2008 Duke Blue Devils Football
July 28, 2008
David Cutcliffe tries to bring the Duke Blue Devils a winning football program. In his first year as head coach, Cutcliffe has plenty of returning talent with 17 starters, seven on offense and ten on defense, coming back. With a 25-game ACC losing streak lingering, these returning players should be hungry to finally end this awful trend. The team at Info Plays lets you know how they’ll fare with our 2008 Duke Blue Devils football predictions below.
Offense:
Known as an offensive mastermind, Cutcliffe has some decent pieces to work with in his first year. Junior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is on pace to throw for more than 9,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in his career. But he’s a constant sack victim and as a result, he’s also on pace to throw more than 50 interceptions in his stay. Lewis’ top target will be playmaker Eron Riley, who was tops in the ACC at 20.8 yards/catch and second in touchdowns with nine TD grabs.
The Blue Devils rushed for 64 yards per game, which ranked 117th in the nation last year. But Re’quan Butler looked like a reborn runner in the spring under Cutcliffe, and Tony Jackson moved from safety late in spring practice to run for a 75-yard score in their scrimmage. The offensive line doesn’t have much depth but they do have some talent. The linemen were at the heart of a rigorous conditioning program which help the team collectively dropt more than 400 pounds by the end of the spring.
Defense:
Ten starters return in hopes of making amends for the 33 points per game they allowed last season. Cutcliffe was pleased with what he saw from the starters in the spring, capped off in the spring game in which the defense allowed just one touchdown and even scored one of its own. Tackling machines Michael Tauiliili and Vincent Rey lead a solid linebacking corps. Tauiliili led Duke in tackles as a true freshman and then again as a sophomore. In his junior season, Tauiliili’s 108 stops were three behind Rey for the team lead.
The primary concern for this defense is overall depth, especially when you take a look at the secondary. Incoming freshman Matt Daniels has the tools to be the impact newcomer from Cutcliffe’s first recruiting class. He’ll help out at safety in a thin secondary. Cutcliffe virtually reunited the entire staff he had at Ole Miss. He also got Mike MacIntyre from the New York Jets and Marion Hobby from the New Orleans Saints to serve as co-defensive coordinators.
Duke Predictions at Info Plays: 6th in the ACC Coastal Division
The Blue Devils have lost 25 straight ACC contests and haven’t beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision team at home since 2003. With a new coaching staff in place and plenty of returning talent, both droughts should end this season. Duke’s schedule is pretty favorable with seven home games, including four in a row to start the season. Notre Dame and Connecticut get replaced by James Madison and Vanderbilt n their non-conference schedule. That switch should help lead to a positive start in Cutcliffe’s first season. As shown below, the Blue Devils won’t likely be the favorite to win in any of their ACC games in 2008. They will have to pull off an upset to end their dreadful ACC losing streak.
ACC Wins Expected in ‘08: None
Potential Scares/Losses:
VIRGINIA, at
Georgia Tech,
MIAMI, at
Wake Forest,
NC STATE, at
Clemson, at
Virginia Tech, NORTH CAROLINA
