Wilson to make changes after UVa loss

Head coach Barry Wilson will spend this week looking for diamonds in the predominantly rough terrain of his 1-3 football team.

Wilson informed the members of the media in his weekly press conference Monday afternoon that, entering this week of preparation prior to their game against No. 11 Tennessee, none of his players should be too confident of their standing on the team after the Blue Devils 35-0 loss in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday.

"We're just going to take a very strong look at everybody on our football team that's playing," Wilson said. "And we're going to go with guys that are totally committed, and guys that are going to throw their body and their mind and their heart and their spirit into the fight.

"I don't care if he's a freshman, if he's a walk-on, or he's a third-teamer, presently. If I'm going to lose a game, I want to lose it competing at every position, every play."

Wilson was not as upset with the loss to UVa as he was with his team's overall performance.

"I really thought we should have accounted for ourselves better," Wilson said. "I think Virginia is a potentially a Top 10 football team. But I was disappointed that we couldn't move the ball more consistently or gets some points on the board."

Against Virginia the offense, which managed to move the ball in the early stages of the game, collapsed at crucial moments on every series.

"I was disappointed with our lack of consistency on offense," Wilson said. "At times, we'd look pretty good but then we'd find a way to break up the continuity of a drive, and that really aggravated that particular segment of the game."

"Defensively, we're still not getting consistent play," Wilson said. "Our linebacking game was very poor. We didn't have anybody at linebacker that played really well, not that there were any major superlatives at any point on defense."

Wilson stated last week that his greatest fear related to the ability of the Cavaliers' offense to keep a play moving right from the snap.

"I was concerned about just sheer momentum, and that did occur," Wilson said. "We just got steam-rolled by bigger people that got the momentum on their side. Consequently, they'd make seven or eight yards [on running plays]."

According to Tennessee's Sports Information Director Bud Ford, the first weekend in October, if the Vols are at home, is the best date for a Homecoming game. Tennessee's decision is made by the calendar, not the opponent. As a result, Duke will face a crowd of over 91,000 orange-clad fans volunteering their services for a UT victory this Saturday.

After this past weekend, Wilson and his players see things getting a little easier for them the remainder of the season. Perhaps that will be enough of a factor to hold the Blue Devils together through their tough start.

"We've got teams that will not be quite the extent of Virginia or Tennessee or Florida State remaining on the schedule," Wilson said. "I'm interested in trying to play up to Duke's capability, and that's not always easy."

Wilson is confident of his players ability to keep a positive attitude and to see these early season problems as simply part of a larger task.

"Our kids have not quit and I don't think that they will quit," Wilson said. "We've got far too many games ahead of us to have any thoughts that the season is beyond hope. On the contrary, I'm still planning on having a good season, and I think our football team is still planning on it."

NOTES: Linebacker Scott Berdan is very doubtful for Saturday's game against Tennessee due to a neck injury . . . Duke's game against the Vols is its third against a top-25 team in its first five games.