Scottie Montgomery doesn't sound like a man who has just been through a week of two-a-days.
After a week of two-a-days, you're supposed to be tired, frustrated and cranky. You're supposed to be fighting with teammates.
But Montgomery claims he's ready for more.
"We're still enthused. We've got two days left and we can do six more days easily," the standout receiver said. "It'd be tough on our bodies, but we're enthused about being out here.
"We're holding up real good. These are the toughest two-a-days we've ever had, but they're also the most productive we've had. We're coming out everyday hard."
Montgomery's unexpected attitude is symbolic of a team that has shown tremendous enthusiasm since the hiring of Carl Franks. The standout receiver spent his summer training and practicing in Durham, and he was not alone. Nearly twice as many players stayed at Duke this summer as did last year.
"I think we made up our minds in preseason and in spring ball that we were going to do something this year," current first-string quarterback Spencer Romine said. "I think everyone's just been excited. I think a lot of people feel like it's going to be a big year and that's what made it so awesome this year in the summer because people were coming down here even if they weren't in summer school. People paid their own way just to come down two to three weeks in advance just to get a head start."
For two weeks before official two-a-days began, Romine and top receivers Montgomery and Richmond Flowers were having their own two-a-days running routes and catching passes.
Romine was No. 1 on the quarterback depth chart before practice began and remains Duke's probable starter Sept. 11 at East Carolina. Romine's dedication in the off-season has secured his top spot on the roster and resulted in 20 pounds of additional bulk.
"I said last spring I felt like whoever is going to work the hardest is going to win the job and I just went all out this summer," Romine said. "I gained 20 pounds [up to 210], I increased my strength, my arm strength. There wasn't a time this summer where I said, 'Well, I'm going to take the day off.' I worked as hard as I could and I came back here in the best shape as possible."
And although the starter's spot is still not decided, Romine is certainly the leading candidate for the job.
"Spencer has really come out and seized his opportunity to put himself back on top," quarterbacks coach Ben Bennett said. "He's very smart, he thinks through what he's trying to get done. He's an outstanding athlete, very strong-a lot stronger than I had seen on TV-and he's a competitor."
The week of practice culminated in scrimmages on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday's scrimmage was mostly situational with the ball starting at the 25-yard line for most of the snaps. The offense successfully moved the ball against Duke's defense, using a nice mixture of running and passing. But despite the offense's success, Franks saw too many errors for his liking.
"We've got to eliminate the mental mistakes," Franks said. "They come this time of year and you have to fight your way through them, force yourself to concentrate, when you're hot, you're tired and you're aching, so that's what we're trying to work through right now."
Franks limited the opportunities of Montgomery and Flowers Wednesday afternoon in favor of giving some other receivers more action. Ben Erdeljac scored two touchdowns, while Nick Hartofilis, Kyle Moore and Kyle Shanahan recorded a touchdown each.
"We needed to get the other guys used to playing in some game situations, being out there when it counts," Franks said. "A lot of them haven't been there and they need a little more work than Scottie and Richmond. It's important for us to get these younger guys more plays today."
Duke's Airborne offense was surprisingly comfortable on the ground, even without the services of B.J. Hill, who is recovering from an injury. Franks' top priority is keeping players healthy; he did not want to take any risks with Hill, instead utilizing Duane Epperson, who ran the ball well. True freshman Chris Douglas also had some nice runs and junior fullback Devin Pierce made several nice cuts on a fantastic touchdown run up the middle.
Tuesday's scrimmage had fewer situational drills and was more like a simulated game. All three quarterbacks threw a touchdown pass but the real star was Hartofilis. An All-America selection in lacrosse, Hartofilis walked on to the team last year and shone Tuesday, catching four passes while making a strong impression on Franks.
True freshman Shawn Johnson made two tackles in the backfield while playing with the first-team defense in place of defensive tackle Gannon Shepherd, who is recovering from a pulled hamstring.
Johnson is one of several true freshmen making a name for themselves this past week. Tight ends Ben Watson and Nick Brzezinski have both played well and Douglas has impressed Franks in the backfield. On the defensive side, Matt Zielinski has played well at inside linebacker and cornerback Temo George has helped solve some of the depth problems in the defensive backfield. Franks indicated that these six players, along with a few others, are in contention to see playing time this year.
In general, Franks is pleased with his team's play thus far and is especially impressed with how quickly his players have picked up the new offense.
"I think they're progressing like normal," Franks said. "They've been very enthusiastic. These two-a-days aren't easy. It's the kind of thing when you go take a shower, you come out of the shower and shake your hair dry, you say, 'Wait a minute, don't move that head so fast, because it hurts.' We're working through the aches and pains of two-a-days right now, but they've shown great enthusiasm."
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