Category: Game Recaps

Most people expected Duke to be 2-1 after playing Northwestern in Week 3 of the 2021 season. That’s because most people expected the Blue Devils to get wins against Charlotte and A&T followed by a loss to the Wildcats. But life is what happens when you’re busy making plans and Duke managed to end up 2-1 after losing to Charlotte and following it up with wins against A&T and Northwestern. It may not be the 2-1 we expected, but we’ll take it.

The game was a tale of two halves. The Blue Devils came out on absolute fire, putting up 21 points in the first quarter before slowing down and settling for three field goals in the second (and none after that). Gunnar Holmberg continued to look sharp, completing 31/44 passes for 314 yards, 1 touchdown and a pick that wasn’t really on him. He took a hand to the helmet (penalty? Anyone?), the ball came out a little ugly and he got picked. The rest of the team came to play, too. Mataeo ran for 102 yards on 22 carries and put up two total touchdowns. Jake Bobo caught 11 passes for 109 yards and Eli Pancol had 3 catches including one that sealed the win for Duke. On top of that, Jordan Moore resurrected the Connette package and gobbled up another touchdown (more on Moore below – great pun, right? The Dad jokes are strong with this one).

The defense showed up as well after two inconsistent weeks. The defensive line came to life and kept Northwestern in check for most of the game. Ben Frye looked like the player we heard so much about during the offseason and DeWayne Carter had a tremendous strip of the football that knocked Northwestern’s backup quarterback out of the game (who, by the way, almost brought the Wildcats back from a 30-0 deficit). That play may well have sealed the game and put the Blue Devils in the win column. Shaka Heyward had another game with double-digit tackles and the secondary, particularly Lummie Young, looked dominant. But for a terrible pass interference call that stole a pick-six from Josh Blackwell, Duke would have ended the game with 37 points.

There was a lot to like about this game. Gunnar continued to play very, very well. With the game on the line, he made a lot of throws to places where only the receiver could get it. He was efficient with the ball, got rid of it quickly and always seemed to find the right man. The defense also showcased its depth. Ja’Mion Franklin got extended minutes and controlled the middle. We need to see more of him. The guy can make plays and we need to give him chances to do that. The secondary made some big plays, snagging three (should have been four – thanks, officials) interceptions, and Dorian Mausi continued to play well. Hopefully J’Marick Woods will be back next week, because he looked real, real good until he left the game due to injury. As for the kicking game, Porter Wilson was Porter Wilson and Charlie Ham was Charlie Ham. Again, the Blue Devils have good kicking teams and that can get a team three wins each season.

But just as there were things to like, there were a number of things not to like. Duke had a lot of penalties, 10 for 104 yards. This is a worrisome trait that goes back to last season. Lack of discipline will cost you in close games, so the Blue Devils have to fix this. Now. While we all like Jordan Moore, the kid is confident, I thought he got utilized at times that didn’t make sense. There were times in the red zone where I felt we needed to give the ball to Durant. Mataeo only has 398 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in three games, so why not feed him the rock? It worked against A&T at the end of the first half. Why not keep doing it till it doesn’t work? While I’m not saying we shouldn’t have a Moore package, I am saying less might be more. (Two Moore puns in one post? I’m on fire, guys!) And speaking of Mataeo, stop running to the edge. Let him run between the tackles.

In addition, the coaching situation left a little to be desired. We subbed players at the end of the first half and Northwestern wisely took a lot of time to sub its players. This resulted in a lot of time coming off the clock and Duke wasting an opportunity to try for six (have coordinators forgotten how to spike the ball?). It ultimately didn’t matter in the end, but it was frustrating to watch. I also thought the play calls could have been better. I’m not going to freak out about it and will chalk it up to having a first year coordinator. Let’s hope things improve.

Finally, remember when I mentioned that Gunnar’s performance should cause all of us to wonder why he didn’t play last year? Well, I guess Fitzgerald read my thoughts on the A&T game because he sure pulled his struggling Clemson transfer quarterback for a mobile backup when his first stringer couldn’t stop turning the ball over. The result was almost overcoming a 30 point deficit. There’s a reason I said Fitzgerald is a better coach than Cutcliffe. His willingness to make a change proved it.

That said, I love the win. And I love this team. Congrats, guys. This was a big win. It gave the Blue Devils back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019. I can’t wait to see you play Kansas next week.

Go Duke!

It was an ugly start. NCA&T imposed its will on Duke’s defensive line. The linebackers seemed to let the secondary do all of the tackling. And the NCA&T defense filled the box to stop Mataeo Durant and force Gunnar Holmberg to win by throwing the football.

Challenge accepted.

Gunnar and the offense looked good for the second week in a row, putting up 42 points in three quarters before the starters were pulled and the Blue Devils adopted a run heavy approach. Holmberg completed 20 of 27 passes for 270 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He did this while being careful with the football and not turning it over. And while Mataeo Durant and Jordan Waters weren’t running the ball particularly well (18 total rushes for 50 yards), Durant scored 3 touchdowns including a crucial one at the end of the first half to give Duke the lead. While those two struggled to run the ball consistently, the team combined to rush for 150 yards on 38 carries which comes out to 3.9 yards per attempt. It took time for the team to come together and hit its stride, but, in the end, the fans at Wallace Wade watched the Blue Devils get a win. It was nice to see Duke right the ship after a more than disappointing loss to Charlotte. Hopefully, this will be the first of many this season.

While the 45-17 victory over a well-coached Aggies team gives the appearance of a dominating win, let’s not read too much into it. This is game 2 of 2 on the season and the Blue Devils are 1-1. Like I said last week, I am not going to put too much into a single victory and will wait until we get to Week 4 before I get a good sense of what this season has in store for us. With that in mind, I’d like to address a few things I noticed that concerned me (and probably you, too). If you have to onside kick against an FCS school, things probably aren’t as rosy as the final score suggests. So, with that in mind, here is what concerned me about last night:

1. We weren’t running between the tackles.
   1. I’m not sure why we kept stretching the field, particularly in the third quarter. As the game went on, Durant started to get yards up the middle. Sure, not huge chunks, but you saw the OL open up more holes when running between the tackles and begin to control the pace. This crazy idea of running straight ahead worked perfectly when Durant scored the touchdown to close out the first half (which was risky because Cut had just burned his last timeout and a stop short of the goal line would have been disastrous), so why not do more of it?
   2. It may have something to do with the fact that Boyette, a former running back and offensive player, isn’t the one calling the plays. If we don’t see more between the tackles running going forward, Cut might want to give Boyette full control of the offense.
2. Our 2nd string DL > our 1st string DL.
   1. Maybe it was just me (but I did talk to a person at the game during halftime who concurred with my assessment), but our 1st string DL isn’t looking so hot. DeWayne Carter is getting isolated and Ben Frye and the rest aren’t doing much to get pressure on the quarterback. We didn’t register a single sack last night.
   2. But when Ja’Mion Franklin and Christian Rorie came in, we saw a little more discipline, a little more imposing of wills and a little more containing of the Aggies’ offense on 3rd down.
   3. If it were me, I’d switch up the DL starters and get Carter with Franklin and Rorie. I’d shuffle the others until everyone gets comfortable, but I like what I saw from Oben and Oppan. I’m just not sure who the fourth guy should be at this point.
3. I’m not sure what our LBs are doing.
   1. Maybe Heyward is trying to do too much, but he didn’t make an appearance until late although he did lead the team in tackles. Our co-DCs may want to consider putting someone else with Heyward to take the pressure off of him.
   2. I liked Masui, but part of me thinks that Colby Campbell may need a few snaps. He’s got a lot of experience and should be able to direct everyone. That may allow Heyward to just go out and play.
   3. Heyward did settle in late, so I’m hopeful he is just getting adjusted to his new role.
   4. I liked how our secondary played, but they can’t do everything. And if your DL and your LBs aren’t getting pressure, it is going to be a long season for Josh Blackwell, J’Marick Woods, etc.
4. Why even have 3rd down?
   1. Nothing new here. We still struggle getting stops on 3rd down. I think this has been the case for about 18 millennia or something. I’m sure we’ll figure it out in the fullness of time.
   2. Maybe the 3rd down gods just hate us?
5. Cutcliffe’s decision making is a little confusing.
   1. Gunnar Holmberg is making plays. I know this was against an FCS team and we’ll know more after seeing him against Northwestern, but he’s had consecutive weeks with real nice stat lines. He was 20/29 against Charlotte and repeatedly led the team down the field to regain the lead. He followed it up with a 20/27 performance last night. Those are good numbers from anyone, but particularly from a guy who hadn’t started a college football game before this season.
   2. In addition, Gunnar is getting rid of the ball quickly. The OL isn’t looking particularly great, but Gunnar isn’t getting fazed by it and isn’t letting a muddy pocket stop him. He’s calm, poised and in control. He also had a couple of real nice runs last night. I don’t want to use the phrase “game manager” because that has a negative connotation, but he is doing just that (and being a “game manager” is what you should want from your QB, I’ll die on this hill). Gunnar is being smart with the ball, making quick decisions and putting the ball in places where only the WR can catch it. That’s exactly what you want from your QB1.So, what does this have to do with Cut’s decision making process? Let me explain.
   3. WHY DID WE PLAY A TRANSFER ALL OF LAST SEASON WHEN WE HAVE A GUY WHO CAN DROP DIMES TO NICKY DALMOLIN?
   4. I’m not sure what Cut saw in Gunnar that caused him to go get Chase Brice. We won’t even get into the failure to bench Brice last year, I just don’t have the energy for that. While two games is a small sample size, if Gunnar keeps this up, we’re all going to start getting angrier about what happened last year.
   5. And I, for one, and 100% Team Gunnar.

Those are my thoughts on the game. Let me know what you think. Go Duke!

Why are we allowed to play night games? Seriously, why?

Duke lost a nail-biter to Charlotte Friday night, dropping the opening game of the season 31-28. The Blue Devils lost to a team it beat last season. A team it beat last season by 34 points. The best thing about this game was the fact that I didn’t get to see it – I was in Boston with Mrs. Bull City Coordinators on a mini-vacation with friends from law school. Thank whatever god or gods you believe in for life’s small miracles. Anyway, the nature of the loss reminds me of one of my son’s travel lacrosse tournaments over the summer.

During the first tournament of the season, the boy’s team beat what would be considered a vastly superior opponent. After that game, we noticed the losing team practicing in between the remaining games that day. While practicing the kids that often in very, very hot weather on top of the games that day was risky, if not foolish, it got the desired result. That team slaughtered the boy’s team in the rematch the next morning. It was a remarkable turnaround. One parent summed up the opposing team perfectly, “You can say what you want about their tactics, but they won.”

I tell that story to highlight what happened in between this season and last. Charlotte improved, scoring more points and giving up fewer. Duke didn’t. Despite moving the coaching staff around, the Blue Devils continued to struggle defensively in crunch time, remained susceptible to big plays and made crucial mistakes on offense (basically, the same problems that have haunted us since 2019’s Jump Pass continue to haunt us). As to those mistakes, a dropped TD and a fumble around the goal line by new QB Gunnar Holmberg could have changed the outcome (and don’t give me the “Gunnar cost us the game” crap I’ve seen online. This wasn’t on him – our defense gave up 14 points in the 4th and there was a dropped TD pass. Plenty of people could have done things differently. Not one person is responsible for this loss). But, even if Duke got those TDs and won, it would have hidden what should be obvious – Charlotte’s team improved during the off-season. And, despite all the talk from Coach Cutcliffe during the off-season, his team sure looks like it continues to do things the same way that it always has. And, given the duration of his tenure in Durham, other coaches have figured that way out. It shows in the score of Friday night’s game and in the general trend of teams like UVA and Georgia Tech, who Cutcliffe used to consistently beat, consistently getting wins against the Blue Devils.

What does this loss mean? Well, given the razor thin margin a team like Duke has year in and year out, this is not a game that can be lost and still lead to a bowl game at the end of the season. But one thing the podcast has taught me is to be patient. And that’s what I’ll be here.

While the loss is a huge negative, there are some positives to take away here. First, a lot of teams struggled this week. UNC lost, Tulane took Oklahoma down to the wire, Montana beat Washington and Vandy got dominated by ETSU. So, maybe it isn’t so much that this team is bad. Perhaps it’s just that this team hasn’t settled in. And, to the second point, the Blue Devils lost four players to the NFL draft and several other older players to the transfer portal. Guys like Big Vic, Chris Rumph, Deon Jackson, Noah Gray, Derrick Tangelo and Drew Jordan are hard to replace. Especially given the way that Cutcliffe slowly advances players. And I can’t be the only one who is thinking it would have been nice for Holmberg to get more time last season so he wouldn’t have such a learning curve this season. Same for the defensive line. And the linebackers. But I digress. Back to my points.

Third, the offense put up points, and yards. Mataeo Durant set a school record for rushing yards in a single game. Gunnar had a real nice stat line and didn’t throw a pick. The offense also reclaimed the lead multiple times before finally running out of time. Given the amount of turnover on the offense and defense, the new offensive co-coordinators and the new play caller, the fact that the game was close shouldn’t have surprised us. The fact that this ended in a loss, however, should be. And it’s okay to be upset about it. I am, and I think we all should be.

That said, this is just one game. Before we start demanding that people get fired, and I will say that Cutcliffe probably didn’t want to lose his first game under new athletic director Nina King, let’s table those comments for now. Let’s see how the first 4 games of the season go. We’ll know a lot more about where this team is after the first third of the season is over. That will tell us whether this team has come together or whether it’s going to be a long and painful season.

Until then, I’m going to withhold judgment on any sort of staff changes. While I will note that this is an alarming and upsetting loss that will hopefully cause the players to take control of the team, I am not going to panic over a single loss. Am I concerned? Of course. Do I think that Cutcliffe needs to do a lot of introspection and be more flexible than he typically is? Yes. Yes, I do. And the fact that I’m saying that the players need to take control should tell you what level of confidence I have in Cutcliffe and his staff at this point.

But does this necessarily mean the season is over? No, it doesn’t. Mataeo looked real good, Gunnar showed promise and the offense could have scored over 40 had it not been for a dropped pass and a turnover. If Gunnar can go 20/29 for 228 yards each week, if Mataeo gets close to 30 touches each week, if Jake Bobo can snag 7 catches each week and if Jordan Waters can average 13 yards per carry (let’s not overlook that), then this is an offense that can be dangerous. And if the defense solidifies, this could be a fun team.

So, while I am concerned, I’m also optimistic about what this offense can do. So, I’ll just keep saying it – Go Duke!

Duke lost again. This wasn’t really a surprise to anyone given that the Blue Devils hosted a top ten in Miami and had to play at night. In Durham. Against the Hurricanes. Yeah, fate pretty well told us what to expect.

While we all were mentally prepared for a loss, we weren’t prepared for one of the ugliest losses in Coach Cutcliffe’s history — a 48-0 walloping at the hand of a team that Duke beat last season (this is the second straight game that Cutcliffe got bested by a team he beat last year and the first shutout since 2008, Cutcliffe’s first year). It was ugly and we knew it was going to be rough when the Blue Devils forced a turnover on Miami’s first possession that led to a stellar negative 4 yards of offense from Brice and Company.

This game had everything we have come to expect – 5 turnovers, no passing touchdowns and an anemic offense. Chase Brice was a stellar 20/25 for under 100 yards (yes, you read that right). The OL got blown up all night and you couldn’t help but think it would have helped to have had a mobile QB who could at least try and make plays with his legs. But I’ve gone through all of this before and I won’t do it again.

Here’s what I will note – the media is starting to point out just how bad it is in Durham in game recaps as opposed to random tweets. The News & Observer correctly pointed out that Duke isn’t playing competitive football and that the team is losing in ways similar to the pre-Cutcliffe era. Even The Chronicle referred to the game as depressing. Everyone is, finally, staring the cold, painful truth in the face – this is a bad football team. And it has been bad since last season (if not longer). Going back to last season, this is the latest in a string of blowouts (which we’ve gone over before and I won’t do it again). While Cutcliffe may preach patience and comprehensive, detail-oriented reviews of everything the team is doing, do any of you think that he can turn this around?

I don’t. And it doesn’t sound like the professional media does, either.

Duke went into Atlanta with an extra bye week after the game against Wake Forest was canceled. At 2-5, you would hope this team would take the time to improve, kick some bad habits, make needed changes and get a win. Or at least play 60 minutes of solid football. Or generally not do what the Blue Devils have done all season.

But we’re talking about a David Cutcliffe coached team, so none of that happened. Duke got absolutely throttled by the Yellow Jackets, losing by a final score of 56-33. That’s two straight games where the Blue Devils have given up 50 plus. By any measure, that’s terrible.

What makes this worse is that despite dropped passes, penalties by “leaders” like Chris Rumph (his lack of discipline has been an issue all season) and turnovers, it was a two-point game at the half. Duke went into the locker room down 28-26 with possession to start the third quarter. Cutcliffe said that the team was getting ready to play its best half of football and, if he meant the upcoming half as opposed to at some point in next week’s game against Florida State, I’d hate to see what the worst half of football looks like. The turnovers continued, the dropped passes continued and Tech outscored the Blue Devils 28-7 (that’s not a typo) over the final thirty en route to an absolute whooping. When the final whistle blew, it put an end to a night in which Duke had turned the ball over five times over the course of two halves, four fumbles and one pick. That, I believe, is a total of 30 for the year.

What was particularly frustrating about this loss was that Cutcliffe promised personnel changes. He said things would be done differently. But when the game started, Brice stayed under center and the same sloppiness that has been the Duke trademark these last two years continued. DPJ looked confused on a kick return, may have liked an Instagram post during halftime, there were offside penalties and Gunnar Holmberg barely got to play. Despite what we were told to expect, we got more of the same. And, as expected, the result was another loss.

That doesn’t seem like accountability. In fact, the overall poor level of execution strongly suggests that Cutcliffe has lost control of the locker room. His stubborn and foolish loyalty to Chase Brice, who finished the night with multiple turnovers, sure makes it seem like Cutcliffe has lost his ability to assess player performance and make correct judgments. I don’t know what he sees from Brice that the rest of us don’t see. I would love to hear someone give a defense of Brice and a reason why he should keep playing this year. I’ve said multiple times that Gunnar may well not be the answer and that putting him in may not fix all the Blue Devils’ problems (and those problems are legion), but he can’t do any worse than Brice. And we need to know if he’s the guy to lead this team. And despite his one turnover, he did look good in the limited time he had. A long touchdown pass was negated by a, you guessed it, penalty.

But I’ve said enough about Holmberg and won’t continue to raise those concerns here. What is equally concerning is the continued lack of discipline, of focus and of good situational football. Between players like DPJ and Rumph getting penalty after penalty this season, it should worry all of us that older players with lots of game experience make inexcusable mistakes. Since 2018, Duke has repeatedly gotten blown out by teams (I’ve recounted those before and won’t do so again here). The fact that these continue this late in the season means that the coaches aren’t addressing them or the players don’t care. The change in score in the second half also suggests that Cutcliffe and his staff aren’t making adjustments. It also looks like the rest of the ACC has moved ahead of the program.

Perhaps all of the above is why veteran reporters are raising the issue of Cutcliffe retiring at the end of the year. I hope he does. Because if he doesn’t, it’s just going to get worse. Last night isn’t an aberration. It’s par for the course.

Despite playing at night and on Halloween (Duke fans know how disastrous both situations generally are for the Blue Devils), Duke came away with a win against Charlotte. When the last second ticked off the clock, the Blue Devils got their second victory of the season by beating the 49ers 53-19 (sorry for the jumble of numbers, but I didn’t give Charlotte a numerical nickname).

Duke copied the blueprint for victory used against Syracuse – Run. The. Damn. Ball. Mataeo Durant and Deon Jackson both ran for over 100 yards and each notched two rushing touchdowns. Jordan Waters and Gunnar Holmberg also got in on the fun and added rushing touchdowns of their own. Chase Brice managed one touchdown through the air to Jalon Calhoun. But other than that pass and a nifty one-handed catch by Jarrett Garner, Brice had a lousy night. He finished the evening with 106 passing yards and 8 completions on just 14 attempts. Not great although you don’t need to throw if you’re running well. Holmberg also had a few drives and finished with 21 yards (2/3 on pass attempts) and one pick on a deep ball that sure looked like it had a defensive PI on it.

The defense looked good despite some penalties that kept a drive going. Rumph had 3 sacks and Heyward and Dimukeje both got one. The kicking teams blocked two punts. On the whole, those units played well. The team did enough on all fronts to overcome Cutcliffe’s lousy 4th down call (Go. Under. Center.) that had the potential to spark a rally. It was a nice night under the lights at Wallace Wade.

So, what do we take from this win? Not much.

Charlotte is a non-conference opponent that is now 2-3. The 49ers haven’t beaten anyone of note this year and aren’t at ACC level competition. This is a game that the Blue Devils are supposed to win. By doing so, Duke continued to punch at (or below) its weight class (the team is 2-5 this year). Also, if your quarterback can barely complete more than 50% of his passes against Charlotte, you can’t expect much against UNC next week.

While it was nice to get a win, I wouldn’t read too much into this game. Just like with the victory over Syracuse, I can’t say that Duke will turn it around and play great for the rest of the season. Don’t be surprised if there’s some regression towards to the mean against the Tar Heels.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but we have to be honest about our expectations for the remainder of the reason. While I’m happy that Duke won and scored a lot of points, I’ve seen this before and won’t get too excited about it.

That said, I’m going to leave you on a positive note. I recently came across Gunnar’s mom’s Twitter account and all I can say is Jennifer Holmberg is the best account you’re not following. I love how she engages with the crowd and promotes her son. As a parent, I can’t help but love it!

I almost considered not writing about this because it’s nothing but a repeat of pretty much every game this year. Stop me if you heard this one before:

• Duke moved the ball;
• Duke had a chance to win;
• Chase Brice threw a bunch of interceptions;
• The defense got worn down;
• The play calls were questionable at times; and
• Duke lost a conference game.

Yeah, it sounds pretty familiar. That’s what happened against NCSU. Duke came out and got a lead early off of a blocked punt. But then Coach Cutcliffe mismanaged an end of the half situation and the Blue Devils returned the favor by letting State score off a blocked punt. Despite that, Duke hung around and had a chance to take a two possession lead in the second half. The Blue Devils had the ball right around the one and couldn’t punch the ball in the end zone. Instead of going for a field goal and taking the easy points, they get stuffed on fourth down and then State does what all opposing teams do to Duke in that situation – they took the ball down the field and score. Then the wheels came off and Duke lost.

There is a word that sums it up – pathetic.

For reasons that are unclear to everyone watching the game, Gunnar Holmberg didn’t get a chance to play. Cut seems determined to stick with Brice which, given that the team is 1-5 and playing like a dumpster fire come to life, why shake things up? Coaches preach consistency, but this isn’t what they’re talking about.

This team is ugly. And it’s ugly because of two people – David Cutcliffe and Chase Brice. Cutcliffe is sticking with a quarterback whose best skill is giving the ball to the other team. And all Brice is doing is putting the Blue Devils in tough situations. Despite that, he keeps getting multiple opportunities. Why? I have no idea. Nor does anyone else who is objectively looking at the program. If you have a rational explanation, please give it to me. I’ve tweeted back and forth with former players and none of them can comprehend it. But if you have a reason for this, pass it along.

I’m not going to waste more time repeating the same things I’ve been saying all season. All I will say is that this team will not improve as long at Cutcliffe is the coach and Brice is the quarterback.

If I’m wrong, tell me why. I’d love to hear a different opinion.

I don’t believe it, but the Blue Devils got a win. After two weeks of looking somewhat better on offensive, Duke put enough of it together throughout four quarters to come away with a win. The Blue Devils beat Syracuse 38-24 to improve to a less than pedestrian 1-4 on the season. It’s not great, but we can celebrate a win, right? I mean, it’s a win. We should be excited about it. Right?

Maybe, but the win masks a lot of obvious flaws this team still has. But before we get to that, let’s talk about the good things. DJ, Durant and the offensive line were unbelievable. Duke ran for a total of 363 yards. DJ accounted for 169 and Durant notched another 163. The OL blocked well for them and protected the quarterback. Brice threw for 270 yards and Holmberg added another 12. On top of that, Charlie Ham continued to perform well as the field goal kicker going 3/3. The defense got six sacks. Tack on two touchdowns on some big plays by the WRs and you have to think it was a pretty fantastic day.

But like I said, don’t get too hyped about the win. Despite gaining 665 yards (are you kidding me?), the game was close until late, very late. Duke struggled to put Syracuse away and wasn’t able to until 5:26 in the 4th when Durant got his second TD and Brice got the two points on a run. Why was it so close despite the Blue Devils only giving up a total of 379 yards?

Because Duke continued to turn the ball over and gave up several big plays on defense. You can excuse the big plays because of the injuries in the secondary, but you can’t excuse FOUR, count them FOUR, turnovers. This is an older and experienced team. While DJ fumbling once on 30 touches is understandable, Brice’s fumbles (one was lost) and his pick, along with Holmberg’s fumble on a botched hand off, should worry all Blue Devil fans. Duke will not be able to win many games when they lose the turnover battle 4-0.

While I’m glad Duke got the win, I’m concerned about what will happen next week when the Blue Devils play NCSU. And what about when Duke plays NC? Do you think the team can win continuously despite giving up the ball four more times than the opponent? I don’t.

This is season 13 for Cutcliffe. His team continues to be undisciplined and sloppy with the ball. If this continues next week, expect Duke to return to its losing ways. Let’s hope for a change, but let’s also be optimistic.