The bittersweet attitude that accompanied the football team after it narrowly missed the role of David to then-No. 10 N.C. State's Goliath continued when it was announced that much-improved wide receiver Reggie Love is out for the season with injuries to his medial collateral and posterior collateral ligaments.
It is still unknown if the knee injury will require surgery, and whether or not Love will be ready for spring practice.
Head coach Carl Franks was visibly disappointed by the news, noting that Love was just beginning to become the player he had envisioned.
"He had been playing very, very well," Franks said. "I've been on him a little bit as far as becoming a football player that he had the potential to be. It's disappointing from the stand-point that he's worked so hard to put himself where he's out there making contributions and is a big part of the team. Now he's lost for the rest of the year."
Love started the season slow, but had a break-out game against Virginia, catching six balls for 67 yards. He continued this success when he had 41 of the team's 98 receiving yards against Wake Forest.
Adam Smith, who has used Love to develop from a shaky novice, also expressed his disappointment about the injury, but remained confident about the team's passing game for the rest of the season.
"You just look at [Reggie] and you know he's a weapon," Smith said. "It's definitely a huge loss for our team. He had been stepping up his game, and playing the way everybody knew he could play. We're just going to have some other guys that need to step-up. It's another great opportunity for those guys. We all have faith in our receivers."
Franks said that Ben Kittleson and Mark Wigal will be given opportunities to earn Love's spot. Franks said he hopes the two will improve greatly once given more game experience.
Franks also said that he was very pleased with the development of his defense. When Franks hired defensive coordinator Ted Roof, he said the two decided that the best players needed to be on the field at all times. Duke has experimented with players switching positions to get the team as athletic as possible.
"I knew we would improve," Franks said. "How much? I didn't know. How hard those players worked, how hard our coaches worked, and the defenses we run have all come together very well to make a significant improvement to our defense."
The most notable difference between this year and last year's defense is the tackling. Last year many big plays occurred for Duke's opposition when the Blue Devils could not make basic stops. Franks said the improvement in tackling is totally from the players, and not based on a superior coaching technique.
"We don't teach tackling any different than when we've ever taught tackling," Franks said. "The biggest difference is that we're in position to tackle better than we've ever been. If you watched us a few years ago, we were always a step away. Now we're there."
Franks turned his attention to next week's opponent, Maryland, saying he was impressed with the Terps play. Last year's ACC champions started the season slow, with injuries and personnel changes plaguing the Terrapins.
"They have looked extremely good in the last four football games," Franks said. "They're very good at all types of varieties of offense that you'd think people would have to major in to be good at. You've got to major in the option to be good at it, but they don't major in the option, and they're still good at doing it."
The Blue Devils look to avoid breaking the record of the most consecutive ACC losses against Maryland.
"We'll be talking about [the streak] some, but it's something we generally avoid," Smith said.
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