Duke falls flat in the 2nd half loss to Canes

Duke Blue Devils 2009 ... Head Coach: David Cutcliffe

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2009 Record: 5-6

9/5 Richmond L 24-16
9/12 at Army W 35-19
9/19 at Kansas L 44-16
9/26 NC Central W 49-14
10/3 Virginia Tech L 34-26
10/10 at NC St W 49-28
10/17 OPEN DATE
10/24 Maryland  W 17-13
10/31 at Virginia W 38-13
11/7 at N  Carolina  L 19-6
11/14 Georgia Tech L 49-10
11/21 at Miami L 34-16
11/28 Wake Forest

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 1-11
2008 Record: 4-8

8/30 James Madison W 31-7
9/6 Northwestern L 24-20
9/13 Navy W 41-31
9/20  OPEN DATE
9/27 Virginia W 31-3
10/4 at Georgia Tech L 27-0
10/11  OPEN DATE
10/18 Miami L 49-31
10/25 at Vanderbilt W 10-7
11/1 at W. Forest L 33-30 OT
11/8 NC State L 27-17
11/15 at Clemson L 31-7
11/22 at Virginia Tech L 14-3
11/29 North Carolina L 28-20

Duke Blue Devils

Nov. 21
at Miami 34 … Duke 16
Miami overcame a rocky start and a 16-10 deficit by scoring 24 unanswered points highlighted by a 44-yard Leonard Hankerson touchdown catch and a 73-yard interception return for a score from Darryl Sharpton. Duke got the lead on three Will Snyderwine field goals and a 24-yard Donovan Warner touchdown catch, but Miami stepped up its intensity in the second half and the Blue Devil offense struggled. Miami outgained the Blue Devils 496 yards to 358.
Player of the Game: Miami LB Darryl Sharpton made 12 tackles with a broken up passes, two tackles for loss, and an interception for a 73-yard score.
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 20-37, 303 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jay Hollingsworth, 10-32, Receiving: Donovan Warner, 8-165, 1 TD
Miami: Passing: Jacory Harris, 25-43, 348 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Damien Berry, 16-76, 1 TD, Receiving: Leonard Hankerson, 8-143, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Duke doesn’t have the ability to come up consistent offensively for a full game. After sputtering against North Carolina and Georgia Tech, the offense moved well against Miami, but there were three field goals on drives that needed to finish in touchdowns. The door was left open for Miami, and Duke couldn’t slam it shut with problems getting off the field defensively and issues keeping the chains moving on offense. There’s still a chance to get bowl eligible needing to beat Wake Forest next week in the home finale.

Nov. 14
Georgia Tech 49 … at Duke 10
Duke was fantastic in the first quarter getting out to a 10-0 lead helped by an 18-yard Re’quan Boyette touchdown catch, and then it was all Georgia Tech on the way to a Atlantic clinching win. The Yellow Jackets scored 49 unanswered points with Jonathan Dwyer scoring from three and 12 yards out and Josh Nesbitt running for a two-yard score and throwing two touchdown passes including a 75-yarder to Demaryius Thomas. Duke’s offense sputtered after playing so well early on while the Yellow Jackets dominated for the last three quarters finishing with 519 yards of total offense including 306 on the ground.
Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 14 times for 110 yards and two scores.
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 22-35, 212 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Desmond Scott, 6-20, Receiving: Requan Boyette, 6-65, 1 TD
Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 6-10, 195 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 14-110, 2 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 2-89, 1 TD
What It All Means: The offense picked the wrong time to stop working. Either Thaddeus Lewis throws well or the attack doesn’t work with no ground game to speak of. It wasn’t all the O’s fault in the blowout loss to the Yellow Jackets; the defense couldn’t come up with a play over the final three quarters, either. With two losses in a row, it’s going to take a win over Miami or Wake Forest to get bowl eligible, but to do that, Lewis has to get into a groove and the defense has to go back to being stingy against big pass plays.

Nov. 7
at North Carolina 19 … Duke 6
North Carolina got 164 yards from Ryan Houston and the defense held the Duke running game to 12 yards in the tough win. In a battle of field goals early, UNC held a 9-6 lead going into the fourth, and then the offense finally got in the end zone on a three-yard Jheranie Boyd run. Casey Barth hit field goals from 49, 29, 41, and 33 yards for the Tar Heels.
Player of the Game: North Carolina RB Ryan Houston ran 37 times for 164 yards, and he caught three passes for 15 yards.
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 16-35, 113 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Thaddeus Lewis, 10-7, Receiving: Austin Kelly, 4-22
North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 16-28, 119 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ryan Houston, 37-164, Receiving: Zack Pianalto, 5-42 
What It All Means: The offense had been so hot and so impressive, and then it all broke down because the line couldn’t protect Thaddeus Lewis. The Blue Devils haven’t had any running game to speak of, and it was stuffed cold by the Tar Heels to put bowl hopes in jeopardy. It’s not going to be easy over the next few weeks with Georgia Tech and at Miami up next, but there’s still a date with Wake Forest to possible get the sixth win. UNC’s defense is playing extremely well; watch for the Duke O to get back on track next week against the Yellow Jackets.

Oct. 31
Duke 28 … at Virginia 17
Will Snyderwine kicked five field goals and Thaddeus Lewis connected with Conner Vernon for a 42-yard touchdown as Duke won its third ACC game in a row. Even though the Blue Devils dominated the Cavaliers, outgaining them 424 yards to 196, they didn’t put the game away until the final minutes with Charlie Hatcher returning a fumble for a touchdown 23 seconds after the Vernon score. Jameel Sewell ran for a one-yard score and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass for the Cavs.
Player of the Game: Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis completed 24-of-40 passes for 343 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and he ran for 13 yards.
Virginia: Passing: Jameel Sewell, 8-22, 86 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rashawn Jackson, 16-83, Receiving: Joe Torchia, 3-44, 1 TD
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 24-40, 343 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jay Hollingsworth, 12-39, Receiving: Donovan Varner, 7-113 
What It All Means: Duke is 3-1 in ACC play?! It has a chance at winning the Coastal?! There’s still a lot of work to do with Georgia Tech up in two weeks and North Carolina up next week, but with the way Thaddeus Lewis and the passing game are going, Duke has a chance against everyone else on the schedule. However, it took too long to put the Cavaliers away, sputtering in scoring range and settling for too many field goals instead of touchdowns. The pass protection was also a problem allowing six sacks.

Oct. 24
at Duke 17 … Maryland 13
Duke got 371 passing yards from Thaddeus Lewis with a 24-yard throw to Donovan Varner to start the scoring and a one-yarder to Danny Parker in the third quarter for the final Blue Devil points. Maryland made several attempts to come back, getting a 67-yard Davin Meggett touchdown catch to pull within four, but the Blue Devil defense held tough the rest of the way. Duke committed 12 penalties to Maryland’s three.
Player of the Game: Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis completed 30-of-43 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Maryland: Passing: Chris Turner, 16-23, 182 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dave Meggett, 9-38, Receiving: Adrian Cannon, 6-66
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 30-43, 371 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Thaddeus Lewis, 14-14, Receiving: Austin Kelly, 9-67
What It All Means: There were too many penalties and the offense didn’t come up with enough points for all the passing yards, but the defense came up clutch when it had to and it was a second ACC win. Yes, a second ACC win, and yes, Duke is in contention for a bowl. With the way Thaddeus Lewis and the offense are playing, and with the times defense and the takeaways, there’s no reason the Blue Devils can’t win two of their last five. However, three of the next four games are on the road starting off at Virginia. 

Oct. 10
Duke 49 … at NC State 28
Thaddeus Lewis threw for five touchdown passes and ran for a two-yard score as Duke cranked out 502 yards in the shocking win. NC State kept up the pace with Russell Wilson running for a ten-yard score and connecting with Owen Spencer for a 63-yard touchdown on the way to a 21-21 halftime score, and then it was all Duke as Lewis threw three of his scoring passes in the second half and Adam Banks recovered a muffed punt return for a score. NC State’s only second half points came on a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from T.J. Graham. The Pack turned it over four times and had the ball for just 19:36.
Player of the Game: Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis completed 40-of-50 passes for 459 yards and five scores, and he ran for a score.
NC State: Passing: Russell Wilson, 15-27, 172 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Toney Baker, 9-73, 1 TD, Receiving: George Bryan, 4-41
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 40-50, 459 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Requan Boyette, 9-29, Receiving: Conner Vernon, 10-86, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Is there anyone playing better than Thaddeus Lewis at the moment? He carved up two very, very good defenses over the last two weeks in Virginia Tech and NC State throwing for 818 yards and seven touchdowns with no picks and a rushing score. He threw two interceptions against Kansas, but that’s been it for the picks. He has taken to the David Cutcliffe offense and has it humming, and now there has to be a real, honest hope that Duke could get to a bowl game. If Duke can hang with Virginia Tech and beat NC State, it can thump Maryland in two weeks.

Oct. 3
Virginia Tech 34 … at Duke 26
Virginia Tech had more of a battle than it expected even though Tyrod Taylor threw two first quarter touchdown passes with a 36-yarder to Danny Coale and a 28-yarder to Jarrett Boykin and Josh Oglesby ran for fourth quarter scores of 12 and 19 yards. Duke scored first on a 48-yard pass play to Brandon King, but the offense kept seeing drives fall short with Will Snyderwine hitting four field goals, with his third making it a 20-16 Tech lead early in the fourth quarter. The Hokies were finally able to pull away on Josh Oglesby touchdown runs from 12 and 19 yards away. Virginia Tech committed 12 penalties, while Duke committed seven.
Player of the Game: Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor completed 17-of-22 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns.
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 22-40, 359 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Desmond Scott, 7-34, Receiving: Austin Kelly, 6-43, 1 TD
Virginia Tech: Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 17-22, 327 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ryan Williams, 24-83, Receiving: Jarrett Boykin, 6-144, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Duke is going to be kicking itself. The Blue Devils lost because of third down conversions. They only came up with seven first downs on 19 chances, while Virginia Tech converted on 8-of-12 chances. The offense moved the ball well right up until it bogged down time and again in scoring range meaning field goals instead of touchdowns. It might have been a loss, but the Blue Devils showed they could hang with the best in the ACC.

Sept. 26
at Duke 49 … NC Central 14
The Blue Devils got up 21-0 in the first quarter on touchdown runs from Patrick Kurunwune and Desmond Scott and a 18-yard catch from Donovan Varner, but NC Central came back with 14 points highlighted by an 83-yard interception return for a score from Jeffery Henderson. And then it was all Duke with 28 unanswered points highlighted by a Vincent Rey fumble return for a score. UNCC was held to eight first downs and 181 yards of total offense.
Player of the Game: Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis completed 17-of-25 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for eight yards and a score.
NC Central: Passing: Michael Johnson, 5-15, 82 yds
Rushing: Tim Shankle, 11-40, 1 TD, Receiving: Will Scott, 3-37
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 17-25, 189 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Desmond Scott, 16-100, 1 TD, Receiving: Donovan Varner, 6-76, 2 TD
What It All Means: Duke needed to get the offense going a little bit and came up with a nearly-perfect balance on offense with 254 yards through the air and 233 on the ground. However, Virginia Tech isn’t NC Central, and while the Duke offense has a puncher’s chance of producing against the Hokies if QB Thaddeus Lewis gets hot, the run defense isn’t going to be able to hold up against the Tech line. Duke had better be ready to start bombing away, but the team isn’t equipped to do that.

Sept. 19
at Kansas 44 … Duke 16
It took a little while for Kansas to heat up, and then Todd Reesing and company couldn’t be stopped. Reesing found Dezmon Briscoe from 14 yards out, connected with Jake Sharp for a seven-yard score, and found Kerry Meier, who made a great grab, for a six-yard pass as part of a first half flurry for a 21-7 halftime lead. Duke started off the scoring on a 21-yard Thaddeus Lewis run, but didn’t get back into the end zone until the fourth quarter on an 11-yard Donovan Varner catch. Toben Opurum ran for two short second half scores for the Jayhawks.
Player of the Game: Kansas QB Todd Reesing completed 28-of-41 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran eight times for 51 yards.
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 16-27, 184 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Jay Hollingworth, 9-38, Receiving: Johnny Williams, 8-75
Kansas: Passing: Todd Reesin, 28-41, 338 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Toben Opurum, 17-70, 2 TD, Receiving: Kerry Meier, 8-64, 1 TD
What It All Means: The offense relied more and more on the passing game against Kansas because it had to, with Sean Renfree doing almost as well as Thad Lewis and providing another option. Now the Blue Devils have to figure out what works offensively with NC Central coming up next to use as a tune up. Finding a steady runner would be nice, so the quarterbacks don’t have to do everything, and generating more pressure from the line is a must. On the plus side, offensively, Duke is spreading the ball around well. Now a dangerous No. 1 needs to emerge. Basically, Duke needs playmakers to rely on before the ACC season kicks in.

Sept. 12
Duke 35 ... at Army 19
Duke got fourth quarter interception returns for touchdowns from Leon Wright from 51 and 33 yards out, and Sean Renfree came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes for the win. Army had a 10-7 first quarter lead, but the offense sputtered throughout the game and was disastrous late in comeback mode. Trent Steelman started off the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run to give Army an early lead, butt the Knights wouldn't get back into the end zone until the last play of the game on an eight-yard Ali Villanueava catch.
Player of the Game: Duke DB Leon Wright made four tackles with two interceptions for touchdowns
Army: Passing: Carson Williams, 8-18, 91 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing:Patrick Mealy, 10-99, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 4-68, 1 TD
Duke: Passing: Sean Renfree, 7-8, 106 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Requan Boyette, 21-48 Receiving: Requan Boyette, 2-35
What It All Means: After an ugly loss to Richmond, the defense played far better against a dangerous Army rushing game. The offense might not have been great, and Sean Renfree had to step in and take over Thaddeus Lewis, but the defense came up big late, with the two pick-sixes from Leon Wright putting the game away. Army ran for 266 yards, but the Duke defense came up with four takeaways to keep control of the game in the second half. Against Kansas, Duke has to do far better on third downs after converting just 2-of-10 chances.

Sept. 5
Richmond 24 ... at Duke 16
Duke was upset even with QB Thaddeus Lewis throwing for 350 yards with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Williams and a 21-yard scoring pass to Austin Kelly. Richmond came up with the first score on a blocked punt for a score and put the game away in the fourth on a one-yard Tyler Kirchoff run and a 45-yard Andrew Howard field goal. Duke failed to get the ball back after the Kelly touchdown with 2:13 to play.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis completed 34-of-55 passes for 350 yards and two scores.
Richmond: Passing: Eric Ward, 12-23, 143 yds
Rushing: Justin Forte, 16-69, 1 TD, Receiving: Tre Gray, 5-51
Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 34-55, 350 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Requan Boyette, 9-15, Receiving: Johnny Williams, 7-115, 1 TD
What It All Means: Richmond is a great FCS team, possibly the best in the country, but this was still a devastating loss for a Duke program looking to kick off the season with a bang. Thaddeus Lewis was fantastic, but he didn't get the offense moving enough in the second half to set up scores. The running game wasn't necessarily non-existent, but it wasn't used with just 16 carries. Re'quan Boyette and Jay Hollingsworth have to be more involved to balance out the attack.