut has not left Duke in a better place than he found it is wrong.

This is absolutely correct. The fact that we are upset about being at .500 would have been unthinkable in the pre-Cut years. We rarely won more than three games in a season the fifteen years before he arrived.

That doesn't mean it isn't time for a change. I think Cut himself has taught us to expect more.

[budwom]

This is absolutely correct. The fact that we are upset about being at .500 would have been unthinkable in the pre-Cut years. We rarely won more than three games in a season the fifteen years before he arrived.

That doesn't mean it isn't time for a change. I think Cut himself has taught us to expect more.

But do keep in mind that our .500 record is a quirk of our easy early schedule...this is not going to be a .500 team, not by a very long shot.

Our wins came against (using Sagarin) #170 A&T, #135 Kansas, #87 NW, and we lost vs #118 Charlotte...Sagarin has us at #100 now which is about right.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

But do keep in mind that our .500 record is a quirk of our easy early schedule...this is not going to be a .500 team, not by a very long shot.

Our wins came against (using Sagarin) #170 A&T, #135 Kansas, #87 NW, and we lost vs #118 Charlotte...Sagarin has us at #100 now which is about right.

Oh, absolutely true. We are likely to win maybe one more game. But, a four win season would have been fantastic in pre-Cut years.

Again, I'm not saying it's acceptable. But it is indicative of how coach has changed things for the better during his tenure.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

To say Cut has not left Duke in a better place than he found it is wrong. It was dismal when he arrived. The culture has changed significantly. The program is not good as it was under Cut in recent seasons and there are a myriad of reasons for that- but let’s not understate Cut’s impact on the program. Last year’s poor Covid season is coloring a lot of our impressions. Duke has no margin for errors and are making mistakes
in critical moments- but they can be in games. Is it time for Cut to retire- probably yes. Sometimes a program needs a change. But I do not believe it will be easy or likely to make Duke into more than a bowl eligible team with 5-8 wins a year.

I beg to differ, or at least, I ask to quibble. I think the attendance and lack of hope around Duke football now is just as bad as pre Cut, maybe worse, for a number of reasons. First, ironically, this is a result of the success Cut did have. When Cut came, we quickly got enthusiastic at what was possible. And he showed it in year 6.

Consider: Duke FB has totally cratered from the Cutcliffe high of December 31, 2013. I went back last night and watched a lot of that Bowl game with A and M...and I saw a stadium in Atlanta with what must've been 20,000 Duke fans. I heard an ESPN sideline announcer quote the Texas A and M yell leader as shocked that Dukes fans were louder than A and M's fans. I saw almost 700 yards of total offense with creative and dynamic offensive play calling and skill. I read 7 and 8 year old comments from non Duke fans below the video (YouTube) about how "real" Duke football was and how exciting it was. I saw Johnny Football mumbling to his defense coming off the field "what's going on...what's going on..." I heard an ESPN announce crew gush at all things Duke football for several hours.

I saw Jamison Crowder be the best player on the field. I saw Boone out pass Johnny Football. I saw Duke's O line push A and M around. It was, to be blunt, the high point of Duke football in the modern era. A case can be made that it was the all time high point of Duke football - in terms of national attention and visibility. With more population and more TV, it was without a doubt the most watched Duke football game ever, by far.

And now I saw Duke blow a game to Georgia Tech in front of an empty stadium, an empty stadium that sadly gets shown on TV six times a year. We see good players bolting for the exits now in the offseason. Now would a Jamison Crowder stay four years at Duke? I doubt it.

So due to changes beyond Cut's control (all dismal crowds at Wade are now televised, unheralded recruits who get good leave with the portal, the NIL working against a small fan base program, a bungled stadium refit, Cut's elevation of the program in 2013) a case can be made we are now at the nadir of Duke football...at least in some sense. I feel more hopeless for the future than I did when Cut was first hired.

[peteandpete]

For everyone who wants Cut gone, a little history. After Bill Murray we hired four failures, Harp, McGee, Wilson and Sloan before we hired Spurrier. Then after Spurrier we hired four more failures, Barry Wilson, Goldsmith, Franks and Roof before Cut. I too am disappointed the program has gone down hill, but our history of hiring new coaches is not inspiring. Based on other schools who repeatedly change coaches, see Tennessee, hiring the right coach is more luck than skill.

This year’s team has some ability. Many on this Board predicted only three wins this year, which we already have. This is Bronco’s worst team. Maybe we can put it together and win this week at UVA.

Harp was 22-28-1(44%) and 15-16-1 in conference play. He was 6-5 and tied for second in his last season.
McGee was 37-47-4(44%) and 17-25-4 in conference. He had two winning seasons and one second place finish.
Wilson was 16-27-1(37%) but only 7-17 in conference play. However, he was 6-5 his last two seasons.
Sloan was 13-31(29.5%) and 8-20 in conference.
Cutcliffe, in spite of the tremendous job of resurrection is 77-91(45.8%) and 35-73 in conference and trending in a bad direction.

[75Crazie]

I beg to differ, or at least, I ask to quibble. I think the attendance and lack of hope around Duke football now is just as bad as pre Cut, maybe worse, for a number of reasons. First, ironically, this is a result of the success Cut did have. When Cut came, we quickly got enthusiastic at what was possible. And he showed it in year 6
...
And now I saw Duke blow a game to Georgia Tech in front of an empty stadium, an empty stadium that sadly gets shown on TV six times a year. We see good players bolting for the exits now in the offseason. Now would a Jamison Crowder stay four years at Duke? I doubt it.

I just want to make sure you recognize the connection between those two statements. Or do you not recognize that one element of the drop-off in attendance at Duke games HAS to be the ubiquity of college football on TV and the impact that TV has on the game times? I will grant you that it is just one element of possibly many that is affecting current attendance ... but to me it is a HUGE element, and one that is vastly different now versus when Cutcliffe came to Duke.

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

Slight quibble: Goldsmith went 8-4 / 5-3 during his first season (1994). But yes, after that it was all downhill and the discrimination suit was truly a black eye on the university.

As you point out Goldsmith had one good season, his first which raised expectations. The reason that season exceeded any other was he had two outstanding coordinators who left after the first year. Heimerdinger spent 18 years in the NFL, including several as offensive coordinator. He died young of cancer. The defensive coordinator Craig Bohl won several national championships at smaller schools and currently coaches the University of Wyoming. He has mentored several NFL quarterbacks, even as a defensive guru. Had Duke been able to keep those two guys Goldsmith might have been successful. As soon as they left the program spiraled downward. Cut may be facing the same issues with his coordinators. Although I am little more willing to give Faris the benefit of the doubt as the offense does some good things from time to time such as the touchdown pass on fourth down last Saturday.

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

Harp was 22-28-1(44%) and 15-16-1 in conference play. He was 6-5 and tied for second in his last season.
McGee was 37-47-4(44%) and 17-25-4 in conference. He had two winning seasons and one second place finish.
Wilson was 16-27-1(37%) but only 7-17 in conference play. However, he was 6-5 his last two seasons.
Sloan was 13-31(29.5%) and 8-20 in conference.
Cutcliffe, in spite of the tremendous job of resurrection is 77-91(45.8%) and 35-73 in conference and trending in a bad direction.

Red Wilson, who was well known as a good guy, had success his last two years because Spurrier was his OC. Spurrier left and Wilson was fired. Harp never had success anywhere he went. McGee was best when his brother Jerry was the defensive coordinator. Sloan inherited Ben Bennett and only threw the ball sideways. Maybe my least favorite Duke coach of all time! And none of them came into a program as bad as Duke was when Cut arrived. Even in the worst days of the late 60’s through 1990, we never had winless or one win seasons.

[budwom]

Red Wilson, who was well known as a good guy, had success his last two years because Spurrier was his OC. Spurrier left and Wilson was fired. Harp never had success anywhere he went. McGee was best when his brother Jerry was the defensive coordinator. Sloan inherited Ben Bennett and only threw the ball sideways. Maybe my least favorite Duke coach of all time! And none of them came into a program as bad as Duke was when Cut arrived. Even in the worst days of the late 60’s through 1990, we never had winless or one win seasons.

yes, we do rehash this stuff a lot, but it needs to be said again that none of Cut's predecessors made competitive money, (Roff and Franks were around $500k/year) and Cut came in at $1.8 Million, is now at $2.66 million, so expectations should be higher...the only university employees who make more according to the last info I saw (two years old) are K and Triplett who runs DUMAC (Duke U. and Duke Endowments). President Vincent Price makes substantially less.