2020 Season Recap – Duke Football?

As the end of this season approached, it struck me as a bit coincidental that I was in the process of finishing up The History of Rome podcast. If you haven’t listened to it, you should. The podcast clocks in at around 180 episodes and is narrated by Mike Duncan, the best podcaster out there (other than the guys from Section 17).

Why am I bringing this up? The History of Rome details the rise to glory of a small Italian settlement populated by misfits and castaways. From extraordinarily humble origins, the descendants of the first Romans built a proud empire that conquered so much of the known world that it lives on in our collective memory more than 1500 years after the Western part of its empire collapsed.

While Duke hasn’t accomplished anything close to what Ancient Rome accomplished, David Cutcliffe has achieved great things in Durham. There is no denying that. He took over a program in complete shambles, much like Rome was after it was first sacked by the Gauls. And, like the Romans, Cutcliffe, the staff and players slowly rebuilt the mess that years of neglect created. The results speak for themselves – an ACC Coastal Championship, playing the ACC Championship game, the Peach Bowl (that’s its name, sorry), the Sun Bowl and then wins in the Pinstripe, Quick Lane and Independence Bowls. The Blue Devils also beat North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame and actually had a lead against Clemson in 2018. Duke even played Alabama tough in 2019 before the Blue Devils fell apart as that season progressed.

Unfortunately, Duke’s expansion and domination hasn’t continued. Whereas Rome defeated the Carthage in the Punic Wars and the Italians in the Social War, Duke is losing to teams it once consistently beat. Whereas Rome overcame its internal and external enemies, the Blue Devils have faltered in a series of embarrassing blowouts.

There is no disputing that the program is in a state of decline. When Rome faced a similar crisis, The Crisis of the Third Century, it found leaders like Aurelian, Diocletian and Constantine. These men used a combination of tactical and political genius to right the ship of the Empire. They stabilized it and allowed it to continue (the Eastern Empire survived until the 1450s) The question for us is whether Cutcliffe can do the same thing. We know that he’s done it before. What is uncertain is whether he can do it again.

The biggest challenge facing the team heading into next season is the loss of so many talented defensive players and having to start a fourth quarterback in four seasons. On top of that, the recruiting situation looks a little murky. While I said on Twitter that I would do a deep dive on the incoming class, Duke Maven covered it pretty well. They pointed out that the quality of incoming players may be slipping and that other ACC programs are winning the recruiting battle.

Next year will be a critical year for Duke. It will tell us whether the football program is headed for the resurgence that Rome experienced once Diocletian came into power and ended The Crisis or whether, like Rome, the Blue Devils have been surrounded by Visigoths and Vandals. And not to give away the ending, but when those guys show up, you get sacked.

Let’s hope for the former. Go Duke!