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Duke vs VT

PixelDevil

Devils Illustrated Hall of Famer
Dec 16, 2016
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Not even mad bro
A lot depends on their starting QB. the normal starter looks good, but IDK about his backup. Regardless, I like backups more than starters when it is the other team.
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After the FSU game, I gave Duke zero chance to beat VT. But that FSU win by VT looks worse and worse every week. God I wish we had FSU on the schedule this year.
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I wish VT hadn't lost to ODU, because that will fire them up. Even so, we've got a chance, and that is great.
 
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Still need to play our best game to have a chance to win this one. Need a big enthusiastic crowd. Win this one and we have a chance for a special season.
 
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Ryan Willis is Jackson's backup, and apparently played so well in the spring game some Hokie fans thought he would take away the starter's job from Jackson. Willis is 6-4 goes about 225 and threw for 131 yds and a td yesterday in relief of Jackson. He also ran 4 times for 30 yds and could be compared physically to Daniel Jones.

I am excited about what this Blue Devil fb team is doing, but we cannot have a 2nd qtr like yesterday and expect to win. We're facing an angry bunch of Hokies, who are all the more angered by looking UP the rankings and seeing Duke ahead of them.....

#60MinutesOfFocus

OFC
 
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All right now this is getting embarrassing. This defense needs to ste up, two HUGE plays they’ve allowed now. They need to be better.
 
V.T. came to play. This is a big game. We are ranked. Need to stay that way. OFC
 
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The DBs looked shaky vs Army, and they are awful tonight. They haven't made any plays on jump balls all night long. Opposing QBs/OCs will just throw it up and let their WRs come down with about 95% of the balls. Oof.
 
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We've had our chances but it's over now.

Yup. It's not OVER over, but it looks bad. And I don't want us fans to try and paint this as some great effort by VT. They've played well, but not great. We've had chances, but some bad decisions and other failure to make plays doomed us.
 
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Yup. It's not OVER over, but it looks bad. And I don't want us fans to try and paint this as some great effort by VT. They've played well, but not great. We've had chances, but some bad decisions and other failure to make plays doomed us.
I know hindsight is 20/20, but do you think q. Harris should have started, at least for the first drive?
 
The most upsetting thing tonight is that many of our players and coaches have been "stupid." Way too many delayed handoffs, or long developing plays, or WRs dancing trying to escape a tackler. It hasn't worked all night. All I've seen is our guys giving their guys time to get back in the play.
 
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Man, that missed FG hurts. As does that missed tackle on that long TD. This could very easily be a 7 pt game, a 3 pt game, or tied. Oof.
 
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Has a DB made a single play for us tonight? Even once? I knew they were bad after week one. They are horrendous. Expect to see a lot of max blocking to keep our rush off the QB, and video game completion numbers.
 
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Secondary is definitely NOT the strength of our defense.

Miami will go nuts vs us, and I suspect Clemson will as well. Every other game is winnable, but those probably are not. Assuming we get a bowl, and I do assume that, let us hope that it is a run oriented team. A pass happy squad could embarrass us.
 
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Well, we got punched in the mouth hard by a good team. Their coaches were on point tonight, and certainly we didn't give our best effort tonight. My only thing is, just respond well. I don't know what it is with these teams, but we love to go on massive losing streak after a tough game. Last year, 0-6 after 4-0. 3 years ago, 0-4 after losing a controversial game to Miami. Just shake it off please, the season is still alive.
 
Well, we got punched in the mouth hard by a good team. Their coaches were on point tonight, and certainly we didn't give our best effort tonight. My only thing is, just respond well. I don't know what it is with these teams, but we love to go on massive losing streak after a tough game. Last year, 0-6 after 4-0. 3 years ago, 0-4 after losing a controversial game to Miami. Just shake it off please, the season is still alive.

Our next game is vs a not great GT team. We had better beat those guys.
 
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Take a week off and regroup. Get Daniel Jones back into the routine practice schedule and run off some more wins. OFC
 
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Duke still not ready for prime time. We always seem to be non competitive in these games over the years. The lights are just to bright.
 
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Before last week, I gave us no chance to beat VT. Then VT laid an egg and I thought maybe we had a shot. But, realistically, we never did. When teams like VT, Miami, Clemson, and FSU are competently coached, Duke has no real chance to beat any of them. I'd love to see FSU, within the next 2-3 weeks, but not the other three.
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Those teams simply have the superior talent on the field that no amount of preparation, effort, hustle, or execution can overcome. Assuming Duke plays near mistake free FB, those other guys can simply make too many plays for us to overcome.
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And that is OK. I really think Duke has a chance to finish 3rd in our division. That will result in a late December Bowl Game, one that airs on a chilly grey night, during winter vacation, when nearly every potential recruit has nothing better to do than watch whatever bowl is on TV. Heck, those "unimportant" litany of bowls this year will be more compelling than watching 3 teams jockey for the right to get obliterated by Alabama in the title game. A lot of kids that otherwise might not consider Duke will do just that, consider Duke. All it takes is for a few kids to decide that playing, and starting, early at Duke might be preferable to waiting and maybe not starting at some larger FB factory.
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The team is on the right trajectory. We simply don't, won't, and probably can't have/attract the kind of talent necessary to beat a competently coached FB "power."
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Compared to where we were B.C. (before Cut), I'm thrilled. We are well coached, and we played hard. Tonight's game was over by the mid-to-late third, but our guys never quit. I'm disappointed, but in the outcome of the game. I'm not disappointed in the state of the program.
 
Before last week, I gave us no chance to beat VT. Then VT laid an egg and I thought maybe we had a shot. But, realistically, we never did. When teams like VT, Miami, Clemson, and FSU are competently coached, Duke has no real chance to beat any of them. I'd love to see FSU, within the next 2-3 weeks, but not the other three.
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Those teams simply have the superior talent on the field that no amount of preparation, effort, hustle, or execution can overcome. Assuming Duke plays near mistake free FB, those other guys can simply make too many plays for us to overcome.
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And that is OK. I really think Duke has a chance to finish 3rd in our division. That will result in a late December Bowl Game, one that airs on a chilly grey night, during winter vacation, when nearly every potential recruit has nothing better to do than watch whatever bowl is on TV. Heck, those "unimportant" litany of bowls this year will be more compelling than watching 3 teams jockey for the right to get obliterated by Alabama in the title game. A lot of kids that otherwise might not consider Duke will do just that, consider Duke. All it takes is for a few kids to decide that playing, and starting, early at Duke might be preferable to waiting and maybe not starting at some larger FB factory.
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The team is on the right trajectory. We simply don't, won't, and probably can't have/attract the kind of talent necessary to beat a competently coached FB "power."
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Compared to where we were B.C. (before Cut), I'm thrilled. We are well coached, and we played hard. Tonight's game was over by the mid-to-late third, but our guys never quit. I'm disappointed, but in the outcome of the game. I'm not disappointed in the state of the program.

Patrick a lot of validity to what you say, except I beg to differ on the "never quit" philosophy. An O-Line should be able to consistently halt a "3 man rush" as Va Tech employed last nite. Va Tech dropped 8 because Hokie DC Bud Foster knew Jones was not a true running threat coming back from injury. A couple potential TD passes were dropped, the play calling was pitiful: 3rd and 15 up the middle to set up a 42 yeard FG for a walk on PK who has missed 2 PAT's already this year???!! I agree with Duke radio commentator Dave Harding's post game comment: "Va Tech came in the hungrier team."

OFC
 
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Duke still not ready for prime time. We always seem to be non competitive in these games over the years. The lights are just to bright.

So true Dukeman.....we've been waxed 62-23
the last two years under the bright lights of Wallace Wade and the presence of NATIONAL TV the last two years (Miami, Hokies).Duke Football is in much better state under Cut than the abysmal years under Barry Wilson, Goldsmith, Franks and Roof but its a shame we played like such a dog again last nite with a herd of potential recruits in the stands....

OFC
 
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Well, we got punched in the mouth hard by a good team. Their coaches were on point tonight, and certainly we didn't give our best effort tonight. My only thing is, just respond well. I don't know what it is with these teams, but we love to go on massive losing streak after a tough game. Last year, 0-6 after 4-0. 3 years ago, 0-4 after losing a controversial game to Miami. Just shake it off please, the season is still alive.

I agree, must "shake it off." I also concur w/you on "we didnt give it our best effort."

OFC
 
Patrick a lot of validity to what you say, except I beg to differ on the "never quit" philosophy. An O-Line should be able to consistently halt a "3 man rush" as Va Tech employed last nite. Va Tech dropped 8 because Hokie DC Bud Foster knew Jones was not a true running threat coming back from injury. A couple potential TD passes were dropped, the play calling was pitiful: 3rd and 15 up the middle to set up a 42 yeard FG for a walk on PK who has missed 2 PAT's already this year???!! I agree with Duke radio commentator Dave Harding's post game comment: "Va Tech came in the hungrier team."

OFC

Agreed about the play calling. That, and our DBs inability to contest the opposing receivers was the problem. But that 3 man rush is indicative of what I was talking about when I referenced the talent discrepancy. An OL should be able to keep out a 3 man rush, but not if those 3 are simply good enough. And the LBs weren't really dropped into coverage. They usually hovered in an area that allowed them to spy on runs/draws, and jump on short routes, while also being too far beyond the line of scrimmage for our OLs to go after. This resulted in uncertainty by our OLs, which helped the 3 man rush. If DJ had been more mobile, it might not have worked.
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But folks, that defense is one of the best coached in the game. Foster is a fantastic DC. Other defenses are better, and in some cases much better, because those teams have better talent. Top tier talent would rather sit in Tuscolusa, or Athens, or Columbus, than play immediately in Blacksburg. VT is a better FB program than Duke, but Durham, or Winston-Salem, or Boone, are better living spots than Blacksburg.
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Once upon a time, that team might have looked past Duke, giving us a chance to sneak a win. But that didn't happen yesterday, so we were SOL. If ODU hadn't won last week, but they'd still had the injuries, dismissals, VT would have been looking past Duke to what it would have expected to be tough game at ND between two top 15 teams. We'd have had a shot at stealing one.
 
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