Fifteen days of practice may not seem like much, but for their Blue Devil squad laden with young players, head coach David Cutcliffe and his staff are eagerly taking advantage of any opportunities to make progress toward developing their team.
That progress was evident Saturday afternoon in Duke’s annual spring game as the White squad overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the Blue team 21-14 at Wallace Wade Stadium. The game capped the spring practice season, and it will be the last look at the Blue Devils for the remainder of the school year.
The White squad was led by quarterbacks Sean Renfree and Anthony Boone, while Brandon Connette and Sean Schroeder took snaps for the Blue team. In concluding what Cutcliffe called a “great spring,” Renfree, last year’s starter, showed poise in the pocket as well as increased mobility while completing 8-of-14 passes for 105 yards.
Boone and Connette stole the show though, as both quarterbacks made their case to receive the bulk of the backup minutes behind Renfree this fall. Known more for his legs than his arm last season, Connette finished 10-of-16 for 102 yards through the air while still registering 34 yards on the ground. Boone, a reshirt freshman, may have had the best throw of the game, though, lobbing a pass over the shoulder of Tyree Watkins from 32 yards out just as Watkins crossed the goal line to give the White team a 20-14 lead in the final quarter.
“I don’t think there is a ceiling [for this offense] as long as we can stay healthy and practice like we need to be practicing over the summer,” Connette said. “If we do our work and put in the hours, then this offense can do whatever it wants to do.”
Despite the strong play and depth displayed at the quarterback position, perhaps the most positive development of the spring came on the defensive line. For a young unit that lacked depth and struggled against top offenses last season, the line made its presence felt in Saturday’s scrimmage as the defensive units combined for four sacks and four quarterback hurries.
Much of the improvement can be attributed to new defensive line coach Rick Petri, who comes to Durham after spending last season with ACC rival Miami. Petri boasts an impressive résumé, having coached NFL stars Warren Sapp and Kenard Lang during a previous stint in Coral Gables in the mid-90’s before serving on Cutcliffe’s staff at Mississippi from 1998-2004.
Now, Petri’s task will be to develop a slew of young, athletic linemen into a group that can stop both the run and the pass.
“We obviously have a lot of young guys out there,” nose guard Charlie Hatcher said. “Coach Petri has stressed fundamentals a lot. After spring break, we saw a lot of improvements and even today we saw some, so it’s looking bright going into summer.”
Part of the problem for the line in the first few years of the Cutcliffe era has been that the unit’s small size and struggles to match the strength of opposing offensive lines. But with a strong group of redshirt freshmen and incoming signees that bring size to the table, the Blue Devils have an opportunity to build depth on the line and put together a group than can compete consistently.
“We’re using our hands better, and our young people are on a faster track in that regard,” Cutcliffe said. “We have some people that are a little better as far as individual pass rushers. We can create a better pass rush with our four-man rush, which is encouraging to see.”
One player that both Cutcliffe and Hatcher singled out as making big strides during the spring was defensive end Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo. The redshirt freshman had both a sack and a tackle for loss Saturday afternoon and stood out on the field with his raw athleticism from the end position.
With summer workouts and fall camp on the horizon, the beginning of Cutcliffe’s fourth year will include the challenge of simultaneously progressing young players and implementing a new defensive system. Time will tell if that will be doable by kickoff Sep. 3 against Richmond.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.