Week 9: Quick Hits from Lunch with Cut

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference today. Cutcliffe talked about his team’s 35-22 victory against Virginia and also the upcoming matchup against Virginia Tech. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute question and answer session. The Blue Devils play the Hokies Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va.

After digging themselves an early 22-0 hole against the Cavaliers last Saturday, the Blue Devils went on a 35-0 run to finish the game and secure their first ACC win of the season. The comeback included 18 fourth-quarter points—a field goal by Ross Martin and passing and rushing touchdowns by Brandon Connette. The Duke defense overcame a slow start and shutout Virginia in the second half. The Cavaliers gained just 83 yards of total offense in the third and fourth quarters combined.

"Coming out of Virginia what you hoped for was momentum, that the momentum would not stop at the end of the game but continue. I felt like our squad responded Sunday."—Cutcliffe

Last season, the Blue Devils won five of their first six games before heading to Blacksburg looking to secure a coveted sixth win and become bowl eligible. After jumping out to a 20-0 first quarter lead, Duke fell apart. The Hokies scored 41 straight points and shutout the Blue Devils for the remainder of the game.

This year's Virginia Tech team is more mature than last year's squad, especially on the defensive side of the ball. In their last six games, the Hokies have given up only 70 points. Virginia Tech's defense allows just 256 yards per game, the second-best mark in the nation.

"We are playing a team that sets the tone physically in the league. They've set the tone for quite some time. It's a big challenge. I think the key component is looking forward to testing ourselves."—Cutcliffe

Connette and starting quarterback Anthony Boone both headed into Saturday's matchup against Virginia healthy for the first time since the week two game against Memphis. Duke was happy to welcome back the offensive versatility that Connette provides after sidelining their phantom package against Navy due to Connette's ankle injury. The redshirt junior had success in short yardage situations on third and fourth down, and connected on a short pass with Braxton Deaver in the fourth quarter that resulted in a 47-yard touchdown play and the Blue Devils first lead of the game.

Boone continued to improve after missing three weeks with a collarbone injury. After completing just 9-of-22 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown in the first half, Boone found his rhythm and led the offensive resurgence in the second half. He would finish 21-for-39 for 245 yards and two touchdowns.

"We have two very experienced players. Brandon gives us some things, situationally. He's an experienced player so we can change the package, whether it's red zone, short yardage. We can use him on any of the third down situations. He's experienced enough that we want people to think it looks like we're running the same play, but we're not. We're changing blocking schemes, giving him different reads. It's really fun in that regard. We've got stuff where we can even throw the ball to Anthony."—Cutcliffe

The defensive secondary may be short-handed against Virginia Tech after safety Dwayne Norman and cornerback Bryon Fields went down with injuries against Virginia. Senior cornerback Ross Cockrell filled in for Norman at his safety position against the Cavaliers, and freshman Breon Borders took over Cockrell's role at cornerback. Norman's MCL sprain will see him sidelined against the Hokies, but Fields will remain day-to-day heading into the weekend.

Cutcliffe did not seem worried about the holes in the secondary, citing the versatility of his team's defensive backs and their ability to play multiple positions.

"I don't want to sign safeties and corners. I want to sign defensive backs. I want to sign guys that can cover an tackle back there. I don't care what they're called.... You know what a cover corner means, really? It means a guy that doesn't want to tackle. You know what a strong safety is? A guy that can't cover. I don't want either one of those."—Cutcliffe

Cutcliffe finished off his press conference by talking about the ACC's reputation and its growth in recent years. He cited the conference's large number of strong football programs, starting with Florida State at the top, mentioning Jim Grove's Wake Forest squad and, of course, discussing the Hokies.

"Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech, give me a break. How many teams have a better program than what they have at Virginia Tech," Cutcliffe said.