Coming off of a bye week, the Duke football team has decided not to dwell on its 56-7 loss to Florida State September 27. Instead, the focus is on getting healthy and mentally prepared to take on the 4-2 Maryland Terrapins in this Saturday's matchup in College Park.
"They're excited to play after a week off," head coach Carl Franks said. "We've got a lot of guys healthy, guys who've been beat up, nicked up a little bit, so I think they're ready and excited to play."
While the Blue Devils may be psyched, it is going to take a lot more than enthusiasm if Duke hopes to knock off the once-ranked Terrapins, winners of four straight. Last year's game at Wallace Wade Stadium quickly turned into a nasty blowout as Maryland racked up a 45-0 lead by the middle of the third quarter before going on to win 45-12.
"Last year they beat us upfront," Franks said. "We have got to be a more physical football team, and we can't let them push us around."
One of those guys upfront for the Blue Devils is defensive end Phillip Alexander, whose individual effort against Florida State was one of the game's bright spots. Alexander recorded five tackles for loss, including three sacks, moving him to first in the ACC in both categories.
"Individual accomplishments are good and everything," Alexander said, "but I would take a win over that."
The Terrapin offense has improved over the course of the year and quarterback Scott McBrien has led the turnaround. He has completed over 50 percent of his passes in each of the last four games, and things are only looking better with the impending return of the 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, running back Bruce Perry. Coach Franks has emphasized containing the Maryland running attack as defensive priority number one.
"Our goal every week is to stop the run and don't forget about Bruce Perry, now he's had a high-ankle sprain but I'm sure he's going to play if he can," Franks said. "They have a very diversified offense - they run a power-running game, they run the option, and they run the play-action pass."
On the other side of the ball, Duke has been inconsistent in its offensive execution, with 56 points in its two wins and only 17 points in its three losses. The Blue Devils have been in the red zone eight times in those two losses, and only have one touchdown and one field goal to show for it. Running back Chris Douglas, who is currently third in the ACC in rushing yards, feels that the problem lies in the execution.
"What's been the case is we get down to the red zone and we don't complete the plays correctly," Douglas said. "There's always someone who's messing up, myself included. It's all about perfect execution, we've got to run the plays the way they're designed, and we'll get more points."
Getting more points will not come easily against the vaunted Maryland defense, which ranks ninth in the nation in points allowed and 12th in total defense. Franks knows that the Blue Devils' offensive production will weigh heavily on the team's ability to mount a solid ground game.
"I hope we can balance it more with Douglas and Wade--we need to able to run the football," Franks said. "That's going to be a critical factor."
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