Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference Tuesday, addressing Duke’s 49-6 victory against N.C. Central and the upcoming matchup against Wake Forest. The head coach touched on lessons learned and the progress of the team coming off its season opener. The Blue Devils (1-0) face the Demon Deacons (1-0) in their ACC opener at Wallace Wade Stadium this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Here are some of the more notable sound bytes from Cutcliffe’s press conference:
The Blue Devils opened the season last Saturday against the Eagles at home after learning the previous week that starting quarterback Thomas Sirk would be lost for the season. But redshirt freshman Daniel Jones eased any quarterback concerns in the opener, throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns in a little less than a half of game play. Defensively, redshirt senior A.J. Wolf dominated the N.C. Central offensive line, registering three sacks—more than any Duke player totaled last season—and redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Giles-Harris proved his mettle after beating out previous starter Tinashe Bere for the weak-side linebacking job, making a team-high six tackles Saturday. But Wake Forest is a conference opponent and should pose a greater challenge than an FCS opponent like the Eagles.
“The biggest thing about this week is that it’s a conference game, opening up the season of conference games in Week 2. It’s also a team that we played at the end of last year, so it’s unusual circumstances…. Duke and Wake Forest is a great natural rivalry, and they had a nice win [last week].”
Despite the victory, not all was positive for the Blue Devils against N.C. Central last Saturday. Duke fumbled the ball six times—losing five of them—including a muffed punt by speedster Ryan Smith, who was the team’s primary returner last season. Cutcliffe noted that Smith is not the only player working as a punt returner, with running back Shaun Wilson and wide receiver T.J. Rahming also taking repetitions at the position in practice this week.
“I was really disappointed in the the muffed punt catch. That one is a [matter of] focus, a little late moving to where you had to be in position—so a little bit of focus, a little bit technique—and I was back there today… I had [Smith] catching punts.”
Late in the game, with his offense inside the red zone, Cutcliffe opted not to bring out the field goal unit on fourth down, a decision that many questioned, especially since true freshman placekicker A.J. Reed still has never attempted a field goal in a college game. Duke’s head coach explained his thought process Tuesday:
“I just made the decision. I didn’t necessarily want to kickoff again. That’s a unique play in itself. You’re trying to make sure that you don’t have any injuries.”
Most seasons, Duke faces three or four nonconference opponents before heading into conference play. But this time around, with Wake Forest looming in the Blue Devils’ second week, the situation is a little different.
“I love it. Big games early to me help you in August, they help you in June and July. They just kind of get your feet wet… You learn quickly the lesson of intensity.”
Against N.C. Central, cornerback Breon Borders recorded Duke’s first interception of the season after leading the Blue Devils in the category each of his three seasons in Durham. Now as the team’s shutdown cornerback, Borders is tasked with even more responsibility, but his head coach believes that the Statesville, N.C., native is up to the task.
“His focus is so keen. He is in tune to every millisecond of every play… Those kinds of people, it’s not an accident that they end up around the ball. There’s a focus and just a keen sense of the game, and Breon’s a fierce competitor.”
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