No fans, small problems. How Duke football is preparing to play in an empty stadium.
Not getting to play this past spring or most of the summer has not fazed the Duke football program. The team powered through a 75-play scrimmage this past Saturday and continues to push through fall camp.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Gunnar Holmberg told the media Tuesday they had a lot of Zoom meetings during the time away and worked virtually on things that resembled game work. Quarterbacks coach Zac Roper walked them through progressions and calling plays.
But, it was up to the players to work at home and “get resourceful.” Many got together with high school teammates and old friends, Holmberg said, to practice throws while still being “as safe as they can.”
“You got to find motivation somewhere else,” Holmberg said, “and I’d say it’s showing the guys that did workout.”
The scrimmage this past Saturday featured a quarterback competition among three contenders, a young receiving corps finding its footing and a defense overcoming depth problems across multiple positions.
Chase Brice, a graduate transfer quarterback from Clemson, went six-of-nine for 151 yards and tallied a single touchdown. He showed off the strength of his arm, launching the ball for two strikes — a 42-yard completion to redshirt junior wide receiver Damond Philyaw-Johnson and a 53-yard scoring throw to sophomore wide receiver Eli Pancol.
Holmberg also had one passing touchdown, a 16-yard throw to redshirt freshman tight end Matt Smith. The redshirt sophomore, who is returning after a season-ending knee injury, went three-of-five for 23 yards. Redshirt junior quarterback Chris Katrenick finished four-of-eight in passing for 49 yards.
Senior tight end Noah Gray had three catches for 20 yards, making him the only receiver with multiple receptions on in the scrimmage. Running backs Deon Jackson and Jordan Waters led the charge on the ground. Redshirt freshman Waters tallied 88 yards on 12 attempts while senior Jackson led with 50 yards, nine carries and two touchdowns.
“It was good to see that you know, we were kind of ahead of the chains,” Holmberg said. “... Getting back to like a game-type tempo was really good. You know, not having a script to look at but just going out there and kind of rolling with what you’re called.”
No fans, small problems
Duke announced Monday morning that it will proceed without fans at Wallace Wade Stadium this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, the university is opting for fan cutouts, similar to those used in stands at MLB games. Holmberg’s mom is already planning to fill in Wallace Wade with a few cutouts of family members. With the change, the team is now changing preparations for the upcoming, eerily quiet season at home.
“You have to take in advance that teams might hear your calls, for example, is one big thing that we’re kind of thinking about and coming up with a lot of different words so teams can’t catch on to what we’re doing,” Holmberg said. “...It’s not gonna be loud. They’re gonna be able to hear us, we’re gonna be able to hear them.”
Aside from the play calling, the team will also have to find ways to stay motivated without fans cheering them on.
“Running out of the tunnel, guys almost blacked out,” Holmberg said. “It’s like a surreal moment for them. So just trying to find ways to do that within ourselves within our own energy. Whether that be videos that our crew makes, and they do a great job with that as a way to motivate us, or just playing music during the games, between plays, team breaks, things of that nature. I think they’re gonna be big for us.”
Some conferences and schools around the country have canceled their seasons. Some players have opted out and COVID-19 continues to threaten the ACC as school like North Carolina and N.C. State shifted to remote classes while dealing with clusters among athletics and students. None of this has been easy on the team. Junior wide receiver Jake Bobo said he “would love to say that we’re able to block that out,” but in reality, he doesn’t “necessarily think that’s possible.”
“You’re always going to have that in the back of your mind,” Bobo said. “But the good thing about that is, when you’re out on the field, you’re not thinking about that stuff… You have very little time to think about things other than football and the task at hand.”
‘Player-friendly offense’
Bobo is most excited for explosiveness from this year’s offensive squad. He said they were making plays down the field during Saturday’s scrimmage and not all were because of the passing game.
“It’s been a point of emphasis for us in the offseason we want to be more explosive,” Bobo said, “and it was very exciting to see that kind of play out on the field on Saturday morning.”
While the offense has extensive experience on the interior and with the quarterbacks, the wide receiver corps is relatively new with Bobo and Philyaw-Johnson leading the way. There are 11 wide receivers on the roster, and eight of them are underclassmen. However, the lack of extensive collegiate experience hasn’t dampened their spirits.
“It doesn’t take a lot to get those guys going,” Bobo said.
Bobo and Philyaw-Johnson have the task of bringing everyone up to speed on things outside of football like helping players figure out online classes, keeping the energy up and helping the group adapt to the global pandemic. There are a few players, like Pancol, who have made a few plays so there isn’t as much of a need for three guys to lead the group.
What Bobo has noticed is that it’s not just one guy leading the group. Instead, they’re leading each other.
“I don’t want to be cliche, but we’re in this thing together,” Bobo said. “We’ve all made plays on the field so it’s not necessarily we’re looking at one guy.”
Holmberg said the offense as a whole is focusing on tempo and how the “up and coming receiving corps that they’re making a lot of good plays for us.” With a shift in the offensive coordinator role, the coaches are focusing on “letting players be players” and fostering a “player friendly offense.”
With their first game at Notre Dame on Sept. 12, just over two weeks away, the players finally feel like the season is close, and they’re ready to roll. Bobo said they have been counting down the days since the ACC released its schedule, and they have a mantra as they continue to overcome the pandemic hurdles.
“The plan is to go ahead and play right now,” Bobo said, “so let’s attack it. Let’s go at it.”
Returning starting LB opts out due to coronavirus concerns
Duke’s most experienced returning linebacker, Brandon Hill, will not play for the Blue Devils this season due to coronavirus pandemic concerns.
A redshirt senior from Orangeburg, South Carolina, Hill played in nine games with six starts last season. He’s started 10 games while playing in 27 in his career.
He joins three other Duke players — reserve offensive lineman Jacob Rimmer, deep snapper Ben Wyatt and reserve defensive back Myles Hudzick — opting out this season.
Hill’s absence leaves Duke inexperienced at linebacker. The team’s leading tackler last season was senior linebacker Koby Quansah.
Replacing Hill and Quansah are redshirt sophomores Shaka Heyward and Rocky Shelton. Heyward started six games last season while Shelton played in 11 of 12 games last season with no starts. He also played in four games during his redshirt season in 2018.
“Shaka Heyward has been really outstanding at linebacker,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said during a news conference last week. “Rocky Shelton has been tremendous to this point, best start he’s had since he’s been here. After that we’re very young. We’re very fast. They’re physical. They’re explosive.”
Freshmen Dorian Mausi, Christian Hood and Ryan Smith have caught the coaches’ eyes in practice so far. Redshirt freshman Sayyid Stevens is also pushing for playing time.
This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 3:12 PM.