Head coach Ted Roof shared an old football adage with the media at his weekly press luncheon: "For every freshman you play, it is going to cost you a football game."
Although Duke has suffered its fair share of losses this season, a number of true freshmen have stepped up to make significant contributions to the injury-ridden squad.
"We are not losing games because of our freshmen, and certainly they have helped us stay in some of the games we have been in, especially the game we won," Roof said. "There is a real positive buzz about that within our football program."
In Duke's 28-21 loss to Navy Oct. 1, the Blue Devils played 24 freshmen, including 15 true freshmen and nine redshirts. Roof said he expected to have about that many freshmen playing by this point in the season.
"I knew that some of them were going to have to play in certain positions," Roof said. "Some of the guys I thought would play are injured and haven't played, and some of the guys, due to injuries, have wound up playing."
While Roof and the coaching staff have attempted to lessen the learning curve for their inexperienced players, they have accepted the fact that mistakes are bound to occur and have determined that the best thing to do is hope that the freshmen learn from them.
"They are getting a lot of firsts during the course of each game," Roof said. "You can put them in positions on the practice field to try and simulate those situations, but there are things that come up during the course of every game that are firsts. The ability to grow and to recognize things and make the necessary corrections or adjustments so they don't happen again is the real joy."
One surprise this season has been the emergence of freshman quarterback Zack Asack, who was named the starter after the team's 38-7 loss to then-No. 23 Virginia Sept. 24. In five games for the Blue Devils, Asack has thrown for 334 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for an additional 80 yards.
"He is such a competitive kid and really is a really strong leader for a freshman," Roof said. "In some of the statements he made the other day he said it was his fault. That is so far from the truth, but you have to admire a freshman who stands up and says that. That is a young man taking accountability. Those are some real leadership qualities, and he is such a confident kid and is very resilient. To be a quarterback you have to have those qualities, and that's one reason why I think he has a bright future."
The impact of the freshman class, however, has not been limited to the offense. Linebacker Michael Brown is currently third on the team with 41 tackles and has forced three fumbles this year. In addition, injuries to Brian Sallee and Casey Camero have lifted Clifford Respress to a starting spot on the defensive line, as the Barnesville, Ga. native has seen his playing time jump from 10 to 73 plays a game.
While the prospect of starting younger players over older veterans poses risks to any team's chemistry, Roof said he does not think the younger lineups have had an adverse effect on the squad's camaraderie.
"You need to have a certain amount of respect for the older players who have been through it, and our freshmen really do respect the older guys who have fought and struggled," Roof said. "I think the older guys respect our young players, too, for their attitude, the way they work and their approach. I think there is a lot of mutual respect, which lends itself to a healthy team environment."
Junior Eli Nichols echoed his coaches comments, noting that he hasn't felt any tension between the upperclassmen and the freshmen.
"One thing we do here on defense is if there are two guys at one position who can play, they're both going to play," Nichols said. "That helps us out a lot compared to last year when we didn't have as much depth. It's definitely a lot better now."
Notes:
Quarterback Mike Schneider was released from the hospital Sunday morning after spending the night with internal injuries to his chest. Roof does not expect him to be available for Saturday's game against Florida State.... Junior Curt Dukes and freshman Marcus Jones will compete for the backup quarterback job in practice this week.... Roof said he still has not come to a decision about whether to redshirt five-star recruit Vince Oghobaase for medical reasons. "Whenever we get the green light we're going to evaluate where he is and where we are and make the best decision for everybody concerned at that point in time," Roof said of Oghobaase.
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