With the 2016 season right around the corner, The Chronicle's football beat writers break down each of the nine major position groups: quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs, linebackers, kicker/punter and punt/kickoff returners to prepare you for the regular season.
Duke struggled to prevent explosive passing plays toward the end of last season, allowing more than 300 yards through the air in its final three games. But not all of that blame should be placed on its banged up secondary. Just as much goes to its performance up front, as the Blue Devils tied for 114th out of 128 FBS teams in sacks per game at 1.3.
Head coach David Cutcliffe and company know that if they want to stay competitive against better opponents this year, they need more production up front. New defensive line coach Ben Albert came to Durham from Boston College to lead that charge and has a young group of defensive linemen thinking it can make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks this season.
Key players lost: DT Carlos Wray, DE Deion Williams, DE Kyler Brown
Albert will have to replace three of the four most productive Blue Devils up front from last season in Wray, Williams and Brown, but defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is confident the team can do that by rotating in a number of players up front. Duke returns veteran defensive tackles A.J. Wolf and Mike Ramsay, and Knowles said he expects underclassmen Quaven Ferguson, Edgar Cerenord, Trevon McSwain, Zach Morris and Brandon Boyce—who is suspended for the team's first three games—all to make an impact at the position.
The Blue Devils are almost exclusively counting on underclassmen defensive ends to improve their pass rush. Sophomore Marquies Price will need to have a big year as an edge rusher, and redshirt junior Dominic McDonald, former walk-on Danny Doyle and true freshmen Chidi Okonya, Terrell Lucas and Tre Hornbuckle are also expected to see playing time.
Cutcliffe on the defensive line:
At this point, Chidi Okonya and Terrell Lucas are certainly in the mix to be considered to play. They’ve got to continue to gain our trust, and we want to see consistency from them.
When you play teams that, as you look, on your schedule that have large numbers of upperclassmen on both fronts, you have concerns in the game. In minute 50, minute 60, what is it like to be playing against a man that is more experienced and stronger than you? I can’t fix that. They have to address that themselves.
Projected Starters:
Wolf and Ramsay will start at tackle and Price and McDonald are projected to start on the outside to open the season, with a bevy of other players rotating in to keep everyone fresh. Head coach David Cutcliffe said Thursday that Okonya, Lucas and Hornbuckle are ready to see time against N.C. Central Saturday.
Dark Horse: DE Chidi Okonya
At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Okonya might be one of the most natural pass rushers on Duke's roster, which could let him see the field immediately. The Riverdale, Ga., native was a four-star, ESPN 300 prospect coming out of high school and along with Price could give the Blue Devils more explosive plays off the edge than they have had in years past.
Be sure to stay with the Blue Zone for our continuing 2015 position preview series. Check in tomorrow to see how Duke is going to replace All-ACC linebacker and the team's leading tackler Dwayne Norman.
Hank Tucker contributed reporting.
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