Duke welcomes N.C. Central for its first game in the newly renovated Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium tonight at 6 p.m. Both teams are coming off blowout victories and the Blue Devils will look to use the contest to ready themselves for a tough slate of matchups in upcoming weeks. Here are three keys to the team's home opener:
The emergence of a deep threat
Quarterback Thomas Sirk exceeded expectations in last week’s outing, completing 27 of his 40 pass attempts for two touchdowns. However, Sirk struggled to throw the deep ball. Although Tulane defenders could not capitalize on Sirk’s inaccuracy in the passing game, several passes hit Green Wave defenders' hands and were nearly intercepted.
Sirk thrived in the short passing game and seamlessly engineered quick drives that knifed through Tulane’s defense. The quarterback rarely missed on passes inside of 10 yards, but expect opposing secondaries to try and disrupt the Blue Devils' short pass strategy going forward. In order to open up efficient passing options for games later this season, Sirk must prove against the Eagles that he is capable of succeeding in the intermediate to deep passing game.
The shifty quarterback will also need help from a relatively inexperienced group of wide receivers—who did not display the ability to beat Tulane's cornerbacks on go-routes a week ago. Possible options to emerge as a game-breaking threat the team desperately needs include wide receivers Max McCaffrey and Chris Taylor. If none of Sirk's wideouts can emerge as a constant option to stretch the field, the Blue Devils’ offense could find itself searching for answers in future games against bowl game contenders such as Northwestern and Georgia Tech.
Continued strong play from the defensive front
Coming into the season, the run defense appeared to be one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. But after one week, it seems as if it might be one of the team’s strengths. Led by the emergence of mike linebacker Zavier Carmichael, the Blue Devils limited the vaunted Green Wave rushing attack to 1.1 yards a carry. The linebacker finished with five tackles and an interception and was all around the field in the team's opener.
If Carmichael can duplicate last week’s performance against N.C. Central, the playmakers in Duke's secondary will be able to converge on the Eagles' passing attack. Safeties Jeremy Cash and DeVon Edwards have the ability to take N.C. Central’s wideouts out of the game and force the Eagles to go to a one-dimensional attack. The Blue Devils' ability to stop the run on first and second down could be just what is needed to put N.C. Central in passing situations and make the team susceptible to turnovers.
With a good performance, Carmichael and the defensive front can also boost their confidence heading into games against tougher opponents in upcoming weeks. But in the early going, it appears that one of the team's biggest question marks may have a clear answer.
Don’t overlook N.C. Central’s special teams
In N.C. Central’s bulldozing of St. Augustine last weekend, the Eagles special teams unit shined brightest. Punt returner Mike Jones shattered a 46-year university record for single-game punt return yards and averaged nearly 30 yards a return. Blue Devil punter Will Monday kept the ball out of the Green Wave returner's hands for much of the opener and will need to turn in a repeat performance Saturday.
Duke head coach David Cutcliffe also expressed his worries about N.C. Central’s ability to dominate in the kicking game. Eagles kicker Nigel Macauley was perfect last week including a 44-yard field goal. The Blue Devil defense—which has so often relied on the bend, but don't break mentality—will need to keep N.C. Central from moving the ball down the field to stifle their opponent for the second week in a row. If the Blue Devils overlook the Eagles’ special teams prowess, the game could become more nerve-wracking than many expect it to be.
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