Duke VS. Richmond

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I was more excited about football last season, than I am this season. Does this mean my expectations have gotten ahead of themselves?

No. Last year was easier than this year; next year will also likely be tough in the long process of rebuilding the program. Last season made rebuilding look easier than it really is. Patience and tenacity are going to be important qualities for fans for a while.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

In reading over the Game Notes on goDuke.com for the Army game, some interesting points jumped out in the summary of the Richmond game.

0 - The Blue Devils did not turn the ball over against Richmond. Last season the N.C. State game was the
only contest Duke’s offense did not record a single turnover.
6 - Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is six touchdowns shy of matching Ben Bennett’s school record of 55 career touchdown passes. Lewis has thrown 49 career TD passes with 10 or more in his first three seasons as the starting QB and is the active leader in the ACC.
7 - Duke played seven true freshmen in the season opener against Richmond. Three saw playing time on offense or defense while four players saw action on special teams.
11.0 - Duke’s kickoff return yardage defense ranks third in the nation, allowing only 11.0 yards per kickoff return. On the Blue Devils’ two kickoffs before a fourth quarter onside kick, they allowed just 20 return yards, stopping Richmond inside the 20-yard line both times.
14 - Vincent Rey recorded 14 tackles in the first game of the year. His 14 tackles were tops in the ACC for the first week and rank him tied for fifth nationally.
16 - A total of 16 players made their collegiate debut for the Blue Devils in the season opener. Besides the seven true freshmen, there were seven redshirt freshmen, one sophomore and one junior to play in their first games.
* 20 - Duke tallied four plays of 20 or more yards in the first game of the season. The Blue Devils’ longest play of the day was a 54-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Johnny Williams.
* 30 - With one tackle for loss against Richmond, Vince Oghobaase moved into a tie for 10th all-time at Duke with 30 career tackles for loss.
* 37 - Oghobaase has started a team-high 37 consecutive games, including all 12 games in each of the past three seasons and the first game this year. His 37 straight starts rank as the eighth most in the NCAA FBS.
* 50 - Lewis is one touchdown pass shy of becoming the second player in Duke history and 14th ACC player to throw 50 career touchdown passes. His current total of 49 ranks second all-time at Duke, six shy of Bennett’s school record.
* 55 - Lewis broke his own school record for most pass attempts without an interception in a single game. He attempted 55 passes, breaking his record of 52 passes without an interception against N.C. State in 2008.
* 115 – Williams tallied 115 receiving yards and one touchdown on seven catches in the opener. It marked the second time in his career he has gone over 100 receiving yards in a single game.
* 246 - Senior linebacker Vincent Rey has compiled 246 career tackles to rank second among active players in the ACC. He has tallied at least 100 tackles in each of the last two seasons with a team-high 111 in 2007 and 109 last season. Rey is one of only four active players in the NCAA FBS to have 100 tackles in each of the past two seasons.
* 300 - Lewis threw for 350 yards against Richmond for his fifth career 300-yard passing performance. The 350 yards were the second most in his career and rank as the fifth most in the NCAA after week one.
* 369 - Duke recorded 369 yards of total offense against Richmond and rank third in the ACC in total offense following the first week. The 350 passing yards are a league best.
* 7,000 - Lewis went over 7,000 career passing yards with his 350-yard performance against Richmond. He becomes just the fourth quarterback in Duke history and the 20th player in ACC history with over 7,000 career passing yards.

It was a difficult game to watch because the team never got into rhythm on offense or defense. Play seemed filled with disappointing mistakes and shortcomings which the experienced opponent encouraged and took advantage of.

The concentration of freshman playing their first college game correlates closely with where some of the difficulties occurred.

Certain individuals posted impressive numbers that are easy to overlook in such a loss.

And one more thing I was reminded of..... the season's young!

[TillyGalore]

I've never bought into the thought this particular team could win enough games to qualify for a bowl. I don't think we will be carolina at carolina.

I do believe we will have another good season. I do believe this team will win games, and challenge our opponents. Duke is no longer an easy win for anyone.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I've never bought into the thought this particular team could win enough games to qualify for a bowl. I don't think we will be carolina at carolina.

We better be Duke at Carolina or I'm leaving early.

[devildeac]

I've never bought into the thought this particular team could win enough games to qualify for a bowl. I don't think we will be carolina at carolina.

We better be Duke at Carolina or I'm leaving early.

good catch/reception...

[TillyGalore]

I've never bought into the thought this particular team could win enough games to qualify for a bowl. I don't think we will be carolina at carolina.

We better be Duke at Carolina or I'm leaving early.

No you won't, I know you better than that.