Over the next few days, we'll highlight material from our gargantuan summer issue, with links and excerpts to our many articles with the hopes that you will find it all a little easier to digest. Today we focus on Duke Football.
Our two football articles focused on a common theme—the first year of the Sean Renfree era.
Jeff Scholl wrote about the young quarterback, who has made remarkable progress recovering from an ACL tear:
On the first passing attempt of his collegiate career, Sean Renfree rolled left out of the pocket and picked out tight end Brett Huffman for a 17-yard completion. Touchdown.Renfree had entered the game against Army midway through the third quarter after the Blue Devils recovered a fumble at the Black Knights’ 19 yard line. The backup quarterback was thrown right into the action for the first time while wearing a Duke uniform.
Not that it mattered. Renfree kept his poise despite the short notice, and his pass to Huffman gave the Blue Devils a 14-10 lead over Army that they would never relinquish. He also connected with Donovan Varner on a 31-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter to put Duke up by eight.
On a day when senior starter Thaddeus Lewis struggled under center, Renfree completed seven-of-eight passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns over the span of just a quarter and a half, leading the Blue Devils to their first win of 2009. While the members of Duke’s coaching staff had complete faith in Renfree’s ability to manage the game, even they were impressed by his instant offensive production.
“You always have great expectations, but he did an outstanding job in the Army game and made a lot of plays that you can’t just always guarantee,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper said.
Renfree made it clear that is back to 100 percent, just a few months after suffering the injury.
[He] will enter fall camp as the no. 1 quarterback on the depth chart, having made remarkable progress in his rehabilitation over the past seven months. After suffering one of the most severe injuries an athlete can face, Renfree is running, throwing and lifting weights again. He will continue rehab work throughout the summer and fully expects to be 100 percent healthy when practice starts in August.
“I don’t think about [the knee] really any more at all now,” Renfree said. “I definitely don’t expect to think about it during camp.”
Roper cites Renfree's mental toughness as one of his best attributes.
Roper said Renfree’s ability to play at a very high speed has been his most notable physical change since arriving at Duke. But his mental development may be just as vital for positioning the team to win football games.
“I think his biggest quality is his mental toughness: his ability to compete and to persevere through tough situations and battle,” Roper said. “I think he’s got some great leadership qualities to go along with his physical abilities.”
Jason Palmatary wrote about how the receivers are handling the transition.
Last year, Duke fans grew accustomed to watching receivers Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon running loose through opposing secondaries, snagging bullet after bullet from quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. This year, they’ll have to make the adjustment to being targets for first-year starter Sean Renfree.Renfree will have the luxury of transitioning into the starting role with two players who finished among the top 10 leaders in receiving yards for the ACC. Varner, the leading returning receiver in the conference, and Vernon have been quick to help their quarterback prepare for his first year. The new signal caller appreciated the assistance.
“They are both fast, great athletes, and have tremendous ball skills,” Renfree said. “But the thing that goes really unnoticed with these two is how hard they work. They are always willing to go out and run routes and catch balls for me.”
Varner said he sees more similarities than differences between Lewis and Renfree.
It starts with the work ethic and desire with both of these guys. But, they’re also great leaders and know where to put the ball as passers.
Roper is excited about the big-play possibilities the receivers and quarterback have.
You have to have guys who can turn easy completions into big plays. It’s comforting to a quarterback to know that we can make a big drive shorter due to the explosive plays.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.