Head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference today. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute Q&A.
Senior running back Jay Hollingsworth will get the start on Saturday.
In a somewhat surprising decision, Coach Cutcliffe said that Hollingsworth, who has not started a game since his sophomore year, will get the nod on Duke's first series against Wake Forest. Hollingsworth gained 21 yards on four carries and 18 yards on three receptions against the talented Florida State defense. Sophomore Juwan Thompson has recorded starts in each of the Blue Devils' six contests up to this point, tallying 5 rushing touchdowns already. Junior Desmond Scott, who started 11 games last season, picked up over six yards per carry against the Seminoles and showed off the quickness which he had not possessed since sustaining his knee injury in the Richmond game.
Senior center Brian Moore is nearing a return from his arm injury.
Moore has missed every game this season with a broken arm, but Cutcliffe described him as day-to-day now. Moore worked in practice this morning and his return seems realistic Saturday. The interior of the line has meshed well with Dave Coleman at left guard, Dave Harding at center, and Laken Tomlinson at right guard. Harding was slated to start at right guard prior to Moore's injury, and Tomlinson has exceeded expectations at the position. Keep an eye on the offensive line's alignment when Moore returns.
Donovan Varner appears to be okay despite suffering an injury against Florida State.
Both Cutcliffe and quarterback Sean Renfree mentioned that they are expecting Varner to be able to play against the Demon Deacons this weekend.
Two of the ACC's top three wide receivers are going head-to-head in Wallace Wade Saturday.
Duke's Conner Vernon is averaging 6.7 receptions and 98.8 receiving yards per game through six games. Vernon has had at least six catches and 78 yards in every game this season. Wake Forest's Chris Givens is tied for Vernon for the ACC lead in receptions per game, and also ranks first in the conference with 123.2 receiving yards per game. Standing behind Givens in yards per game are Clemson's Sammy Watkins, whom Cutcliffe described as "the best player in college football," and then Vernon in third place.
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