Thoughts on the DOOK game?

GTKyle

GTKyle

Dodd-Like
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
6,625
Obviously, we can't take them as lightly as we have in years past. This could be our trap game this year. With Gailey I probably would have been scared out of my wits going into this game, but with CPJ I feel pretty confident we'll put up 40+ on Duke's D. Navy already put up 31 on them earlier this year so they have seen the flex-spread before, just not with our caliber of athletes. This game will really test our secondary and LBs, which are suspect, as we gave up a lot of yardage on short passing plays against MSU. This game may be a shootout.

Thoughts?
 
This game breaks down pretty simple in my mind.

-3 or more in turnovers, tight game or loss
-2 in turnovers or less, we win
-1 turnover or less, comfortable win
0 or + in turnovers = blowout for the good guys

Duke has avg at best front 7 on defense, but slightly above avg secondary. Not a good combination against the techflexbone. Our OL is starting to get it. 300 yds min on the ground for us = long long day for puke.

Wildcard for us: We have not defensed a prolific or even above average passing attack yet. Our new man up scheme in the secondary will get tested if our DT's can't blow up the middle and push the QB out to the waiting arms of Freak & DM. Im hoping a return of some of our injured linebackers will help in maintaing lane assignment and containing a scrambling QB. Not pooh poohing the job the reserves have done, but there is a reason the other guys were starters.
 
Will people please get over Duke. They have not played a single team yet. Wins over Navy, James Madison, and Virginia are not impressive at all.

Also, what is this crap about a prolific offense. They had 258 total yards against Virginia and only 174 passing yards. As a matter of fact Virginia had more yards on O than Duke did (304-258).

We will dominate Duke on Saturday.
 
mts315 said:
Will people please get over Duke. They have not played a single team yet. Wins over Navy, James Madison, and Virginia are not impressive at all.

Also, what is this crap about a prolific offense. They had 258 total yards against Virginia and only 174 passing yards. As a matter of fact Virginia had more yards on O than Duke did (304-258).

We will dominate Duke on Saturday.
Click to expand...

Game opens at Vegas as a PICK EM game. We better take them seriously. Have you not learned anything from Navy/Wake and OSU/USC and OM/UF?
 
Duke has a whole lot of wind in their sails right now. We're going to have to take it out and that means getting in rhythm early, no mistakes, high energy, and solid defense. Not only that, but objectively speaking, Duke probably has the best all-around offense we have seen all year. Sounds funny, right? Not to me. We better get ready for them as if it was the Clemson game. I'll be happy with a one point victory.
 
mts315 said:
Will people please get over Duke. They have not played a single team yet. Wins over Navy, James Madison, and Virginia are not impressive at all.

Also, what is this crap about a prolific offense. They had 258 total yards against Virginia and only 174 passing yards. As a matter of fact Virginia had more yards on O than Duke did (304-258).

We will dominate Duke on Saturday.
Click to expand...

Dude, they only had 2 WINS ALL OF LAST YEAR. This duke team is definitely improved, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
 
Very simply put they're offense scares the crap out of me after watching what Lee (backup QB at the time) and his receivers were able to do to us last weekend. Yes we kept them from the end zone but Duke is getting confident and there's no question that David Cutcliffe is a terrific offensive coach.

I have confidence in our coaches and our players but I recognize that Duke isn't "Dook" at this point.
 
A couple of things. First, this isn't a trap game because I doubt we are looking ahead to scary Gardner-Webb. Second, Duke faced their first D-1 quality D in UVA, and looked horrible on offense. Without UVA's five turnovers, this game goes to the wire. I think Lewis will get some yardage on us and they'll keep it close for a half. Our defensive line will be the best they have seen, and I fully expect PJ to punch them in the mouth ala Miss. St.... If Jaybo can keep making the right reads, we pull away in the second half.
 
Duke gave up 31 to Navy. Even thought they have already seen this offemse once this year, they did not do a great job of stopping it. I think as long as we take care of the football, we will be fine. Wake Forest showed us what can happen on a given day if you turn the ball over.
 
I may have already posted this, but...


Cuttcliffe, last Thursday on the Southern Football Kickoff Show (Wes Durham / Tony Barnhart) mentioned that when he got to Duke his players were the slowest, softest, fattest football team he'd ever seen. He said it was like discovering the goose with the golden egg. He said, "Hell! If we just implement a good strength and conditioning program we'll win four games."

Pay attention to that. Cuttcliffe claims all he needs to go from 0 to 4 wins is conditioning. He claims the players at Duke were that good, just poorly conditioned. What that says to me, is Duke is a 6 win team this year, and maybe an 8 in a year or two.
 
I have really liked the way Cutcliffe has begun at Duke. They are the most improved team in the league. They tend to start slow, but finish strong. For one, they have lost a ton of weight in his conditioning program. They are lighter, quicker, and more confident.

That said, we should be able to move the ball on them. They gave up a ton of yards to Navy in the first half, then nothing in the second. We need an offensive start similar to Mississippi State game. I know I don't want to run off at halftime with a small lead, tie, or behind.

Lewis is not a great QB, but he is good. Take away the run and put some pressure on the QB. And, they tend to score on big plays. Secondary has to keep people in front of them.

I am glad we have two weeks for them. I don't think our Coach will let us overlook them, and we shouldn't.
 
Cutcliffe sucks and will be exposed this coming saturday. Look for a margin of victory on par with the MSU game. And if you think duke has a "decent secondary that could give us problems" then remember about how a bad ass class of the SEC secondary gave up 38 to our backup QB.
 
Vespid said:
This game breaks down pretty simple in my mind.

-3 or more in turnovers, tight game or loss
-2 in turnovers or less, we win
-1 turnover or less, comfortable win
0 or + in turnovers = blowout for the good guys
Click to expand...

I'm tending to agree here.

If we stink up the joint, dook has enough offense to beat us. Also, our passing defense has yet to face a proven throwing QB. Dook's QB can throw pretty well.

If Jaybo stays healthy and we don't have a turnover fest I think we'll win pretty easily. QB injuries and/or a turnover-fest could lose the game.

One factor. PJ has film of Dook & Navy. Sure Dook has seen our offense, but PJ has also seen how Dook chose to defend it. Fact is PJ will have our guys ready and we are going to come out and road grade these guys.
 
Seems like everybody is forgetting that our starting QB is probably out.

That always scares me.
 
texstinger said:
Seems like everybody is forgetting that our starting QB is probably out.

That always scares me.
Click to expand...

Usually it would scare me too, but in this case I honestly believe it's just a trade-off of freakish athletic ability for experience. Execution is so vital to his offense, and everything I have seen from Shaw at this point indicates that he can effectively execute this offense. If this were a pro-style offense or if Shaw had shown signs of vast inferiority to Nesbitt then I would be more worried.

BTW, has Nesbitt officially been ruled out for the Duke game or is it just the natural assumption at this point that he will sit?
 
I don't think we've got anything to worry about. I think CPJ has our guys' attention. He won't let them get distracted from their assignment of beating Dook.
 
I wouldn't think dook has CLOSE to the defenses that we've faced in BC, VT and i guess you could say MSU, but i haven't seen them play and that's why i said "think".

anything can happen on any given saturday, but i'm confident in the fact that we're going to start KNOWING what team is going to show up as opposed to years past.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top