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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>How did it take someone this long to come up with the greatest marketing idea in college sports history?Kansas State's women's basketball program is making national headlines today for its plan to give away free bacon to students who attend their season opener Friday evening against Tennessee State.
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Discussing Duke's next step in the recruiting game after Kevon Looney committed to UCLA
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Blue Devils have been ranked No. 4 in the country in the preseason AP top 25, which was released Thursday afternoon. Duke received two first-place votes.Behind one of the top recruiting classes in college basketball history, Kentucky was voted preseason No. 1, receiving 27 of the 65 first-place votes. Coming in at No. 2 was Michigan State, receiving 22 first-place votes. Defending national champion Louisville placed third, receiving 14 first-place votes. Rounding out the top five was Kansas, which will take on Duke Nov. 12 at the Champions Classic in Chicago. That evening will also feature a matchup between the No. 1 Wildcats and No. 2 Spartans.The Blue Devils have now been ranked in the top 25 nationally for 117 consecutive weeks since the 2007-08 season, which is the longest active streak in the country.In addition to Duke, four other ACC teams were ranked in the preseason AP Poll. ACC newcomer Syacuse was tied for No. 8 in the nation, and North Carolina was ranked 12th. Notre Dame came in at No. 21 in the country and Virginia was ranked 24th.
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a game to remember for Duke football, but a game to forget for Anthony Boone.The Blue Devils' starting signal-caller struggled in last week's monumental 13-10 road upset against then-No. 16 Virginia Tech. Completing just seven of his 25 passes on the afternoon, Boone failed to connect with a Duke receiver for the entirety of the second half.But when the Blue Devils walked off the field at Lane Stadium with a historic win in tow—defeating a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since 1971 and cementing a bowl trip in back-to-back years for the first time in program history—Boone improved to 6-0 in his career as a starting quarterback. Despite his struggles throughout the contest, Boone continues to be the most important thing any quarterback can be—a winner."I think that's a great term to be labeled," said Kurt Roper, Duke's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "He just wins. It doesn't have to be pretty. He just finds a way to win. So I don't think there's anything better—that's why we all play the game."With the victory, Boone became Duke's first quarterback to win the first six starts of his career since Worth Lutz ripped off six consecutive wins to begin the 1952 season.After taking over for recently-departed quarterback Sean Renfree as a full-time starter for the first time in his career, Boone wasted no time setting off some offensive fireworks as Duke rolled to a 45-0 win in its season-opener against N.C. Central. But as the season wore on and Boone returned from a collarbone injury that had him sidelined for more than a month, Duke's defense has taken center stage, allowing a combined 39 points in the team's last three victories."The one thing you'll never take from him is he's got a lot of confidence, and even though it was a struggle Saturday he's got a lot of confidence in his ability to make plays," Roper said. "And I think that always permeates through a team."Although Boone will be the first to tell you that Saturday's contest was a far cry from his best showing, he viewed his defense's ability to bail the offense out as a positive step for the program. Duke's 13 points were the lowest total the Blue Devils have scored in a win since they defeated East Carolina by the same 13-10 margin Sept. 10, 1994."Our team is evening out. It's not just a bunch of offensive skill players that are keeping us in ballgames," Boone said. "It's the fact that we have young talent on defense and experienced guys on the offensive and defensive line that can help get the job done and be physical—be our edge and our game-changers when it comes to playing these ACC opponents."With four contests remaining in the season and his second consecutive bowl berth already under his belt, Boone and the Blue Devils look toward a number of other milestones they hope to reach this season. Among them are the team's first winning season since 1994, first trip ever to an ACC Championship game and first bowl victory since all the way back in 1961.But as Boone proceeds with his usual one-week-at-a-time mentality, he will have a number of opportunities to stop and reflect on the growth of a quarterback who used to doze off in team meetings to one who can't stay out of the film room and is yet to lose as a starter. Boone said that if he could go back in time, he would give his freshman self some valuable advice."I would have told him to wake up and get the ball rolling earlier," Boone said. "That's kind of how today's world is—people give you advice, but at the end of the day it's the decision you make, and you have to live and learn. The ones who get to it earlier like the Peyton Mannings of the world who really buy into it at a young age, it shows."Fresh off a week where the Blue Devils got two votes in the AP top 25, gaining national exposure is one of the goals that Boone said he has had since his first season in Durham."We've been knocking on doors for a long time, and nobody's answered them," Boone said. "And now we finally knocked on the right door, and somebody is finally giving us attention. Now is the time to actually go out there and prove what we really have and gain more respect that we do deserve."With an open date this week, Boone and the Blue Devils will have two weeks to rest for a matchup against N.C. State. The last time Duke hosted an in-state ACC foe was what until last week was the team's last program-defining win—a 33-30 last-second victory against North Carolina to make the Blue Devils bowl eligible for the first time in 18 years.That win was one that Boone said changed the trajectory of Duke's program and helped to shift the football culture on campus. If Boone can keep up his unblemished record as a starter, he can expect that culture to continue to change."It's why I came here," Boone said. "I wanted to change the culture and be around a bunch of guys who wanted to do the same thing that I wanted, which was to change the Duke culture and be a part of something special. It's a great feeling, and the opportunities that are still left on the table are endless."
A Q&A with Tom Murphy, one of two AP voters to have Duke in his top 25 this week.
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After Duke's stunning 13-10 upset against No. 16 Virginia Tech yesterday, college football pollsters are taking notice.The Blue Devils (6-2, 2-2 in the ACC) received two votes in this week's AP Poll, putting them 12 spots out of the top 25. Duke also received eight points in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll, sitting just eight places out of the top 25. "I'm a believer in expectations. When you go into certain circumstances when the expectations are extreme, I'm a believe that there's a lot of times that the performance can be extreme," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. "I think it's critical that you create expectations. I want to see how we handle the expectations of November and the pressure, and we're either going to do it really well or we're not—there won't be any in between."After yesterday's loss, the Hokies—previously ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll—dropped out of the top 25. Virginia Tech still received the second-most votes for an unranked team in the Coaches Poll, garnering 53 points and sat six spots out of the top 25 in the AP Poll with 20 votes.The last time Duke received votes in college football polls was Oct. 7, 2012, when the Blue Devils jumped out to a 5-1 start after a win against Virginia.Cutcliffe is one of the 62 FBS coaches that votes on this year's panel as his former Blue Devil head coach Steve Spurrier, who famously would always cast a vote for Duke at the beginning of each season.By defeating Virginia Tech yesterday, the Blue Devils will go to a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. It was Duke's first win against a ranked opponent since 1994 and the team's first road win against a ranked team since 1971."You certainly hope you have a program that when people arrive, ultimately, they expect to win," Cutcliffe said. "They came here because they want to win. That's one of my dreams. I certainly want them to come because of the quality of the program.... I want really good football players to come to Duke because they expect win and want to win and want to join a winning program."This week's AP Poll featured three top-25 teams from the ACC. Florida State will enter next week ranked third in the country, Miami is ranked No. 7 and Clemson comes in at No. 9. Arizona State is the last team ranked in the top 25 with 133 votes.The ACC had three teams ranked in the Coaches Poll, all of which reside in the top 10. Florida State held tight at No. 3 this week, Miami remained at No. 6 and Clemson jumped up two spots to No. 8 in the nation. Notre Dame sits at No. 25 in the country, receiving 83 points this week.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In its first exhibition contest of the season, Duke overcame a slow start and cruised by Bowie State 103-67 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Stingy second-half defense and a total team effort led the Blue Devils to an easy victory in front of the home fans on Parents Weekend.Revisiting the three keys to the game:
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow—three of the top recruits in the class of 2014—were on hand at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday afternoon for Duke's first exhibition game of the season against Bowie State.
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last season when Duke took a trip to Blacksburg sitting on five wins, Virginia Tech watched as the Blue Devils jumped out to a 20-0 first quarter lead before surrendering 41 unanswered points.The No. 16 Hokies understand that should they want to keep Duke from notching a sixth win once again, Saturday's contest at Lane Stadium will not be nearly as easy."This is a big Coastal game," Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. "We really have watched the improvement of Duke over the years. Coach Cutcliffe has done a great job in making this program a contender on the coastal side."Already bowl eligible and riding a six-game winning streak since falling to No. 1 Alabama to open the season, the Hokies (6-1, 3-0 in the ACC) have their sights set on much more than a bowl game after a disappointing 7-6 finish in 2012. Already knowing that Virginia Tech will head to a bowl game for the 21st consecutive season, the Hokies are now setting their sights on a run at the ACC Championship.Defense has been the key for Virginia Tech, which ranks second in the nation by allowing just 15 points per contest. The Hokie defense has been especially stout against the run this season, allowing just 2.5 yards per carry, which is also good for No. 2 in the country. Virginia Tech's front seven is led by middle linebacker Jack Tyler, who leads the team with 57 tackles and has registered seven tackles for a loss and three sacks on the year."We are playing a team that sets the tone physically in the league," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. "They have set the tone for quite some time. I think the big challenge is looking forward to testing yourself."In the secondary, the Hokies are just as good, picking off 13 passes through their first seven games of the season. Cornerback Brandon Facyson leads the way for Virginia Tech with four picks, although the true freshman may miss Saturday's game due to a concussion. But the Hokies may welcome redshirt senior Antone Exum back to the lineup this week. The team's leader in interceptions last season, Exum missed the first half of this season after tearing multiple ligaments in his knee last January and could provide a boost to a Virginia Tech secondary that is already among the tops in the country.The Hokie defense will be tested when Duke (5-2, 1-2) comes to Blacksburg. Notching 35.7 points per game, the Blue Devils will enter play Saturday as the fifth-leading scoring team in the ACC behind Florida State, Miami, Clemson and Georgia Tech. "I see an offense that's very explosive, that know what they're doing, got a plan," Beamer said. "They can throw the ball and can run the ball. Those are the most dangerous offenses, in my opinion. One plays off the other."In the teams' matchup last season, the Blue Devils were not shy about taking deep shots through the air, a trend that has continued this season behind the play of quarterbacks Anthony Boone and Brandon Connette."They got us a couple times last year," Beamer said. "The Crowder kid, he made a bunch of catches, one give them their first touchdown. They hit some long ones on us last year. That's, no question, a key part of the game. They have personnel to do it. Boone has a strong, strong arm. They got good personnel catching the ball."Although Virginia Tech has struggled to score this season—ranking 12th in the ACC at 23.1 points per game—the Hokies have been unafraid to grind out defensive struggles by controlling the tempo. Heading into a hostile environment in Blacksburg this weekend, the Blue Devils are expecting nothing less."It's loud, man—I'm not even going to lie, it's one of the loudest stadiums I've played in," Duke defensive end Kenny Anunike said. "But I love playing in front of big crowds. I love beating other teams in their own house in front of their own house. There is nothing greater, so this would be a sweet win."
WR Johnell Barnes (hand)
This week, The Chronicle’s Daniel Carp spoke to The Collegiate Times' Sports Editor Jacob Emert about this weekend’s contest between Duke and Virginia Tech.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—Duke looked oddly comfortable as it roared back from a 22-0 deficit to defeat Virginia on the road.Even when the game seemed out of reach in the second quarter, even when the momentum seemed to be turning against them late in the fourth, the Blue Devils remained grounded—each twist and turn on the road to a historic comeback was a scenario they had encountered before."It is extremely difficult to go down 22-0 on the road in a conference game and then come back and win by 13 points," Cutcliffe said. "I think our guys believed we belong.... We earned relevance, and we'll see what we can build it to from here."Duke could not move the ball on offense in the early-going, managing just 45 total yards in the first quarter. When Virginia running back Kevin Parks front-flipped his way into the end zone for his third touchdown of the contest with 5:49 remaining in the second period, a Cavalier squad that had allowed 48 points to Ball State at home and missed a last-second field goal to lose to Maryland by a point in its last two games looked as though it could not be stopped.The Blue Devils were on the other end of a similar situation last year, jumping out to a 20-0 first quarter lead against Virginia Tech on the road before allowing 41 unanswered points to fall to the Hokies."I think the more veteran your team is, they've lived a lot of experiences," Cutcliffe said. "It certainly can help when they have seen it or been a part of it one way or the other."Even as Duke found its offensive rhythm, taking a 25-22 lead on a 47-yard dump and run from Brandon Connette to Braxton Deaver, both teams had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devil defense was playing lights out, forcing the Cavaliers into three-and-outs on five consecutive drives and keeping Virginia from picking up a first down from midway through the second quarter until the beginning of the fourth.Back in 2011, Duke played a near-perfect second half defensively, allowing Wake Forest to pick up just 81 yards of offense in the final two quarters. But 66 of those yards came on a Chris Givens touchdown catch in the closing minutes. After the Blue Devils had stormed back from a 17-0 hole to take a 23-17 lead, the Blue Devils left Winston-Salem broken-hearted.Clinging to a three-point lead in Saturday's game, Virginia picked up its first first down in more than a quarter when Duke committed a holding penalty to give the Cavaliers new life. The Blue Devil defense held strong, forcing Virginia into a third-and-18. Quarterback David Watford's pass sailed high and appeared to be headed into the arms of safety Corbin McCarthy for a surefire interception, but the ball bounced off McCarthy's chest and careened into the air, landing safely in the arms of Parks for 21 yards and a first down.Near-turnovers turning fatal nearly haunted Duke last season. With the Blue Devils clinging to a four-point advantage against North Carolina, Ross Cockrell failed to dive on a fumble that was scooped up by the Tar Heels' Giovani Bernard for a touchdown. That play gave North Carolina a brief lead before Jamison Crowder's last-second heroics sent Duke to its first bowl game in 18 years.Tipped passes have been especially troublesome for the Blue Devils. Finally poised to stop Georgia Tech's triple-option attack in their matchup last season, it was a tipped pass that fell into the arms of offensive lineman Ray Beno that ultimately did Duke in, giving the Yellow Jackets an insurmountable swing in momentum.But Parks' catch did not spell doom for Duke Saturday. Virginia made it to the edge of field goal range on that drive, but Alec Vozenilek pulled a 44-yarder wide left to preserve the Blue Devils' lead. Deaver caught his second touchdown pass of the evening, this time from Anthony Boone, on Duke's next drive to seal the victory."We might get ourselves down, but we've prided ourselves, and that was one of our missions, was to finish games in the third and fourth quarter," said defensive end Kenny Anunike, whose Duke team has defeated Virginia in five of his six collegiate seasons. "Because I don't care if you're blowing us out 80-0 in the first half, if we score 81 in the second half we are going to win that game."Heading back to Virginia Tech next weekend in search of its sixth win of the year—guaranteeing a bowl trip for the second straight year, something that has never happened in 101 seasons of Duke football—the Blue Devils will face another hostile road environment, this time against a ranked opponent.Cutcliffe said his team's ability to rely on the successes and failures of its past is contributing to a more level-headed and confident Duke team."There's a difference in believing you can win and starting to think you should win," Cutcliffe said. "I believe they think they should win, and I believe they went to Virginia believing they should win. That kind of confidence is not false if you're absolutely committed to preparation and you believe you can go out there and back it up."
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—It would be hard to imagine a worse start for Duke. Trailing 22-0 midway through the second quarter and struggling to move the ball, the Blue Devils looked to be on their way to a blowout loss.Thirty-five unanswered points changed that very quickly.Duke tore back into the contest behind the play of its defense and upended Virginia 35-22 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., earning the team its first ACC victory of the season and pulling the Blue Devils within one win of bowl eligibility for the second consecutive year."This is huge. Being down 22-0, I don't know if a Duke team has ever come back from that big of a deficit in a long time," redshirt senior cornerback Ross Cockrell said. "We came together. We became strong as a family, and that's what our goal is."Virginia (2-5, 0-3 in the ACC) was forced into a three and out on five consecutive possessions by the Duke (5-2, 1-2) defense, keeping the Cavaliers from picking up a first down from the middle of the second quarter until early in the fourth."I told them at the start of the third quarter, I went down to all of those older guys and said, 'I'm putting my money on you guys. You're the ones who are going to turn this around in the second half. I'm not worried about offense, I'm not worried about special teams. I'm putting my money right up front on the defense,'" Cutcliffe said. "And they grinned, and I meant it. I feel really good about those guys."The Blue Devil defensive line was a force throughout the second half, limiting Virginia to seven rushing yards for the remainder of the contest and recording 10 tackles for a loss on the afternoon.Running back Kevin Parks provided each of the Cavaliers' first three scores with two rushes from a yard out and a 13-yard reception, but after Virginia tacked on a two-point conversion to take a 22-point lead, it was all Duke. Redshirt junior quarterback Anthony Boone led the Blue Devils on a touchdown drive in the last minute of the first half, hooking up with wide receiver Jamison Crowder to get his team on the board."We got hit in the mouth a little bit, and we were surprised," Cockrell said. "We were back on our heels and the offense got us started with that touchdown late in the first half. After that, it was just pedal to the metal."Duke's quarterback duo of Boone and Brandon Connette controlled the clock in the second half. Boone finished 21-of-39 for 245 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception, but it was Connette who provided some of the game's key plays, scampering for a 6-yard touchdown to cut Duke's deficit to one score and giving the Blue Devils the lead when he hit tight end Braxton Deaver for a 47-yard score on fourth-and-1.Connette was at his most effective on fourth down, leading the Blue Devils to a perfect 4-for-4 performance to keep drives alive as Duke mounted a comeback."Brandon Connette gives us a bull in some tough circumstances. Those were some big conversions that made a difference in the game," Cutcliffe said. "He's always there, which is a good feeling to know."Boone found Deaver for his second touchdown catch of the day, hooking up on a 24-yard connection with 4:17 remaining in the game to seal the victory."Once Anthony gets into his rhythm, he's really hard to stop," Deaver said.With the victory, Duke has five wins on the season and can reach a bowl game for the second straight year with a win next week against Virginia Tech, sending the Blue Devils to a second straight bowl game for the first time in program history.
