august 31, 2018
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THE NEXT GENERATION An influx of young talent provides Duke plenty of pass-catching options beyond wide receiver By Mitchell Gladstone Sports Features Editor
As T.J. Rahming celebrated in the end zone last December in Detroit, one could see relief on the wideout’s face. It was an easy reception, something that came far too often for Rahming last season—a year in which the Blue Devils’ top receiver snagged just two touchdowns despite catching nearly twice as many passes as any other player. As a whole, Duke’s passing game floundered, ranking 79th out of 129 FBS teams with an average of 10.4 yards per completion. Quarterback Daniel Jones said a year ago that his offense, and passing game in particular, had a chance to be both “dynamic” and “explosive.” The results, however, painted a far different picture in 2017. “It’s certainly an exciting position to be in as a quarterback with the receivers we have coming back and a lot of the same faces in the same positions,” Jones said at ACC Media Days in July. “Growing with those guys, we’ve been able to take the next step with a lot of them. And older guys that kind of know what’s going on and know what we expect have made it easier for the younger guys to step in and get going.” Youth is going to be key for these Blue Devils. 2018 will be the final season for three of Duke’s top four receivers—Rahming, Johnathan Lloyd and Chris Taylor—as well as tight ends Daniel Helm and Davis Koppenhaver.
Bre Bradham | Contributing Photographer
Jake Marwede is one of many talented freshmen the Blue Devils have off the bench. But the Blue Devils are loaded with passcatching options, some of whom have yet to see the field in Durham. There’s freshman wide receiver Jake Bobo, who head coach David Cutcliffe described as having “a gift for catching contested passes” at 6-foot-4. Sophomore Noah Gray caught two touchdowns last season—as many as the entire Duke widereceiving corps beyond Rahming—and leads a trio of young tight ends with Jake Marwede and Mark Birmingham. And yet, none of them may be as intriguing in the Blue Devil passing game as a running back.
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“You can’t keep Deon [Jackson] off the field,” head coach David Cutcliffe said in midAugust. “We’re putting both [Brittain Brown and Jackson] on the field at the same time, using Jackson in a lot of places.” Jackson, a consensus three-star recruit out of Atlanta’s Pace Academy, originally split time between receiver and back during his sophomore season of high school before transitioning fully to the running back spot as a junior. He rushed for nearly 1,600 yards that year and was ranked as one of the nation’s top 60 running backs in the class of 2016. As a true freshman in 2017, Jackson saw the field for just 129 snaps—he played mostly
special teams, getting 35 total touches for the Duke offense. But with Shaun Wilson graduated, Jackson seems poised to have a big role in his second season. “Having a history at wide receiver just helps me a lot with route-running, understanding coverages and reading DBs,” Jackson said. “I’m pretty comfortable wherever the coaches put me.” Rahming is the only pass-catcher that has consistently performed for the Blue Devils over the course of multiple seasons, but Cutcliffe hopes they’ll be able to find a little more balance in 2018 and take advantage of depth across the offense. “We’re using a lot of different personnel groupings which helps, not to trick or confuse opponents, but to utilize the different guys we have,” Cutcliffe said. “[Deon] gives us an opportunity...to do a few more unique things with our backs.” Varied personnel groups aren’t necessarily new for Duke—four tight ends played in every game last season for the Blue Devils. What is changing, though, is their usage levels in the pro game. All multiple tight-end sets (with either one or two running backs) in the NFL increased by more than 1 percent from 2016 to 2017. The same can be said for groupings with two running backs, whereas sets with either three or four wide receivers declined. See PASS-CATCHERS on Page 9
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Communication key for increased defensive consistency By Derek Saul Blue Zone Editor
Duke came out guns ablazing in 2018, dismantling N.C. Central, Northwestern, Baylor and North Carolina en route to being just 13 votes outside of the AP Top 25 poll. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, disaster struck—they lost their next six games before rebounding to win their final three contests, including a victory against Northern Illinois in the Quick Lane Bowl to cap the season. So just what went awry for head coach David Cutcliffe and his squad? Much of Duke’s early success can be attributed to a stifling rushing defense that yielded a meager 65.3 yards per game, the second-best mark in the nation through the first four weeks. Additionally, the Blue Devils allowed only 2.3 yards per rushing attempt. In Duke’s six-game slide, its run prevention came crashing back to mediocrity, as it gave up 207.3 yards per game on the ground on 4.5 yards per carry (for reference these would be No. 107 and No. 80 out of 129 Division I teams, respectively, if paced to the whole 2017 season). “I think [responsibility] is one of the biggest things for us,” linebacker Joe Giles-Harris said. “[You need to] hone in on what you have to do and doing your part, your one-eleventh.” A major factor of the dip in production came from breaks in communication among defenders. Long runs, which were few and far between in the beginning of the season, came frequently for Duke’s opponents during the losing streak. At times, there were holes left entirely
unmanned, allowing for the running back to get past the line completely unscathed. In what was perhaps the low point of the season for the Blue Devils’ defense, Pittsburgh running back Darrin Hall ripped off touchdown runs of 79 and 92 yards without a Duke player laying a finger on him. “It’s been an emphasis since I’ve been here to not give up explosive plays. So I think the biggest thing [to stop them] is studying the film, learning from our mistakes in previous years and reps and just understanding what we have to do to limit those,” Giles-Harris said. “When we do limit those plays we’re a much better defense.” With the departure of former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Oklahoma State, Duke will turn to Ben Albert and Matt Guerrieri to share defensive coordinator duties this fall. Albert and Guerrieri will have a highly experienced unit to work with, as eight defensive starters from last season returned to Durham this fall. Giles-Harris, an All-ACC selection in 2017, and Ben Humphreys will spearhead one of the best linebacking corps in the country. The pair had 125 and 70 tackles in 2017, respectively, the two best marks of returning Blue Devils. The highly capable defensive line returns three of four starters in defensive ends Tre Hornbuckle and Victor Dimukeje and defensive tackle Edgar Cerenord. Hornbuckle was a master at providing pressure behind the line of scrimmage, and his 9.5 tackles for loss were second-best on the team, behind only GilesHarris’ 16 tackles for loss.
Bre Bradham | Contributing Photographer
Ben Humphreys will provide veteran leadership and help the defensive backs stay more consistent during his senior season. Duke will face an immediate test in its season opener against Army. The Black Knights had the most effective rushing attack in the nation last year, totaling 4,710 yards on the ground on six yards per carry and 50 rushing
touchdowns. When the teams met last season in West Point, N.Y., Army’s triple-option attack gave the Blue Devils fits. The Black Knights rushed for 226 yards on 57 carries and scored two touchdowns en route to a 21-16 win.
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New-look offensive line provides backbone for Duke attack By Winston Lindqwister Sports Managing Editor
There’s no way around it: Duke’s offensive line could make or break its success this season. We saw what happened last year when miscues at the line left quarterback Daniel Jones vulnerable to stout pass rushes—one of the ACC’s highly-touted quarterbacks was left with almost no room to breathe during a six-game downward spiral. And if the Blue Devils opt to focus on their running game—a likely scenario after redshirt sophomore running back Brittain Brown injected life into last year’s sometimes anemic offensive scheme—Duke needs to be rock-solid in the trenches. But faced with the task of replacing three starters—including vocal team leader, captain and talented center Austin Davis—head coach David Cutcliffe and offensive line coach Jim Bridge will have to find the right mix of talent from a pool with limited experience to cover the Blue Devils’ front line. “We’ve had to replace some people, but I think we’ve challenged those young people back to starting in December,” Cutcliffe said. “Jim Bridge has done a terrific job.... I’m anxious to see our young people. I think we have the chance to be good there, but we have to earn it.” The biggest question looming over Duke’s line is who will fill Davis’ shoes—and how exactly they plan on doing so. Redshirt senior Zach Harmon, a starter from last year’s line with nearly 1,600 snaps to his name, is slated to get the call. However, despite being recruited as a center out of high school, the
Toledo, Ohio, native has spent his last two years on the field alternating between the left and right guard positions. “It has been beneficial for me playing both left and right guard—you learn the offense so much better at different positions and you get a different perspective on what each position feels like on the offensive line,” Harmon said. “I was recruited as a center and played my first two years as a center, transitioned left guard my junior year and last year I was right, so it’s nice being back where I’m most comfortable.” Whether or not Harmon can slide easily into the role of center, he is one of two projected starters with five years of experience and one of the only returning linemen who saw action in every game last season. But the former guard is not Duke’s only option to man the position. After a somewhat unexpected eligibility ruling from the NCAA, the Blue Devils now have the option to turn to Ohio State transfer Jack Wohlabaugh to man the position. Like Harmon, Wohlabaugh offers the versatility to play both center and guard. Although the redshirt sophomore never saw the field as a Buckeye thanks to being first-team AllAmerican Billy Price’s understudy, Wohlabaugh was the No. 4 center prospect in the class of 2015 and will likely give Harmon a run for his money to take on the role. Wohlabaugh adds a crucial level of depth—and some healthy competition—to a position the Blue Devils need to nail down if they want to hope for another winning season. “I keep seeing Jack Wohlabaugh—does he make himself one of the best five?” Cutcliffe said. “It’s an interesting thing, whether it be
guard or backup guard or him at center. There are others that are trying to make moves, which is good to see.” Outside of the battle for center, Duke has four more slots to fill to complete its offensive line—and plenty of former reserves looking to carve out their spot next to the few returning veterans. Holding down the starting slot at left guard will be junior Julian Santos. In his 2017 season, Santos started all 13 contests and is one of five Duke offensive linemen with more than 400 snaps of experience. And filling out the far side will be left tackle Christian Harris, a redshirt senior who appeared in 11 games last season with one career start under his belt.
Sophomore Rakavius Chambers is expected to start at right guard. After Santos, he was just the second true freshman offensive lineman to see game action in the Cutcliffe Era and played in every game last season, albeit as a reserve. Rounding out the line at right tackle will be redshirt sophomore Robert Kraeling, an towering presence who, like Chambers, saw the field in every contest last season off the bench. Although Duke’s projected starters on paper are the Blue Devils’ best options in terms of talent and experience, some projected reserves may have what it takes to earn a start in case of injury or a dip in performance. Redshirt sophomore See O-LINE on Page 9
Bre Bradham | Contributing Photographer
Jack Wohlabaugh joins the Blue Devils after transferring from Ohio State during the offseason.
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‘Above an
How David Cutcliffe lifted Duke foot By Michael Model Sports Editor
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Ten years ago Thursday, Wallace Wade Stadium was filled with optimism and hope, a rare occurrence for a program plagued by incessant defeat. More than 32,000 spectators filled the stands for the 2008 season opener against James Madison—the stadium’s largest attendance total at that point since 1994— despite the fact that the Blue Devils were coming off of a dismal 1-11 campaign. In head coach Ted Roof ’s entire four-year tenure, which ended following the 2007 season, they won just six games. Newly-hired head coach David Cutcliffe had somehow inspired Duke students and fans to show up, despite his program having gone without a bowl victory since 1961 and in the midst of 13 straight losing seasons. “I remember very vividly a feeling coming down the tunnel versus James Madison in the first game here,” Cutcliffe said on a conference call in early August. “There was a nervousness that’s always there, but such an energy and enthusiasm and an appreciation for working with these young men…. The guys that are coming down the tunnel [today] are products of a culture, and that culture started fast.” Cutcliffe was a proven winner, earning SEC Coach of the Year honors in 2003. He also had a strong track record developing quarterbacks, most notably both Eli and Peyton Manning at Ole Miss and Tennessee, respectively. “Everyone wants to win, but you have to have the knowledge of how to do it, and he knew how to do it,” said former Blue Devil athletic director Joe Alleva, who now holds the same position at LSU. “When I interviewed him, it took me about 10 minutes to realize he was the right guy…. He had the right philosophy and the right plan to get it going. It all started with recruiting and he’s done a great job of bringing in quality players that can play in the ACC.” ‘Tired of losing’ While Cutcliffe’s initial recruiting class would not take the field until the following season, much of the foundation and culture change was established from the get-go. In the first eight months of his tenure, prior to the 2008 opener, Cutcliffe stressed the need to improve his team’s conditioning and focus. “We had to get serious about football,” said Thad Lewis, the Blue Devils’ starting quarterback from 2006-09. “We weren’t focused as a team, going out on Thursday night before a game on a Saturday. He cut all of that out, and so he made something that was pretty funny and laughable to the rest of the ACC, he made us contenders.” Duke was bullied throughout Roof ’s tenure. From 2004-07, it lost by at least three touchdowns on 22 occasions, and there was no clear path out of the rut.
The Blue Devils’ facilities were also nowhere near the elite level of their ACC counterparts. Alleva said the plans for the recent renovations in and around Wallace Wade were drawn up prior to his departure in 2008, but at the time of Cutcliffe’s arrival, the team’s recruiting ceiling was low. Due to the lack of indoor facilities and no full practice field or stadium solely for football—Wallace Wade had a track around the field until 2014—in addition to the lack of a competitive product on the field, Duke was far from a destination for top prospects. The university realized major changes needed to be made to rebuild the program, and Cutcliffe was tasked with bringing the Blue Devils back to national prominence. “A university has to make a commitment to a sport like football, and I think Duke finally made a commitment to do that,” Alleva said. “Duke was just tired of losing. It was an embarrassment to the school to have a football team with that kind of record, so I think the embarrassment kind of got them going to support the program.” Using the renovation plans in addition to his culture changes, Cutcliffe was able to effectively pitch his vision to recruits and convince those who would be fringe role players at larger schools to come to Duke, where they could be a major part of the program’s new era. “People thought I was crazy,” said current Blue Devil radio analyst and former captain Dave Harding, who chose Duke over Florida State and South Carolina. “I had a coach in high school stop talking to me when I committed to Duke.” Cutcliffe’s first recruiting class included the likes of Ross Cockrell, Sydney Sarmiento and Harding. Although the trio all redshirted as freshmen in 2009, their growth with the team and the program provided critical leadership later on—but it wouldn’t have been possible without the upperclassmen working to change, believing and buying in from the beginning. “He told us this is not going to be an overnight job and the first few years are going to be rough,” Lewis said of Cutcliffe’s message at the end of 2009. “He said, ‘You guys that are sitting in this room won’t be playing in the game when we’re playing for an ACC championship. But you guys are more than welcome, and I’ll make sure you guys are able to come back, because you’re the stepping stone of that.’” ‘Getting closer and closer and closer’ The Blue Devils made quick progress in 2008, jumping out to a 3-1 record with Cutcliffe earning his first conference win in a 31-3 onslaught against Virginia on Sept. 27. Duke finished that season 4-8, however, after struggling down the stretch in conference play. “Disciplining and conditioning hasn’t changed at Duke. We don’t want to change
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tball to new heights in first 10 years that,” Cutcliffe said of initial changes that are still around today. “Our commitment to team, and the focus on team and not self—our early teams, our ’08 and our ’09 teams, were exceptional at that.” The next three seasons proved to be much of the same with records of 5-7, 3-9 and 3-9. With recruiting improving and the program becoming more in the Cutcliffe mold, the Blue Devils set the stage to break their 17-year bowl drought in 2012. Entering its matchup against Virginia Tech on Oct. 13, 2012, Duke finally had an opportunity to clinch bowl eligibility after getting off to a 5-1 start. The Blue Devils fell 41-20, putting immense pressure on a contest against North Carolina the following week with a pair of top-15 matchups looming. After being outscored 21-3 in the first 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, Duke found itself down four. Needing 87 yards to guarantee their first bowl appearance since 1994, quarterback Sean Renfree led the Blue Devils down the field and connected with Jamison Crowder in the end zone on a fourthand-2 with 13 seconds remaining. It was Duke’s first victory against North Carolina since 2003 and certainly the peak of the Cutcliffe era to that point. “We could feel ourselves getting closer and closer and closer, and that’s when we finally got up over the hill and were finally able to get over whatever had been holding on to us,” Harding said. “Once that 2012 team got a taste of victory, it wasn’t something that we were going to give up.” The Blue Devils fell to Cincinnati 48-34 in a Belk Bowl heartbreaker that December, finishing the 2012 season with a 6-7 record. While the Blue Devils—led by thenseniors Harding, Sarmiento and Cockrell— were confident in the growth of the program entering 2013, the media did not have the same optimism, picking Duke to finish last in the ACC Coastal. The Blue Devils got off to a 2-2 start with starting quarterback Anthony Boone forced to miss nearly a month due to injury, but they clicked upon his return, closing out the regular season with eight consecutive victories including a pair of wins against ranked Virginia Tech and Miami teams. Duke won the ACC Coastal title, setting up a battle with Jameis Winston and top-ranked Florida State in the 2013 ACC championship. “It was just a bunch of people that were highly motivated and had all been recruited to Duke to do that one thing, and that was to win the ACC Coastal Division and get to the championship game,” Harding said of the Blue Devils’ run. “We believed going into the year, regardless of what the press said, that we were going to make waves, and we ended up doing it.” What’s next? Although Duke did not emerge victorious against the Seminoles or against Texas A&M in the Chick-fil-A Bowl—despite a 21-point
halftime lead against quarterback Johnny Manziel’s Aggies—the 2013 Blue Devils’ run is largely considered the highlight season of the Cutcliffe era, coming in just his sixth year with the school. Cutcliffe finally helped the Blue Devils to their first bowl victory since 1960 two years later. After a 7-5 2015 regular season, Duke earned a trip to New York to take on Indiana in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. After narrowly losing three consecutive postseason appearances, quarterback Thomas Sirk and the Blue Devils felt some extra weight on their shoulders. “I remember the feeling that it wouldn’t be good enough to just go to New York and not win this bowl game,” Sirk said. “This was a game that we had to win and being a team leader and starting quarterback, I knew that we had to transform this program right here. This could be a defining moment for us going forward and can help the program continue to grow from what Coach Cutcliffe had already done.” The Blue Devils filled the 55-year void, escaping with a 44-41 overtime victory as Indiana barely could not convert a long field-goal attempt to send the contest to double overtime. With the Pinstripe Bowl victory and a Quick Lane Bowl win last December, Cutcliffe has assembled quite the resume during his first decade at Duke. The Birmingham, Ala., native has led Duke to four winning seasons, five bowl appearances, two bowl victories and an ACC championship appearance while also transforming Duke football both on and off the field. So what’s in store for the next 10 years? While so much progress has been made, Cutcliffe knows his program must continue to evolve and improve. Otherwise, Duke will be in danger of regressing to the program’s many fraught years. The 63-year-old coach has committed to finishing his career with the Blue Devils, dismissing the Tennessee head coaching job three different times during his tenure at Duke. “You can’t hang onto anything,” Cutcliffe said. “There are so many things that we’re improving upon, and then you hopefully grow another area as you start recruiting well—our depth. You hope to become a combination of all that part of the culture while improving every step the way.” Winning bowl games has quickly become the benchmark for the Blue Devils. But ultimately, the program has higher expectations for the future. “The next big step for our program is to win an ACC championship and eventually compete in the college playoffs and win a national championship,” Sirk said. “It’s not just about talking about the next steps— Coach Cutcliffe puts some things in place to achieve them.... Anything that we need to take that next step in our program, Coach Cutcliffe is going to go above and beyond to make that happen.”
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9 1. Cutcliffe in his first few years at Duke 2. Sean Renfree, starting quarterback from 2010-12 3. Wallace Wade Stadium had a track until 2014 4. Jamison Crowder’s game-winning catch against UNC in 2012 5. Belk Bowl in 2012. 6. Cutcliffe during the Quick Lane Bowl in 2017 7. 2013 ACC championship game against Florida State 8. Cutcliffe shaking hands after the Chickfil-A Bowl 9. Pinstripe Bowl celebration in 2015 after Duke’s first bowl win since 1961.
8 | FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2018
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DUELING COLUMNISTS
Are the Blue Devils good enough get to 9 wins? Elite defense and consistency will carry Duke Talent and experience separate the good from the great when it comes to college football. Although Duke has won two bowl games in its last three seasons, the Blue Devils have not reached the hallmark of a great season since 2014, the second of back-to-back nineplus win seasons, under head coach David Cutcliffe. Since then, Duke has had three seasons filled with ups and downs, largely due to inexperience at key positions, such as quarterback, defensive back, linebacker as well as on special teams. Now, some of that experience will pay off—as well as the fruits of
Ben Feder
four impressive recruiting classes. Offensively, Duke is loaded at each of its skill positions. Redshirt junior quarterback Daniel Jones is in his third year under center, redshirt sophomore running back Brittain Brown will look to improve on a stellar first year, and the wideouts and tight ends are full of veterans, highlighted by T.J. Rahming and Daniel Helm, respectively. While the offensive line will be tasked with replacing three starters from last season, two of the projected newcomers—redshirt senior offensive tackle Christian Harris and sophomore guard Rakavius Chambers—both have more than 400 snaps under their belts, and projected starting offensive tackle Robert See POSITIVE on Page 9
Aaditya Jain | Associate Photography Editor
Daniel Jones will lead the Blue Devils for the third consecutive season in 2018.
Optimism is dangerous, getting to 6 will be tough Optimism, always a dangerous thing for Duke football, is creeping back in after three straight wins to finish last season. And I do think the Blue Devils will probably make a bowl for the second straight year, though 6-6 should be a reasonable goal to be happy with and not a baseline expectation. But any talk that this is the year the Blue Devils return to the glory days of a half-decade ago—competing for an ACC Coastal Division championship and winning as many as nine games in the regular season—is absurd. What did Duke really accomplish during the last three games of last season, besides sending its seniors out on a winning streak? It beat a slumping Georgia Tech team at home, notched a win at Wake Forest and got matched up against a mediocre MidAmerican Conference team that felt so hopeless in the first half of a meaningless bowl game that it elected to try a fake punt on fourth-and-18 from its own end zone. That victory against the Demon Deacons was certainly the highlight of the season, but when beating Wake Forest in football is a good enough reason for raucous celebration, it’s hard to imagine a leap back to the top 25
Hank Tucker
anytime soon. At least half the teams on the Blue Devils’ 2018 schedule will probably be better than Wake Forest. Let’s start with Clemson. I think we all agree that’s an automatic loss in Death Valley. Then, look a couple weeks earlier in the schedule at the road date with a Miami program on the rise. The Hurricanes have blown Duke out two years in a row and haven’t lost to the Blue Devils at home since 1976. They’ll win again without the assistance of any illegal, miraculous kick returns. That leaves 10 games that, I’ll admit, Duke has a decent chance to win. But, aside from N.C. Central and Army, it also has a decent chance to lose to every other opponent. Northwestern, Baylor, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia are all in the toss-up basket—no, the Cavaliers shouldn’t be chalked up as a win just yet after they’ve beaten the Blue Devils in three straight years. If you flip a random coin eight times, the odds that it will land on a win seven or eight times are about 3.5 percent. There is no reason to believe the problems that plagued Duke in 2017 have been magically solved. The Blue Devil receiving corps is still unproven at best, we don’t know if Daniel Jones can be consistent enough at quarterback for a whole season to help Duke move up in the See NEGATIVE on Page 9
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POSITIVE FROM PAGE 8 Kraeling was one of the Class of 2017’s top recruits as well as co-most improved offensive player this spring. On the other side of the ball, the Blue Devils will have to replace just two key contributors in All-ACC defensive tackle Mike Ramsay and cornerback Bryon Fields. For Ramsay’s spot, there appears to be a position battle between three players who all saw time on the field last season, while Myles Hudzick, one of the recipients of the co-most improved defensive player award, will likely slide in across from a reigning first-team All-ACC honoree in cornerback Mark Gilbert. In terms of talent, outside of the wealth that comes with strong recruiting classes, the Blue Devils have two players who may very well be drafted in the first or second round of the NFL draft next year, if they choose to depart. Gilbert, who was ranked as a top-75 player in the nation by Sports Illustrated, is a ballhawking defensive back who finished second in the ACC in interceptions last season. At 6-foot-1, the junior can match up with any wideout, and will be relied upon as a shutdown cornerback for the 25th-ranked scoring defense in the nation. At linebacker, redshirt junior Joe GilesHarris enters the season ranked 99th in the nation and was named a preseason All-American by multiple publications. At 240 pounds, Giles-Harris is a run-stopping force with enough foot speed to contain speedy tailbacks, and should benefit from having senior Ben Humphreys healthy as the other linebacker in one of the top units in the country. Of course, due to the overall strength of the ACC, it will be nearly impossible for Duke to go undefeated in conference play. However, to start the season, Duke will face the same four nonconference opponents as last season. Against N.C. Central, Northwestern, Baylor and Army, the Blue Devils finished 3-1, losing in a sloppy upset to the Black Knights. To reach the nine-win mark, Duke will almost certainly have to win at least three of those contests. The Blue Devils have generally
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won easily against the Eagles, including a 60-7 romp last season, and will be playing a group of Bears that finished 1-11 last season. The Wildcats, this time on the road, will be a tough matchup despite last season’s surprising 41-17 rout. But even if Duke drops one of their matchups on the road, it should be in good shape. With the Blue Devils’ experience and a healthy Humphreys sniffing out Army’s complicated triple option attack, they should win their season opener in front of a home crowd. As for conference play, the Blue Devils will unfortunately have to face preseason No. 2 Clemson on the road as its opponent from the Atlantic Division. The Tigers boast the best defensive line in the nation, and have reached the national championship the past two seasons as well. The only other opponent that would require a monumental upset is perhaps No. 8 Miami, who came into Durham last season and walloped Cutcliffe’s squad 31-6. The Hurricanes return a majority of their key players from a season ago, including preseason first-team All-American safety Jaquan Johnson. Now, even if Duke drops a nonconference game as well as at Miami and Clemson, it can still afford to drop another contest against the likes of Virginia Tech—which lost many of its defensive stalwarts responsible for a defense that surrendered just 13.5 points per game a season ago—North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, and reach nine wins with a bowl victory. In the past, Cutcliffe’s experienced teams have played up to their talent level, even perhaps exceeded it at times. Inexperience from the past three years will finally pay off, as the Blue Devils will win the games they need to this season in order to reach that nine-win mark. While it still might not compete for an ACC championship berth—with Miami the clear favorite in the Coastal Division—a Cutcliffe-coached, experienced, and probably most talented team since he arrived in Durham 10 years ago, does not need much else to reach nine wins in 2018.
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NEGATIVE FROM PAGE 8 ACC, and Shaun Wilson won’t be around this time to save the team on the ground. Redshirt sophomore Brittain Brown will be good, but he’ll have to carry a much heavier burden as the feature back. The Blue Devils still have question marks on both lines of scrimmage, especially after more than half of their starting offensive line graduated. Their linebackers and defensive backfield will be the team’s hallmark, but Duke will need more of just about everything else. The Blue Devils’ talent level is nowhere near where it was in 2013 and 2014, when a perfect storm of surprise stars and favorable scheduling fueled Duke’s brief, meteoric rise. All-Americans like Jamison Crowder and Laken Tomlinson aren’t lining up with the offense anymore, and when Duke needs a big play on
special teams, it can’t call on DeVon Edwards, Ross Martin or Will Monday, either. This year’s kicker will either be walk-on Collin Wareham, who hasn’t kicked in a competitive game since high school in 2013, or A.J. Reed, the highly-touted recruit who quickly fell out of favor after converting a paltry 3-of-10 field-goal attempts as a freshman in 2016. The Blue Devils don’t have the roster befitting a dark-horse contender for another dream season. They will be just another middling ACC program, winning a few games and losing a few as well, once again scratching and clawing their way to bowl eligibility. I’m expecting a 6-6 regular season, but I think finishing with five wins is more likely than seven. It’s time to accept this as the new normal for Duke under David Cutcliffe and take what it provides, even if it means a trip to Shreveport, La., for a bowl game instead of a more glamorous destination. It would be a better outcome than staying home.
Charles York | Special Projects Photography Editor
Brittain Brown will look to build off a strong freshman campaign after earning the starting nod entering the 2018 season.
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Still, 11 personnel (one tight end, one running back, three wide receivers) was by far the dominant grouping in 2017, accounting for nearly 60 percent of NFL plays. Last season, Duke’s top four receivers combined for 145 catches on 252 targets, averaging 6.8 yards per target with five touchdowns. The tight-end trio of Helm, Koppenhaver and Gray was much more efficient, not only catching 44 of its 63 targets, but also averaging 7.2 yards per target with seven scores. All of this isn’t to say that the Blue Devils won’t lean on their receivers for explosive plays. Duke ranked right in the middle of the pack in terms of offensive efficiency last year, and it will need guys like Rahming to help elevate Jones. With depth in his pass-catching arsenal, Jones could finally put together a complete season with the help of some soon-to-beknown names. “We have a multitude of weapons all over the field,” Jones said. “That’s exciting as an offense, just how many different ways we can throw the football, and we’ll continue to grow with that throughout the season.”
Jaylen Miller can potentially fill in as both a left and a right tackle, taking on a similar role as both Kraeling and Harris did last year. Redshirt junior Zach Baker could make a strong case as an option in the interior, as he played in 12 games last season—though he will be hardpressed to match Santos or Chambers. “That’s what I want to see out of our people,” Cutcliffe said. “Zach Baker is the number two left guard right now. Out of where I came from, that doesn’t sit very well with you for very long. We have some people that can compete.” With so many question marks surrounding such an integral component of Duke’s offensive scheme, it’s unclear how the Blue Devils will fare in 2018. If Duke wants another shot at bowling following its challenging regularseason schedule, Cutcliffe needs to find the right mix to keep Jones comfortable. “We’ve come together really solid,” Harmon said. “We’ve had a few weeks now to get our footing playing next to each other. We’ve tried a few different variations on people up there, but we’re kind of like a big puzzle where no matter what piece we put in there, we’re going to be pretty solid.”
Ian Jaffe | Special Projects Photography Editor
Davis Koppenhaver (pictured) and Daniel Helm will provide depth at the tight end position.
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10 | FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2018
The Chronicle’s 2018 Duke football predictions
A look at Duke’s nonconference opponents Army
August 31, 2018, Wallace Wade Stadium Army’s 10-3 finish in 2017 marked the most successful season in more than two decades for the Black Knights. Much of this success can be attributed to Army’s running offense, which averaged 362.3 rushing yards per game last season and was one of the most efficient in the country, utilizing its tripleoption attack. Despite last year’s success, the Black Knights face a new host of challenges this season under center. Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, who
graduated last season, was nearly unstoppable in 2017, rushing for a school-record 1,746 yards in his final year. Bradshaw also led Army in rushing yards in its win against Duke last season. The Black Knights will return running backs Darnell Woolfolk and Kell Walker, both of whom have been vital to Army’s success on the ground. Last season, Woolfolk averaged 81 yards rushing per game and Walker averaged more than 100 all-purpose yards per game. —Emily Davis
Baylor
September 15, 2018, McLane Stadium The Bears enter the 2018 season coming off what could easily be considered the worst season in program history. Sophomore Charlie Brewer, who started the Bears’ final four games last season, will likely get the nod under center after Zach Smith transferred during the offseason. Brewer shined in place of Smith, throwing for 300-plus yards in three of the four contests while completing better than 70 percent
of his passes and throwing for nine touchdowns. Brewer will have a lot of familiarity surrounding him on offense with the team’s top three receivers returning this season. Denzel Mims paced the group with 1,087 receiving yards last season and Pooh Stricklin and Chris Platt both surpassed the 400-yard plateau. Baylor will also return its top ground threats in the duo of John Lovett and JaMycal Hasty this season. —Michael Model
Northwestern September 8, 2018, Ryan Field Northwestern will be forced to replace senior leaders on both sides of the ball this year, so a regression from its 10-3 record last season is a strong possibility. Running back Justin Jackson—the de facto centerpiece of the Wildcat offense the past three years—is gone, and although sophomore Jeremy Larkin impressed in limited time last season, replacing Northwestern’s all-time leading rusher will be an unenviable task. To build on last year’s success,
Northwestern will need a monster season from redshirt senior quarterback Clayton Thorson. Thorson started the season opener against Purdue Thursday night, but shared time under center. The Wildcats will get plenty of chances to land signature upset victories, including an early-season test at home against Michigan Sept. 29 that could show whether Northwestern is in line for a true regression in 2018. —Ben Feder
N.C. Central
September 22, 2018, Wallace Wade Stadium The Eagles took a bit of a step back last season with freshmen starting at quarterback and running back, posting their lowest win total since 2014. Leading rusher Isaiah Totten will be back as well, though N.C. Central will not have as much depth behind him after the departures of Dorrel McClain and Ramone Simpson. The Eagles also lost offensiveminded head coach Jerry Mack, who left to become Rice’s offensive coordinator after four years at the
helm in Durham. N.C. Central begins its season with a nationally-televised matchup against Prairie View A&M Sunday afternoon on ESPN2 and will cross town to visit Duke later in September—the first time the two teams are ever facing in a non-season-opening matchup. The Eagles have not come within 30 points of the Blue Devils in six tries in the last decade. —Hank Tucker
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2018 ACC opponents
Virginia Tech
September 29, 2018, Wallace Wade Stadium Last season, the Hokies started off strong, winning their first four games en route to a No. 12 ranking in the AP poll before falling to No. 2 Clemson at home. In this stretch, Virginia Tech put up 40 points per game, led by then-senior wideout Cam Phillips’ 523 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The Hokies’ defense was dominant all season, finishing fifth in the nation in points allowed per game and 12th in yards per game and yards allowed per carry. Virginia Tech did lose seven
defensive starters from a year ago, including first-team All-ACC linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The Hokies return plenty of talent on the other side of the ball—seven offensive starters are back in Blacksburg this fall. Almost all contributing skill position players will be on the field for the Hokies, including quarterback Josh Jackson. Three offensive line starters are gone, though, making for a bit of uncertainty in the trenches. —Derek Saul
Virginia October 20, 2018, Wallace Wade Stadium The Cavaliers finished the season boasting the seventh-best overall defense in the nation and the second-best in the ACC against the pass. Consistency, on both the offensive and defensive sides, will be the major challenge for Virginia this season after losing several key players. The Cavaliers graduated both All-American defensive back Quin Blanding and quarterback Kurt Benkert, all-time leaders for Virginia on their respective sides of the ball. Blanding finished his career as the Cavaliers’ all-time record holder with 495 career tackles, the most of any defensive
back in ACC history. Benkert leaves Virginia third in both career passing yards at 5,759 and passing touchdowns with 46. In addition to replacing Benkert and Blanding, the Cavaliers also have to fill the void left by two of their top three receivers, three starting offensive linemen and four of their top six defensive linemen. While Virginia certainly has to find some new talent, it will benefit from the return of leading rusher Jordan Ellis and top lineman Jordan Mack. —Emily Davis
Miami
November 3, 2018, Hard Rock Stadium Miami’s pass-rush heavy defense created enough turnovers last year to make the now-famed turnover chain a viral ritual. This year, it will be challenged after losing three defensive linemen to the NFL. These losses are softened by the return of veteran linebackers Zach McCloud, Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney, who have played the last two seasons together. The Hurricanes’ secondary may be the most glaring hole in their defense. They finished 56th in the nation last year in passing
defense and allowed opposing quarterbacks to post better than 70 percent completion rates in two of their final four games. Miami will be tested from the starting gate, as it faces LSU in its season opener Sept. 2. If Rosier can capitalize with his offensive weapons and the inexperienced secondary doesn’t falter, the Hurricanes are poised for a return to the ACC title game and a run at the College Football Playoff. —Merle Nye
Clemson November 17, 2018, Memorial Stadium The Tigers secured the ACC title with then-junior quarterback Kelly Bryant taking home the most valuable player honors in the ACC championship game. Bryant will return as a graduate student. Not only is Bryant returning in the hopes of leading his team to another championship run, but so are other key players such as left tackle Mitch Hyatt–a three-year starter. Defensive ends Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant, expected to leave to the draft, will also be returning, making it so that seven defensive
starters will be returning for the 2018-19 season. Clemson’s sole loss came against Syracuse, where Orange quarterback Eric Dungey torched the Tigers’ normally stringent defense while Bryant had an uncharacteristically underwhelming game in leading Clemson’s attack. If the Tigers play to their full potential, they should avoid similarly head-scratching upsets this year. The real test will come in the playoffs, when they may face reigning champ Alabama once again. —Liz Finny
Georgia Tech October 13, 2018, Bobby Dodd Stadium Offensively, the Yellow Jackets return nearly all their weapons from an unseasoned squad last year. Headlined by senior quarterback TaQuon Marshall and a bevy of experienced running backs, Georgia Tech should boast one of the top rushing offenses in the nation, which has become a yearly trend under Paul Johnson. However, the Yellow Jackets will have to deal with the departure of wideout Ricky Jeune, their only consistent threat for a quarterback who had trouble stretching the field otherwise last season. While the offense should look relatively the same, the defense has to
replace nearly everyone. The hiring of defensive coordinator Nate Woody from Appalachian State may help, but it will be tough to replace a secondary that saw its top tacklers depart. Woody will have to rely on a lot of pressure from his front seven in order for Georgia Tech to make some noise in the loaded ACC this season. It would not be a surprise if it is more of the same from the Yellow Jackets—a grinding, dizzying pace of play with a defense that may do just enough to steal an upset or two. —Ben Feder
Pittsburgh
October 27, 2018, Heinz Field Although the Panthers have a largely unproven receiving corps, their ground game should be more than enough to keep opponents worried. Senior Darrin Hall exploded for 486 yards on 72 carries over a three-game stretch. With redshirt senior Qadree Ollison and sophomore A.J. Davis behind Hall, the rushing game will likely be the focal point of the offense. Where Pittsburgh truly shines is in its linebacker corps. With leading tackler Oluwaseun Idowu backed up by Saleem Brightwell and a healthy
Quintin Wirginis, the Panthers are loaded with both talent and experience. But their main Achilles’ heel last season was in their pass defense. Although Pittsburgh improved to limiting opponents to a 51 percent pass completion rate and 11.8 yards per catch in its last four games, those numbers are still not very promising. Pat Narduzzi will need Kenny Pickett to show the same talent and leadership that steered the Panthers away from a truly disastrous season. —Winston Lindqwister
North Carolina
November 10, 2018, Wallace Wade Stadium The Tar Heels struggled extensively last season with injuries, losing a total of 77 starts and 232 games due to injury. Some question marks remain about the durability and the health of the remaining 2018 squad. The loss of their potential starting quarterback Chazz Surratt due to a suspension has given the Tar Heels some certainty at the position, as junior Nathan Elliot will begin the season for Carolina. While the great majority of the defense is returning, including
eight of its top nine defensive linemen, the defense still gave up more than 400 yards of offense per game last season—over half of that being on the ground. The Tar Heels’ schedule will not help them out this season, either, as three of their opponents are ranked in the top 25 in preseason polls. North Carolina does, however, benefit from another year of reprieve from taking on either No. 2 Clemson or No. 19 Florida State. —Emily Davis
Wake Forest November 24, 2018, Wallace Wade Stadium Quarterback John Wolford graduated after starting nearly every game since he was a true freshman in 2014. This leaves a big question mark under center, where freshman Sam Hartman won the starting position after fall camp. Expected starter Kendall Hinton was suspended for the first three games of the season in June for violating team rules. Other major losses for the Demon Deacons are defensive back Jessie Bates and defensive end Duke Ejiofor, who were both drafted to the NFL, and tight end Cam Serigne, who went unsigned.
Despite these losses, Wake Forest is returning eight starters on offense, a solid core that looks to improve on last year’s impressive performance, scoring 35.3 points per game. With six returning starters on defense, there is more room for growth, as Wake Forest will look to be more disruptive. The question marks around the quarterback position will need to be solved quickly. With a daunting schedule but lots of potential, Wake Forest will hope to qualify for a third straight bowl game in 2018. —Beá Rose
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