Report Card and Game Balls vs Savannah State

I felt we did very well last night, especially the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th units. The only downer from last night is the injury to Stephen in the 1st quarter, but overall, all three phases of the game were dominant as expected. 

Offensively, we had 639 yards of total offense and almost a balanced attack here. 324 yards rushing and 313 passing. Big night for Gus the Bus (113 yards and 3 TDs on 12 carries), and Eduardo with another 75 yards. Big night for Hurns in the receiving game with 100 yards on just 2 catches, with one of them being for 6. Nice performance from Sandland having 76 yards receiving on 6 catches, with one being for 6. The downers here were of the 10 penalties last night, 7 were on the offense and 3 of those penalties were false starts. The other 4 were: illegal motion, holding unsportsmanlike conduct, and delay of game. Also, their D hurried our QBs twice. Gotta correct those ME's going forward. Overall, excellent performance. Grade: A-

Defensively, we forced 4 turnovers in this game, all being picks. WE did give up the long TD late in the 3rd, but other than that, we held Savannah to 213 yards total offense, however, and this would be a concern of mine here (163 yards were rushing), we need to get that shored up a little bit more before ACC play starts in two weeks vs Georgia Tech. We held the Tigers to 2-13 on 3rd down conversions and 8 three and outs. We sack their QBs 4 times (2 by AQM). Of the 10 penalties we had last night, not one penalty on the D. Tremendous work here overall. Grade: A

Special Teams wise, we didn't punt or kick a FG last night, and we didn't need to. Duke returns the opening kick to the 5 where we score on the next play. We had 208 yards of return yards, however, just 25 yards on PR's, and we need to be a little better there. We started drives last night on Average from Savannah's 48 and Savannah started drives from their own 18. However, the matter we really need to fix is the 3 penalties we committed last night in this area.  One was being offside on a kickoff, we got called for two illegal blocks in the back here. (one on Raphael and the other on Jamal). Those ME's need to be fixed before we start ACC play in two weeks. Overall, very good, but there is some room for improvement. Grade: A-

Now, to Game Balls. This week, I'm going to give out four game balls. 

1. Gus Edwards - 12 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
2. AQM - 2 sacks
3. Allen Hurns - 2 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
4. Dallas Crawford - 5 carries, 48 yards, 2 TD

Going forward, excellent effort, but there were some ME's (Mental Errors), that still need to be fixed, namely the penalties. Too many of those on O (7 to be exact), and the other 3 on STs. The ones that bother me the most are the ones on STs because that's hidden yardage you can't afford to lose in those situations. In a close game against a good opponent, those ST penalties can come back to bite you. Gotta be sure we correct those going forward. Next week, @USF up in Raymond James Stadium at Noon on ESPNU. 3-0 is a good feeling today. Take care and GO CANES!