David Cutcliffe has been tabbed as a quarterback guru, an offensive braniac and even a hilarious storyteller. But just four games into his first season at Duke, he's already established himself as something else, too.
A man of his word.
And maybe a magician.
Is there any other way to explain how he's been able to follow through on so many of the promises he made when he was hired in December?
He predicted 30 points per game. Duke ranks third in the conference with a 30.8 mark.
He said he would whip the Blue Devils into better shape. Thanks to a comprehensive strength and conditioning program, almost every player lowered his body-mass index, increased his stamina and shaved time off his 40-yard dash.
But then he said Duke would compete for a bowl bid, and that's when everyone seemed to collectively say, 'Yeah, right.'
Well, with eight games to go, he has the Blue Devils-essentially the same group of players that had won only one game in the last two years-just three wins away from its first bowl-eligible season in 14 years.
Magic, right?
It's been said by Cutcliffe, members of his staff and several players that this is the best coaching staff in the country. Given what's taken place at halftime of the first four games, either that is truly the case, or some serious hocus pocus is going on.
Let's look at the numbers. This time last year, Duke was 1-3 and had been outscored 69-18 in the second half. Fast forward 12 months, and the new-look Blue Devils are 3-1, trouncing their opponents 76-14 after intermission. No team has scored more than seven points in the second half, and Duke has reached double-digits all four times out.
But there must be some scientific explanation here.
"Conditioning," linebacker Vincent Rey said. "I really bought into what Coach told us--that we get out what we put in.... If you're not conditioned, you're not as focused as you should be when you're tired and you need to make those plays."
"Coach always stresses finishing the game," quarterback Thaddeus Lewis said. "That's in the back of our minds, Coach always saying, 'Finish. Finish. Finish.' The conditioning factor makes it easier to finish."
In each game so far, the Blue Devils have come running out of the tunnel after the break seeming fresher and more fired up than they were on the opening kickoff.
"The biggest part was just getting them to buy in that getting into shape would help win football games," said Noel Durfey, the team's strength and conditioning coach.
Why didn't the last guy think of that?
Lewis said his leaner, more muscular frame has helped him absorb some blows that would have left him shaken last year. Rey and fellow linebacker Michael Tauiliili lost 18 and 25 pounds, respectively, under Durfey and Director of Strength and Conditioning Sonny Falcone's training regimen. This season, they both have more tackles than anybody else in the ACC.
And after so many years of trying to break free from mediocrity, the Blue Devils now know the true key to their success.
Not magic. Just plain, old elbow grease.
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