In the 12th and final part of the 2012 CANE opponent series, we'll talk about the 2012 Duke Blue Devils.
Let's be honest here, when you think of Duke, the first thing that comes to mind is Coach K. Very few people mention Duke and football in the same sentence. To put that in perspective, did you know that the football team has only been in 2 bowl games since 1961, and none since 1994, when they went 8-4 and lost in the Hall of Fame Bowl 34-20 to Wisconsin. The Blue Devils haven’t been ranked in the AP poll since December 6th, 1994 when they were ranked 25th. Let's be very clear here, they will never be on the level as the hoops team is. However, when they hired David Cutcliffe in 2008, he was given the job to make Duke respectable on the gridiron. His 4 year record is less than stellar going 15-33 in that stretch, which averages about 4 wins a year. Before Cut arrived in Durham, they were even more pathetic going 6-45 under former coach Ted Roof. That is 21 wins in 8 years, that's just god awful.
Last year, they had another forgettable seasong going 3-9. They started out 0-2 including a 23-21 loss to FCS power Richmond before winning 3 games in a row against Boston College (Miami's opening day opponent this year), Tulane, and FIU. They promptly lost their final 9 games of the season, though their losses were by 10 points or less to teams such as Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Georgia Tech, all of whom went to bowl games.
There is hope in Durham as they have most of their starters and back-ups returning in 2012, however, the big question is how much? Their schedule is brutal, with 7 teams ranked in the Top 40, and not to mention the fact that this a very young team.
Let's start with the Offense: Kurt Roper has been Cut's OC for all of his 4 years in Durham. The way Cut and Roper make the Offense work is that they'll use plenty of passes to the sidelines, and count on an efficient hurry-up offense. The offense was ranked #61 in the country in 2011.
They have 5th year Senior Sean Renfree (6'5" 225) back to run Cut's offense. In the passing game in 2011, they weren't too bad, ranking 28th nationally in passing with an average of 272 yards a game. He was very efficient with his passes, completing 65% of his passes last year for 2,891 yards and 13 TDs, however, he did get picked off 11 times. Also, he did get sacked 18 times, but also had 4 TDs rushing. RS Sophomore Anthony Boone will be the back-up to Renfree. In 2011, he threw for just under 300 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Where Boone did his damage was with his legs, as he was their third leading rusher on the team with 129 yards, and 4 TDs. When Renfree is gone after this season, he's going to be their QB whom they have very high hopes for.
They also get back their two leading rushers from a year ago, that's the good news. The bad news is that their running game was last in the ACC, and 5th to last in the country, averaging a measly 94 yards per game. Junior Juwan Thompson (5'11" 225) had 110 carries, 457 yards, and 7 TDs rushing, but also had 22 receptions for 182 yards, with 1 TD. Senior Desmond Scott (5'9" 190) carried the ball 72 times for 367 yards, and 2 TDs. He also had 25 receptions for 135 yards. They add to the mix in 2012, a pair of talented, freshmen whom the staff is very high on in Shaquille Powell (5'10" 205) and Jela Duncan (5'10" 200). Look for them to get some action in the backfield.
In the receiving core, they had two go-to guys in Connor Vernon and Donovan Varner. Vernon (6'1" 200) is back for his Senior year, however, Varner is gone to graduation. In 2011, he had 61 receptions for 713 yards, and 3 TDs. Vernon had 70 receptions for 956 yards, and 5 TDs. The question here is that who will line up across from Vernon and fill Varner's big shoes? They are very thin at WR. One of their former WRs, Brandon Braxton moved to the defensive side of the ball at Safety, after he had 40 receptions last year. Sophomore receiver Blair Holliday (6'3" 205) was in a jet ski accident on July 4, and almost died. However, he did suffer a severe head injury and was finally able to speak just a few weeks ago for the first time since the accident. They won't have RS Sophomore TE Braxton Deaver at their disposal because he's gone for the year with a broken kneecap, and that's after he already tore his ACL in January and broke his thumb in the off season. The only ones with experience coming back are Sophomore Jamison Crowder (5'9", 175) and RS Junior Corey Gattis (5'11" 165). The backs should be able to pick up some of the slack with the receptions, however, look for a lot of double teams on Vernon unless someone else steps up and produces.
If there's a bright spot here, its that seven offensive linemen are back and this group has a combined 90 games experience, including 5th year Senior Center Brian Moore (6'2" 285), and RS Junior tackle Perry Simmons (6'5" 300). Their running game will be better due to the depth and experience here which is plentiful.
On the other side of the ball, defensively, this was a very young unit, under DC Jim Knowles. He uses uses a 4-2-5 defense. They were 105th in the country, however, since they get most of their starters back in 2012, they will be better here, hell, it can't get any worse here.
Let's start with the D-Line. The line must replace tackles Charlie Hatcher and Curtis Hazelton, who are gone to graduation. On the outside, their Ends RS Senior Kenny Anunike (6'5" 260) and RS Sophomore Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo (6'4" 240) combined for a whopping 6 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, however, they missed spring practice due to injury. If they're not ready to start the season, RS Junior Justin Foxx (6'3" 245), RS Sophomores Dezmond Johnson (6'4" 250), and Jamal Wallace (6'4" 275) are healthy at DE and will have to step up until Anunike and DeWalt-Ondijo come back later in the year. This is a deep unit here. Filling the shoes left behind by Hatcher and Hazelton are RS Junior Sydney Sarmiento (6'4" 300) at one tackle, and RS Sophomores Nick Sink (6'5" 285) and Steven Ingram (6'2" 315) battling for the other spot at DT.
Now to the Linebackers, they get back Junior Kelby Brown (6'2" 220) and Senior Austin Gamble (6'1" 245). In 2011, they combined to have 12.5 tackles for loss, which included 3.5 sacks. They'll add Freshmen Keilin Rayner (6'3" 255, who's a converted NG) and Deion Williams (6' 230) to a unit that will be very strong for them in 2012.
They have to find a way to replace safety Matt Daniels (who signed with St. Louis as a undrafted FA) in the secondary. In 2011, he had 4 tackles for loss, a pick and broke up 14 passes. Here's where Braxton is going to replace him. RS Junior CB Ross Cockrell (6' 180) is back in 2012 after breaking up 9 passes last season and also had a pick. They also get back their other three Safeties in Senior Walt Canty (6'1" 220), 5th year Senior Jordan Byas (6'1" 220), and RS Junior August Campbell (6'3" 225).
Their strengths on D are the LBs, and in the secondary. The big question here is whether the D-Line can put an effective pass rush consistently for their back 7 to be effective.
On Special Teams, They're going to have to find a way to replace both kicker Will Snyderwine and punter Alex King. Its going to be up to RS Freshman Will Monday to handle both those responsibilities. He does have a strong leg and his punts hung in the air for a long time on the High School level, however, if he stumbles, its going to be up to Sophomore kicker Jack Willoughby and/or junior punter Spencer Rogers to pick up the slack there.
Look for Crowder to return both kicks and punts. He did have some promise in 2011 as a freshman.
They were third in the nation in 2011, when it came to covering kicks, as they allowed just 17.5 yards a return. If this is still a strength, it might tough for opponents to go 80 yards every time down.
Now, to their Schedule, their non-conference schedule outside of a trip to Palo Alto, is easy. They had better take advantage of it because the conference schedule is brutal. They host FIU in their opener, before heading out West. Figure they'll be 1-1 coming home to face North Carolina Central and Memphis. Figure they'll be 3-1, barring anything unforeseen.
Here's where it gets brutal for Duke. They play 7 of the 8 teams from the conference that went to a bowl in 2011, except for NC State. They have to go to Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida St, and Georgia Tech. They do get Virginia, Clemson, North Carolina, and Miami (in the season finale) at home. They will be underdogs in every conference game.
Outlook, yes, they will be better on both sides, however, at the end of the day, looking at that conference schedule and how brutal it is, I can't see them winning a league game this year. Whit the seat getting warmer in Durham for Cut, another 3-9 season could be the straw that breaks the camel's back and Cut might be shown the door if that happens, which I predict will happen.
That's it for the 12 part opponent series for the Miami Hurricanes in 2012. The season starts in 7 days and here's to a great season of College Football ahead.
