Among college football coaches, it's a well-accepted fact that a team's greatest improvement usually occurs between the first and second games of a season. As it travels to face Northwestern this Saturday, Duke hopes that this will be the case.
At Monday's weekly press conference, coach Fred Goldsmith indicated that he was pleased with the Blue Devils' 24-10 victory over Division I-AA Western Carolina. He does, however, realize the team's need for improvement, especially as it prepares to face a tough Big Ten squad in the Wildcats.
"I was disappointed in the third quarter, when we allowed a couple of quick plays and let them score," Goldsmith said. "But that's good, it gives us something to get their attention lit and lets you know that you have to concentrate every play against anybody to get the job done."
Duke is confident and eager to head back to Northwestern, especially following a disappointing game last season that the Blue Devils felt they should have won. In that game, Duke almost overcame injuries to its first- and second-string quarterbacks, Bobby Campbell and David Green, but ended up narrowly losing 24-20. It was during that matchup that current starting quarterback Spencer Romine saw his first game action.
Saturday's game marks a stretch in which five of Duke's next six contests will be on the road, a big test for this improving squad which hopes to build on Saturday's season-opening victory, the first for the Blue Devils in four years.
"This could make or break the season," linebacker Kevin Lewis said. "These games coming up-we're building a lot of confidence with the one win Saturday, and each game is even more important."
In preparation for this Saturday's contest, the Blue Devils realize that they need to improve upon their offensive execution, something that was inconsistent during last Saturday's debut. In several instances during the opener, the Duke offense found itself lacking. Passes were sometimes mistimed or misthrown, and receivers did not consistently run their routes sharply.
"We simply didn't execute," receiver Scottie Montgomery said. "It's not effort, it's guys missing a read or missing a receiver. We can drill today and work on it in at Monday night practice."
While the Blue Devils feel they need to refine and improve some aspects of their game, they were very satisfied with the play of freshman tailback B.J. Hill. In his first collegiate contest, Hill racked up 121 yards on the ground, impressing both coaches and teammates.
"The way he ran-it was unreal," Montgomery said. "I've never seen a first-year or second-year player run with as much poise."
Hill's solid play raises the question as to whether he will continue to play on the offensive side of the ball. Hill was placed on offense when Duke's top two running backs, Duane Epperson and Letavious Wilks, were forced to sit out with injuries.
Both Wilks and Epperson, though, were supposed to return to practice yesterday. Goldsmith expects two out of the three backs to get most of the repetitions in practice this week, depending on who is ready to play. According to Duke's coach, it's a tough decision to choose from such a talented group of runners, but it's a problem Goldsmith noted that he's happy to have.
Hill, however, would prefer to return to playing on the defensive side of the ball. Either way, the Blue Devils hope to make the best use of his talent wherever he plays.
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