Stat Chat: Soften the blow

The government may still be shutdown, but Duke football is back to play one of the nation's finest military institutions in the Naval Academy. However, bickering between a bipartisan Congress will not have any impact on the play of the Midshipmen, evident by their win last week over Air Force. Navy is considered by many to be an average team this year, but the style of play they bring to the field is terrifying. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this team runs the triple option offense. Uh oh.

It was only three weeks ago that Georgia Tech steamrolled the Blue Devils 38-14 in a contest that could have further gotten out of hand. Much of the last few weeks, the topic of conversation has been Brandon Connette's development as the starting quarterback, but if Duke's defense can't stop anyone, this team isn't going to a bowl game this year. Period.

What exactly is the triple option? Teams that run this style of offense will place two running backs and a mobile quarterback in the backfield, making defenses guess which player will run the football. To put this scheme into perspective, the Midshipmen's starting quarterback Keenan Reynolds has attempted considerably more runs (81) than passes (31). No receiver has 100 yards receiving for the season and the team averages nearly 300 yards rushing per game, ranking eighth in that particular category. Bottom line, they're running the ball at least 75 percent of the time this Saturday. This offense is fast and they are fully capable of putting points on the board, putting up 92 points in the first two weeks against two solid squads in Indiana and Delaware.

So how in the heck are the Blue Devils going to stop this offense? They were outgained by more than 200 yards against the Yellow Jackets and followed that performance with 58 points allowed against Pittsburgh. Oh, and by the way, both of those uninspired performances were at home. In order to conceal the triple option, the coaching staff will have to prepare the linebacking core for a whole lot of running.

One of Duke's strengths this season has been tackling at the linebacker position. David Helton, second in tackling on the team, and Kelby Brown, third, have combined for 81 tackles through five games this season. Only safety Jeremy Cash has more tackles individually at 51. The key may not be stopping the offense entirely, but rather containing it. Navy will put the ball on the ground and will get plenty of yards. The goal for Duke is make sure they limit the length of each drive by containing the ground attack on first down. For a run first team, third-and-8 is much harder to convert than it is for a balanced offense. So, the matchup to watch for is the linebacking core against the running attack, containing first down plays to only two to three yards and forcing the offense to consider passing. As the numbers show, the passing game may be a little rusty to say the least. It should also be pointed out that there's no need to blitz or force additional pressure. Keep as many people around the line of scrimmage as possible. Remember, containment is the name of the game. It's not the sexiest gameplan, but with an improved offensive attack, it is certainly a smart one.