Ex-Devils thrive with Mystics

Extra Points: August 18

Blue Devils Tabbed No. 24 in Soccer America Poll

Video interview with wide receiver Conner Vernon from Goduke.com

MARYLAND

The Maryland Terrapins are coming into the 2010 season with hopes of a bowl game.  After going 2-10 in 2009 and only winning one ACC game, Maryland is looking to regroup.  Our Blue Devils defeated the Terrapins 17-13 in a rainy affair last year, where Thad Lewis threw for 371 yards.  This year is a new year for Maryland, and many returning skill players are going to be a promising outlook for Maryland fans.
 
Chris Turner was the second leading passer in school history at Maryland.  Now Turner is no longer a Terrapin, as he graduated after a solid four year career in College Park.  The team now looks to junior Jamarr Robinson.  Robinson has some experience as he threw 85 passes in 2009.  He threw for 482 yards and two touchdowns in his minimal playing time.  But Robinson’s threat is not as much his arm, as it is his feet.  Robinson was the third leading rusher for Maryland in 2009, even though he was the second-string quarterback.  Robinson rushed for 229 yards on 53 carries last season.  Robinson should be a very good player for the Terrapins this year. 
 
No matter how well Robinson does, he will be spending most of his time handing the ball off to senior running back Da’Rel Scott.  Scott ran for 425 yards and four touchdowns in 2009 even though he missed five games due to a broken wrist.  He is a speedy running back with some size.  At 5’11, 200 pounds, Scott is a breakaway runner with the capability of big plays.  Junior Davin Meggett will also be in the mix in the backfield.  Meggett started some games, including the Duke game in 2009 while Scott was injured.
 
All three of Maryland’s returning starters at Wide Receiver are back for 2010.  Junior Torrey Smith who had a team best 61 catches for 824 yards and five touchdowns in 2009.  Smith was 6th in the country in all-purpose yards last season as a sophomore.  Most likely this will be Smith’s last season with the Terps.  Ronnie Tyler and Adrian Cannon will most likely be the other two starters at receiver. 
 
The offensive line is most definitely the weak point for this Maryland team.  The Terrapins offensive line makes Duke’s offensive line looks top notch.  In 2009 Maryland was ranked 110th in sacks allowed, and 102nd in tackles for loss allowed.  And things aren’t looking much better in 2010.  Bruce Campbell and Phil Costa were the leaders of the offensive line in 2009 and they are both gone.  R.J. Dill, Justin Gilbert and Bennett Fulper will lead this young, inexperienced offensive line in what should be a very interesting year for the Terps up front.  Since Duke’s defensive line isn’t spectacular, it might not matter too much in the game for us. 
 
Just like the offensive line, the defensive line for Maryland was very weak in 2009, finishing second to last in the ACC in total defense.  The defensive line was average at best last season, and does not look promising for the Terps in 2010.  The only returning starter is sophomore A.J. Francis.  Derek Drummond and Justin Anderson will be the starting defensive ends for Terps.  And Joe Vallano was a surprise to Maryland coaches in the spring, and could be a key man on the line for the Terps this season.  With Maryland having this weak defensive line, Duke should be able to get some yards on the ground if all works out right.
 
The linebackers for Maryland maybe the best group of talent in the ACC this year.  Preseason All-ACC first teamer Alex Wujciak, fellow senior Adrian Moten, and 2009 breakout Demetrius Hartsfield will be the predators for Maryland on defense in 2010.  The linebackers combined for a total of 30.5 tackles for loss in 2009, and earned many team accolades.  This is the strongest part of the team and will have to be stellar against the Blue Devils if they expect to slow down Duke’s offense.
 
Maryland’s pass defense is suspect at best going into the 2010 season.  In 2009 the Terrapins finished dead last in the ACC for pass defense.  They only have one returner at cornerback which is Cameron Chism.  Antwine Perez and Kenny Tate will try to resurrect Maryland’s pass defense this year, but I expect Renfree and company to eat this defense up.
 
A lot of people are expecting Maryland to have a 5-7 or 6-6 season because of their easy schedule.  In my mind they have the easiest schedule in the ACC.  The Terrapins do not have to play Virginia Tech, North Carolina, or Georgia Tech.  And their game with Florida State is at home.  I think this Maryland team is average at best, and Duke should have their way with the Maryland defense.  On defense Duke will have to keep Scott from running up and down the field, which will be mighty difficult.  The only real threat at receiver for the Terps is Torrey Smith.  If Duke throws some double teams at him we should be okay.  I do not think Maryland has a good enough offensive line for Robinson and Scott to have much room to run.  If Duke’s offense looks better than it did a couple nights ago in their scrimmage they should be fine.  I expect this to be a good game that comes down to how the teams do in the red zone.  Duke will win, and move on to be 4-1 heading into the Miami game.

Duke:         34

Maryland:       30

So far Duke is 4-1 (2-0) under my predictions.

I will be posting my preview for Miami in the next day or two.

Duke Announced yesterday that Alexis Rogers was transferring from the women's basketball team to Bowling Green (actually, I think that Bowling Green announced it, but that's beside the point). I'll be honest, her statistics were not fantastic during her time on the floor, but what she brought to the team was hard defense and her best effort when she was on the floor, which usually translated to steals and points off defense. Some people have commented on the number of transfers from the team in recent years, and while it can be dismissed by "we're getting an awesome recruiting class" or "she only had that many points and that many minutes," (both of which are true, and valid rationalizations) I would suggest that people who shrug it off think again. I'd also hope that playing time is not the issue, as Coach P has shown that a combination of experience, ability and willingness to play defense, and effort in practice is rewarded with playing time.

When we look at the men's team and some of the women's teams, there have always been role players who developed over time from getting very little PT during their first year or two to becoming staples on the team through hard work and development. Probably the most recent and stark example of this would be Zoubek for the men, but Karima Christmas and Keturah Jackson (didn't put up spectacular points, but was integral on defense) might be more appropriate, since we're discussing the women's team. While getting players in who are highly developed and can put more points on the board right away can be seen as a good thing, experience, effort, and understanding of the coach's philosophy and style are invaluable to a team. These are things that are gained over time, and often those players who put up fewer points but do the other things, like play hard defense or make her team-mates better, become some of our favorite to have around. I suppose it's more of a way to move on and to stick with the team by saying that "it doesn't really matter they left," but for me, while I love the team and the school, it's about the people on the team and it's sad to see one of those people go.

I hope that Alexis has a productive career at Bowling Green, and I'm gonna miss her effort and energy. Here's to hoping that she's happier being closer to home!

Duke Football Holds Preseason Media Day

As QB Sean Renfree goes, so may go Duke this season

Duke's receivers working on getting healthy

Helton focused on season

Interview with David Cutcliffe at Media Day--from goduke.com, click here for more interviews from players.

Renfree, Defense Highlight Duke Gridiron Scrimmage

Renfree shines, but Devils' offense sputters

Krzyzewski, Americans expect warm welcome

Renfree impresses at quarterback for Duke