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Cutcliffe Has Blue Devils Playing Well
By MoonDog | September 30, 2008
Duke Head Coach David Cutcliffe
OK, I know it’s early and they’ve yet to get into the meat of their schedule, but former Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe has the Duke Blue Devils off to a 3-1 start.
What’s most impressive is the fact Duke hasn’t played four cupcakes either. They’ve beaten a good Navy team that just upset No. 25 Wake Forest this past Saturday and their only loss was by four points to an unbeaten Northwestern team.
And get this - the Blue Devils have already won more games this year than they have in the past three seasons combined. Duke is currently in second place in the ACC Coastal Division behind perennial power Virginia Tech.
That’s pretty heady stuff for a program that has been among the worst in college football over the past 14 years. Duke’s last winning season came in 1994, compiling a record of 22-125 over that time span, including four winless seasons.
Earlier this spring I wrote an article highlighting Cutcliffe’s ability to turn the Duke program around. Having enjoyed success at Ole Miss and Tennessee, Cutcliffe has already made a huge impact on the Blue Devils.
While on paper the Blue Devils don’t possess the nation’s most highly regarded talent, Cutcliffe has been able to inject discipline and enthusiasm into a team that desperately needed it.
Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis
Cutcliffe’s offense has been lighting up the scoreboard, averaging nearly 31 points a game. Not since Steve Spurrier was walking the sidelines in Durham have the Blue Devils had such a productive offense.
Cutcliffe has gotten solid performances from quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, fullback Clifford Harris and wide receiver Eron Riley. Duke has also received contributions from wide out Johnny Williams and running back Jay Hollingsworth.
Lewis is the biggest benefactor of Cutcliffe’s experience, having tutored some of the best quarterbacks to play the game. When your pupils include Peyton and Eli Manning, Cutcliffe is uniquely qualified to guide Lewis.
So far, Cutcliffe’s tutelage has proven to be invaluable. After four games, Lewis has completed 61% of his passes for 874 yards and seven touchdowns. Cutcliffe’s expertise has also benefited the offensive line, changing the pass protection schemes to cut down on the number of sacks.
Duke WR Eron Riley
Last season, Lewis was sacked 44 times in 12 games, averaging better than three sacks per game. This season, Lewis has only been sacked six times, less than two per game, giving him time to find his favorite target, Eron Riley.
Riley has 22 receptions for 268 yards and six touchdowns, catching half of his TD total against Navy. Riley isn’t the only option in the Blue Devils’ passing game, with Williams catching 18 passes for 206 yards. Williams had 11 receptions for 135 yards in the loss to Northwestern.
Harris leads the Blue Devils ground attack, with 231 yards rushing on 58 carries and three touchdowns. The 5-11, 220-pound senior isn’t the prototypical running back, but he’s very effective, gaining nearly four yards per carry. Hollingsworth has been effective as well, gaining 154 yards on 44 carries.
Duke LB Michael Tauiliili
The Blue Devils’ defense has been very good too, allowing an average of 16.3 PPG. Earlier this week linebacker Michael Tauiliili was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Virginia. He was also recognized as the National Defensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
The 5-11, 235-pound senior had a career-high 16 tackles against the Cavaliers. He had a hand in three of the six turnovers forced by the Duke defense, a fumble recovery in the second quarter, an interception in the fourth quarter and a forced fumble recovered by teammate Catron Gainey in the fourth quarter.
Tauiliili leads the ACC in tackles (46) and tackles per game (11.5) and has reached double figures in tackles twice this season.
Duke’s schedule gets much more difficult in the coming weeks, with five road games starting with Georgia Tech this Saturday. The Blue Devils also travel to No. 19 Vanderbilt, No. 25 Wake Forest, Clemson and No. 20 Virginia Tech.
Six wins for this team would be a huge accomplishment and a clear sign that Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils have changed the atmosphere surrounding the program.
If Duke can somehow manage a seventh win and earn a bowl bid, that would make Cutcliffe a candidate for ACC Coach of the Year and perhaps garner some attention as the National Coach of the Year.
Even if Duke doesn’t win another game this season, the three wins they’ve already captured is a huge step forward to gaining respectability. Cutcliffe was clearly the best choice to lead this program out of the cellar and the future will be even brighter.
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Tags: david cutcliffe, Clifford Harris, Tennessee Vols, Thaddeus Lewis, General Sports Topics, Eron Riley, college football, Duke Blue Devils, MoonDog, ACC, Michael Tauiliili
Topics: General Sports Topics |
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October 1st, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Always a 1st class coach