2011-2012 Football Previews – Atlantic Coast Conference – Duke Blue Devils
Cutcliffe has made some progress with the Blue Devils, though with a team that went 3-9 last year, progress is a relative term.
ACC 2011-12 Football Previews: Duke Blue Devils
Coach: David Cutcliffe
2010 Record: 3-9
Duke Gambling Odds from Sportsbook.com to win BCS: +5000
Duke Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
Duke’s offense is respectable – especially the passing game – but the defense was the worst in the ACC last year and doesn’t look to be getting much better.
For continued improvement, Duke must out-score its opponents in a kind of “Indianapolis Colts-from-ten-years-ago” theme (a decent description considering the teams’ uniforms are eerily similar).
In the four years Cutcliffe has been the head man, Duke hasn’t regressed at all, so that at least is encouraging; Duke has won more games in his three seasons than the program did in its previous eight years.
We will see what tricks Cutcliffe has to show us in Year Four.
Team Strengths
The productive offense is built around QB Sean Renfree. The Blue Devils averaged 381 yards per game in 2010, which was their best showing since 1989. Much of that production is coming courtesy the passing game, with Renfree hucking the pigskin to WRs Conner Vernon and Donovan Varner and H-back/TE Cooper Helfet.
Junior RB Desmond Scott could have a decent year running the ball, as he had 530 yards rushing in ’10 but only registered three majors. Duke also has strong sophomore Juwan Thompson as a change of pace.
The special teams aren’t even a slight worry with senior K Will Snyderwine and junior P Alex King holding the reins.
Team Weaknesses
Duke’s defense is, in a word, terrible. Free safety Matt Daniels is a tackling machine, but after that there are people switching positions, people playing out of position and people that were just downright preyed upon in 2010. The cornerbacks especially must get better. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Senior Johnny Williams is a converted WR (which means he had no hands to begin with) and sophomore Ross Cockrell is a bit of a weak link.
The Blue Devils did not generate much pressure on the QB last year, so there has to be a fire lit under the defensive line. Look for redshirt freshman Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo to possibly earn himself some playing time. He at least has the build to be an explosive pass rusher.
The best news is probably senior nose guard Charlie Hatcher, who is at least 300 lbs.
2011-12 Duke Football Prediction: 4-8
The Blue Devils have small wide receivers, but their passing game flourishes in a system where every WR is seemingly a slotback and TE Helfet works the seam well. Renfree is legitimately a good QB and Cutcliffe has raved about his added offseason improvement.
The running game should also get a bit better with another year under Scott’s belt and the fresh legs of Thompson. All of this translates to Duke having an effective, potentially more balanced offense. It is the defense that needs to step it up.
Duke has a fairly weak early-season schedule, which means they could start 4-3. Reality sets in big time after Oct. 22 vs. Wake Forest, though, and drawing Stanford as a non-conference opponent certainly doesn’t help.
Expect Cutcliffe’s Duke team to continue to make improvement the way it has – in tiny increments.
2011 Duke Blue Devils Schedule
9/3/11 7:00 PM ET RICH
9/10/11 3:30 PM ET STAN
9/17/11 12:30 PM ET @BCOLL
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET TULNE
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET @FLINT
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET FSU
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET WFRST
10/29/11 12:00 PM ET VATCH
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET @MIAMI
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET @VIRG
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET GATCH
11/26/11 12:00 PM ET @NCAR
