In advance of the Georgia Tech-Duke game, Duke beat writer Steve Wiseman answered a few questions about the Blue Devils for the AJC. Wiseman covers Tech for the Durham (N.C.) Herald-Sun. You can read his coverage here and follow him on Twitter here .
Q: Tech’s coaches expressed their concern for Duke’s power run-and-screen game. The numbers don’t suggest this is a very threatening Duke offense. What’s your evaluation?
A: It's been a turnover-prone offense, particularly early on. But after six turnovers in a loss to Virginia on Oct. 1, Duke's had just one over the last two games. At the same time, the offense has been more conservative — a lot more running between the tackles or short passes. That's a big reason why Duke averages just 4.96 yards per play, which is 117th among FBS teams nationally. Duke's line is blocking better, so running backs Jela Duncan and Shaun Wilson are capable of breaking long runs. Wide receiver Anthony Nash's broken collarbone removes a big-play threat from the passing game. So this isn't an explosive group.
Q: It’s speculative, obviously, but how different might this season have been had quarterback Thomas Sirk not been lost for the season (Achilles tendon) in the preseason?
A: I think Duke probably would have defeated Wake Forest and Virginia with a healthy Sirk. He did a good job of keeping the ball out of danger. Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones is a talent with a bright future, but he made predictable mistakes with turnovers. Sirk wasn't good in the downfield passing game. But he was steady and a solid runner.
Q: Has Duke gotten to the point where missing a bowl game would be, if not catastrophe, a surprise?
A: Not a catastrophe, but somewhat surprising and certainly disappointing. Heading into this season, with (preseason) ranked teams Notre Dame and Louisville coming on the schedule to replace Tulane and Boston College, Duke getting six wins looked like a stretch. Injuries to Sirk, safety DeVon Edwards and, now, Anthony Nash, made it even more difficult. Cutcliffe had the program going with plenty of momentum with bowl games in each of the last four years. Missing a bowl slows that considerably. But the Blue Devils are recruiting well with their classes ranked higher than they ever have been. One losing season hurts, but it won't kill all that momentum.
Q: The past two games, former Duke safety Jeremy Cash was a wrecking crew for Tech’s option offense. Does defensive coordinator Jim Knowles have someone in place to fill that role?
A: Corbin McCarthy, a redshirt senior safety, has stepped into Cash's role. That includes moving up to more of a linebacker slot when facing option offenses like those of Georgia Tech and Army. McCarthy played well against Army this month.
Q: On a scale of 1 (non-existent fan interest) to 10 (Alabama), where was Duke when David Cutcliffe was hired prior to the 2008 season and where is it now? Can you envision it getting any higher?
A: It was clearly a 1. No one cared about Duke football because the school barely cared. Hiring Cutcliffe and pouring money into facilities changed that in a big way. Duke knew it had to be relevant in football because that's what drives TV contracts and conference alignments. I would say interest in football has risen to a 4 or 5. Far more people care. But the crowds remain lower than they should be for a program that's had so much recent success and is playing in what amounts to a brand new stadium. So there remains room to grow. Will it ever be 8 or 9? Not likely.
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