Led by safety Jeremy Cash, kick returner DeVon Edwards and center Matt Skura, eight Blue Devils received All-ACC honors, the conference announced Monday.
Cash, Edwards and Skura were named First Team All-ACC selections. Duke was well-represented on special teams with kicker Ross Martin and punter Will Monday each landing on the Third Team All-ACC, joining linebacker Dwayne Norman. Offensive linemen Casey Blaser and Lucas Patrick earned honorable mention honors.
After being forced to sit out the first half of Saturday’s win against Wake Forest due to an ejection for targeting that carried over from Duke’s Nov. 21 loss to Virginia, Cash picked up seven tackles after halftime to give him 101 tackles this season, surpassing the 100-tackle threshold for the third consecutive season. The Miami native was the leading vote-getter in the secondary.
An explosive player on special teams, Edwards returned three kickoffs for touchdowns during the regular season and also racked up 93 tackles from his rover safety position, good for third on the team. If the Covington, Ga., native takes a kickoff to the house in Duke’s bowl game, he would tie the national record for career return touchdowns with seven.
Heading into the season, Duke was tasked with replacing standout offensive linemen Laken Tomlinson and Takoby Cofield as new starting quarterback Thomas Sirk took the reins from Anthony Boone. The steady presence of Skura eased that transition, as the captain helped the Blue Devil front allow the fewest sacks in the ACC per pass attempt. Thanks to the emergence of Blaser at right guard and Patrick at left guard, Duke opened up consistent lanes for its stable of running backs, as well as Sirk and backup Parker Boehme in short-yardage situations near the goal line. The Blue Devils ranked seventh in rushing offense during the regular season.
Martin turned in another stellar season aiming between the uprights, breaking the school record with 23 made field goals on 27 attempts. The Solon, Ohio, native’s first miss did not come until he missed two in Duke’s four-overtime win at Virginia Tech Oct. 24. Monday’s selection marked Martin’s fourth consecutive All-ACC honor, following honorable mention selections as a freshman and a sophomore and a third-team landing spot in 2014.
Although he did not duplicate his 79-yard effort from the Belk Bowl in 2012, Monday averaged 43.6 yard per punt for Duke and pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 20 times. The Flowery Branch, Ga., native joins Martin as a four-time All-ACC selection as the duo have revamped a Blue Devil kicking game during their careers in Durham.
Like Cash, Norman eclipsed 100 total tackles for the season Saturday against the Demon Deacons. The senior made a smooth transition from safety to linebacker, helping ease the pain brought by the loss of redshirt senior Kelby Brown to an ACL tear in August. Norman’s 104 tackles led the Blue Devils, and he ranked fourth in the ACC in tackles per game.
Duke will learn its bowl fate Sunday.
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