On the surface, it would appear that the careers of John Travolta and Bobby Campbell have nothing in common. But they do. Travolta was on a high in the late '70s before disappearing for most of the '80s, only to return with a vengeance in the '90s.
Campbell was the No. 1 quarterback for a stretch last season but was not heard from this season for the first five games of the year. Game number six was a different story, his equivalent to Pulp Fiction, as he led his team to a 19-16 victory over Wake Forest.
So, what is the call next week versus Clemson?
"Bobby Campbell is starting this ball game at quarterback," coach Fred Goldsmith said. "He's earned it with his performance the last two weeks."
To say the least, Campbell's climb to the starting job this Saturday has been rocky-marred by injuries and inconsistency. A partially torn MCL suffered against Northwestern last season forced him to miss both Duke victories.
He looked sharp after returning from the injury, throwing for a career-high 196 yards against Wake Forest in last year's loss. But things went downhill after that.
Campbell did not finish the game against Georgia Tech after throwing three interceptions and played only one series against rival North Carolina.
His play did not seem to improve much over the offseason, as a lackluster preseason left him fighting for the second-string slot, not the top billing, with Spencer Romine as the clear choice to start.
"Spencer is a great quarterback," Campbell said. "I had taken a back seat to him, but he earned it and I know I wasn't playing that well, so I hadn't done much to deserve it."
Through the first five games of this season, Campbell completed 13-of-28 passes for 129 yards in the backup role.
Then came Wake. With Romine troubled by the flu, Campbell was called upon to lead his team early in the second quarter. He kept the Blue Devils in the game by taking care of the ball and making wise decisions.
With his team up 16-13, though, Campbell made a mistake and threw an interception that led to a game-tying field goal by the Demon Deacons.
Instead of crumbling, he returned the next series and completed a 24-yard pass to Terrence Dupree. With third-and-14 on the edge of field-goal range, Campbell completed a 17-yard pass to Richmond Flowers, which led to the game-winning field goal and the end of the streak.
"The last few weeks I've relaxed a lot," Campbell said. "When I get in the game, I'm a lot more relaxed. I'm just basically trying to have fun out there."
In the last two games, Campbell has only thrown one interception and completed 36-of-62 attempts for 269 yards, 140 more than the previous five games combined.
"Throwing the ball away and not forcing things has been a big thing for me that I've had to change," Campbell said. "I had a bunch of interceptions last year, and I just tried to learn from my mistakes."
Campbell's strong arm has been one of his best assets as of late. He showed this arm last week against the Wolfpack, as he scrambled to his right and threw a 31-yard touchdown strike across the field to Flowers. Had there been less strength behind the throw, it was sure to be intercepted.
"I've got some confidence," Campbell said. "I have a pretty strong arm, which I think I've relied on a lot of times and it has gotten me into trouble. But it works out for me on certain plays."
Possibly the greatest improvement in the young quarterback over the last few games has been has attitude toward playing. He frequently uses the words "relaxed" and "fun" in reference to his outlook on the game.
He knows that turnovers and mistakes are certainly detrimental to his team, but he also knows that playing scared may hurt the Blue Devils even worse.
"I had a lot of times last year when I would go into a game and I'd be more worried about 'Is this going to be the drive that I make the mistake where coach pulls me?'" he said. "You can't do that."
Campbell would like to see the offense produce as it did in the third quarter against N.C. State. He knows that Duke has the potential to put up big numbers; it is just a matter of execution and confidence.
"We hope to start making some big plays you see other teams do every week," Campbell said. "It's been frustrating for the last two or three years, but guys are starting to realize what we can do."
This week the solid Clemson defense, one that shut out Maryland and held Virginia to 20 points, is the obstacle facing Campbell. But obstacles are nothing new to Campbell, so it is likely that he will take on this one with the same fight that he has taken on the others.
"I've been up and down all season," he said. "I was told it happens to the best of them."
It does happen to the best, even John Travolta. Luckily for Campbell, he does not have to live with the memory of Urban Cowboy.
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