Duke quarterback Chase Brice No. 1 in the country in one college football category
Duke football, specifically its offense, has quickly gone from explosive to stagnant, and is off to another 0-2 start.
Even so, Pro Football Focus, an NFL and college football data website, ranked Chase Brice, as the No. 1 Power Five quarterback in the country for positively graded plays.
Rounding out the top five are all ACC quarterbacks: No. 2 D’Eriq King, Miami; No. 3 Malik Cunningham, Louisville; and No. 4 Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Brice, a graduate who transferred from Clemson, looked strong despite the team’s 27-23 loss to Notre Dame in Duke’s season opener on Sept. 12. He was 20-of-37 in passing with 259 yards and one rushing touchdown.
The story wasn’t the same against Boston College this past Saturday.
Brice tried forcing plays that weren’t there, causing two interceptions and a lost fumble. The quarterback totaled 217 yards on 23-of-42 passing, an average of 5.2 yards per attempt.
How does Brice compare to other ACC quarterbacks?
The other ACC quarterbacks on the list, like D’Eriq King from No. 12 Miami, have had better seasons than Brice.
King, who is also on PFF’s Heisman watch list, has tallied 33-of-53 passing for 466 yards, five total touchdowns, no interceptions and a 62.3 percent completion percentage in two games this season. Three of King’s touchdowns came from Miami’s explosive 47-34 win over Louisville this past Saturday.
No. 24 Louisville’s Micale Cunningham, who is No. 3 on the PFF most positively graded plays list, passed for 307 yards and three TDs against Miami last Saturday. He’s now 45-of-70 passing for 650 yards, seven total touchdowns and two interceptions with a 64.3 percent completion percentage.
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, who’s No. 21 on the PFF list, tallied two touchdowns and went 25-of-36 passing for 215 yards during the team’s 21-10 victory over Syracuse on Saturday. The quarterback is now 39-of-56 for 492 yards, five total touchdowns and one interception with a 69.6 percent completion percentage.
Cutcliffe still looking for consistency
Brice has a 54.4 percent passing completion percentage, but his big plays, while sometimes rare, make him stand out.
Duke’s Cutcliffe said on Monday “there’s no question” about Brice’s bigger plays, ranging from “a few scrambles” to “great throws” against Notre Dame. But he’s still looking for consistency.
“What the first job a quarterback has is to make the other 10 people around him right,” Cutcliffe said. “And so along with this ability as we make plays, we’re looking for consistency.”
After the loss on Saturday, Cutcliffe said that Brice was trying to force too many plays, leading to some of Duke’s five turnovers. Since then, they’ve looked at film, which is “the biggest part of Sunday,” to correct mistakes. Cutcliffe said, “you have to work through your progression.”
“The biggest thing is a quarterback should never surprise you with his decision making,” Cutcliffe said. “If we are on the same page, if progression is happening as it should, then you also have to understand that everybody has to be on the same page. Part of a quarterback’s job during the week is to communicate.
“He’s the functional part, not only with me, but with receivers, getting people where they need to be.”