Duke vs #15 Arizona State, Sun Bowl, Dec 27th, 2:00 kick

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I do think Anthony missed having Brandon Connette there.

Brandon attended the game. I understand that he drove to El Paso from his home in order to support the team.

[YmoBeThere]

I do think Anthony missed having Brandon Connette there.

Brandon attended the game. I understand that he drove to El Paso from his home in order to support the team.

Yes, I read that also, an awesome thing to do on his part. I was more referring to the way Brandon would come in for some series etc. when Anthony wasn't playing well. BC did throw for 1200+ yards in 2013 and I don't recall him starting more than a game or two. Perhaps more careful observers of the team can fill in my faulty memories.

[YmoBeThere]

Oh and the miles go by faster when the speed limit is 80. Long stretches were done with the cruise control set at a bit above that. It really hurts your gas mileage though. On the drive down here from Ohio a couple years ago, I got nearly 29 miles per gallon driving 70 to 75. I only 24-25 over the last two days.

[DevilWearsPrada2.0]

I do think Anthony missed having Brandon Connette there.

Brandon attended the game. I understand that he drove to El Paso from his home in order to support the team.

Yes, I read that also, an awesome thing to do on his part. I was more referring to the way Brandon would come in for some series etc. when Anthony wasn't playing well. BC did throw for 1200+ yards in 2013 and I don't recall him starting more than a game or two. Perhaps more careful observers of the team can fill in my faulty memories.

Thanks for your recap of your ElPaso trip! So good to see the stadium so full, and so many locals in attendance!

I think AB needed Brandon out on the Field with him, also. Duke rallied back, and played their hearts out with Effort!!!! Somebody has to win! I think everyone that watched the game on CBS, knows that DUKE has a great Football Coach and has a team that competes and did not go away from a top ranked team!

Our Seniors are leaders and graduates of the University! Have turned the program into something to be very proud of!!! We applaud you Seniors!

WE ARE DUKE !

[devildeac]

Thoughts from my trip to El Paso/The Sun Bowl(many of you have probably seen the pics I posted on FB):

1) West Texas is empty. There was this one house after the merge of 20 and 10 that you could see for miles and there was nothing else around it. I didn't see it on the return trip, too much snow. I can just imagine being snowed in there.
2) Fracking is going on...and it brought up an odd contrast on the drive home, the flaring of the fracking wells and the blinking red lights of the windmills.
3) Best night of sleep I've gotten in months.
4) I haven't spent much time in El Paso but it is as I remember it. Tucked up in the hills with a view of Juarez across and below.
5) Went to the Forever Duke Pre-game Party. Ran into a couple people I knew, chatted with them for a while. Band played and the cheerleaders were there. Sterly and David Rubenstein made some remarks as we all huddled under the tent out of the rain.
6) I had a beer at the Pre-game Party, a Negra Modelo. It was 9:45 A.M. I felt bad for a second but finished it without further thought. The food spread was pretty good, at least to my taste. I was plenty full headed into the stadium.
7) Sun Bowl stadium is carved out of the surrounding hills which makes it kinda cozy. Announced attendance was 47K+, which seemed quite reasonable. Not too many empty seats. We were greatly outnumbered by Sun Devil fans but they were mainly across the Stadium. As others noted elsewhere, the locals tended to root for the team side they were seated on. One of them sitting next to me had even bought a Duke shirt and put it on for the game.

As for the game:

It was a nice 39F at kickoff. Colder than most were expecting. It wasn't windy so, that helped keep it reasonable.

The first set of downs wasn't good, it definitely put a damper on the mood early. Happily we kept them to a field goal for their next score which was a relief. It was tough being down 20-3, but miraculously the sun came out and everything seemed to get better. Next thing you knew it was 20-17 and half time.

Both bands played at half. ASU's band was ginormous. I think their tuba section was as big as our band. They put a lot of people out on the field at the half. We put on a good show also...okay, I was overwhelmed by how many people ASU had out there on the field. Lone Star was the musical act. Everyone knew their song, Amazed. I'm not sure everyone knew the other two songs they sang. Bowl game halftimes are long...

The second half started off not too much different from the first. Or at least it felt the same. They had nice long runs and their QB had lots of time to throw the ball. It felt like they were calling the exact same plays as they had on the first couple of drives of the game. It was looking bleak by the end of the 3rd quarter. And then as you know the fourth quarter happened(and it got sunny again). The peaks and valleys of being a fan, it gets much more emotional being there.

I do think Anthony missed having Brandon Connette there.

All in all, an enjoyable experience.

Great report. Thanks for posting. Wish some of the devildeacs could have joined you.

[Bob Green]

All in all, an enjoyable experience.

I'm glad you enjoyed the game! It was an exciting one. We let 10 wins slip through our fingers, but I refuse to complain. A quick trip in the Time Machine confirms my suspicion that we all would've turned back flips for 9-4 back in 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004... I'm very proud of the team.

The Anthony Boone era is over.

Let the competition for his replacement begin! I'd say Thomas Sirk is the leading contender, but he only threw 14 passes in 2014. Why? If he was the heir apparent, I have to believe Coach Cut would've given him more playing time to prepare him for next year. Is Nico Pierre is the man? Has he been tearing it up in practice? How about Parker Boehme? And the possible transfer from Florida?

Next up is National Signing Day...come on Johnny Frasier...come to Duke!!! Then Spring Practice and the Spring Game - somewhere? NCCU? Who knows. September 3 is just around the corner.

[wolfpackdevil]

An amazing effort by the team yesterday in such a depressing defeat. When we were down 20-3, I was thinking that the game was close to being a blowout. Jamison Crowder showed once again why he will be a game-changer in the NFL starting next year. That punt return TD was his best of the year, and a fabulous way for him to end his career. Anthony Boone did a lot of good things for this program, but yesterday he showed that he just was not capable of being consistent when the team needed him. He started the game terribly, and their comeback in the second quarter really had nothing to do with him. He had a couple of nice runs in the third quarter to keep drives alive, but that is not going to cut it against a top 15 team. If you watch the final play again, Boone had Barnes open running across the middle of the end zone and he missed him. I know Crowder is the go-to guy in that situation, but Barnes would have been the better and easier target on that play. I thought we outplayed them for the final 40 minutes of the game. But going down 17 points early did hurt us.

A 9-4 season that could have been better, but overall a good step for the continuing building process. 2015 is going to be another year where we have an easy schedule and a lot of talent. I’ll write more about the schedule and what it will look like next month, but I think our schedule next year is even easier than it was this year. And on top of that, we will have a much more experienced defense that will return Kelby Brown.

All due respect to Thomas Sirk and Nicco Pierre, I just do not believe either of them will be the starting QB next year if Cutcliffe can secure a transfer. If Sirk was capable of throwing the ball well in this offense, I think we would have seen him for at least one drive in a completive game this year. There were times during the Miami, Syracuse, VT, and UNC games where Cutcliffe would have put Connette in if he was still here. I just have a hard time believing that Sirk is capable of being the type of pocket QB that Cutcliffe wants. That is why I believe that if we can get Jeff Driskel or even, dare I say, Braxton Miller, one of them will most certainly be the starting QB next year at Duke. I really do not believe the 2015 team will have a chance to win the division title, or be better than this team was if we do not get a transfer QB. Keep your eyes out for reports these next couple of weeks. I’m hearing that we could see some guys transferring here right when the season ends.

I’m looking forward to a few months of basketball, but Spring practice is only 43 days away!!!! GO DUKE!

[devildeac]

An amazing effort by the team yesterday in such a depressing defeat. When we were down 20-3, I was thinking that the game was close to being a blowout. Jamison Crowder showed once again why he will be a game-changer in the NFL starting next year. That punt return TD was his best of the year, and a fabulous way for him to end his career. Anthony Boone did a lot of good things for this program, but yesterday he showed that he just was not capable of being consistent when the team needed him. He started the game terribly, and their comeback in the second quarter really had nothing to do with him. He had a couple of nice runs in the third quarter to keep drives alive, but that is not going to cut it against a top 15 team. If you watch the final play again, Boone had Barnes open running across the middle of the end zone and he missed him. I know Crowder is the go-to guy in that situation, but Barnes would have been the better and easier target on that play. I thought we outplayed them for the final 40 minutes of the game. But going down 17 points early did hurt us.

A 9-4 season that could have been better, but overall a good step for the continuing building process. 2015 is going to be another year where we have an easy schedule and a lot of talent. I’ll write more about the schedule and what it will look like next month, but I think our schedule next year is even easier than it was this year. And on top of that, we will have a much more experienced defense that will return Kelby Brown.

All due respect to Thomas Sirk and Nicco Pierre, I just do not believe either of them will be the starting QB next year if Cutcliffe can secure a transfer. If Sirk was capable of throwing the ball well in this offense, I think we would have seen him for at least one drive in a completive game this year. There were times during the Miami, Syracuse, VT, and UNC games where Cutcliffe would have put Connette in if he was still here. I just have a hard time believing that Sirk is capable of being the type of pocket QB that Cutcliffe wants. That is why I believe that if we can get Jeff Driskel or even, dare I say, Braxton Miller, one of them will most certainly be the starting QB next year at Duke. I really do not believe the 2015 team will have a chance to win the division title, or be better than this team was if we do not get a transfer QB. Keep your eyes out for reports these next couple of weeks. I’m hearing that we could see some guys transferring here right when the season ends.

I’m looking forward to a few months of basketball, but Spring practice is only 43 days away!!!! GO DUKE!

Please elaborate on "some guys" as it's now the off-season (for us anyway ) and I'm ready to hear some more FB news .

[DukieInKansas]

So very proud of the team but certainly wish the game had ended with a different Devil team in the lead. Nephew John (NJ) is an ASU graduate. Thought I would share the texting trash talk we exchanged before the game:

NJ: Go Devils!
DinK: Beat the Devils!
NJ: Down with the Devils!
DinK: Up with the Devils!
NJ: The Devils are Forked!
DinK: Spear the Devils!

As you can see, it was a spirited and heated exchange.

NJ did think that the sun that was visible before the game might have been the glow from the largest single gathering of Devils since time began.