The opposing view
Laura Keeley covers Duke for the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., and offered her insight into Tech’s opponent this week.
Q: Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk did some damage last year against Georgia Tech as a goal-line/short-yardage specialist. What is his full game like? Is he more likely to beat teams with his arm or legs?
A: This is a great question, one I felt like I could answer confidently a week ago. Sirk looked great against Tulane and FCS N.C. Central, completing around 67 percent of his passes, making the right reads and decisions on when to pass and when to run, and it all made sense why the coaches spent all offseason acting like there was no concern with him inheriting the starting role. He looked like a bigger, faster, stronger and more accurate version of last year's starter, Anthony Boone.
Then Sirk played Northwestern.
Simply put, it was ugly. Even us lay folks in the press box could tell he was making the wrong read and going to his checkdowns way too early, and just in the entirely wrong situations, like a third-and-long throw that went about two yards and was immediately snuffed out by the Wildcats’ defense.
And Cutcliffe expressed unhappiness with Sirk constantly deciding to tuck and run it himself between the tackles instead of waiting for plays to develop or letting his running backs take the pounding. It was basically a total and complete disaster, and Cutcliffe came as close to criticizing a quarterback as I’ve ever seen, openly admitting that Sirk has to make better decisions with the football.
Q: What’s your sense of this team? Could they be a legitimate threat to win the Coastal?
A: Sirk is a big question mark (at the risk of beating a dead horse). He was still defending all of the little swing pass checkdowns Tuesday, saying he was taking what the defense was giving him. Yeah, Thomas, that's great that the defense is giving you a checkdown on third-and-long — but, still, that's not going to win Duke games. Northwestern would drop eight guys back and coverage and just have the defensive line rush a few steps before dropping back and waiting on the pass, too. I'd expect to see a lot of the same from opponents until Sirk proves he can get yards against that defense.
Of course, it’s easier to throw the ball downfield when your receivers are getting open, and the Blue Devils have an unproven crop at that position this year. Junior Johnell Barnes and freshman T.J. Rahming have the potential to be the No. 1 guy, but potential doesn’t get you much on Saturdays. Both of those guys need to work to get open more.
Q: Paul Johnson said that Duke’s defense is the best he’s seen from the Blue Devils since he got to Tech in 2008. Would you agree? What do they do well?
A: Yes, I would agree. Cutcliffe will point to Duke's speed on defense, that this is, by far, the fastest defense Duke has ever fielded under him. That's a testament to their work in recruiting and developing players — the Blue Devils are still in a phase of their rebuild/rebirth where the level of athleticism on the roster rises with each incoming class (and yes, there was obviously a ways to go in this department a few years ago).
The secondary boasts three guys with NFL potential — safety Jeremy Cash, who plays like a hybrid safety-linebacker, up close to the line in Duke’s 4-2-5 scheme, safety DeVon Edwards and cornerback Breon Borders. Having all of those guys on the back end certainly helps in pass coverage, and in blitz packages, too. Duke likes its athleticism at linebacker, where the rotation is four-deep, and thus far the front four has been a pleasant surprise.
Thomas learning trust
Tech quarterback Justin Thomas may have tried a little too hard against Notre Dame on Saturday, a noble effort but one that coach Paul Johnson would like to see him limit.
“Sometimes, you’ve just got to let it come to you,” Johnson said. “You can’t get frustrated. It’s hard, especially if you’re a competitor like he is.”
One play, for instance, was his attempt in the fourth quarter to save a broken play by trying to lateral to A-back Qua Searcy. In the Alcorn State game, Thomas took an 18-yard sack when he tried to escape pressure by retreating before getting tackled.
Thomas, like just about everyone on the roster, wasn’t at his best, either, against Notre Dame.
“There’s a lot of things he’s got to do fundamentally that’s better,” Johnson said. “You start pressing and then, usually, when that happens, it gets worse, it doesn’t get better.”
Thomas seems to have absorbed the lesson. “You just have to trust the guys around you,” he said.
Similar repairs
Both Tech and Duke are playing their ACC opener. Both teams are trying to bounce back from losses in which they were favored (Duke lost 19-10 to Northwestern). And both the Yellow Jackets and Blue Devils believed they failed in no small part because of two critical areas — turnovers and special teams.
Tech lost momentum by losing a fumble on the first drive of the second half and missed two first-half field-goal attempts. Duke gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown and lost the ball three times, including once in Northwestern’s red zone.
“If we just take better care of the football and don’t give up big plays in the kicking game, we’re going to win the football game (against Northwestern),” Cutcliffe said.
Kickoff returns have been a strength for Duke; the Blue Devils ranked No. 12 in return yardage in 2013, No. 8 last season and are No. 20 this season, with one return for a touchdown. That puts a higher value on Tech kicker Harrison Butker’s ability to put the ball in the end zone.
Looking at Duke
Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk is a first-year starter, replacing Anthony Boone, but the Yellow Jackets have seen him before. In the Blue Devils’ 31-25 upset of Tech last year, Sirk was used as a short-yardage quarterback and scored twice with 10 rushing yards on five carries.
Sirk was impressive in his first two games, completing 68 percent of his passes and averaging 9.7 yards per play against Tulane and North Carolina Central. However, he tightened up against Northwestern, repeatedly throwing checkdown passes in third-and-long situations.
“It’s not good when it’s third-and-15 unless they break two tackles, but sometimes when it’s third-and-8, third-and-9, you can check it down, a guy’ll make a guy miss, you get a first down,” coach Paul Johnson said. “Northwestern did a good job tackling.”
Johnson also said that Duke’s defense is the best he has seen from the Blue Devils since both he and coach David Cutcliffe were hired after the 2007 season. Safety Jeremy Cash, a transfer from Ohio State, is one of the better defensive players in the ACC and a possible first-round pick.
“It’ll be a big challenge, especially considering the way we played last week,” Johnson said.
New look to Wallace Wade
Tech will make its first visit to Duke’s renovated stadium. The field was lowered, the track was removed and the stands were brought closer to the sidelines. Also, a new LED video board with a screen more than double the size of the previous board, was built beyond the south end zone. A five-story tower on the west side of the stadium is still under construction and is expected to be completed in time for the 2016 season. The entire project was expected to cost $100 million.
The name of the stadium has been lengthened to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. Steve Brooks is a Duke alumnus who has committed more than $20 million to Duke. He is the president and CEO of Phoenix American Insurance Group.
Rookies into the mix
A number of Tech freshmen could see more prominent roles Saturday. Wide receiver Brad Stewart is expected to start in place of Micheal Summers, who is out with an upper-body injury suffered against Notre Dame.
Coaches have also said that they’d like to get safety A.J. Gray more playing time, as he has been productive and tackled well. With redshirt freshman A-back Qua Searcy out with a lower-extremity injury, that could mean more snaps for A-backs TaQuon Marshall and Clinton Lynch, a freshman and redshirt freshman, respectively.
It’s possible freshman Mikell Lands-Davis could also see his first playing time Saturday.
If defensive end Rod Rook-Chungong (shoulder) doesn’t play — he is questionable on the injury report — that would put sophomore Antonio Simmons into the starting lineup for his first career start. Freshman defensive end Anree Saint-Amour might see extra snaps, as well.
On the fix-it list
Coaches have not been happy with the tackling. Missed tackles, particularly in the secondary, fueled a number of long gains for Notre Dame.
The blocking of linebackers, particularly by the offensive line, needs to improve. Coach Paul Johnson graded it as “atrocious” against Notre Dame.
The A-backs didn’t fare much better at any phase of the game after productive efforts against Tulane and Alcorn State.
“Nobody played well, not in the A-backs room,” A-backs coach Lamar Owens said. “And I didn’t coach well.”
B-back Patrick Skov has been working on running with better vision and awareness of potential tacklers.
“If guys are crashing inside, you need to bounce outside,” Johnson said. “It’s not just a bull in a china shop.”
Kicker Harrison Butker, who missed two against Notre Dame and has had a peculiar struggle making kicks between 30 and 39 yards has to “just go kick the ball.”
The last time they met
Last game: Oct. 11, 2014 at Bobby Dodd Stadium
Score: Duke 31, Georgia Tech 25
Star of the game: Duke safety Jeremy Cash had seven tackles — all solo — a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and an interception as the Blue Devils pulled the upset of then-No. 22 Tech despite being outgained 483-373.
Stats that matter: Duke broke a 10-year losing streak to the Jackets. … Duke won the turnover battle 3-0. … The game was delayed 77 minutes by lightning before the start of the third quarter. … Tech lost for the first time after a 5-0 start.
Play of the game: On the opening drive of the third quarter, Tech B-back Zach Laskey fumbled, giving Duke the ball at the Tech 46-yard line. The Blue Devils drove for a touchdown and a 21-12 lead that expanded to 31-12 before a last-ditch Jackets rally.
Quote of the game: "Those guys just wanted it more than us." — Tech linebacker Quayshawn Nealy
Spreading the wealth
In the seven meetings between Tech and Duke since coach Paul Johnson’s hire, the leading rusher for the Yellow Jackets has varied by position.
Year; Name; Pos.; Attempts; Yards; Avg.; Long
2014; Justin Thomas; QB; 15; 119; 7.9; 19
2013; Robert Godhigh; AB; 4; 79; 19.8; 44
2012; Zach Laskey; BB; 18; 72; 4.0; 9
2011; Tevin Washington; QB; 17; 136; 8.0; 39
2010; Anthony Allen; BB; 34; 165; 4.9; 35
2009; Jonathan Dwyer; BB; 14; 110; 7.9; 46
2008; Jonathan Dwyer; BB; 23; 159; 6.9; 36
Following the rules
Tech has been called for the fewest penalties (six), with the fewest penalty yards in FBS.
A look at Tech’s five least-penalized teams. Penalty records in the Tech media guide date to 1978. Note: Bowl-game statistics began counting to a teams’ season numbers in 2002.
Year; Penalties/per game; Yards/per game; Record
1984; 46/4.2; 356/32.4; 6-4-1
1979; 48/4.4; 476/43.3; 4-6-1
2011; 58/4.5; 480/36.9; 8-5
1980; 52/4.7; 484/44; 1-9-1
1985; 52/4.7; 481/43.7; 9-2-1
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