2014-15 Football – (ACC) – Blue Devils Preview
Last season was quite the memorable one for the Blue Devils on the gridiron. They wound up winning the Coastal division before taking on Florida State in the ACC Championship game.
Duke Blue Devils
Head Coach: David Cutcliffe
2013 Record: 10-4
Gambling Odds to win National Championship: 75/1 (field)
Gambling Odds to win (ACC): 22/1
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Sure they got crushed but for a program like Duke it showed that when everything comes together they can do more than just finish 7-6. Nobody expects them to repeat their success of a year ago but this program has proven to be competitive as long as Cutcliffe is at the helm.
Strengths:
Ever since Cutcliffe came to Durham the Blue Devils have been able to move the ball on offense, so much so that the Florida Gators needed to steal away their offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.
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Just take a moment to digest that, the Gators went to Duke to try and solve their offensive problems.
The key for Duke has always been throwing the ball and this year the good times should keep on rolling. They have a senior starter returning at QB and three starters returning at receiver too.
Chief among that group is Jamison Crowder who is maybe the best possession receiver in college football. He is only 5’9” but you just can’t cover him.
The Blue Devils will never have a dominant defense like FSU but they should be strong on the backend. They play a three safety alignment and all three return featuring Jeremy Cash who was preseason All-ACC.
He was second on the team in tackles and snagged 4 interceptions to tie for the team lead.
Weaknesses:
Duke was only middle of the pack on defense and will be looking to replace 32 starting defensive linemen. They have some experience there with all juniors and seniors but they are not very stout having given up 175ypg on the ground.
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This is going to be an area they have to prove that they actually have depth.
Speaking of that depth the Blue Devils, despite last year and recent other success were only 13th in the conference in terms of recruiting. It is getting better and their recruiting reach is stretching but the players they bring on in reserve don’t have nearly the pedigree of the likes of FSU, Miami or Clemson.
Anthony Boone may be a senior starter at QB but there is no depth behind him with the transfer of Brandon Connette. Boone has started just a handful of games and has been terrible at times (7 interceptions over back to back week last season).
There is no safety net this season so he must be more consistent.
Gambling Prediction: 7-5
2014 Duke Schedule:
- Aug 30 – Elon
- Sep 6 – @Troy
- Sep 13 – Kansas
- Sep 20 – Tulane
- Sep 27 – @Miami(FL)
- Oct 11 – @Georgia Tech
- Oct 18 – Virginia
- Nov 1 – @Pittsburgh
- Nov 8 – @Syracuse
- Nov 15 – Virginia Tech
- Nov 20 – North Carolina
- Nov 29 – Wake Forest
Duke has a weird schedule this season. They should start 4-0 before losing at the Canes. After that they have just two game in the month of October which sets up for a jammed November, including hosting Virginia Tech and North Carolina within a span of 6 days.
The Blue Devils will come back down to earth this season but look for them in underdog roles because they will still be able to move the ball, especially through the air.
They can play catchup when needed.
