The problems never stop for the football team.
Aside from the fact they are entering November winless, their quarterback situation is as solidified as Jell-O and their receivers can't catch a stomach virus if they tried, the Blue Devils now have to deal with a new situation-an offensive line with more holes than Bush's economic plan.
In Saturday's game against Maryland's No. 110 ranked defense, quarterback D. Bryant found himself on the ground seven times, and backup quarterback Spencer Romine was looking up at the sky twice in four plays. Part of this was due to the fact that the quarterbacks may have held on to the ball longer, but much of it was caused by the offensive line's inability to block.
"We need to play better up front," coach Carl Franks said. "D. doesn't need to hold the ball as long either."
At least the Blue Devils will have Bryant starting in their upcoming game against also-winless Wake Forest. Bryant came out late in the game after feeling woozy from a hard hit, but is practicing and back to full strength. Franks, however, would not rule out playing Romine at some point in the game.
"I felt bad putting [Romine] in there when I did," Franks said. "But I didn't have much of a choice. He didn't complain, and he got knocked around a bunch. But he does have experience and does a good job of getting to the right place. His arm strength isn't what it used to be, and he's not as mobile as D., but he's always a consideration."
Whether Romine is in the game or not may be a moot point for a stagnant offense that does not even know its playbook this late into the season. Twice during the game Bryant was picked off in the redzone and one of those wasn't even his error.
"The interception in the endzone was not D.'s fault," Franks said. "I got on him for it, but from where I was standing I didn't see we had someone run the wrong route."
In order to win this weekend against the 0-7 Demon Deacons, the Blue Devils must do more than run the correct route. A victory is almost a must for the Blue Devils because with games against N.C. State and North Carolina on the horizon, they have only an outside chance of chalking up a win this season. Without it, the team could possibly be doomed to go 0-11 for the second time in five years.
"Trying to win is probably the most important thing for our football team," Franks said. "They've been trying to do that. Now we've got to go play well enough to actually do it on the scoreboard. I've heard people say that winning isn't everything, but trying to win is everything. Our team has been trying very hard; we just haven't been able to find whatever formula it is to get enough points on the board in order to get the first win."
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