Judging from the Blue Devils' winless record, outsiders may consider this football season-and the team as a whole-a lost cause. But the seniors, who hope to leave behind a legacy, believe a win in the waning weekends of the year could garner the respect they feel Duke Football deserves.
Senior defensive lineman Casey Camero has been named a game captain six times this season, the most of any player on the team. He said his role as a leader has kept everyone on board and buying in to the system, even during the hard times.
"Losing like this, when you put so much in it, definitely weighs on your mind," Camero said. "My part has been the same as the guys in the past that were seniors... [making sure] that everybody stays mentally strong."
With two games left on the ledger-this weekend against ACC Coastal Division champion Georgia Tech and the season finale against North Carolina, which Duke has beaten just twice in the last 17 years-the Blue Devils are trying not to punch out early heading into the off-season.
Fans might not recognize the hard work the Blue Devils put in, but junior free safety Chris Davis said the effort is there.
"We look at the film, and there are guys running and diving everywhere, running full-speed to the ball," Davis said.
"We love this sport," he added. "You can't wake up at six-thirty every morning and not love it."
The Blue Devils' losing ways have resulted in disrespect from some, including Duke students. During away games, opposing fans sarcastically reassure the team about the upcoming basketball season, while others offer mock surprise at the existence of a football program at Duke, Camero said.
After all the off-season training and in-season competition, Camero said breaking into the win column by the end of the year would be a big boost for the team's esteem.
"The biggest issue outside, I think, for all the football players when we're not together and we're out in the community... and people come up to us is the respect," Camero said. "All the hard work and dedication, the effort and playing through injuries and people going out and getting surgeries-people don't understand the time we put in."
Aside from possibly gaining respect from critics, both Davis and Camero said that a win in either or both of the upcoming games would also serve as some form of validation of Duke football's bright future ahead.
"There's a lot of people out there that deeply care about Duke Football, and we're grateful for that," Roof said. "To let other peoples' opinions creep into our minds and affect how we feel or how we perceive things when we know the truth because our kids are the ones out there doing it everyday-that's what we concern ourselves with."
NOTES:
Running back Justin Boyle and defensive lineman Eli Nichols were both injured in Saturday's game against Boston College and will have to sit out the remainder of the season. Boyle is out with a torn left ACL and Nichols, who had recently returned from an injury he suffered against Alabama earlier in the season, hurt his foot in an unrelated and non-contact situation Saturday.
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