2006 Duke Blue Devil Season, Game Reviews and Recaps
Nov. 25
North Carolina 45 ... Duke 44
North Carolina held on iin a wild game with Kentwan Balmer
blocking an extra point after Duke's Patrick Bailey picked off a pass for a
score with just under three minutes to play. Duke also got a three-yard Tielor
Robinson touchdown catch as part of a 13-point run in the final five minutes,
but the Tar Heels were ahead thanks to a 35-yard punt return for a score and a
45-yard Justin Warren touchdown run in the fourth. Robinson scored three times
in the fourth and Thaddeus Lewis threw four touchdown passes for the Blue
Devils, but the defense couldn't handle the UNC offensive balance or big plays.
UNC capitalized on three Duke turnovers and answered a six-yard Raphael Chestnut
scoring catch with with a 97-yard kickoff return for a score from Brandon Tate
with 17 seconds to play in the first half. Player of
the game ...
North Carolina's Brandon Tate returned a kickoff 97 yards for a
touchdown and a punt 54 yards for a score Stat Leaders: Duke- Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 20-35, 285 yds,
4 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Requan Boyette, 11-60 Receiving: Eron RIley, 4-115 North Carolina - Passing: Joe Dailey, 20-31, 253 yds, 2 TD,
1 INT
Rushing: Barrington Edwards, 19-79, 1 TD Receiving: Hakeem Nicks, 7-117, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The North
Carolina loss typified the Duke season. Just when it looked like
things were going its way, the Tar Heels answered with a kickoff
return for a score, a blocked extra point, or a big drive to keep
the momentum. Thaddeus Lewis played well, and there was even a bit
of a running game for the first time in a while, but the team showed
that it simply didn't know how to come up with the big play needed
to win. That needs to come with experience.
Nov. 18
Georgia Tech 49 ... Duke 21
Georgia Tech rolled over Duke getting out to a 28-0 lead on
two Calvin Johnson touchdown catches, a 37-yard James Johnson
scoring grab, and a three-yard Tashard Choice scoring run before
Duke finally got on the board. The Yellow Jacket backups played most
of the second half and still came up with 21 points helped by two
scoring grabs from Greg Smith. Thaddeus Lewis threw two touchdown
passes and Ronnie Drummer ran for a score for the Blue Devils. Player of the
game ... Georgia Tech WR
Calvin Johnson had five receptions for 78 yards and two touchdown
catches. Stat Leaders: Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis,
19-32, 237 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT Rushing: Ronnie Drummer, 1-23 Receiving: Raphael
Chestnut, 8-81 Georgia Tech - Passing: Reggie Ball, 7-13, 122
yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Tashard Choice, 18-118, 1 TD Receiving: Calvin
Johnson, 5-78, 2 TDs Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The Blue Devils have to keep improving week after week, and they
were able to take a relatively decent step against Georgia Tech with
a decent passing day from Thaddeus Lewis. He took a few too many
sacks, but he only threw one interception under the pressure and
threw for 237 yards. Even though the offense got down early and
needed to throw, when it did run, nothing happened. That has to turn
around against North Carolina next week.
Nov. 11
Boston College 28 ... Duke 7
Boston College rolled up 501 yards of total offense taking
control from the start on a 24-yard Kevin Challenger touchdown run.
Duke's only scoring drive of the day culminated in a one-yard
Clifford Harris score, but BC closed out with 21 unanswered points
highlighted by a 26-yard Andre Callender touchdown run in the third
and a seven-yard L.V. Whitworth scoring run in the fourth. .
Player of the
game ... Boston College RBs L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender
combined for 223 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries Stat Leaders: Boston College- Passing: Matt
Ryan, 23-37, 219 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: L.V. Whitworth, 13-118, 1 TD Receiving:
Brandon Robinson, 5-56 Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 20-40, 131 yds,
2 INT Rushing: Clifford Harris, 6-59, 1 TD Receiving:
Raphael Chestnut, 5-46 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Duke has
to find silver linings where it can in what might turn out to be a
winless season. The offense got a bit of a running game against
Boston College with several players adding a little bit. The
defense, especially against the run, continues to be a major problem
with the line starting to wear down as the season has gone on.
Georgia Tech is already in the ACC title game and doesn't have
anything to play for, so if the Blue Devils can be sharp next week,
with Thaddeus Lewis being a bit more effective, the upset is
possible.
Nov. 4
Navy 38 ... Duke 13
Navy ran for 435 yards with Adam Ballard powering his way
to103 yards and two short scores andKaipo-Noa
Kaheaku-Enhada running for a one-yard score and throwing a 19-yard
touchdown pass to Reggie Campbell. Duke started off the scoring with
a Requan Boyette one-yard run, but the extra point failed and Navy
went on a 38-point run. The Blue Devils closed out the scoring with
a 13-yard Jomar Wright touchdown catch. Player of the game ... Navy QBKaipo-Noa
Kaheaku-Enhada completed two of four passes for 32 yards and a touchdown
and ran 14 times for 119 yards and a score. Stat Leaders: Navy- Passing: Kaipo-Noa
Kaheaku-Enhada, 2-4, 32 yds, 1 TD Rushing:Kaipo-Noa
Kaheaku-Enhada, 14-119, 1 TD. Receiving:
Reggie Campbell, 1-19, 1 TD Navy - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 15-22,
181 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 15-76. Receiving: Eron
Riley, 4-88 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Duke had no prayer of holding up against
the Navy running game. The line, which is one of the team's
strengths and should've been better against Adam Ballard and the
power running game, got pushed around, while the back seven had to
make too many plays five to seven yards down the field. The offense
was relatively effective at getting yards, but it didn't go on
nearly enough significant drives to slow down the momentum. Things
don't get much better with road trips to Boston College and Georgia
Tech before facing North Carolina.
Oct. 28
Vanderbilt 45 ... Duke 28
Vanderbilt jumped out to a 28-0 lead and coasted from there as
Chris Nickson ran for three touchdowns and threw for two scores
highlighted by a 77-yard pass to Earl Bennett in the first quarter.
Duke got a school-record four touchdown runs from Justin Boyle, with
three in the fourth quarter, but the Commodores had things well in
hand with 512 yards of total offense while converting eight of 13
third down chances. Player of the
game ... Vanderbilt QB
Chris Nickson completed 14-of-24 passes for 250 yards and two
touchdowns, while running for 156 yards and three more scores on 15
carries. Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt- Passing: Chris
Nickson, 14-of-24, 250 yds, 2 TDs Rushing: Chris Nickson, 15-156, 3 TDs Receiving: Earl
Bennett, 9-184, 1 TD Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 10-25, 106 yds,
2 INTs
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 14-113, 4 TDs Receiving: Jomar
Wright, 4-59 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The offense has been the issue all season long, but the defense has
been relatively fine, especially against the run. Throw that out the
window in the loss to Vanderbilt. Not being able to handle a running
quarterback like Chris Nickson doesn't bode well with Navy coming up
next. Duke was seemingly a step slow and a step out of position all
game long, and the passing game couldn't get the team back into the
game quickly enough. On the plus side, RB Justin Boyle was terrific
once the Commodores started to let down a little bit. If he can get
rumbling earlier, Duke might have a shot to make at least one of the
final four games interesting.
Oct. 21
Miami 20 ... Duke 15
Sam Shields caught two touchdown passes in the first half as
part of a 17-0 Miami lead, and Jon Peattie nailed a 51-yard shot for
a 20-2 after three quarters, but Duke mounted a huge comeback with
Raphael Chestnut catching an 11-yard touchdown pass and Requan
Boyette running for a seven-yard score to get within five. With one
last shot and with 1:35 to play, the Blue Devils started out on
their own 11 and marched down to the Miami six with three seconds
left, but Willie Cooper saved the day for the Canes with an
interception. Player of the game ... Miami WR Sam Shields caught six
passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: Miami - Passing: Kyle
Wright, 24-41, 299 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Tyrone Moss, 10-25. Receiving:
Lance Leggett, 6-131 Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 21-40,
284 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 9-49. Receiving: Jomar
Wright, 10-176 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Since Duke isn't going to be playing for
the ACC title any time soon, it's about getting better and
progressing each week. Against Miami, Thaddeus Lewis did a fantastic
job of keeping the team in the game with a good fourth quarter and a
fantastic final drive up until the interception that sealed Miami's
win. The defense stuffed the running game allowing just 96 yards,
while the secondary did a decent job after the first half. The
Vanderbilt game next week will be the better test to see joust how
far the team has come since the beginning of the year.
Oct. 14
Florida State 51 ... Duke 24
Florida State jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead on two
Drew Weatherford touchdown passes and a 37-yard Lawrence Timmons
fumble return for a score. Duke got a pick six of its own with John
Talley taking a Weatherford pass 46 yards for a touchdown, but the
fun wouldn't last as FSU returned the extra point attempt for two
points. Greg Carr caught two of his three touchdown passes in the
second half and Antone Smith ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run on
the way to a 51-17 FSU lead before Duke scored with seven second to
play on a 41-yard pass to Eron Riley. Player of the game ... Florida State WR Greg Carr
caught four passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Florida State- Passing:
Drew Weatherford, 16-24, 231 yds, 4 TD Rushing: Antone Smith, 4-81, 1 TD Receiving:
Decody Fagg, 7-80, 1 TD Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 19-41,
255 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Re'quan Boyette,
8-25. Receiving: Eron Riley, 6-110, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Duke
might have gotten blown out by Florida State, but there were
positives with Thaddeus Lewis making several decent plays from
midrange to deep. The run defense, outside of a few plays, did a
great job. Now the team has to keep on finding things to build on
with Miami and a suddenly nasty game against Vanderbilt coming up.
Thaddeus Lewis has to keep progressing with an eye towards being a
seasoned veteran when he starts next year.
Oct. 7
Alabama 30 ... Duke 14
It took a bid second half from the defense with two
interceptions and 20 points from the offense, but Alabama finally
put Duke away. The Tide got a nine-yard touchdown catch from Keith
Brown to take the lead, and then put the game away with a two-yard
Jimmy Johns run. Lionel Mitchell sealed the win with a 50-yard
interception return for a score to make it look better than it
actually was. Duke held a 14-10 halftime lead thanks to a nine-yard
catch from Eron Riley and a five-yard run from QB Thaddeus Lewis,
but the offense couldn't do anything in the second half. Player of the game ... Alabama WR D.J. Hall caught
seven passes for 124 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Alabama- Passing: John
Parker Wilson, 18-30, 220 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Kenneth Darby, 18-115 Receiving:
D.J. Hall, 7-124, 1 TD Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 7-18, 74
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Re'quan Boyette,
9-97. Receiving: Eron Riley, 2-44, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
offense didn't do anything in the second half against Alabama and
Thaddeus Lewis played like a young rookie against the fired up Tide
D, but to be in the lead after the first half and in the game late
showed nice improvement after an embarrassing performance against
Virginia last week. The defensive line did a decent job of
generating a little bit of pressure, and the running game ran as
well as it had all season long, but it still wasn't nearly enough.
Somehow, the team has to keep improving week after week, even with
Florida State and Miami ahead, and keep finding positives. Even in a
loss, this game was a step forward.
Sept. 30
Virginia 37 ... Duke 0
Virginia had no problems blowing past Duke with WR Emmanuel
Byers throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Fontel Mines and a
blocked punt leading to a one-yard Jason Snelling touchdown run for
a 17-0 first quarter lead. The Cavalier defense kept up the pressure
with a 23-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown late in the first
half while holding Duke to -21 rushing yards. On the day, Duke came
up with eight sacks and five turnovers. The offense got two fourth
quarter scores on a 12-yard pass to Tom Santi and a two-yard Mikell
Simpson run. Player of the game ... Virginia LB Jon Copper led the
defense with seven tackles and two sacks Stat Leaders: Duke- Passing: Thaddeus
Lewis, 11-25, 121 yds, 3 INT Rushing: Justin Boyle, 10-18. Receiving:
Marcus Jones, 4-42 Virginia - Passing: Jameel Sewell,
14-20, 105 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jason Snelling, 18-92, 1 TD. Receiving:
Emmanuel Byers, 4-37 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Duke took
had two weeks off and came up with that?! Virginia dominated on
defense holding the Blue Devils to 100 yards thanks to a horrible
game from the Duke offensive line and a rough outing from QB
Thaddeus Lewis. To try to get some sort of offense going, Marcus
Jones played some receiver. He needs to get back to quarterback and
go through the rough patches. He offers far more upside than
Thaddeus Lewis. Now it gets really, really ugly with Alabama,
Florida State, and Miami up next.
Sept. 16
Virginia Tech 36 ... Duke 0
It took two plays for Virginia Tech to get on the board with a
one-yard Branden Ore touchdown run for all the points needed. The
extra point was blocked, but that was the only high point for Duke,
who gained a mere 139 yards of total offense. Eddie Royal returned a
punt 58 yards for a touchdown and Sean Glennon threw two touchdown
passes on the way to the easy win. Player of the game ... Virginia Tech QB Sean Glennon
completed 15 of 25 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns with an
interception. Stat Leaders: Duke- Passing: Marcus
Jones, 6-8, 71 yds Rushing: Justin Boyle, 10-36. Receiving:
Nick Stefanow, 3-21 Virginia Tech - Passing: Sean Glennon,
15-25, 301 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Branden Ore, 15-64, 1 TD. Receiving:
David Clowney, 4-120 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's
all about improving from week to week and figuring out what works
and what doesn't. Unfortunately for Duke, there's not a lot to take
away from the blowout loss at Virginia Tech. The run defense did a
decent job, but there was no running game and QB Thaddeus Lewis
played like the young rookie he is. With Virginia struggling in a
big way, next week's home date has to be when the offense starts to
show some sort of a spark.
Sept. 9
Wake Forest 14 ... Duke 13
Wake Forest's Chip Vaughn blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt
as time ran out to help avoid the upset. Down 13-7, Micah Andrews
ran for a two-yard score for the Demon Deacons with 1:28 to play,
but the defense couldn't stop Thaddeus Lewis and the Duke offense
with pass interference plays allowing the Blue Devils to get in
range to win the game. Duke struck first on a 47-yard touchdown
catch from Jomar Wright on the way to a 10-0 first half lead, but
Wake would get back in the game on a five-yard touchdown catch from
John Tereshinski. Player of the game ... Wake Forest safety Chip Vaughn
made three tackles, one interception, and blocked the final Duke
field goal attempt. Stat Leaders: Duke- Passing: Thaddeus
Lewis, 21-32, 305 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Clifford Harris, 9-29. Receiving:
Jomar Wright, 5-104, 1 TD Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner,
22-29, 235 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Micah Andrews, 17-41, 1 TD. Receiving:
Kenneth Moore, 6-61 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The young
team has to learn how to win. It might not have come through late
against Wake Forest, but the program took a big step in its overall
maturity with Thaddeus Lewis putting together a tremendous game
throwing for 305 yards. However, the running game isn't going to
magically appear next week against Virginia Tech. The defense did an
excellent job loading up to stop Micah Andrews and the Demon Deacon
running game, but it'll be hard for the team to find anything to be
happy about after such a devastating defeat.
Sept. 2
Richmond 13 ... Duke 0
Richmond converted an early turnover into a 20-yard Andrew
Howard field goal for all the points it would need as the Spider
defense held Duke to 210 total yards and a mere 51 yards on the
ground. Arman Shields caught a 16-yard scoring pass in the
second quarter and Howard added a 22-yard field goal to finish off
the shocker. Player of the game ... Richmond LB Seth Williams made
12 tackles and half a sack. Stat Leaders: Richmond- Passing: Eric
Ward, 11-23, 120 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Timothy Hightower, 19-86. Receiving:
Arman Shields, 5-69, 1 TD Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 15-24,
148 yds
Rushing: Justin Boyle, 7-23. Receiving:
Raphael Chestnut, 7-74 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Uh oh.
The Duke offense didn't even come close to threatening the Richmond
defense with the non-existent running game not doing anything to
help out freshman QB Thaddeus Lewis, and vice versa. The D did a
good job holding Richmond to only 225 yards of total offense, but
the offense didn't provide any help failing to move the chains when
the team needed to some long drives. If Richmond could hold on to
the ball for almost 13 minutes in the third quarter, then the ground
game of Wake Forest should control things from the start next week.
2006 Duke Preview
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Preview |
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Further
Analysis
Duke might have had the worst of all possible worlds last season. It
was one of the awful teams in the nation going 0-10 vs. D-I programs, and
it now has to start from scratch.
Usually teams take a big step back in the attempt to take a giant
leap forward, but the 2006 Blue Devils have so many question marks
and so much youth that unless this is the ACC's surprise team, it'll
be another building year.
Not rebuilding. Building.
It has been 11 years since Duke has come up with a winning season
with 1994 the only oasis 1989. Even more embarrassing, Duke hasn't
won more than three games against D-I teams in a season since going
to the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1994. The program has averaged 1.5 D-I
wins a year over the last 11.
The expectations are hardly high around Durham with the
focus of the athletic program more on the basketball and men's
lacrosse teams. That doesn't mean head coach Ted Roof and the rest
of the Blue Devils will accept year another miserable season, but
they might not have too much of a choice.
Duke isn't going to win the ACC title
this season, and it's not going to even come within ten miles of
challenging in the Coastal Division. Everyone is going to mentally mark
off Duke week as a sure win, so there has to be at least a game or three
where effort alone will mean everything.
There are positive pieces in place to build around. The defensive line
has the potential to have a huge season if 2005's star recruits Vince
Oghobaase and Ayanga Okpokowuruk can use their talent to combine forces
with steady veterans Eli Nichols and Casey Camero. John Talley is one of
the nation's best cornerbacks, and there are nice receivers and running
backs to get excited about.
Of course, this is Duke, so the talent level isn't even in the ballpark
compared to the rest of the ACC. The offensive line, which was horrible
last year, only has one returning starter and needs time to jell. Lots
of time. The quarterbacks have to be much, much more
consistent, and the all around team speed isn't even close compared to
the rest of the division.
Being more competitive will be the first step after losing seven games
by more than two touchdowns. The offense has to be more consistent,
while the defense has to be more than a speed bump against the better
teams. It'll be a long road and a long time before the Blue Devils can
be an ACC player, but this season should be key for 2007 when 20
starters going into this season should be back.
The
Schedule: There
are three legitimate chances for wins opening at Richmond and getting
Vanderbilt and Navy at home. The remaining nine games will require
upsets, including the ACC opener at Wake Forest. The North Carolina
rivalry battle is at home, but so is a brutal back-to-back mountain to
climb against Florida State and Miami in the middle of the year. Because
the ACC slate isn't tough enough, the Blue Devils get to go to Alabama
at the end of September.
Best
Offensive Player: Sophomore WR Eron Riley. The hope is for
quarterback Zack Asack to become the team's best offensive player, but
early on, the speedy Riley will be the team's most dangerous weapon.
He's 6-3, 200 pounds, and has the ability to be a game-changing deep
threat.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior CB John Talley. One of the nation's best
pass defenders, Talley has also proved to be a solid hitter with 109
tackles over the last two seasons. Teams are going to avoid him like an
Arliss rerun, so Deonto McCormick needs to have a big year on the
other side..
Key player
to a successful season:
Sophomore QB Marcus Jones. After Zack Asack got
suspended, that left only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.
Jones is a great athlete, but he has to show he can be a great
quarterback.
The season
will be a success if ... The Blue Devils win five games. That might be asking for the
world with so many holes, but it's an attainable goal if they pull off
home wins against Richmond, Vanderbilt, and Navy. The North Carolina
game is always a battle, and someone is certain to be looking ahead and
will get caught napping.
Key game:
Sept. 9 at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are much better than last
season, but they're still the only ACC team around Duke's size and
talent level. If Duke can pull off the upset, that would mean a 2-0
start (after playing Richmond to open the season) and would double the
2005 win total.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Third quarter scoring: Opponents 146 - Duke 43
- Passing touchdowns: Opponents 22 - Duke 5
- Points per game: Opponents 37.1 - Duke 16.1
The Last Time Duke…
…played in a bowl game…1994 (Hall of Fame Bowl vs. Wisconsin)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1989 (North Carolina)
…was shutout…2005 (Virginia Tech)
…scored 50 points…1994 (Wake Forest)
…went undefeated…1920
…won a conference title…1989 (tie, ACC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1988 (Anthony Dilweg)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2003 (Chris Douglas)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1989 (Clarkston Hines)
…had a first-round draft choice…1987 (LB Mike Junkin)
