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GAME DAY
17
Duke (1-1)
shits its run
the Big 12
th team that
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OFFENSE
Duke's offense faces challenges as a young group after three
of the offensive line's most productive players graduated. Running back Re'quan Boyette and quarterback Thaddeus Lewis are the only two seniors for the offense this year, putting a lot of pressure to lead and perform well from the very beginning of the season. Duke coach David Cutcliffe says the offense is struggling on third down conversions and general consistency from the experienced players like
Boyette
DEFENSE
Duke was solid in the secondary against Army.
Lewis who came out of the game against Army after failing to produce points.
Cornerback Leon Wright returned two interceptions for touchdowns. The defensive backs kept good track of Army's receivers and that was partially responsible for Army only completing 10 of 24 pass attempts. This group will need to be good this week when facing a much
Wright
more established passing attack from Kansas.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Duke's special teams are seriously lacking in
Snyderwine
Duke's special teams are comparison to Kansas. In their first game of the season against Richmond, the Blue Devils had a blocked punt and two missed field goals. Last week against Army kicker Will Snyderwine, a walk-on, missed a 28-yard attempt in the first quarter, but the Blue Devils stuck with him for all
David Cutcliffe starts his third season at the helm for the Blue Devils. He has yet to produce a winning season for Duke but says he thinks they are still bowl-bound this season according to the News Observer. Cutcliffe has a wealth of experience under his belt, but he's working with a young team and a program that has been less than successful in the last decade.
COACHING
the extra-point attempts. If Duke can't find some consistency on special teams, they will not be able to keep up with Kansas this week.
Cutcliffe seems to have the program headed in the right direction, but competing with Kansas is still a tall order.
Cutcliffe
In his second seems to h
oition, Still, D
o defeat an
MOMENTUM
will cheer if...
Duke is coming off of a 35-19 road victory last week against Army but lost its season opener to Richmond 24-16. Even though they won against Army last week, there is no definite indicator of continued success or strength for Duke coming into their first meeting with Kansas.
Hallie Mann
game early. The Jayhawks in rushing yards while Jake with 227 yards rushing. struggled to defeat Army, struck the ball effectively.
will w/eep if...
ond season, Duke coach save the program headed in刃 needed two late-game Army team that finished 3-9
Prediction:
Kansas 4 5, Duke 13
Offense
BLUE DEVILS STARTING LINEUP
Pos. Name Number Year
QB Thaddeus Lewis 9 Sr.
RB Re'quan Boyette 21 Sr.
WR Austin Kelly 83 Jr.
WR Johnny Williams 37 So.
WR Donovan Varner 26 So.
TE Brett Huffman 87 Jr.
T Kyle Hill 79 So.
G Mitchell Lederman 67 Jr.
C Bryan Morgan 62 Jr.
G Brian Moore 68 Fr.
T Jarrod Holt 77 Sr.
P Kevin Jones 49 Jr.
Defense
Pos. Name Number Year
DE Patrick Egboh 90 Jr.
DT Vince Oghobaase 3 Sr.
DT Charlie Hatcher 93 So.
DE Ayanga Okpokowuruk 91 Sr.
OLB Abraham Kromah 8 Jr.
ILB Vincent Rey 31 Sr.
OLB Tyree Glover 50 Fr.
C Leon Wright 7 Sr.
S Catron Gainey 23 Sr.
S Matt Daniels 40 So.
C Lee Butler 20 So.
K Will Snyderwine 96 Jr.
AT A GLANCE
Duke is not your traditional football school and it faces the challenges of a young team and some difficult conference opponents this season. Right now the Blue Devils stand 1-1 with their one victory being on the road. They will have to get rid of the errors and be solid on their fundamentals if they expect a to have a chance against Kansas.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Freshman quarterback Sean Renfrew
With a breakout performance last week against Army, Ren-free had 106 yards passing and two touchdowns in the second half. Renfree is expected to play against Kansas with senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.
Renfree
QUESTION MARKS
Will the special team be able to produce for Duke this week?
After some shaky performances from kickers and punters the last two weeks. Cutcliffe is reevaluating his strategy and player selections to try to provide more consistency for the Blue Devils.
Can the Blue Devils end with a winning season?
Right now it's hard to tell based on Duke's performance because they have had a relatively easy schedule but their ACC conference foes have made some strong performances in the last two weeks that will put Duke to the test later this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Number of games Duke won between 2000 and 2007
2
Number of interceptions returned for touchdowns last week by cornerback Leon Wright
22
Number of bowl teams on which coach Cutcliffe has coached
115
National rank in rushing offense out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision team
8
Number of true freshman that Duke has played this season
Z
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE WAVE SEPTEMBER 18,2009