Duke has settled into a familiar routine of traveling to play in a postseason bowl game each December during each of the last three years.
But this time around, the Blue Devils are attempting to carry momentum into the offseason with a decisive postseason victory—the program's first since the 1961 Cotton Bowl.
Head coach David Cutcliffe’s team is in the Big Apple this week preparing for Saturday’s matchup with Big Ten foe Indiana in Yankee Stadium at 3:30 p.m. The Blue Devils have plenty of experience in the postseason—Duke's seniors have known nothing but bowl appearances during their time in Durham— but are still searching for an elusive postseason win.
If not for fourth-quarter struggles, the Blue Devils could very well be aiming for a fourth straight bowl win. Duke led the 2012 Belk Bowl, 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl and 2014 Sun Bowl in the final period, but committed mistakes leading to late touchdowns in each that sealed its fate. In last year’s Sun Bowl, the Blue Devils came from behind to take a 31-30 lead against then-No. 15 Arizona State, but allowed a 96-yard return on the ensuing kickoff that led to the Sun Devils’ winning score.
“We played well in all [our bowl games],” Cutcliffe said before the team left for New York. “We had leads late in the game in all of them. Our players have played well. We have a good process we believe in, we are doing a lot of the same things preparation-wise.”
This time around, the situation is little different for Duke (7-5). The team's five losses are the most the program has seen since going 6-6 in 2012, and the momentum of a 6-1 start dissipated after the Blue Devils dropped four of their last five contests, including a heartbreaking 30-27 loss to Miami on a controversial last-second kickoff return.
But that does not mean that there is any less urgency to end the season on a high note. Saturday's game represents the final opportunity for Duke's seniors and redshirt seniors to finish the season with a victory. Those players—center Matt Skura, defensive tackle Carlos Wray and receiver Max McCaffrey, among others—helped transform a program that was once one of the worst in the FBS, and for them, the stakes have never been higher.
“It means everything [to get a bowl win in 2015],” quarterback Thomas Sirk said. “We have seniors graduating who I came in with. [The seniors] have worked so hard for this program and they built this program to become [great]. The only thing left for them to do is send us out with a win.”
But one of those important leaders, All-American safety Jeremy Cash, will be sidelined for Saturday’s matchup after undergoing wrist surgery earlier this month. The Miami native was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year and is expected to be one of the first safeties taken in April's NFL Draft, making his absence a major blow to a Duke secondary that has experienced growing pains down the stretch.
Redshirt junior Corbin McCarthy will assume Cash's starting slot. McCarthy has played mainly on special teams this season, but did start at the strike safety position against Wake Forest after Cash had to sit out the first half of that game due to targeting penalty in the Virginia game.
McCarthy’s appearance in the starting lineup is the latest change in a Blue Devil secondary that has been plagued by injury, forcing coaches to make adjustments. Junior cornerback Bryon Fields tore his ACL before the season began, forcing sophomore Alonzo Saxton II and true freshman Jeremy McDuffie to takeover in his absence. The duo has struggled, especially late in the season against top ACC passing offenses such as North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Duke is hoping that moving safety DeVon Edwards to cornerback will help prevent the big plays that had teams made against McDuffie and Saxton late in the season. Edwards played some corner during his redshirt freshman season and is a versatile athlete that can adjust to the new position quickly.
“It takes a little practice to get your techniques sound on every play,” Edwards said. “And working on just playing like a corner and not thinking like a safety all the time—that gets you in trouble.”
Edwards and the Duke defense will face an explosive Indiana offense led by third team All-Big Ten quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who threw for more than 3,000 yards this season to go along with 24 touchdowns for the Hoosiers (6-6). But the Blue Devils could catch a break if running back Jordan Howard, who has battled a knee injury he suffered Nov. 21 against Maryland, cannot play in the Pinstripe Bowl. Howard practiced Wednesday and Thursday, but his availability is still up in the air.
On the other side of the ball, Sirk is healthy after missing time in mid-November battling an upper body injury. Sirk will take the majority of the snaps for Duke on Saturday, but Cutcliffe would not rule out the possibility of backup Parker Boehme playing at some point.
Sirk could have plenty of opportunities against an Indiana pas defense that allows an average of 326.3 yards per game, which is dead last in the FBS. If the redshirt junior can complete some downfield passes Saturday, the Blue Devils will have the chance to make some explosive plays in the passing game and take advantage of a young Hoosier secondary.
“The challenge for us is to play our best game,” Cutcliffe said. “That’s what you should do in your last game, in a bowl game. It’s about the preparation right now and we have been very focused.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.