As we all know, former Duke offensive lineman Kade Parmelly traveled to the other side on July 7, 2023. We got introduced to Kade as a result of his year in Durham playing for the Blue Devils during what would be David Cutcliffe’s last year as Duke’s coach. Kade departed this world rather young, having only reached 24 years of age. We all got to know Kade a little better thanks to his interviews with the Duke FB Talk crew.
If you read Steve Wiseman’s article about Kade’s passing, it’s clear that everyone cared deeply for the young man. It sure seemed like he got along with everyone. A guy like that is pretty rare and the kind we don’t come across often enough.
With that in mind, me and Tim decided to record a tune to honor Kade’s memory. The song we chose is “Texas Quick Step”. We picked it because of Kade’s Texas roots. The tune is also known as “Rachel” or “Rachel’s Hornpipe.” It may be named after President Andrew Jackson’s wife, but who really knows with these old-time tunes. We hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for spending some time with the Blue Devils, Kade.
Big Scioty is one of my favorite old-time tunes. We’ve recorded it a number of times and posted it here repeatedly. Tim and I recorded a new version of it for a project we’re working on (which is why there are two versions of it). If all goes well, the project will be complete this August.
Anyway, here’s our most recent version of it
On a programming note, we have one more interview scheduled for this summer and I’m working on a couple more to finish out the season. Stay tuned, folks!
Co-Coordinator Tim and I got together and recorded an old Bill Monroe tune called “Jerusalem Ridge“. That song has an interesting history behind it. Rumor is that Kenny Baker tweaked the song and made it into what it ultimately became. Rumors notwithstanding, Baker always gave credit to Monroe for writing the song.
Here’s our version (mandolin and guitar):
Here’s my favorite version of the song (banjo and guitar):
We hope you enjoy it.
Also, check out my son’s Instagram account for the Spikeball league he and his friends created. The boy is having a lot of fun with it.
Let us know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, or on Twitter.
For the third season in a row, I stopped by The ACC Weekly Podcast to preview the upcoming Duke football season. This was a fun talk with some of the best podcasters in the business. You can listen to the interview here.
Thanks to Matthew and Jeff for having me back on as a guest. I always enjoy talking with these guys.
As if almost 40 minutes of Blue Devil sports weren’t enough, Tim and I recorded a cover of “Cherokee Trail” which is a great old-time tune. Fun fact, Tim actually played with the guy who wrote the song. I’m on rhythm guitar and Tim is playing his brand new mandolin which sounds great!
Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, or on Twitter.
As indicated in my Whirlpool post, We Are Number Three did a cover of TMBG’s Minimum Wage. You can listen to Greg’s episode about Minimum Wage over at This Might Be A Podcast by following this link. In that episode, you can listen to the We Are Number Three cover and some other covers, too.
But, in this post, you get to hear the version that me, Co-Coordinator Tim and my family put together titled “Minimum Wage Can’t Buy You Shortnin’ Bread.”
So you know who contributed what part of the song, my daughter yells “Minimum Wage”, followed by my son yelling. Then it’s me and Tim for the instrumental followed by me with the song title and my wife banging a pan.
We took the lyrics from Minimum Wage and combined it with the song Shortnin’ Bread. This was a fun project for a lot of reasons, but especially because the two songs fit together thematically. Shortnin’ Bread has a very, very interesting backstory that I would encourage everyone to learn more about. I’m serious – you can learn a lot from that song’s history.
If you want to skip straight to the music, scroll down to the end.
As some of you may remember (or try to forget), I’m part of a trio that covers They Might Be Giants tunes. We take TMBG song lyrics and match them up with old-time tunes. I think we’ve been a hit as part of the Covers Crew over at This Might Be A Podcast (“TMBP”), but I’m a little biased. Since I made my debut on TMBP to discuss Yeh Yeh, our little group, We Are Number Three, has covered TMBG’s Prepare, 32 Footsteps, House At The Top Of The Tree, Minimum Wage (the episode is going to drop soon!) and a secret one for a charity compilation that is in the works. (All the links are to the podcast episodes where are covers, and others, are played.) Well, we just did another cover and that is what this post is all about.
Not too long ago, TMBP did an episode on a somewhat obscure TMBG tune, Whirlpool, which is a cover of a Meat Puppets song. The original version of the song is here
The TMBG version is here
Pretty different, right? We set out to cover Whirlpool because it’s always been a favorite of mine. It’s such an odd little song and the weird nature of it has always stuck with me.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the song together in time for the episode. But, after a little bit of time, we finished it up. And I am glad that we waited. As we were putting it all together, my Grandmother got sick and passed away. Her time in hospice care gave me a new interpretation of the song. As I read the lyrics over and over again, I concluded that the song is about someone passing from this life to the next. As a result, our cover of Whirlpool turned into a tribute to my Grandmother.
Here are the lyrics:
There was a swirling mass of water that lived in a quiet pond It asked permission from its master to visit the lands beyond And its master allowed it to fly So the wind swept the whirlpool across the sky
Whirlpool Whirlpool
There was a swirling mass of water that lived in a quiet pond It asked permission from its master to visit the lands beyond And its master allowed it to fly So the wind swept the whirlpool across the sky And it had the idea to fly So the wind swept the whirlpool across the sky
Whirlpool Whirlpool Whirlpool
Our version of Whirlpool is below. The old-time tune we paired it with is called “Old Grimes.” It’s a good tune. We all hope you enjoy our cover. Love you, Grandma!
As Rome expanded from city to Mediterranean power, perhaps its greatest rival was the Samnites. After an overwhelming defeat at the Battle of the Caudine Forks in 321 BC, Rome regrouped and methodically dismantled the Samnites. Over a series of three wars which concluded in 290 BC, the Samnites were defeated, assimilated into Rome and attained full citizenship as a result of the Social War. While never able to defeat Rome, the Samnites were one of Rome’s fiercest enemies and fought against the Romans whenever the chance presented itself. For example, the Samnites joined with Hannibal during the Second Punic War and with King Pyrrhus during the Pyrrhic War.
I bring this interesting historical tidbit up because, while it was a fierce rivalry, the Rome-Samnite Rivalry was rather one-sided. So, too, is the current rivalry between Duke and Pitt. The Panthers lead the Blue Devils in the all-time series by a healthy 16-9 margin. Since Pitt joined the ACC, Duke has only notched one win against their Coastal rival – a 51-48 victory in 2OT which involved Chris Blewitt missing a 26-yard FG attempt at the end of regulation that followed two consecutive Blue Devil timeouts. And while there have been some high-scoring affairs (58-55 in 2013, 54-45 in 2018 and 33-30 in 2019), the Panthers have, in no uncertain terms, owned Duke. Since 2013, Pitt is 7-1 against the Blue Devils.
So, will this year be any different? Possibly. The Panthers have taken a step back this year. Sitting at 6-4 with two games to go, this isn’t the season that a lot of people expected after winning the ACC Championship last year. Nonetheless, it’s a bowl eligible season with two games to go. While Pitt is far from perfect, close losses against Tennessee and Georgia Tech say that this team isn’t too far off from being 8-2. (And we know how close lossesfeel!) Plus, the Panthers put an end to a two-game losing streak with a 19-9 victory over Syracuse and followed it up with a 37-7 shellacking of UVA. While this Pitt team may not be a repeat of the 2021 edition, this installment has the ability to win each game it plays. And that’s exactly what you’d expect from the 15th ranked defense. These guys only give up 4.88 yards per play and holds offenses to 309.8 yards per game. However, this team is only 60th in total offense. So, what does that team for Saturday?
Look, this is going to be one of the best defenses Duke has faced all year. The Blue Devils will have to make the gameplan simple and continue to do what they’ve done all year – run the football and keep the chains moving. But that may be hard because the Panthers only give up 97.7 rushing yards per game. So, what do you do then? Well, you try to get things going through the air which is where Pitt may be vulnerable at 212.1 yards per contest. With Leonard’s ability to scramble, and receivers like Jordan Moore, Robertson, Hagans and Calhoun, Duke may just find a way to put up enough points to get a win. It won’t be easy, but the football gods have seen the Blue Devils lose enough to the Panthers. Right? Isn’t it time that Duke get a win in this series? I sure think so. But, again, history has not been kind to our guys.
So, what can we expect on Saturday? Generally, these two teams typically put up high-scoring affairs. The current over/under is 52.5 which history would tell you to take. My only hesitation would be the relative strength of Pitt’s defense. So, um, yeah, don’t take any betting advice from me. Look, guys, I’m just kind of rambling to avoid making a prediction here because the football gods have been so, so unfair to us in this rivalry. To buy myself a little more time, let’s check in with our guest picker and friend of the podcast Dan Siegel who has this to say:
Pitt 28, Duke 24. These two teams are evenly matched enough to the point where I take Duke to cover, even on the road. That being said, Pitt has figured out their defense and their pass rush has especially been dominant, with 14 sacks over their past two games. With Duke’s offense predicated more on moving the ball in short chunks/avoiding mistakes rather than explosiveness, I’d say they fall just short.
Thanks, Dan, for doing this. If you like what Dan has to say, check out his podcast on YouTube.
I’m not going to pick the 7.5 point favorite in this game. No, I’m going with the Blue Devils to eek out an insanely close 30-24 win. Todd Pelino will hit a 40+ yarder to seal the game which will force Josh Cox into man crush territory. Write it down – I’m taking Duke to win and get to 8-3. This has been a great season for the Blue Devils and I know this team will be motivated to keep it going.
Now, that’s it for the game recap which means we’ve got another old-time tune. This one is called Big Scioty (aka Big Sciota). It’s a classic.
Great. Song.
Before we conclude, I’d like to take a minute to update you on dad’s treatment. He is starting chemotherapy today and is probably going through a rough time. Please pass on any prayers, good vibes and positive thoughts you all may have. Dad could use them. And I know he got a lot from the first and second set of messages, so hopefully he’ll get a lot more from whatever else you all can do for him.
That’s it for the game recap. Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Twitter or on Reddit.
Women ages 40 to 50 went crazy when they saw this handsome man on TV.
During the height of the Second Punic War, the Romans were desperate for a leader who could overcome a string of defeats and bring the North African power that was Carthage to heel. Eventually, the man who would become known to history as Scipio Africanus took control of the Roman forces, defeated Carthage and put an end to the Second Punic War. Scipio’s success in Africa was so complete that it gave rise to a myth that only a Scipio could win in Africa. The Romans, a naturally superstitious bunch, believed so strongly in this that Julius Caesar had a descendant of Scipio on his staff during the African campaign of what his Roman civil war.
Just as only a Scipio could win in Africa, perhaps only an Elko can get a win in Durham against Virginia Tech. On Saturday, the Blue Devils defeated the Hokies at home for the first time since 1981. For context, I was just one day short of being seven weeks old the last time the Bull City Boys beat VPI in Durham. Man, that really makes me realize just how old I’m getting. Going to take a break to yell at the kids skateboarding on the sidewalk, check a weather app and did I hurt my neck again? All right, I’m back.
This game started like a lot of games have for Duke this season in that the Blue Devils let a really not good Virginia Tech team hang around. The first quarter ended with the Hokies up 7-3. The first half ended with Duke up by a narrow margin of 10-3. And, compounding that close score, it sure looked like Jalon Calhoun had a catch on a deep ball that could have kept a late drive going and, at worst, likely have set up chip shot field goal attempt. Despite having three timeouts, Coach Elko didn’t call one to give the refs a chance to have the play reviewed. It may not have been overturned given that there didn’t appear to be indisputable evidence of a catch, but you were facing 3rd-and-11, so why not use one of your three timeouts to decide on how best to use both downs to convert? By this I mean try to come up with a plan to use two downs to get the conversion instead of betting it all on 3rd down. You know, try a short pass on 3rd down to get to a more manageable distance and then … What’s that you say? We’re just throwing another incomplete pass on a deep route that leads to a missed 45 yard field goal? Not what I would have done, but okay.
But, that horrible instance of game management aside, the Blue Devils came out in the second half and put together a repeat of the UVA game – they just overwhelmed Virginia Tech physically. The OL started opening up some running lanes, the backs started chewing up yards and Riley Leonard started finding Hagans, Moore and Robertson. Two second half scoring drives later, Duke celebrated a 24-7 victory over a Coastal opponent. While there were a lot of cool moments from this game, like the Hokie quarterback just falling down and giving Duke a sack, I think we can all agree that the best moment of the game was me on TV. Let’s take another look at it
Sorry, ladies, I’m married.
So, what were the big takeaways from Saturday? I’d have to say that the defense continued to hold its own. There were two sacks, two tackles-for-loss and what seemed like a lot of pressure on the opposing quarterback. While the defense struggled at times to contain Virginia Tech when it went tempo, Grant Wells only managed to throw for 177 yards, an early TD and a Three Stooges style interception that landed right in Shaka’s hands. If that weren’t enough, the Blue Devils held the Hokies to just 104 rushing yards. Not a bad day for our defense.
Offensively, we saw several receivers step up in Eli Pancol’s absence. Jontavis Robertson had 5 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Sahmir Hagans had 2 for 20, with both coming at crucial times. The same was true of Nicky Dalmolin’s touchdown and Jordan Moore’s 3 for 37 outing (which included an unreal one-handed catch). Throw in 165 rushing yards on 41 attempts and you have a Blue Devil win. It may not have been perfect, but good teams are able to overcome slow and inconsistent outings by being more methodical, more physical and more determined than the competition. That’s what we saw from Duke on Saturday and that’s why the Blue Devils got the win. It may not have been perfect, but it sure made the drive home a lot more fun.
Before I finish up, I’d like to note that this team is 7-3 with two more games to go. This season is going a heck of a lot better than most of us expected. While there may not be a signature win (other than the one that got stolen), this is turning into what can only be characterized as a truly historic season. I know that I’m not the only that wants to see this team close out the 2022 campaign with three more wins, bowl game included.
And that’s it for the game recap which means we have another old-time tune! This one is called “Walking Up Georgia Row”.
Tim and I need to play this song more.
Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Twitter or on Reddit.
It wasn’t pretty, but Duke got to six wins and bowl eligibility after beating Boston College on the road Friday night. To restate how not pretty this game was, the Blue Devils were an 11.5 point favorite and didn’t cover. Against a team that came in 2-6. Let that sink in for a minute before you continue reading this post. Have you done that? Okay, then continue.
While 38-31 is a win, Duke seemed motivated to let a really, really bad Eagles team hang around until the very end. I don’t know if it was Eli Pancol being out or a couple of injuries to the running backs during the game (it seemed like Jordan Waters left with an injury and I think someone else did, too), but the offense looked lost at times. Riley Leonard finished the game with only 158 passing yards (which may have been more of a reflection of pretty good field position, but still). The secondary got brutalized by Boston College’s new quarterback who racked up 330 yards and 4 touchdowns. A win is a win, but this would have to be classified as an ugly win. Especially given the fact that it seemed like the offense started every drive at about the 50.
Now, a win on the road and bowl eligibility brings a lot to be happy about, but the way in which the win came about will cause Coach Elko and his staff some heartburn heading into next week’s game (and I’m not talking about the two really, really bad PI calls that led to two Eagles’ touchdowns (and by “bad”, I mean horrendously awful and incorrect). Despite the bye, the Blue Devils racked up 7 penalties for 60 yards against Boston College. In addition, as already noted, the defense made a new quarterback look like an established veteran. On the whole, the Bull City Boys were wildly inconsistent. The offense was great at times and then disappeared at times. Duke took leads of 24-7 and 31-14 only to watch the Eagles roar back and get within seven at the end. There’s no way around it – this was a weird, weird game.
But enough about the struggles, we can save it for the game preview next week. How about we just enjoy what this team accomplished? For the first time since 2018, the Blue Devils will go to a bowl. And the best part about it is that Duke has three games left to try and rack up a few more wins. Each win will put this team in a better bowl against a higher level of competition. While just getting to a bowl this season is great, I think we would much prefer that this team finish the season with two to three more wins as opposed to a repeat of the series of losses that occurred in 2012 after the team reached bowl eligibility. Now, if this team does end on a losing skid, I won’t be too critical after the last two plus seasons, but I would much prefer to see the team finish at 8-4 or 9-3.
If the Blue Devils can finish with eight to nine wins, this would be a season for the ages. It would certainly give some added weight to the Restitutor Orbis title I bestowed upon Coach Elko earlier this season. But it isn’t a given that it will happen. Virginia Tech may be down, but they almost got a win against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Pitt, too, bounced back and beat Syracuse. Nothing is guaranteed. Duke is going to have to come out focused each week.
But enough looking ahead. I’m going to sit back and enjoy where the Blue Devils are right now. You guys got to a bowl game. Congratulations to all of you! Take a moment to enjoy this and then go out and kick butt over the next three weeks!
With the game recap out of the way, I’m going to throw in another old-time tune that me and Tim recorded a few months back. It’s called “Old Grimes”. Tim is on fiddle and I’m on guitar.
This is a good one. I hope you all enjoy it.
Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Reddit or on Twitter.
At 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Duke will have an opportunity to get to six wins and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2018. To do that, the Blue Devils will have to beat Boston College on the road. On paper, this looks like a definite win. But, as we all know, games aren’t played on paper. So, what can we expect to see in this game?
From Duke, we are going to see an offense without Eli Pancol who may be out for the rest of the year with a lower leg injury. That’s unfortunate, but there is depth at that position. One of the receivers will have to step up, be it Hagans, Robertson, Bowen-Sims, etc., or a combination thereof. Hopefully Coach Johns will find a way to increase the usage of Jordan Moore and Nicky Dalmolin. Those two should help Riley Leonard manage the loss of such a key player in Pancol. But the best way to help the offense will be to keep running the ball. A lot. This team is putting up more than 200 yards per game, so keep going with what works. And with the offense facing a team that is 61st in total defense and gives up an average of 367.2 yards per game, I expect the offense to put up yards and points. A lot of them. I mean, this is a defense that gave up 27 to a bad Virginia Tech team. Given that, expect the visiting team to put up just a tad more than 27.
On the defensive end of the ball, and this gets into what we can expect to see from the Eagles, I’d expect the Blue Devil defensive line to shut down the running game and make Boston College one-dimensional. The Eagles are only putting up 67.5 rushing yards per outing (you read that right), so look for Carter and Franklin to feast. Boston College has also given up 29 sacks so far. Again, expect the DL and LBs (looking at you, Shaka) to feast and for the secondary to jump routes to try and create turnovers. And given that the Eagles have thrown nine picks so far, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that trend continue here. As far as what I think will happen, I expect the Duke secondary to get some picks or otherwise for the Blue Devil defense as a whole to create turnovers via strip-sacks, fumbles, or both.
Evaluating the matchup from a big picture perspective, Duke is in good shape heading into this game despite the Pancol injury as it will take on an opponent in the midst of a bad, bad season. Boston College is 1-4 in conference, 2-6 overall and is currently suffering through a three game losing streak including a bad one against UConn. The Eagles have only posted wins against Maine and, somewhat surprisingly, Louisville. But that win came before the Cardinals started to get hot. Putting aside the relative merits of the win, it’s a still a win and it ought to tell the Blue Devils not to overlook their opponent. While Boston College hasn’t done much to write home about this season, Duke absolutely cannot ignore a conference opponent. This team can’t afford a repeat of what happened against Georgia Tech.
So, who will win this game? Well, the Blue Devils are somewhere between a 9.5 and a 10.5 point favorite over the Eagles. Our guest picker, Freddie Hodges, is saying to take the Bull City Boys to cover and provides the following analysis of the game –
Boston College hit a new low losing to UConn. That was Uconn’s first win over a Power Five opponent since the Huskies beat Virginia in September 2016. Duke is coming off a bye week and Vegas has the current line at -9.5 in Duke’s favor with the Over/Under at 48.5. Sometimes a team can be a little rusty coming off a bye week. I also have to take into account that BC is looking for a win after that upset last week and have a home game on a Friday night when I think more fans would be likely to come out for a Friday night lights game instead of say a 12:30 kickoff day game. Even with all of that said… I think Coach Elko has this team ready for an away night game and Duke covers the spread and I am going with the Over as well. Duke 41 BC 13.
Thanks, Freddie, for prediction and the analysis. It is appreciated! You all can follow Freddie’s work at Blue Devils Blog. He has some great content.
As for me, I am also taking Duke to win 41-13. Given that the Hokies put up 27, you have to think that the Blue Devils will put up 14 more. All things considered, I think Duke will come out hungry and ready to clinch bowl eligibility. The 2022 Blue Devils are different than prior iterations and won’t miss an opportunity to go bowling.
Now, before I close the post out, I wanted to let you all know that I’m trying to expand the brand by going to a few more social media sites. As a result, you can find me on Reddit and Mastodon. I’ve tried Counter Social, but I’m not sure how to use it yet and I’m not sure I’ll stick with it (same with Mastodon – we’ll see how it plays out). Regardless, the Duke football subreddit is pretty cool and we could always use more folks there. Check it out when you can.
Also, I’m going to try and post a little more music here. So, what follows is a recording of an old-time tune called “June Apple” that Tim and I did. We hope you enjoy it. Tim is on fiddle and I’m on guitar.
Nice tune, right?
That’s it for the game preview. Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments or on Twitter, Reddit or Mastodon.
Bull City Coordinators - A Duke Football Blog 