Duke’s Ben Humphreys playcaller, quarterback on defense

Much was made last week of Duke’s Daniel Jones, a redshirt freshman, starting at quarterback in the season opener.

Jones played well against N.C. Central in a 49-6 win, but when the Blue Devils’ team captains later decided on the weekly “captains award” it went to middle linebacker Ben Humphreys.

To the quarterback of the defense.

Humphreys, a sophomore, is the playcaller. He’s the one responsible for quickly processing the defensive play-call, then clearly communicating the signals to his teammates.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles says the Blue Devils make the fastest defensive play calls in the country. Humphreys is Knowles’ conduit and Knowles calls him a good one.

“It’s easy to get calls in when you have a defensive coordinator who trusts you like that,” Humphreys said. “Things are moving fast.”

The Blue Devils (1-0) did not allow N.C. Central’s offense much of anything. The Eagles finished with four first downs and 112 total yards.

“Our defense was aggressive,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “Our linebackers played really well and Ben Humphreys played really, really well.”

Playing alongside Humphreys at weakside linebacker was Joe Giles-Harris, a redshirt freshman from Nyack, N.Y. Giles-Harris was credited with a team-high six tackles, including a sack, in his first college game.

“I was told we’re the third youngest linebacking corps in the nation,” Humphreys said. “We don’t feel that way. We feel comfortable when we’re out there. We play off each other really well and complement each other. (Central) tested Joe a little bit and he made them pay for it.”

Duke’s linebackers claim to be more mobile this season. Humphreys, from Newport Beach, Calif., is listed at 6 feet 2 and 215 pounds and Giles-Harris at 6-2, 220.

“We’re not heavy-set like traditional linebackers,” said junior Zavier Carmichael, who is 6-0 and 220 pounds. “But we all can run 4.6 (seconds) or lower (over 40 yards). We feel like we’re more physical as well as having better speed.”

Humphreys said a quicker, more athletic linebacker can be patient, react and make the play, saying Knowles is always saying, “You don’t have to go before you know.”

Humphreys is filling a role on the defense once held, and handled extremely well, by linebacker Kelby Brown. Knowles said Brown was so knowledgeable about the defense and what it would face game to game that he was like an extra coach on the field.

Humphreys said Cutcliffe once said that Brown, whose college career was ended by a string of knee injuries, was much like quarterback Peyton Manning in his extensive preparation.

“He knew the play before it happened,” Humphreys said of Brown. “He also taught me how to be prepared. That’s what it takes in college football. Prepare well, then go out and play.”

And communicate. There were times last season when things went haywire for Duke. North Carolina beat the Blue Devils 66-31, leaving the Duke defense all but bewildered.

“Sometimes the front six was playing something different from the back five, “ Carmichael said. “Everybody was all over the place.”

Humphreys, then a freshman, made his first start in the UNC game and the big loss was painful for everyone. He became more comfortable during spring practice, and carried that confidence into fall camp, where his teammates said he was more vocal, more assertive.

“For him to take control and call the plays, Ben has done a great job,” Carmichael said.

The Blue Devils will be tested by 1-0 Wake Forest’s dual quarterbacks – John Wolford and Kendall Hinton – Saturday in the ACC opener. But Humphreys said the defensive approach would not change.

“The way we play football is we attack at linebacker at Duke,” he said. “Coach Knowles has preached that since I got here.”

This story was originally published September 9, 2016 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Duke’s Ben Humphreys playcaller, quarterback on defense."