Two years ago on Parent's Weekend, the Duke football team solidified itself as a legitimate power in college football by upending Virginia 28-25 in Durham. It was one of the biggest wins in the history of Blue Devil football, prompting the 32,000 fans in attendance to storm the field and bring down the goalposts in celebration.
A Duke victory this year may spawn a similar reaction, but certainly not for the same reasons.
This year the Blue Devils (0-7, 0-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) head into their game with the No. 16 Cavaliers in search of something even more valuable than that recognition they garnered in 1994-their first win of the season and some long-awaited respect.
Through all of the losses and all the adversity that Duke has encountered this season, the youthful squad still refuses to buckle.
"One thing that amazes me most about these guys is that when I'm down after a ball game like that, I can't wait to get back with them," Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said. They kinda pick me up."
The Blue Devils will need plenty of that enthusiasm this Saturday when Virginia comes into Wallace Wade Stadium seeking revenge. The Cavaliers (5-2, 3-2 in the ACC) are fresh off of a 31-24 loss to No. 3 Florida State and are seeking their sixth win of the season, something that would clinch their 10th consecutive winning season.
Virginia's primary offensive weapon is Heisman Trophy candidate Tiki Barber. Barber, a senior tailback, is currently first in the ACC and ninth in the nation in rushing, averaging 129.9 yards per game on the ground. He is also first in the conference and third in the NCAA in scoring.
"There is no question that he is a great back," Goldsmith said.
The Duke defense will be hard-pressed to shut down the explosive Barber, who burned an exceptional Seminole defense for 150 yards last week.
"We are concerned about every running back we face," freshman safety Darius Clark said. "We've faced Warrick Dunn and Darnell Autry... Tiki Barber is just another one of those great backs. We just have to rise to the occasion for the game, which I am pretty sure our defense can do."
FSU coach Bobby Bowden compared Barber to his own Heisman hopeful, running back Warrick Dunn.
"Barber is bigger, he's got 20 pounds more [than Dunn]... He's more powerful," Bowden said. "Dunn moves better laterally, but Barber will cut back on you and give you a change of pace you can't hardly handle."
Although Barber may not be one of the most oft-mentioned contenders for the Heisman, his credentials certainly warrant it.
"I haven't said this maybe ever in my career, but he deserves serious consideration for [the Heisman]," Virginia coach George Welsh said. "I haven't seen anybody else on paper or on TV who's as good as he is, or certainly not any better than he is."
The Blue Devils counter with their own backfield phenom, freshman Letavious Wilks. Wilks made a huge splash in his first career start last week against Maryland, rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns in Duke's 22-19 loss.
"He's got great feet and acceleration," Goldsmith said. "He had 137 yards last week and if they hadn't closed down the running game, we could've blocked a little better and given him the ball more. He's legit; he can run; he can hit.... He's going to be a big, big part of this offense for a long time."
After a sub-par outing at quarterback by junior David Green last week (9-for-21, 103 yards passing), the Duke coaching staff had decided to allow Green and sophomore Matt Rader compete for the starter's job in practice this week. But Green has been sick, so Rader gets the start by default.
"Its up for grabs now that both of them have been exposed to a full game," Goldsmith said. "Now we're taking a close look at the Maryland film and the Clemson film, and we're going to have to look at who's the healthiest and who has the best week of practice. Whoever does that is going to be our starting quarterback."
The Cavaliers quarterback is the unheralded Tim Sherman, who is averaging a modest 114 yards passing per game and has eight interception on the year and just four touchdowns.
"Virginia is 5-2 with Sherman at quarterback and he's had something to do with," Goldsmith said. "As a coach you look out there and you see his competitive spirit and you see a toughness in Sherman that maybe the press doesn't quite appreciate."
Virginia comes into the game with a defense, that before being cut apart by Florida State, was considered one of the best in the nation.
"They say you are only as good as your last game and Florida State got 300 yards passing and a couple hundred yards rushing and that's not good-I don't care who you're playing," Welsh said. "A good defensive team doesn't give up those kinds of yards."
Despite last week's debacle, the Cavalier defense is still first in Division I in creating turnovers. They have picked off 16 passes already this season and have recovered an additional nine fumbles. Those turnovers, along with three blocked punts, have generated 117 points for Virginia thus far this season.
This weekend's matchup also provides an interesting sidebar as the ACC's two best punters square off. Duke's John Krueger is averaging 46.6 yards per kick, which places him sixth nationally, trailing fifth-place Will Brice of Virginia by less than half a yard per kick.
With so many of the numbers favoring the Cavaliers, at least on paper, overconfidence might appear to be a concern for Virginia.
"[Duke] is just as good as Clemson and they are just as good as Maryland," Welsh said. "So if we don't seriously prepare and get ready to play Duke, then we're going to get beat. I hope [my players] understand that."
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