How’s Duke scouting Boston College’s new football staff?
There wasn’t a lot of guesswork for Duke football coach David Cutcliffe about the season opener at Notre Dame.
The Irish was ranked 10th. Brian Kelly’s coaching system is firmly in place. The Irish has an experienced quarterback in Ian Book, an offensive line Cutcliffe said is filled with NFL prospects and a salty defense, and Notre Dame came away with a 27-13 victory.
And this week? For Cutcliffe and Duke, so much is unknown.
Boston College will be playing its first game of the season when the Eagles come to Durham for the noon ACC game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Boston College has a new coach, Jeff Hafley, and a new staff and should have a different look from the one under former coach Steve Addazio.
Cutcliffe’s staff can study Boston College’s personnel last year. They’re aware Boston College has brought in some graduate transfers, Cutcliffe said Monday. But how Hafley is approaching the game, scheme-wise, won’t be known until kickoff.
“We know it will be another physical game against a very physical team,” Cutcliffe said Monday in his weekly press conference.
Cutcliffe said the Blue Devils came away from its Sept. 12 loss at Notre Dame both disappointed and believing they’re a better team than a year ago — adding that Notre Dame is better than a year ago.
“But to prove you’re a good football team you don’t prove it by playing well and playing well against a great opponent,” Cutcliffe said. “You prove it by winning. What this team has to do is put the bumps and the bruises behind you. The week one to week two improvement is there for you depending upon how much energy you have and the effort you put into the preparation.”
Duke QB Chase Brice ‘made great throws’ against Notre Dame
If there were questions about Duke quarterback Chase Brice, most were answered against Notre Dame in Cutcliffe’s opinion. Brice, in his first college start, handled his nerves and the team well enough, giving the Clemson transfer something to build off of from the game.
“I thought Chase played really well under difficult circumstances against a really good team and a challenging front,” Cutcliffe said. “He made some great throws. If we had run the ball better it might have opened up some things for us.”
The final rushing stats for Duke were anemic: 75 yards on 30 attempts, a 2.5-yard average. But Cutcliffe, after reviewing the game, didn’t find it that discomforting, given the opponent.
“I think part of it, we missed some opportunities out there, left some yards on the field, particularly in our draw game, our counter game,” he said. “I thought we ran the stretch pretty well. But I really think we left some yards on the field where if we finish blocks or see holes. A big part of that is we’ve had very little live running the football.”
Blue Devils’ defense faces physical test against Boston College
The Blue Devils’ defensive front got a nice preview at Notre Dame of what’s to come this week from Boston College: a big, seasoned offensive line.
Eagles seniors Zion Johnson (6-3, 310 pounds) and Ben Petrula (6-5, 315) both were preseason first-team All-ACC selections after being second-team all-ACC selections in 2019. Petrula, at right tackle, is a three-year starter while Johnson, the left guard, is a former transfer from Davidson.
Boston College, in averaging 29 points a game in 2019, led the ACC in rushing at 253.2 yards a game but was 13th in passing at 176 yards. It could be that Hafley, with Frank Cignetti as his offensive coordinator, will look for more balance.
No fans at Duke amid coronavirus restrictions
Even though it will be Duke’s home opener, the game atmosphere will be different than at Notre Dame Stadium.
Officials said before the game that COVID-19 restrictions would limit the crowd to no more than 20 percent of capacity. To Cutcliffe, it seemed like more than 20 percent.
“I honestly was surprised and energized by the amount of people,” he said. “It felt like a football game.”
It won’t be that way Saturday at Wade Stadium because of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions. It will be an empty place.
“I hate it for fans,” Cutcliffe said. “I’d love for our fans to be a part. Whatever can be safely done you hope that it could be done at some point. But the bottom line is people have to prove that they’re going to stay masked and stay distanced and do what’s asked of them to get that opportunity.”
Note: Duke’s game Sept. 26 at Virginia will have a 4 p.m. start, the ACC said Monday. The game was rescheduled from Nov. 14.
Boston College at Duke
When: Noon, Saturday
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham
Watch: RSN
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 2:52 PM.
