duke football news
- Thread starter surfdevil
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The FSU beat writer seems really confident in the 'Noles(as he should be), but I get the vibe he expects an FSU rout of Duke. Just my opinion. OFC
Excellent. I like a couple things in particular here:
1/The TRANSITION from the end of the "stale" Cutcliffe part of the program to the REBUILDING under Coach Elko. It all started with "Strength and Conditioning!!"
2/The DEFENSIVE mindset Duke used against Clemson and Notre Dame designed to limit "explosives." It makes me firmly believe if we execute such a game plan, win t/o battle, limit penalties, we CAN win the game.
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Not taking anything away from Duke ... but Clemson and ND both lack perimeter playmakers.
FSU has 2 of them (Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson) who can break perfect coverage.
Matching up against Coleman, Wilson, and Bell will be the toughest matchups we have had so far this season. That's the only reason I don't think we're gonna win this game. That ND TE (can't remember his name) destroyed us in the middle of the field and we struggled to defend his size, and now we have to defend three guys like that. If we pull off this upset then Elko is one of the best coaches in CFB.
Just keep it close for 3 quarters and let's take our chances in the 4th.
Great rundown Conor. Your point about turnovers being key when teams don't turn the ball over is excellent. Duke has been victimized at least twice after turnovers this season and simply cannot afford to give up points on a short field this game.
I also like your point about special teams. Todd seems to have figured out whatever he was struggling with, and Porter is as good as they come. And our return team is excellent as well.
With Todd, it is clear. If it is less than a 35 yard field goal, we gotta punch it in. If more than 50 yards, kick it 
I got news Blob. Elko has already proven to be "one of the best coaches in CFB" in just a short time at Duke.
He's already won 14 games in barely one and a half years(at DUKE!!). Elko has thus surpassed Steve Spurrier's Duke win total at the same point of "the old ball coach's" tenure at Duke(Spurrier had 12 of his 20 all-time Duke wins at this time).
The other amazing stat under Elko? Of his five losses, ALL have been by single digits. Pretty hard to believe it will be halfway into Elko's SECOND SEASON(at DUKE!!), if Florida State wins by double digits.
I agree with you Blob and @ConorONeill reference the 'Noles gamebreaker players on offense. We have our work cut out for us, NO WAY disputing this. However, I would rather go into this game or ANY GAME w/Elko AND HIS STAFF at the helm.
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Well, the day has arrived when we show FSU who we are!!! GO DUKE, kick some noles ass!!!
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Talk about playing with heart. That run by Riley was huge.
20-17 GOOD GUYS AT HALF!
20-17 GOOD GUYS AT HALF!
We need to score on our opening 2nd half drive to get back control of this game!! GO DUKE!!!
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So quick to ding Duke for holding, but nothing on a clear WR hold during that drive to take the lead for good.
And they shoulda kicked the fg...
And they shoulda kicked the fg...
Florida State has a good team and a shot to win it all. Really good quarterback. Duke fought hard just ran out of gas.
For those quick to say Duke should have kicked the field goal near the goal line, keep in mind it would only have given us a six point lead. We're kicking off to a team which already took one KO to the house, and at worse gets ball at its 25.
Give the defense a CHANCE at least to hold the Noles again pinned deep, and perhaps force another turnover. OK, now pile up on Elko for the decision. OFC
Give the defense a CHANCE at least to hold the Noles again pinned deep, and perhaps force another turnover. OK, now pile up on Elko for the decision. OFC
H2C, it was a dubious call. Yes, it would have put us only up by 6, but if FSU got a touchdown (which they did), we would only need a FG to regain the lead. We lost all of our momentum on that failed attempt. The decision is even more puzzling when you consider Henry was at the helm. While I think he’s going to turn out to be a decent QB, it became apparent last week that he’s not there yet, Whether a FG would have changed the outcome, we’ll never know, but i suspect that again, hating to pick on Henry, but we may not have scored again, and FSU’s offense was definitely warming up. Right now, though, my primary concern is Riley’s ankle. 2 big games coming up, and we can’t afford to lose him for another 3 weeks.
We will know more soon, but the way Riley reacted and Elko's quote, I think we will have Leonard for Louisville.
A DL out and a clearly rusty QB, and we did not surrender the lead until the 4th? No moral victories, I get it, but if you did not come away impressed by Duke last night.
On a silver lining, a night like last night and the ND game, I just think is just another brick in the wall to keep Elko. Being so close, I would think it makes him even more hungry to stay...
A DL out and a clearly rusty QB, and we did not surrender the lead until the 4th? No moral victories, I get it, but if you did not come away impressed by Duke last night.
On a silver lining, a night like last night and the ND game, I just think is just another brick in the wall to keep Elko. Being so close, I would think it makes him even more hungry to stay...
I was not against going for it but probably take the points with new QB. I think Florida State still wins the game.
You really have some doubletalk here(dont get mad, you're a helluva fan and poster). Jeffrey you question Henry's ability to punch us in from three yards out, yet also say we would have only needed another drive for a FG to win if we go down 24-23.
If it was a "dubious" decision with Henry to go for it on 4th down from the three, what makes you think Belin could have later driven us into FG range??? I mean you said "it became apparent last week he was not there yet."
I like the idea of going for the TD from SO CLOSE, rather than expecting Henry to lead a DRIVE to set up a game winning FG using your logic.
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I think it’s a lot easier to get into FG position than it is to mount a drive for a TD. A turnover, a penalty or 2, a shanked punt - even one halfway decent run or pass. These could all get us in FG position, and Todd has looked good lately. But as much as anything, the shift of momentum was palpable. But as kingbluedevil said, FSU may still have gone on to win the game. And of course if we had made it on 4th down, I’d be applauding the decision. Well, maybe.
