OFFENSE

Duke’s passing offense, as you would expect under coach David Cutcliffe, has developed into one of the best in the ACC. Running the ball and turning the passing yards into points have been more problematic for the Blue Devils, who are coming off a 3–9 season. Cutcliffe, a noted quarterback guru who tutored Peyton and Eli Manning in college, is turning to his quarterbacks for answers.

In addition to junior Sean Renfree, the only returning quarterback in the ACC who threw for 3,000 yards, Cutcliffe has opened up the playbook for sophomore Brandon Connette, who led the team with eight rushing touchdowns, and redshirt freshman Anthony Boone.

“We’re going to have some fun on offense,” Cutcliffe promises.

There are five running backs on the depth chart with experience, but the Devils averaged only 110 yards per game last season, a marked improvement from the previous season but still 104th nationally. Desmond Scott, Josh Snead and Juwan Thompson are all expected to improve Duke’s ground game, which will be aided by the return of three starting linemen.

The receiving corps is Duke’s strength, with the return of slot receivers Conner Vernon, who led the ACC with 73 catches, and Donovan Varner, who added 60. Sophomore Brandon Braxton will be used to stretch the field. Tight end Cooper Helfet was a surprise addition from the junior college ranks who came on at the end of the 2010 season.

DEFENSE

The Blue Devils started last season in a 4-3 scheme but tried just about every combination. Nothing worked. Duke ranked last in the ACC in total defense (450.1 ypg) and next-to-last in scoring defense (35.4 ppg). Jim Knowles steps in as the coordinator — after sharing the position last season — and is going to a 4-2-5 alignment.

For the second straight year, the defensive front is Duke’s biggest area of concern. Nose tackle Charlie Hatcher is the only senior of the unit, which has seen the most turnover in Cutcliffe’s tenure.

Sophomore linebacker Kelby Brown missed spring practice while recovering from knee surgery, but he will good to go in the fall. An instinctive player, Brown had 63 tackles while starting seven games as a freshman.

In the secondary, The Devils have a solid safety in Matt Daniels and an intriguing prospect in Isaac Blakeney, who might be the country’s tallest defensive back at 6'6".
 

SPECIALISTS

Senior kicker Will Snyderwine has turned Duke’s kicking game from a laughingstock into one of the best in the country. Snyderwine hit 21-of-24 field goal attempts last season and earned All-America honors. Senior Alex King enters his second season as the starting punter. Snead adds some speed to the return game. 

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Blue Devils can throw the ball with anyone in the ACC, and Cutcliffe can X-and-O with the best. The problems, in Cutcliffe’s fourth season, are largely still the same from his first season — a relative lack of talent compared to the rest of the league and a dearth of athleticism on defense.

If Duke can complement the passing game — and Renfree should be even better a year removed from major knee surgery — then the Blue Devils might be able to scrap back to the five-win level that Cutcliffe achieved in ’09. But with the defense still a step behind the offense, the program’s first bowl bid in 17 years will have to wait.

FANTASY IMPACT