Despite his team's poor offensive showing at times during last Saturday's game against Florida State, Duke coach Fred Goldsmith seems pretty confident heading into this weekend.
In fact, Goldsmith seems to hold the formula to snap the team out of its recent offensive funk when he takes the Blue Devils to face the Virginia Cavaliers at high noon this Saturday at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.
"You gotta be balanced against them," he said.
Translation: Duke (2-4, 0-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) must be able to establish the running game in order to open up its quick-strike passing game that was extremely effective against a top-notch Florida State defense in the first quarter.
Problem: this weekend's opponent, Virginia (3-2, 2-1), held the Blue Devils to 44 yards on 44 attempts on the ground in their meeting last year and now boasts the nation's 15th-best defense against the run entering play this weekend.
"Their defense was very good [last year]," Goldsmith said. "[This year], they lost some real good defensive players, but they've got some really good ones. [Safety Anthony] Poindexter is a great player. Some of the young players have really come along well. I thought they played an excellent game against Clemson last week. We really have to learn to respect the guys they've got in there."
The defensive unit that surrendered only 15.6 points per game last season lost arguably three of its top four defensive players to the NFL in first-round pick James Farrior and second-rounders Jamie Sharper and Ronde Barber.
The departures took a toll on the team early, as the Cavaliers surrendered 28 and 48 points to Auburn and North Carolina, respectively, in early-season losses.
However, in Virginia's two most recent games, wins over ACC rivals Wake Forest and Clemson, the defense has returned to its dominant form of the past, holding the two teams to a combined 20 points and forcing a total of seven turnovers.
"Offensively for us, I don't think [the UVa losses to the NFL] makes it any easier," senior wide receiver Corey Thomas said. "They lost Ronde Barber in the defensive backfield, but they got Anthony Poindexter back there.
"I'd rather go against Ronde than Anthony, because [Poindexter] is a hard hitter. If you don't keep your head swiveled on, he'll knock you out."
Poindexter, a preseason All-American, has turned many heads with his play this season. Not only does he lead the ACC with three interceptions, the junior has also recovered a fumble and blocked a punt, making the loss of Ronde Barber seem almost inconsequential for Cavs fans.
Unfortunately, the loss of another Barber, Ronde's brother Tiki, has been a little harder to overcome. The first-round selection of the New York Giants rumbled for 1360 yards last season on his way to capturing ACC Player of the Year honors.
This year, however, tailbacks Thomas Jones and injured Antwoine Womack have struggled to fill the giant shoes left by Barber. The UVa rushing attack is averaging a mere 134 yards per game, almost 70 yards off last year's pace.
The weakened running game may have helped in the development of quarterback Aaron Brooks. After a shaky start to the season, Brooks has been on target the past two weeks, completing 31-of-46 passes for 395 yards with no interceptions.
More importantly, the second-year starter has made timely contributions with his feet, averaging around five yards a carry on his rushing attempts.
"He's got a lot more poise," Goldsmith said of Brooks. "He's made some big plays pulling the ball down and running it. Anytime a quarterback can move, it makes a difference. You look at Carolina with [Oscar] Davenport compared to [Chris] Keldorf, it's a whole different football team. The successes their offense has had is because of Brooks stepping up running and throwing."
The Duke defense may be up to the challenge, as it smothered FSU's offense in the second half of its last contest. Regardless of how well the defense plays, however, the game could still be decided by Duke's ability to establish a balanced attack against the UVa defense.
"They are tough on the run," running back Letavious Wilks said. "If we can establish our running game, it will open up our passing a lot. It doesn't matter who we play. If we go out and play our game like we're capable of playing, we can play with anybody."
Unlike past weeks, Goldsmith has yet to announce the starting quarterback this week from Duke's four-man starting rotation. With the Blue Devils' No. 2 starter on opening day, David Green, cleared to play this week, Goldsmith will make his decision at game time, most likely between freshman Bobby Campbell or Green.
"I think it's going to be tough," Thomas said. "You go down to Charlottesville, it's going to be a hostile environment. But I think we've got a shot, I really do."
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