A freshman proves his worth

DURHAM -- Duke freshman Conner Vernon arrived on campus in May and was immediately teased by fellow wide receivers who questioned his speed, saying, "You're not that fast."

"My first day of 7-on-7 I realized this is a totally different game," Vernon said. "The speed is a lot faster."

Nine games into the season, freshman teasing continues, but the speed question has been emphatically answered: "4.4 all day," Duke senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis said. "He can run. Don't get it twisted. ... He can run with the best."

Vernon, a 6-foot, 182-pound wideout from Gulliver Prep in Miami, ran his fastest 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds. This season, he's used that blinding speed in record-breaking fashion, joining the Blue Devils receiving corps as they collect yards through the air at an impressive clip.

Duke has the ACC's top-ranked passing offense and the nation's fifth-ranked, averaging 325.1 passing yards per game. Vernon is the conference's receptions leader with 5.3 catches per game. He's averaging 80.3 yards a game, 14.3 yards per catch.

The Devils will test their aerial attack against North Carolina on Saturday, where they must go up against the conference's top-ranked defense. Count on the Devils to script Vernon into their plans.

The last freshman to lead the conference in receptions was Maryland's Frank Wycheck in 1990, though the last Duke freshman was Roger Boone in 1988.

With his 38 catches, Vernon has found his way to the top of the school's all-time freshman receptions list.

He has amassed 562 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and he's 17 yards shy of breaking Walter Jones' school record set in 1988.

In August, as the Devils prepared for the season, Vernon stood out as one of those hard-scrabble freshmen who could make an impact. Passes in his direction were pulled in securely. Routes were run with a precision that is rarely found with freshmen.

"He's a freshman doing what he's doing," Lewis said. "He's not 6-4, 225 pounds where everybody would be like he's a freak for a freshman."

Other Duke receivers such as junior Austin Kelly and sophomore Donovan Varner have well-established roles on the team as leaders, speedsters and playmakers. Vernon credits them, along with receivers coach Scottie Montgomery, for his ability to make such a quick transition.

While not as fast as Varner, Vernon humbly accepts his role and takes his quietMiami-bred confidence on the field.

"I feel like I'm the 'I'm-going-to-do-everything-in-my-power-to-get-our-team-the-W' kind of guy," Vernon said.

"Just being in the right place," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "He has a knack for seams. He has a knack for precision route running that most freshmen don't have.

"He's fearless across the middle, even when he gets his helmet ripped off."

That happened against Virginia, but Vernon held on to the ball.

"I'm not surprised at all that he has had success early in his career," said Varner, who defended Vernon as a teammate at Gulliver Prep. "We battled against each other in practice in high school, so I knew he was capable of making plays.

"He's come in here, worked hard and played well."

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