Sean Renfree looked solid in Duke's first preseason scrimmage Monday—even if he wasn't necessarily throwing to his best receivers.
The Blue Devils' starting quarterback was 12-for-17 for 153 yards in the scrimmage, but the story of the day was injuries to Duke's talented receiving corps. Donovan Varner, a first-team All-ACC player last season, sat out the game with a hamstring injury, and fellow starters Austin Kelly and Conner Vernon were both banged up during the course of the scrimmage.
"Obviously, we're working with a new quarterback, and those receivers need to be working with him," head coach David Cutcliffe said. "But the good thing is, you see some of those young guys stepping up and making plays."
There were encouraging signs on the defensive side for the Blue Devils, as Damian Thornton's three tackles for loss led the defense in holding the Duke offense without a touchdown.
Still, Renfree's apparent ability to overcome the torn ACL that sidelined him at the end of last season continues to be the story of the Blue Devil offseason, even while the weapons around him seem to be falling with their own injuries.
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