In David Cutcliffe’s 11 seasons at Duke, he has brought a dying program back to life. Coaching at a school that most people only know from basketball can be a difficult task. Cutcliffe has lived up to the challenge and has put Duke Blue Devils football into the national spotlight to an extent. The Blue Devils have made appearances in the top 25 and have qualified for a bowl in six of the last seven seasons.
The Blue Devils 2018 season was almost a let down after they got off to a hot 4-0 start. Playing in the weaker ACC Coastal Division, they were not able to capitalize in some key home games that could’ve easily gotten them to another 10 win season. This years Duke squad looks to overachieve once again, despite their brutal schedule.
Prestige Ranking (If NCAA Football 20 existed): 3 Stars
Last Year’s Record: 8-5
Projected Returning Starters:
Offense:
Although Daniel Jones started at Quarterback for the Blue Devils in 2018, Quentin Harris started two games due to a Jones injury and went 2-0 in those starts. Harris is back to lead the Blue Devils under center and should be an explosive dual threat weapon for Coach Cutcliffe. Along with Harris, they’re returning all four of their top running backs. Junior Deon Jackson rushed for 847 yards and seven touchdowns while catching two more and is looking to play a significant role in this Blue Devil offense. They’re also returning six offensive lineman that gave a combined 60 career starts. The line is looking to improve on last season and will need improve to support what will likely be a run heavy offense.
Defense:
Dukes defenses have been outperforming their offenses for the past few seasons and that should again be the case this year. The secondary gets corner Mark Gilbert back who missed 2018 with an injury. Gilbert will add to what could be a loaded group of corners which will compliment the already loaded safety corps. Marquis Waters is the leader of this safety corps who is also looking to improve from 2018.
The Duke Blue Devils are returning their entire defensive line which should help them to control the line of scrimmage. The line struggled with pass rush last season and if they can improve on that then this Blue Devil defense could be very dangerous.
Specialists:
The Blue Devils return KOS Jack Driggers who only allowed 18 yards per return last season. On the other end Deon Jackson has the ability to be an explosive return man.
Key Losses:
The Blue Devils lose their starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who was drafted 6th overall by the New York Giants. Although Jones was unbelievably good at times, there were other times when he looked flat out awful. They’re also losing all four of their leading receivers With TJ Rahming, Jonathan Lloyd, and Chris Taylor being the biggest losses.
The biggest losses on defense come at the linebacker position with Joe Giles-Harris and Ben Humphreys. Giles-Harris was a three time All-ACC selection and recorded 80 tackles last season. Giles-Harris is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Humphreys was an All-ACC selection as well, tallying 66 tackles in 2018. Their presence will be missed in the middle of the Blue Devil defense and their absence will be felt early on in the year.
Key Newcomer – Offense: Eli Pancol
The Blue Devils are thin at wide receiver which gives freshman wideout Eli Pancol a chance to play some serious minutes and make an impact out the gate. He’s the Blue Devils fourth ranked recruit and could make his presence felt early on.
Key Newcomer – Defense: Tony Davis
Although the Blue Devil secondary is already loaded, the former four star recruit is a play maker who will be able to find some playing time, especially early in the season.
Breakout Player of the Year: Deon Jackson
With the receiver position being so thin, this Duke offense is going to be looking to pound the rock. Junior Deon Jackson will be seeing a lot of touches and could easily have himself a 1,000 yard season. He’s a back that can do it all and because of that the ACC should have their eyes glued to the Blue Devil backfield.
Wins the Conference If:
If Clemson falls off the face of the earth. Quentin Harris would need to be nothing short of the second coming of Michael Vick and a Calvin Johnson doppelganger would have to emerge from the receiver position. I don’t think Duke will find themselves playing for an ACC title even if everything goes perfectly for them.
Circle this game on the Calendar:
September 27th at Virginia Tech. This will be the first conference game for the Blue Devils and it will be important for them to get off to a good start. They lost a close game to the Hokies at home last season and will be hungry for revenge on the road this year.
Outlook 2019:
The Duke Blue Devils own a really tough schedule this year having to play Alabama, Notre Dame, and Miami. They also face rising Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Syracuse squads. I think it will be very difficult for the Blue Devils to make their seventh bowl game and eight years and I see them finishing 4-8 maybe 5-7.
AUG 31 vs Alabama L
SEPT 7 vs North Carolina A&T. W
SEPT 14 at Middle Tennessee. W (Don’t be shocked if the Blue Raiders pull off an upset though)
SEPT 27 at Virginia Tech. L
OCT 5 vs Pitt. W
OCT 12 vs Georgia Tech. W
OCT 19 at Virginia. L
OCT 26 at North Carolina. L
NOV 9 vs Notre Dame. L
NOV 16 vs Syracuse. L
Nov 23 at Wake Forest. L
Nov 30 vs Miami (FL). L
