Duke College Football Predictions 2009
Written June 26, 2009 by InfoPlays
The Duke Blue Devils are clearly on the rise under second-year head coach David Cutcliffe, but it’s a lengthy climb given where they were as a program. Duke will be more competitive this season, and after a 4-win campaign a year ago, they could be primed for their first bowl bid since 1994. It will be tough since the roster’s talent level, and also its depth, hasn’t had time to catch up with the rest of the conference. College football odds show the Blue Devils listed at +6000 to win the ACC Championship this season. This is the first time in a long time they haven’t been the biggest underdog to win it all, because that burden falls on the Boston Eagles in 2009.
Offense: David Cutcliffe’s pro-style offense revolves around the quarterback, just as it did when Peyton and Eli Manning were learning from this offensive mastermind. Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis earned second-team All-ACC honors last season for his handling of the offense. He really didn’t even have a complete handle on the entire playbook, either. He should be much more comfortable under this system in his senior season. Even with the graduation of big-play receiver Eron Riley, Cutcliffe said the passing game has been elevated, mainly due to Lewis’ grasp of it.
There are still weapons outside in Johnny Williams, who caught 30 passes a year ago, and Donovan Varner, who snagged 21 balls, each accomplishing these feats as true freshmen. The return of senior Re’quan Boyette fuels the running game. Cutcliffe thinks very highly of Boyette, but a knee injury in preseason practice last year forced him out of action and allowed him to red shirt. The key to the offense could be a line that returns only two starters. Center Bryan Morgan and tackle Kyle Hill are both undersized, but each are overachievers who have bulked up in the offseason.
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Defense: The Blue Devils held three opponents under 10 points last year for the first time since 1976, but there are still plenty of holes to fill entering the 2009 season. Few college players can fill holes better than 6-6, 300-pound tackle Vince Oghobaase. What Oghobaase does best is clog running lanes, but he also managed six sacks last season. But the rest of the defensive returners totaled just 8.5 sacks, and that in lies the problem. Duke needs senior end Ayanga Okpokowuruk to play up to his billing out of high school.
Departed linebacker Michael Tauiliili was a tackling machine for four seasons, but the Blue Devils do return the next best thing in senior Vincent Rey, the only active ACC player with a pair of 100-tackle seasons. He could put up huge numbers with Tauiliili gone, but he certainly can’t do it alone. The other two likely starters will be Abraham Kromah and Damian Thornton, combining for a mere 19 tackles last season. Duke is thin in the secondary and they’ll need young, promising players to step up and help out veterans Leon Wright at corner and Catron Gainey at safety.
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The Boston College mascot is NOT the “Golden Eagles”, that is Marquette. While the school colors are maroon and gold, and the athletic uniforms often include the school colors, the teams are the Eagles. The mascot is actually an American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) which is not even the same species as the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos).
Perhaps you should check media guides before writing.
Congratulations to Duke for escaping the prediction cellar, though these kind of pre-season columns fall well into the category of ‘highly dubious speculation’
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