Hazy memories.
That is about all that remains for the Duke Blue Devils of last year's drubbing at the hands of Florida State. Sure there were a few memorable moments, and there were certainly a handful of nightmares, but for the most part it was just one long circus of touchdown, after extra point, after touchdown. Nothing seemed to stand out in the 70-26 Duke loss besides the surprise that the Seminoles were only able to generate 16 second-half points.
After a year-long recuperation process, the Blue Devils find themselves on the verge of travelling south to Tallahassee, and once again the questions are surfacing-people are asking if Duke has any kind of chance for victory.
"I'm sure that they will be a typical Florida State defense," Duke head coach Fred Goldsmith said. "I expect to see a defense much more like the one we saw two years ago. Offensively, the skill is all there. They have lost some offensive lineman to graduation, but with [Andre] Cooper and [E.G.] Green [at wide receiver]... and Warrick Dunn [Florida State's starting tailback] is just tremendous. I think Warrick is very, very special."
Following last year's contest, every part of the Duke team seemed to take a hit, with the defense coming under the greatest scrutiny. The size, speed, and overall athletic ability of the Seminole offense ran circles around the Blue Devils.
Dunn combined with fellow back Rock Preston to run for 250 yards on only 15 carries, and receivers Cooper and Green each had over 100 yards receiving. The only pleasant thought for the Blue Devils is that this year's game will be a new time, in a new place, and that both teams will start with zero points. The bad news is that Dunn, Green and Cooper will be back in uniform along with the rest of the Seminoles weapons.
"I worry about [quarterback Thad] Busby," Goldsmith said. "They've got a good one-two punch [with Busby and back-up Dan Kendra] along with tremendous, tremendous skill people."
A revamped secondary with a new look is one of the reasons why Duke believes it may be able to eliminate a repeat performance of last year. It is also an area that heading into Saturday offers an intriguing lineup. Gone are Tee Edwards, who started three games last year, and Ray Farmer, who as a two-time All-ACC selection was Duke's most visible player.
In their places are junior Tawambi Settles, who will replace Farmer at free safety, and freshman Darius Clark, who will fill the spot at strong safety that was vacated by Settles' move. Settles had perhaps his best game as a Blue Devil last year against the Seminoles when he totaled 10 solo tackles to lead the team. He will again have to step up if Duke is to have a chance at slowing the Seminole attack.
"Ray [Farmer] is more physical than I am and a lot larger," Settles said. "But I think I'm a bit more mobile, more agile than he is. I try to use my quickness in situations that he could use his strength."
Also starting in the secondary will be senior Brandon Pollock and sophomore Kenan Holley. The corners came under fire last year as the Seminole receivers routinely were open on deep routes and were able to use their slashing speed to set up huge plays. This year the duo will need to do a better job of containing FSU's athleticism.
"We have a good core in the back," Settles said. "We have Desi [Thomas], and Brandon, and Kenan, and Alonzo [Moyer]. They're all playing well and competing. [The Seminoles are] going to run a lot of deep routes so we need to have two [rested] corners out there the whole game."
Getting his first taste of the Seminoles as a Blue Devil coach will be new defensive coordinator Bob Trott. He understands the explosiveness that a team like Florida State has, but he feels his squad will be ready for the challenge.
"They have an explosive offense with a lot of weapons," Trott said. "They might have the best running back in the nation. We just have to have our defense execute defense. We need to get the players in the right place. We're going to make some mistakes but we have to keep our heads and just keep playing."
"We need to keep our composure and execute the gameplan, and forget about last year," Settles said. "We can't go out there scared thinking we can't let them put up 70 points or making sure they don't repeat that performance. We have to go out there and play to win. I think we have a good scheme going into the game this year. We're going to be aggressive and use our team speed to the best of our abilities."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.