The Chronicle's 2020 football preview

september 7, 2020

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

the chronicle’s football preview

END GAME

2 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

dukechronicle.com

The Chronicle

RUMPH RISE

‘Never stay complacent’: The rise of Chris Rumph II

By Max Rego Assistant Blue Zone Editor

It has been a long and winding journey for Chris Rumph II. Six cities in 14 years growing up. Six different programs to be around. Experiencing the joy of seeing your dad take part in back-to-back national championships. That probably is not your average childhood, but then again, so goes the life of being the son of a football coach.

Rumph’s father, Chris Rumph Sr., is a longtime assistant coach who currently works with outside linebackers for the Houston Texans. Since starting his coaching career in 2003, Rumph Sr. traversed the country with his family in tow, going from program to program. Whether it was Memphis, Alabama or Florida, the Rumph family stuck together through the wild ride.

Unconventional start in the game You would think that the younger Rumph would have a football in his hands from the time he could walk, and that he would be suiting up for pee-wee at the first opportunity. But that surprisingly was not the case.

“When I was growing up, the rule that [my dad] had was that I wasn’t allowed to play football until high school,” Rumph told The Chronicle. “Even when I got to high school, I was more of a basketball and baseball player. I just started playing football because I got tired of baseball, I just kind of didn’t want to play.”

When Rumph finally set foot on the gridiron, his relationship with his dad developed into one centered around football as well.

“That’s kind of when the football connection between us really began,” Rumph said. “He started coaching me [on] little things off the field when we were at home, just watching film of old high school games. Ever since then, he’s just helped me increase my knowledge of the game as well as my technique.”

When he got started with football, Rumph did not have the body type to excel as a pass rusher.

However, the dedication that Rumph had for improvement,

Chronicle File Photo Pro Football Focus ranked Rumph as the No. 7 player in all of college football heading into the 2020 season.

along with the steady mentorship of a dad who has made a career off of developing talented defensive linemen, helped him compensate for his lack of size with speed and agility.

“My junior year, I was like 170 [pounds] as a matter of fact,” Rumph said. “It was really important for him to help me work on my technique because that’s what got me to be loose and not get caught up in all those trench wars. Growing up, he was always there helping me, and I appreciate him greatly.”

Making his mark in Durham Rumph, who arrived at Duke as a three-star outside linebacker out of Gainesville, Fla., was seemingly just another member of a recruiting class that ranked 34th nationally by ESPN. Well, his performance over the last two years has proven that sort of analysis to be way off the mark.

You’ve seen the numbers: 72 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 13 pressures in 25 games, many of which with limited snaps, including a career-best eight tackles and 3.5 sacks in an utterly

dominant performance last year against Miami. For many, that stellar display against the Hurricanes over Thanksgiving weekend was when their eyes opened and they realized just how special Rumph was.

All the while, Rumph has made just one start in his time at Duke, a stat that seems to be some sort of practical joke at first until you realize that the best is most definitely yet to come.

Ever since the clock ticked down on the 2019 regular season, Rumph has received recognition from virtually every sports media outlet with a pulse. He was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the No. 7 player in all of college football just a few weeks ago, as well as being named as a preseason second-team All-American by CBS Sports. Not too shabby for a guy that was considered undersized for an edge rusher coming out of high school.

But one would fail to notice all the headlines and accolades when talking to the F.W. Buchholz High School product. Most players try to exude an aura of humility, but Rumph truly seems like someone who is not at all concerned with the recognition. Once again, his mindset shifts back to the values that he learned from his parents.

“My parents are my biggest fans,” Rumph said. “They see all those accolades and are excited, but they’re also the main ones pushing me to do more and never stay satisfied, especially my mom. She tells me to keep grinding and that ‘you’ve got bigger goals in your head,’ so that just helps me stay grounded and continue to work hard until my time’s up with football. I can look back and say, ‘I gave it everything I got, and hopefully I’ll be in a pretty good spot in the future.’”

Over time, Rumph has built a fantastic relationship with his fellow classmates, particularly fellow defensive linemen Victor Dimukeje and Drew Jordan. Rumph recalls that the bond his class shares began before they even participated in a single practice as Blue Devils.

“Oh man, the relationship didn’t even start when we See RUMPH on Page 7

SPECIAL TEAMS DIVE

‘The spirit of the team’: Diving into Duke special teams

By Cam Polo Associate Sports Editor

offseason. While Duke fans have been talking about the quarterback competition all summer, there has quietly been a showdown brewing at the punter position, with Hubbard tossing his hat in the ring. The senior from Dallas is making it known that his five months in quarantine, and years backing up the thunderous leg of Austin Parker, weren’t for naught.

“We came back looking better than we have in any previous year,” Wilson said of himself and Hubbard. “He absolutely was grinding over break…. I think that drive is important for both of us, you see both of us getting better and better than we were just weeks before…. He’s also the

In a season mired in uncertainty, one thing remains clear for Duke football—special teams will continue to be a strong suit.

According to Football Outsiders, the Blue Devils ranked 15th in the nation last year in SFEI, a statistic measuring the per-possession scoring advantage that a squad’s special teams unit has against an average opponent. While the average fan may turn away from the television or head to the bathroom when the kicking team trots out, the Blue Devils’ efforts in between possessions were a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing 2019 campaign.

“The spirit of the team lives in special teams,” special teams coach Kirk Benedict said. “It is, in fact, offense and defense coming together, and I think the young guys have really taken on that mantra.”

Of course, Benedict is referring to the up-and-comers, names that the casual Blue Devil supporter may not have heard of before: the likes of punters Porter Wilson and Jackson Hubbard, or wideout and kick returner Damond Philyaw-Johnson shouldering large roles on a Duke squad featuring a lot of new personnel. To facilitate team bonding, the immensely large special teams unit has been meeting in its large indoor practice facility on campus, making sure to maintain social distance, but simultaneously building the culture that must reside within every team.

Benedict’s optimism comes even though the Blue Devils lost two dangerous weapons on the kicking side of the equation: A.J. Reed and Austin Parker. Reed hit 15-of-18 field goals while managing to knock through all 34 PATs last season, and Parker showcased a booming leg that earned him an average of 45.7 yards per punt. Fighting through losses at two key positions often proves difficult for a team, but there isn’t any shortage of confidence from Wilson.

“We have the potential to grow and be one of the best special teams units that Duke has ever had,” he said.

It may seem like a wild conjecture from a redshirt Courtesy of Duke Athletics freshman who didn’t see a snap last fall, but his confidence Assistant coach Kirk Benedict leads one of the best is echoed by his coach and fueled by the work put in this special teams groups in the ACC.

best holder in the country right now, no doubt.”

The efforts of the two punters have drawn a fair amount of attention from Benedict, who relishes the drive that his players have shown in every practice, making mention that there was no decision on who the starter would be. “[General] Douglas MacArthur once said, ‘Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other days, on other fields, bear the fruits of victory’,” Benedict said, switching a phrase or two but communicating the raw determination that has been on full display through an extended training camp.

The comparison seems an apt one, with the two punters going to war on the practice field for the chance to represent Duke on fourth down.

But even if there is some friendly strife on one end of the field, the other provides the Blue Devils with some security in the continued presence of Philyaw-Johnson, the Blue Devils’ dynamite returner. Recently named to the 2020 preseason All-ACC team, the Pensacola, Fla., native is working toward another big season.

The redshirt junior has been a mainstay at the kick returning position, despite being listed as a wideout. On lightning quick legs, he averaged 32.3 yards per return last year, good for the second best in the nation behind Virginia’s Joe Reed.

That number includes his electric performance against Wake Forest, where he racked up 251 kickoff return yards in the game and two returns for a touchdown. The hapless Demon Deacons couldn’t touch him, and Duke will be hoping for more of that this fall.

“He’s really dangerous,” Benedict said. “If I was the opposing team’s special teams coordinator, I would be scared. He’s got elite speed, you’re talking about [the] fastest guy on the team. Damond has that fearless attitude and the elite speed to go with it…he’s the complete package.”

This is high praise coming from Benedict, who despite his easygoing attitude off the field, clearly puts See SPECIAL TEAMS on Page 7

The Chronicle

dukechronicle.com

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | 3

JOKER

‘Born ready’: Jalon Calhoun and the Joker

By Jake C. Piazza Blue Zone Editor

Prior to last season, an artist penned a Joker tattoo on Jalon Calhoun’s calf. The tattoo serves as an eternal reminder to Duke’s sophomore wide receiver to always have the mentality of someone who is prepared to do what needs to be done.

One step ahead. Intelligent. Trailblazer.

Those qualities are why the Joker has continuously evaded Batman and also why Calhoun led Duke in receiving yards and touchdown receptions in his first year ever playing wide receiver. Though Calhoun spent the entirety of his high school career at quarterback, he made a seemingly-effortless switch to wideout upon his arrival in Durham, shining as a rare bright spot in Duke’s 110th-ranked passing offense.

“One thing that just stood out about the Joker was he was different from everybody else and he didn’t care what everybody else thought of him,” Calhoun said. “He was always one step, two steps, three steps ahead.”

Calhoun the quarterback At Southside High, a small high school in Greenville, S.C., Division I FBS football offers rarely happen. In fact, until Calhoun’s senior year of high school, they didn’t happen.

Calhoun quarterbacked the Southside Tigers’ Cinderella run to the state quarterfinal during his senior year.

Despite coming up short of a title, Calhoun and one of his teammates garnered attention from college football scouts and ended up with FBS offers, the first two such offers in the school’s history.

“Every young man and young woman in our school now believes that, ‘Hey, I can do that too,’” Southside football head coach Jeremy West said. “And it’s all because of [Calhoun] and his class.”

West has a son in sixth grade, who has Calhoun’s image as the screensaver on his iPad. “My son thinks the world rises and sets in Jalon

Calhoun,” West said.

West’s son is not alone.

Whenever Calhoun returns home, he does not come empty-handed. Rather, he comes with something for all the little kids in his hometown who admire him. Despite college football consuming most of his schedule, spending time with the youth in his community is something that Calhoun makes a priority.

“It means everything to be a Southside Tiger honestly,” Calhoun said in a 2018 interview with Greenville County Schools Athletics. “The legacy I want to leave here for the young kids is they can make it out of anywhere even being at a small school that doesn’t get a lot of recruitment.”

West remembers the countless times he saw Calhoun on the field on Sundays for extra sprints and lifts. He remembers his first full interaction with Calhoun, in which the future Blue Devil spent their entire car ride studying West’s playbook and asking him questions after each page.

Calhoun’s hometown is better known for its rising ‘foodie’ culture than for football, making the path to college football from Greenville anything but a smooth road.

“There were so many times that I honestly didn’t think I was going to go Division I because of the talk or where I was from and the history,” Calhoun said.

Colleges had trouble deciding what position Calhoun would fit in for their program. His tremendous athleticism and high football IQ allowed him to thrive at quarterback in high school, but few colleges saw a future for him there.

On top of that, Calhoun wanted to be at a college that would provide him the opportunity for a respected degree for life after football.

“There’s not many people that make it out of South Carolina,” Calhoun said.

When Calhoun felt trapped in the Greenville quicksand, he looked to his late grandfather.

“My grandpa, he always said I was ‘born ready,’” Calhoun, who wears a chain around his neck with his grandfather’s words, said.

BEST. BURRITO. EVER.

Finding Duke blue Despite Calhoun’s born ready mindset, college coaches weren’t always ready to give him a chance. His recruiting process started with him and his father emailing schools.

After his father got the ball rolling, Calhoun’s Joker mentality bore fruit in a way that is so fitting for his story.

After he finished playing quarterback at a Georgia Tech camp, he casually switched over to defensive back and wide receiver at that same camp.

See CALHOUN on Page 7

Stay up to date on all things Duke with The Chronicle’s targeted email newsletters!

Daily Headlines Subscribe to our daily email with The Chronicle’s top headlines.

The Dirt Subscribe to our weekly email about what’s trending at Duke.

The Grundown

OPEN LATE Favorite menu items chicken burrito $6.86 Veggie Quesadilla $3.50 Steak Nachos $7.52 Chips and Salsa $2.79

Courtesy of Duke Athletics

Calhoun led Duke in receptions and receiving touchdowns as a true freshman last season.

Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter for graduate students.

1920 1/2 Perry St. @ Ninth Street Just a block from East Campus

dukechronicle.com/page/daily-newsletters

dukechronicle.com

4 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

The Chronicle

AN OFFSEASON

By Evan Kolin

and the things we can’t do anything about,” Cutcliffe said.

“So I reminded them, ‘Let’s focus on the things we can do.’

“I’ve got a pretty simple mind, so what I said were two Exactly one month after Duke suspended all in-person things in the first meeting, and I didn’t want to get past two classes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, David things. All of us had enough on our minds. I said we can Cutcliffe stood in front of a Zoom screen and stressed the all pray, and this is an appropriate time regardless of your faith…. And we can all be strong.” necessity of a uniform response across college football.

“I think it’s really important that this isn’t done from conference to conference,” Cutcliffe, head coach of the Blue The preparation Devils’ football squad, said in the April 10 press conference. “I According to Lehman, the first rounds of meetings were hope it doesn’t get too involved with state politics, but there’s a focused on providing the players accurate information in a compassionate and empathetic way. chance of that. I think there has to be uniformity.”

“When we knew they weren’t going to come back in Five months later and, well, here we are.

The college football world has split right down the April, we communicated that. When we knew they wouldn’t middle this summer—six of the 11 FBS conferences and come back in May, same thing: we would communicate,” three of the Power Five conferences remain scheduled to Lehman said.

Lehman added that the team remained committed through take the field this fall, including Duke and the ACC. Of course, these decisions weren’t just made on a whim. the spring and into the summer to ensuring the players were Months of planning and preparation went into returning safe and healthy, both physically and emotionally. to play amid a pandemic, with virtually every part of the Amid the emotional rollercoaster, however, Lehman and his staff knew that preparation for a potential 2020 process requiring some sort of adjustment. campaign would have to begin immediately.

“In a pandemic, you’ll probably make a mistake if you The beginning It was the first week of March when Kevin Lehman, have to do stuff as you go, or if you have to make it up as Duke’s executive director of football administration, first you go,” Lehman said. “We started tackling how to prepare Courtesy of Duke Athletics for literally [the season opener] in early April.”

The Blue Devils started fall camp Aug. 7 and had their started to realize that COVID-19 was “different.”

Of course, the team didn’t know what its exact schedule He and Cutcliffe had just left Portland, where the Blue first team scrimmage Aug. 22.

Devil head coach was doing a lecture with Nike, when a would look like back in April, with the Blue Devils’ original Kirkland, Wash., nursing home a few hours north reported 2020 slate being completely revamped in early August. But what Lehman was able to do was start planning on ways that the first outbreak in the United States.

However, it was still unclear the degree of impact that the team would be able to safely travel to and from its likely ACC destinations.

COVID-19 would end up having.

One of the first things he made sure to do was stay updated A few days later, Duke wrapped up its third spring practice, with the players set to take a week off for spring on the COVID-19 guidelines for the companies the team break and return the following week for the remainder of would need to work with—Delta, Marriott, Hilton, etc.—to spring camp. Lehman and his staff ’s main concerns at this ensure that their cleaning and sanitation policies would ensure point centered on players being delayed getting back to a safe environment for the staff and players.

From there, Lehman began looking at the smaller campus and having them avoid COVID-19 hot spots during nuances, such as the fact that pregame meals in the hotel their vacations.

It wasn’t until spring break began that serious conversations would have to be eaten on paper plates with plastic utensils started occurring regarding students not returning to campus and in rooms that allowed for physical distancing, and that extra buses would be needed to allow for physical distancing at all. By March 10, that became the reality.

“In our administrative side, it was some students may on the rides to and from the airport.

“Once you set up certain non-negotiables, or absolute not be able to [return to campus] because of flight delays or because of possible levels of exposure, so we may have truths, you figure out how to make them work,” Lehman some quarantine,” Lehman told The Chronicle. “And then said. “And that’s the fun part of the job—fun, if you could it reached a point where students are not coming back to use that word—because it’s constant problem-solving.”

Lehman also noted how cooperative many of the campus unless they have nowhere else to go.”

While Lehman emphasized that the decision didn’t come companies were to accommodate their requirements. as a “surprise” or a “shock,” he did note the rapid progression “The travel industry, it’s been hit really hard,” Lehman said. of the situation over those first few days of spring break, “So all the people that we’ve contracted with or set up plans with Courtesy of Duke Athletics which led to a pretty emotional first team meeting. are super, super excited to work with us because it means they’re Duke was one of the final ACC teams to return to campus “The first team meeting was somewhat somber, because bringing staff back in that may have been furloughed.” when it came back to Durham July 12.

Amid all the planning, however, Lehman made sure to we were really all hit dead in the mouth by this, not knowing anything, and anxiety naturally comes from the unknown keep in mind what the overarching goals were.

Sports Editor

The Chronicle

dukechronicle.com

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | 5

LIKE NO OTHER “As much as we want to have a season, as much as our kids want to have a season, keeping them safe is what the The season goal was,” Lehman said. “The No. 1 objective was having our While things were back to running relatively smoothly kids in a safe environment on campus, and then everything on Duke’s campus, talks across the country about the else followed after that.” plausibility of an upcoming college football season began heating up.

The return Slowly, schools began to drop.

As all this preparation for the season occurred behind Connecticut was the first FBS school to drop fall football when the scenes, student-athletes from other ACC schools began it cancelled its season Aug. 5, with the MAC becoming the first to return to campus for summer workouts, which were FBS conference to cancel its fall season three days later. allowed to begin June 1.

Then, on Aug. 11, the big dominoes fell: the Big Ten and The majority of the conference’s schools had athletes the Pac-12 officially postponed their fall football seasons. return to campus sometime over the first two weeks in June, Meanwhile, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 all announced they with neighboring North Carolina returning its first batch of would continue on, with Cutcliffe expressing his optimism football players June 12. that Duke’s season would still occur in full.

Meanwhile, Duke’s athletes stayed at home, with very little public “In my heart of hearts I believe we can play 11 games, information as to when they’d be allowed back to Durham. and we’re going to get it done,” Cutcliffe said Aug. 14. “I feel Finally, on June 30, President Vincent Price included really good about that.” a short bullet point in his fall semester update: “studentPart of that optimism may have been due to a meeting athletes will begin a phased return to campus July 12.” Duke the entire athletic department, including all studentAthletics later announced that football would be the first athletes, had with Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a doctor in the team to return to campus on that date. division of infectious diseases at Duke and the chair of the But why did it take so much longer than most other ACC ACC medical advisory team. schools? “[The medical advisory group’s] meetings left [Wolfe] in a “I can’t speak to the specifics, but I think everybody position to where he was able to have confidence that the season wanted to make sure when we did it, we’d do it right,” will be able to move forward because we were putting plans in place Lehman said. “And that it would be best for everyone within that were able to do that,” Lehman said. “The other conferences, the Duke community, not just Duke football, or Duke again, I can’t speak to it. You don’t know what their conversations Athletics or even Duke University.” were, you don’t know what their feelings were, you don’t know what The initial return to campus wasn’t perfectly smooth, however. the sentiments were within their governments as to how guidelines While it took a few weeks for Duke to release the official were set up.” numbers, it was eventually announced that 25 studentFour Duke players did opt out of the 2020 campaign due to athletes—later said to all be members of the football team— COVID-19 concerns, including two starters: long snapper Ben had tested positive for COVID-19 between the team’s return Wyatt and linebacker Brandon Hill. Other than those four, however, July 12 and July 31.

Cutcliffe hasn’t noted any other player concerns as the team marches “We had a few early issues with people [bringing] toward South Bend, Ind., for its season opener. things from home they didn’t know, you had a couple of parents that were sick with it and didn’t know it and you The future get into a dorm setting and you’re obviously going to have a While he’s grateful that his team is able to continue with its fall transmission,” Cutcliffe said Aug. 21. “I think we have found season, Cutcliffe’s worst fears are occurring right in front of his eyes. that the transmissions really occur in living spaces probably Not only did the FBS fail to come to a uniform plan, but even the globally more than any other place.”

Power Five conferences split apart.

Lehman said that these early positive tests “didn’t cause “The subject you’re bringing up to be honest with you is bothering any issue that wasn’t manageable,” with one of the biggest me, personally,” Cutcliffe said Aug. 14 in response to a question on the changes being that all athletes were placed in single rooms possibility of two different 2020 college football seasons.“I was hoping rather than having roommates, a policy that coincided with at the beginning of this thing...that we would get a unified approach.

Duke’s housing change July 26.

I felt like from the beginning that that was going to be necessary. I do The Blue Devils never had to pause their offseason workouts, have a fear of never seeing college football be the same.” and since the start of August Duke Athletics has reported just one And therein lies the true story behind the most unique additional positive test among all student-athletes. offseason the sport has ever seen—not in what’s happened “I don’t think if we didn’t have the type of kids that we do, already, but what’s still yet to come. we would be successful with it,” Lehman said. “And I quite “It’s too early to be seen,” Lehman said, “But I think that frankly think the type of kid we have is different enough to if anybody expects [that] there’s a point where we’re just where they say, ‘I understand, thank you, I appreciate the going to flip around and do everything like we’ve once done effort you’re doing to try to make this successful for us.’” it, they’re not looking at the world realistically.”

Selena Qian | Graphics Editor

Courtesy of Duke Athletics

Wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor has had to ensure his receivers wouldn’t be affected by chemistry issues.

Courtesy of Duke Athletics

Head coach David Cutcliffe has expressed optimism that the Blue Devils will play a full 11-game season.

6 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

The Chronicle

dukechronicle.com

GILBERT ISLAND

Mark Gilbert’s emotional journey back to the field

By Shane Smith Sports Managing Editor

Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill., Sept. 8, 2018.

Mark Gilbert lines up in press coverage on third-and-10 with eight minutes left in the second quarter. Duke’s star cornerback is at the top of his game, bestowed with 2017 All-ACC First Team honors and reaching mock drafts as a potential first-round pick.

Five seconds later, the script flipped, and Gilbert was down on the field injured, his career temporarily put on hold.

Now after a couple of tumultuous years of rehab and training, the redshirt senior will suit up again for the Blue Devils, looking to retake his place as one of the best defensive backs not just in the ACC, but in the country.

“Those blood, sweat and tears on that practice field,” Gilbert said. “Doing that with your teammates, you don’t realize how much you miss that until it’s taken away from you.”

‘A great spirit and a great attitude’ The official diagnosis for the injury Gilbert suffered against Northwestern was a dislocated hip, suffered in just the second game of his junior year. Dr. Steven Olson and Dr. Annunziato Amendola performed the surgery on the injured hip and the team announced he would miss the remainder of the 2018 season, though many Duke fans didn’t grasp how serious the injury was.

In Aug. 2019, Gilbert again went in for surgery, this time to do what head coach David Cutcliffe described as “clean up work” on the hip. Though there was some optimism that

Gilbert would play in 2019, he ultimately sat out the entirety of last season.

“That was a mental battle that I had throughout this entire process,” Gilbert said.

“There was a little bit of doubt. There were thoughts of was I ever going to play again. And when I kind of realized I was going to play again, it was the thought of was I ever going to be the player I was before and was I going to reach the elite level I was playing at my sophomore year.”

A typical day for Gilbert in his recovery would be an early start around 8 a.m., when he would rehab for an hour to an hour and a half.

The Terry Sanford High product would go in for treatment later in the day, and the training staff made sure to include occasional off days as well.

“We had an amazing plan for me to return to play,” Gilbert said. “I never felt rushed throughout the process. Our training staff did a great job making me feel comfortable and I was very trusting of them throughout the whole process.”

After Gilbert was cleared to play, he returned to practice for spring camp, though there were only a limited number of practices before camp was abruptly ended due to COVID-19. The former three-star recruit was listed in the Injury Report as full speed during those spring practices.

“He’s had a great spirit and a great attitude,” Cutcliffe said back in April about Gilbert’s play in the spring. “The amount of work he’s put in is crazy. After the first day he told me, ‘Wow, I forgot how fast everything is. Guys are fast.’ It’s just getting back to it.”

Though the on-field time in March was

Chronicle File Photo

Gilbert hasn’t played since Sept. 8, 2018. a confidence booster for Gilbert, he’s taken fall camp in stride since it kicked off in early August. After completing the full camp, he’s now had the chance to reestablish himself in the grind and build back his assertiveness on the field.

“I’m just a lot stronger with being able to practice longer,” Gilbert said. “I’m able to get into my groove and gain my confidence over time. Those three practices in the spring were good to get my feet wet, but it wasn’t really enough to reach the confidence level that I want to be at, which camp has allowed me to do.”

‘The same Mark Gilbert’ At this point in time, the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder isn’t on preseason All-ACC teams and won’t be in the first round of any mock

drafts, but Gilbert confidently stated that he is a better player than he was before the injury. If Duke wants him to lock down one side of the field or an opponent’s best player again, the confidence the 23-year old is exuding right now is certainly the right first step.

“It’s the same Mark Gilbert that you guys knew and loved before he got hurt,” co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri said. “He’s been absolutely fantastic and an even more mature version because he’s had to overcome so much adversity in his life. I’ve known Mark since he was a sophomore in high school and to see him grow and progress to who he is today—not only what he is, he’s always been a talented dude, but who he—that’s a special guy.”

With so much time off the field, one of Gilbert’s main goals was to become a leader for his younger teammates in the secondary.

Former Duke defensive backs coach Derek Jones departed the program this offseason for Texas Tech, and with cornerbacks coach Chris Hampton set for his first season in Durham, it’s important for Gilbert and his fellow upperclassmen to aid the transition as best they can.

“There’s going to be great competition in the secondary, something I’m looking forward to. And I know [Gilbert’s] looking forward to it,” Cutcliffe said. “He’s been a good vocal leader. I know our young people not only listen to him because he’s a great player. I think they all know the price he’s paid to get back to where he is.”

See GILBERT on Page 7

DUELING COLUMNISTS

Is Duke a serious ACC contender?

New offense, talented defense will lead Blue Devils Since Duke last appeared in the ACC Championship Game in 2013, there have been empty years of hope, trying to reach that national stage so important for a still-growing program. All the football attention in the Triangle Shane Smith may be directed toward Chapel Hill right now, but the Blue Devils have a sneaky chance to make that conference title game in 2020.

I know, I know—Duke finished 6th in the ACC Coastal Division last year and failed to qualify for a bowl game after a 3-1 start, but was head coach David Cutcliffe’s squad that far away from contention?

The Blue Devils’ 3-5 record in conference play certainly doesn’t make it appear that way, but two late-game collapses—a defensive meltdown against Pittsburgh and a costly turnover against North Carolina— could have easily flipped to Duke victories. If the Blue Devils don’t turn in an uninspired loss in the rain to Wake Forest, then they would’ve been tied with Virginia for the best ACC record in the Coastal.

The hypotheticals from last year don’t matter anymore though, and there isn’t even a Coastal Division to win this year with an adjusted conference season. Duke is going to have to finish second in the overall standings, competing with three ranked teams and a host of other talented squads.

It’s not going to be easy for the Blue Devils, but there is a severe underestimation of the

talent on the 2020 roster.

The strong-suit, per usual, will be a defense led by co-coordinators Matt Guerrieri and Ben Albert. When the offense could give them some rest, the Blue Devils were a formidable defensive team in 2019, and they return most of that group this season. The loss of defensive tackle Edgar Cerenord is slightly concerning for Duke’s interior, however, combine one of the best secondaries in the ACC with two potential all-conference pass rushers in Chris Rumph II and Victor Dimukeje and Duke should reach an elite defensive level. That is, if the offense can keep it off the field.

On the other side of the ball, there is a lot of excitement within the program about a newlook offense run by Cutcliffe. Though Quentin Harris undoubtedly provided leadership last season, Duke will start an improved talent at the position this year with the big arm of Clemson transfer Chase Brice.

When you look at the schedule Cutcliffe put together, it’s clearly not a collection of easy wins. That’s not to say it isn’t manageable for the Blue Devils, though. The team will face two opponents ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 in North Carolina and Notre Dame, the latter in the season opener where both teams will undoubtedly work out some kinks.

Duke will face most of its regular Coastal foes, but will not have to face Miami nor Pittsburgh, two teams slotted for solid 2020 campaigns. N.C. State, Boston See POINT on Page 7

Daunting schedule will keep Duke under .500 This fall’s Blue Devils feature a trio of some of the most exciting weapons in the program in recent memory: a promising quarterback transfer in Chase Brice, an electric kick returner in Damond PhilyawJohnson and perhaps the most talented pass rusher in the nation Derek Saul in Chris Rumph II. All these pieces make it difficult to say that I simply do not see Duke finishing with a winning record this fall, and it boils down to one simple reason: its schedule. Here’s why the Blue Devils’ 11-game slate makes me think this will be another rebuilding year for head coach David Cutcliffe’s squad.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many college football programs to opt out of playing this fall, the ACC and other conferences have become insular, opting for schedules filled with nearly exclusively conference games. Of Duke’s 11 contests currently scheduled, there is only one nonconference matchup, an Oct. 31 tilt against Charlotte. The rest of the Blue Devils’ opponents will be ACC foes, including No. 10 Notre Dame, which will play the 2020 season as a part of the conference.

So, what’s the big deal with Duke playing 10 of its 11 games against ACC opponents?

In a typical regular season, the Blue Devils would play eight conference games and four nonconference matchups with potential for a bowl game against a nonconference foe as well. Assuming Duke picks up a win against Charlotte, it would still need to win five ACC games to finish with a winning record of 6-5.

Winning half of their conference games may seem like no big deal, but the Blue Devils have not finished .500 or better in ACC play since 2015. In fact, they have not come particularly close. Let’s take a look at Duke’s conference record over the last four years: 2016: 1-7 ACC; 2017: 3-5 ACC; 2018: 3-5 ACC; 2019: 3-5 ACC; Total: 10-22 ACC That 10-22 conference record is ugly, equating to a .313 winning percentage.

Extrapolated over 10 games, that would be just 3.13 wins, far short of the five the Blue Devils would need this season. For reference, let’s look at how Duke fared outside of the ACC in the regular season in that same timeframe: 2016: 3-1 Non-ACC; 2017: 3-1 Non-ACC; 2018: 4-0 Non-ACC; 2019: 2-2 Non-ACC; Total: 12-4 Non-ACC That 12-4 nonconference record looks a heck of a lot better than the 10-22 ACC mark.

Unfortunately for Duke, it will not get the benefit of playing against the likes of North Carolina A&T, Middle Tennessee or N.C. Central in 2020.

Though I think the numbers speak for themselves, I would be remiss to not actually discuss any real football here. But that’s the point: I believe in the talent of Brice, I think Noah Gray and Jalon Calhoun are two of the most talented Duke pass catchers in recent memory and Rumph and Victor Dimukeje will punish opposing offensive lines. Even with all of this talent, I simply do not think the Blue Devils are deep enough to overcome their gauntlet of a schedule. Expect another year of rebuilding for Cutcliffe and company.

The Chronicle

RUMPH FROM PAGE 2 got here as a matter of fact. We had a group chat way before we even got on campus for our official, so we built that connection from the moment you were committed until the time you signed,” Rumph said. “That’s the main reason I committed to here, there’s something special about this class. Everybody knew that we had the chance to flip the script of Duke football.”

Since taking the field for the first time as a redshirt freshman, Rumph has never missed a game, and his motor never seems to turn off, rarities for a defensive lineman in the rugged ACC. If you look back at the circumstances surrounding how he began his youth football career, however, then the lack of injuries and consistent passion he has make perfect sense.

“It helped me develop a love of the game for my own, and not because my dad’s a football coach,” Rumph said regarding his dad not forcing him to play football at a young age. “A lot of people expect you to be the No. 1 player in the nation if your dad’s a coach, but that wasn’t the case with my father. He just let me live my life, he didn’t push anything on me. He let me figure it out for myself. That also came with a lot of freshness in my body because a lot of players are taking hits since they were little. So I have an advantage in that as well, starting late, and I’m just hungry to learn and continue to grow.”

What the future holds Amazingly, Rumph might just be getting started, with the work ethic that has defined his rise continuing to shape both his immediate future at Duke and his budding future at the next level.

“I definitely expect to never stay complacent

CALHOUN FROM PAGE 3 The result was a Georgia Tech scholarship offer, which he accepted one day after receiving. Calhoun’s future looked like it was going to be gold and navy until Duke blue caught his eye.

After a few months committed as a Yellow Jacket, Calhoun changed his mind. When asked why, his answer was immediate and simple: Blue Devil head coach David Cutcliffe.

“When I talked to Coach Cut, [I] looked him in his eyes and he talked to me like a man,” Calhoun said. “Ever since then I’ve just loved to be around Coach Cut and I wanted him to coach me because I knew what he was talking about and I know he could help me do what I wanted to do.”

That same player who spent his weekends in the Southside football facilities now traded in hours of throwing practice for hours of catching passes on the Jugs machine.

As a freshman in 2019, Calhoun eagerly grasped every opportunity to catch extra balls from his quarterbacks, and it paid dividends in his first season as a wide receiver.

Cutcliffe typically used Calhoun in the slot, where 2019 starting quarterback Quentin Harris could get the ball into Calhoun’s hands quickly and let him work in open space. The results were often devastating for opponents—the North Carolina A&T defenders that Calhoun shredded for 105 yards and two touchdowns can vouch for that.

Calhoun has some showstopper highlights from last year, but those highlights fail to show an aspect of his game that has always been critical to his success: intelligence.

This past offseason, Calhoun was unhappy with his football IQ at wide receiver. He had spent all of high school mastering the schematics as a quarterback, but lining up out wide and lining up under center are much different.

dukechronicle.com

and continue to grow,” Rumph said. With the work I put in [during] the offseason, and the opportunity we have this year, not only me, but everyone on the team expects to make a leap. You have more experience under you, you have more knowledge of the game.”

During quarantine, he went to work on multiple new pass rushing techniques with his dad by his side. With a global pandemic forcing the stoppage of all team activities, what better way for Rumph to improve than to go to the lab with the help of the man who knows his skill set better than anyone? Besides, if he can take even a miniature step forward, both the Blue Devils and his constantly improving draft stock will benefit greatly.

“I think of it as like getting new powers, like I’m a superhero,” Rumph said. “Every offseason, you put that work in and you get a new power that you can experiment during camp and figure out your little toolbox that you head in the season with. That’s kind of the way I look at it, it’s a funny way but I’m a fun guy.”

Rumph has consistently made his presence felt ever since arriving in Durham in 2017. The impact that he has had in such a short amount of time is something to behold, and it makes the entire Blue Devil defense a formidable unit as the season approaches.

If he can showcase a few more dynamic moves to get to the quarterback a halfsecond quicker, we might be looking at the greatest season for an edge rusher in the history of the program. At the end of day, however, Rumph is only concerned with making his parents proud and helping his team win as best he can.

Ultimately, staying true to his family values is what makes Chris Rumph tick, and it has resulted in him having the potential to become one of the best defensive lineman in Duke football history.

Calhoun knew if he was going to achieve his lofty goals of 1,000 receiving yards, double-digit touchdowns and a spot on the All-ACC First Team this season, improving on only his physical skills would not be enough. And so he studied.

“When [he was] looking out at that defense before, [Calhoun] could care less if it was a safety, a corner, it didn’t matter, he was just running lines drew on a paper,” Duke wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor said. “Now, he recognizes all the different looks. He sees the tip. He studies tape. He’s hungry to be better and improving his football IQ.”

SPECIAL TEAMS FROM PAGE 2 the fire under his players on the gridiron.

He has been working exclusively with special teams the past two seasons and has a slightly different path to coaching than is traditionally found on the college scene.

Benedict was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany from 2011-2014, being deployed twice in Afghanistan before exiting his role in the army.

He takes a similar approach to the football field—not in the stereotypical sense of drill sergeant, but rather as a molder of young men.

“One of the most rewarding and fun jobs I had in the army was being a platoon leader,” Benedict said. “I say one of because the other one is getting to be the special teams coordinator [for Duke].”

The attitude taken from the leadership of this unit has clearly rubbed off on the players on the field, who understand that their positions may not get the most recognition, but know that they still have a job to do.

So while Blue Devil fans have focused on the changing nature of the season and how this might manifest itself on the offensive or defensive side of the ball, sometimes you need to read between the lines, because this special teams unit has quickly and quietly been preparing itself to dominate every opponent it sees.

“My goal personally is to score every game, no matter if it’s wide receiver touches or [a] kick return,” Philyaw-Johnson said.

And that, perhaps, is an impact that will have the Blue Devil faithful scrambling back from the bathroom, eyes locked to their televisions.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 | 7

POINT FROM PAGE 6 College, Syracuse and Wake Forest are not guaranteed victories, and Florida State is still Florida State, but the Blue Devils have a solid chance to win in every game they play after facing the Fighting Irish, and any scenario where the team can avoid Clemson in the regular season is a good one.

Ultimately, this comes down to a pushpull situation. Duke’s defense is seriously undervalued because of how much time it spends on the field, and the program needs the offense to push the ball down the field with long drives consistently. If one of the quarterbacks can get that done so the defense can shine and the team can finally click? Look out ACC.

Courtesy of Duke Athletics

Chase Brice will lead a resurgent Duke offense as the Blue Devils’ new starting QB.

receiver that he watches videos on, though, as If all goes according to Calhoun’s plan, he will every video offers a new piece that he can take be giving the little kids in Greenville a football glove and make a part of his skill set. with his NFL team’s logo on it in the future.

You’d be hard pressed to find Calhoun away from football. Even in the rare times he allows himself to play video games, Madden NFL is often the game of choice.

Despite all that time he puts in, Calhoun’s love for the game and his teammates FROM PAGE 6 remains pure. Whether it’s his air guitar celebration after a touchdown or a text to his teammates, Calhoun knows how to keep The Blue Devils’ pass defense figures everything in perspective. to be one of the team’s major strengths “He’s an outstanding athlete but he’s in 2020, stacked with talented and humble at the same time,” West said. “He’s experienced players. Gilbert headlines the a real special, unique human being that I cornerbacks along with Josh Blackwell and The future was fortunate enough to be able to coach for Leonard Johnson, while Marquis Waters Calhoun is still an infant in terms of his one year and I will never forget it and will and Michael Carter II lead a safety group football career at the wide receiver position. treasure it for the rest of my life.” that is arguably Duke’s deepest position on But even as an infant, he remains essential to the roster.

Duke’s offensive game plan.

Calhoun’s blossoming legacy Yet, many eyes will follow Gilbert as the “He’s a lego.... He is that guy that can fit, Now, nearly two years removed from season gets underway, wondering if he’ll legos fit together, in any offense that you his playing days at Southside, Calhoun can stack up to his 2017 campaign of 35 tackles, want because of what he has [in his head] look back.

21 passes defended and six interceptions. and what he has [in his heart],” Taylor said.

Division I football. Check.

The North Carolina native says he’s now Calhoun uses the word “dog” often, and On track for a degree. Check. a smarter football player than ever before not in reference to any particular fourAre you happy with the legacy you left and added a more physical aspect to his legged friends. behind at Southside High School? A grin game trying to get back to the shutdown Being a dog means having what Calhoun creeps across his face. corner role he had. calls the “grit” needed to be a dominant “Most definitely. I don’t regret anything...I “That’s my goal, to return back to that competitor. It’s something Calhoun sees in know the work that I put in to get to where ‘Gilbert Island,’” Gilbert said. “But as the that defensive back’s eyes when he trots to I’m at, so there’s just no regret there,” Calhoun player I know that it’s going to take—I the line of scrimmage and sees in the film said. “And that’s really all I can say about that, haven’t played in an actual game in two room as he scouts his next opponent. because everything that I have done is to get to years. Of course, I’m going to have to get “Like what Coach [Taylor] says, ‘Either where I’m at now.” used to it, get used to the game speed, your mom is going to eat or his. Which one Even though the days of Calhoun being but once I do that, ‘Gilbert Island’ will is it going to be?” Calhoun said. a Tiger will get further away every year, definitely be present.”

To Calhoun, receivers that line up only Greenville always keeps a piece of Calhoun Gilbert’s road back to the gridiron has looking for receptions and touchdowns aren’t close to its heart. His name still echoes been a long, tumultuous journey, and now dogs. The dogs are the ones who love to block, through the same PA system on Friday it makes it all the sweeter that his return is be physical and study film just as much as they nights, only now it’s for updates of him here. The program is filled with a palpable like torching defenses. That’s why Calhoun catching passes for the Blue Devils instead buzz about what its star cornerback will watches videos of fellow South Carolina of the Tigers. bring, knowing the work he put in to take native and All-Pro NFL cornerback Stephon The Joker always had a bigger plan, never the field Saturday at Notre Dame.

Gilmore—he wants to get inside the mind of complacent with what had already been achieved.

“I have seen Mark almost in tears trying a cornerback so he can understand how his The tattoo on his calf doesn’t just disappear, and to work his way back,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m defenders think. Calhoun can’t just list one Calhoun has no plans to do so either. very, very proud of that young man.”

GILBERT

The Chronicle

dukechronicle.com

8 | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Where Real Duke Fans Shop!

TOP QUALITY MERCHANDISE. EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. Providing you with the largest selection of officially licensed Duke apparel, gifts and souvenirs, we are your headquarters for the largest selection of everything Duke!

SHOP OUR ENTIRE COLLECTION @

DUKESTORE.COM FREE SHIPPING within the continental U.S.

*

*

Furniture & diploma frames are excluded and subject to individual rates.

Upper Level, Bryan Center, West Campus Phone: 919.684.2344 Store Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:30am - 7pm Saturday: 9am - 6pm | Sunday: 11am - 4pm

Department of Duke University Stores®