Takeaways from Duke football's spring showcase

<p>Redshirt freshman Daniel Jones and the Blue Devil quarterbacks worked on getting the ball deeper downfield Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

Redshirt freshman Daniel Jones and the Blue Devil quarterbacks worked on getting the ball deeper downfield Saturday. 

The Blue Devils participated in their annual spring scrimmage Saturday morning at Wallace Wade Stadium. After going through position drills, the three offensive units took turns battling the defense, with the latter finding stops on nearly every possession. Although there were a few bright spots for Duke on offense, the scrimmage was largely tarnished by sloppy play.

Here are some major takeaways from the scrimmage, which was only the Blue Devils' 13th spring practice:

Offense working on stretching the field

After averaging only 6.5 yards per pass last season, the Blue Devil offense has been working to add another dimension to its passing game, especially as returning starting quarterback Daniel Jones becomes more comfortable with the offense. Both Jones and backup signal-caller Quentin Harris lofted a slew of passes down the far sidelines to help free up playmakers Johnathan Lloyd and T.J. Rahming for passes underneath as well.

“[I wanted to work on] some of the more explosive, deeper, down the field passes in particular [this winter],” Jones said.

Although Jones could have been more accurate—he finished 4-of-8—he was much more decisive in throwing the deep ball, and he finished with 65 total yards passing, including a big completion to speedster Chris Taylor.

Wideout Aaron Young puts on a show

Although Young played sparingly last season, he flashed glimpses of talent on the outside with two touchdown catches on only 11 total receptions. After sharing most improved offensive player honors in the spring with running back Shaun Wilson, Young displayed major strides. The redshirt freshman ripped off two deep catches, easily beating the opposing corners down the sidelines for 79 total yards on a couple of grabs.

Young also showed some versatility, making an impressive catch during a red-zone opportunity for the No. 1 offense, but the pass had led him out of bounds. Even with Young playing behind Rahming, Lloyd and Taylor, the Blue Devils still gave him plenty of opportunities to make plays on both the first- and second-team offenses, and the Murietta, Calif., native took full advantage Saturday.

“You saw what we thought about what Aaron Young’s putting together,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “He’s one of the most improved players on our team.”

Blue Devils show off linebacker depth

With All-ACC linebacker Ben Humphreys sidelined after undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason—Humphreys is expected to be healthy for the regular season—freshman linebacker Koby Quansah stepped in alongside Joe Giles-Harris and stood out in limiting Duke’s rushing attack. Quansah registered three tackles for a loss and one sack against the first-team offense, an impressive feat for the third Blue Devil linebacker on defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ depth chart.

Tinashe Bere also participated in practice after missing most of last season with a torn ACL. Although Bere is listed as Duke’s fourth linebacker, he has flashed plenty of talent on the field, as he was named an honorable mention freshman All-American two seasons ago.

Mike Ramsay steps up on the defensive line

With the losses of four-year starter A.J. Wolf (graduating) and Marquies Price and Brandon Boyce (dismissed from program for violating team rules), there are plenty of questions remaining along the defensive line. Returning starter Mike Ramsay seems to be the unit's clear-cut leader at this point in practice. He was the primary defensive playmaker for the first unit, providing one of the highlights of the scrimmage by rumbling 90 yards for a fumble return touchdown after a bad snap.

“We’ve really come together [as a unit] this spring…. It’s a unit, and we’ve really locked in on our fundamentals and what’s going to make us special as a defensive line," Ramsay said. "I feel very confident in our abilities coming in this fall.”

Ramsay also disrupted Jones with a sack and a forced fumble working against the interior of the Blue Devil offensive line. Despite being surrounded by inexperienced players in Tre Hornbuckle—a co-recipient of the most improved defensive player award—and Terrell Lucas, Ramsay was able to fight through double teams to collapse Jones’ pocket.

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