Duke enters season with stable QB situation

Stability. This is not a word that has been associated with Duke football in quite some time. Despite an abysmal preseason ranking and a mountain of negative press, Duke opens its season with the quarterback situation lacking any controversy.

Spencer Romine returns as the starter, with Bobby Campbell back as the second-string signal caller and D. Bryant waiting in the wings as the quarterback of the future.

All things considered, it is somewhat remarkable that all three are back and ready to play this season.

Romine had a series of shoulder surgeries during the spring and missed all of spring practice. But he returned during the summer and played well enough to win the job.

"He had a very good offseason and summer," Campbell said. "He definitely deserves to play."

While Romine's offseason performance is good news for the Blue Devils, perhaps the best sign for the coming season is the condition of his shoulder.

"I wasn't going to come back unless the shoulder was fully recovered," Romine said. "I feel just as strong, or maybe even stronger than before. Once I had the screw taken out, my strength really shot back up."

There is some concern in the case of an athlete returning from a serious injury that the fear of re-injury will affect performance.

A few months after the sophomore's return to the team, Franks described Bryant as the best athlete with the best release of the three quarterbacks. However, he also noted that Bryant had the most limited grasp of the offense.

Bryant said that the situation has radically improved.

"Last spring to now, there has been a big change," Bryant said. "I don't know the offense 100 percent, but I'm at 70 to 80 percent."

The emergence of Bryant this season gives the Blue Devils two very different types of reserve quarterbacks.

"[Campbell] is a bigger guy, 6-foot-5, a tall, lanky guy with a strong arm," Bryant said. "I'm a little bit smaller, about 6-3. I'm a little bit quicker, I've got 4.4 speed."

Campbell is currently Duke's No. 2 man for reasons not totally related to his physical ability.

"Probably the biggest difference in the two is the knowledge of the offense," Romine said. "Bobby knows the offense better, that's why he's number two."

There is one other major difference between the two quarterbacks. Campbell is coming to the end of his career, while Bryant is the Blue Devils' "quarterback of the future."

In all likelihood, this means that as the season progresses, Bryant will see more and more of the reserve time as Franks prepares him to start in the 2001 campaign.

"That's only the logical thing for coach to do," Campbell said. "I understand that you have to plan for the future. He may get snaps early on, I'm fine with that. I just want to see Duke football turn things around and go to bowl games."

Campbell said that one of his most important roles this season will be on the sidelines. Despite not starting, he remains one of the team's leaders.

"It's a very important role and it's one of the reasons I came back," he said. "I love being vocal on the sidelines and in the huddle. I take pride in being a guy who knows what's going on in the game."

The comfort all three quarterbacks have in their roles will be a plus for Duke, but perhaps the Blue Devils' biggest advantage heading into the season is the consistency in the offensive scheme.

"This is the first year I've been in the same offense two seasons in a row," Romine said. "Being familiar with what guys are able to do, and being able to get in the huddle and have the players have confidence in what you're doing is a big difference."