Battle of stingy defenses looms as Duke football welcomes Boston College

Although there are no ranked opponents remaining on the schedule, the season is not getting any easier for Duke.

After notching a season-defining 34-20 win against then-No. 20 Georgia Tech last weekend, the Blue Devils will look to move to 2-0 in ACC play for the first time since 2012 against Boston College Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Wallace Wade Stadium. As head coach David Cutcliffe’s team moves into the heart of its schedule, it is also poised to continue facing physical ACC teams, including an Eagles team that he called a “well-oiled machine.”

“They are very physical,” Cutcliffe said. “We are coming off of a game [against a team] that was physical and we are going into another game that is physical. So as always, this time of year you start getting little bumps and bruises.”

Saturday’s matchup looks to be another bruiser. With two of the nation’s best defenses taking the field, fans should not expect a lot of offensive fireworks. Boston College (3-1, 0-1 in the ACC) enters the game with the nation’s top total defense—only allowing 118 yards per game—and the FBS’s second-best scoring defense, giving up 7.8 points per game.

These statistics have been somewhat skewed after the Eagles held winless FCS foe Howard to just 11 total yards in a 76-0 victory Sept. 12, but head coach Steve Addazio’s defense proved itself a week later when it only gave up 217 yards and one offensive touchdown against then-No. 9 Florida State. Boston College delivered a similar performance one week later against a Northern Illinois team that nearly upset No. 1 Ohio State.

“They do a lot of things on defense and defend every aspect,” Cutcliffe said. “They have a great run defense, but also a great pass defense, and that’s why they are who they are.”

In its own right, Cutcliffe’s defense has opened eyes across the country after solid performances against ranked Northwestern and Georgia Tech squads during the past two weeks. The Blue Devils only gave up a combined three offensive touchdowns in those contests and held the Yellow Jackets to just 173 yards rushing—200 less than their season average.

Duke’s front six has played better than expected through four games and is a driving force behind a defense that has only allowed 11.5 points per contest so far. Linebacker Dwayne Norman has anchored the group of late, posting 21 tackles in his last two games, including 4.5 for loss. Look for Norman to be very active once again against a physical Eagles offense that will attempt to run the ball into the heart of the Blue Devil defense.

“My playing style is more of a hard-nose, traditional linebacker, to get up there and just hit it out and see who is going to get up and keep coming back,” Norman said. “It definitely helps me out and helps my game.”

Redshirt senior safety Jeremy Cash has been another stalwart for defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense and will look to cause problems for redshirt freshman quarterback Troy Flutie—nephew of former Boston College star Doug Flutie—who will be making just his second career start Saturday. Cash has put up big numbers this season, including 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries, proving he can make a big play both in the secondary and at the line of scrimmage.

In his third season starting at the strike safety for Duke, the Miami native has blossomed into one of the most feared players for opposing offenses and is making a case to be a high pick in the 2016 NFL draft. After last week’s 12-tackle performance against the Yellow Jackets, Cash garnered National Defensive Player of the Week accolades from numerous outlets.

“He diagnosed so many things in the Northwestern game and blitzed, and he ends up tackling people four yards deep in the backfield,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s called ‘read and react’ and he does it very well.”

There has been less excitement of late around the Blue Devil offense, which after getting off to a hot start has struggled against the tougher defenses of Northwestern and Georgia Tech. In particular, quarterback Thomas Sirk is showing growing pains after a pair of big games against Tulane and N.C. Central.

Sirk has thrown for a total of 264 yards and tossed three interceptions during the last two weeks and has struggled to get the ball down the field, especially in the second halves of both games. Against a Boston College defense that has only given up a total of 288 passing yards all season, Sirk will have his hands full Saturday and said that third down conversions will be important.

“We have to be better on third downs and I have to be more comfortable in the pocket and see down the field,” Sirk said. “We are going to continue to improve on things that I see week-to-week on film study.”

Saturday’s contest will give Duke another chance to assert itself as a front-runner in the chase for the ACC Coastal Division crown in 2015. The program has defeated a ranked team in each of the last three seasons and looks to be headed to the postseason for the fourth straight year. Although the Blue Devils lost some big-time players on both sides of the football this offseason, young talent has filled the shoes of the graduating veteran players and has kept Duke in contention.

“We felt like we had good young players on a talent level,” Cutcliffe said. “We have a lot of people that are great products of what we have tried to put together. The program is on display.”