Matchups: Can ANY of Duke’s quarterbacks get going against Virginia Tech?
Duke is 0-3 for the first time in the 13-year tenure of head coach David Cutcliffe.
It is scoring a mere 13.0 points per game, tied for the sixth worst among the 72 FBS schools playing so far, and is allowing 30.3 points per game.
Between an offense struggling to get rid of a turnover bug and a young defense with holes from injuries and surgeries, Duke has another battle coming its way with Virginia Tech on Saturday. Despite having 23 players and four coaches out due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing, the Hokies blew past N.C. State with a 45-24 victory. However, it’s expected that a good number of those players could be available this weekend.
“They’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of returning players that are outstanding players and those players went out there and did what they do, and they did it very well,” Cutcliffe said. “It was an outstanding win under any circumstances. But I do again, I expect everyone to be available and that’s not the concern.”
His main concern is focusing “on what we’ve got to do better to get ourselves ready to play well.” For three consecutive weeks, the Blue Devils managed to still have a fighting chance far into the second half before stalling.
They trailed 17-13 until the 10:58 mark in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame. With Boston College, Duke was behind 10-6 until 2:39 left in the third. As for Virginia, Duke was ahead 20-17 until the 12:43 mark in the fourth quarter. Last Saturday, the Blue Devils beat the Cavaliers 10-0 in the first and third quarters, but went scoreless in the second while UVA powered to 17.
During their third straight loss, the Blue Devils went through three quarterbacks as graduate transfer Chase Brice threw four picks, backup Gunnar Holmberg fumbled shortly after replacing Brice and then Chris Katrenick closed the game.
The team has committed 14 turnovers this season, seven of which came from last week’s 38-20 loss.
Cutcliffe said he needed to see the quarterback, whoever it is moving forward, be “flawless in the run game” because “that one position can make 10 people right” and “be true to our progression reads” in the passing game.
“If you read progression and you get into the progression, you’re going to have a lot of times the ball’s going to get out of your hand and you throw the ball to an open receiver before you get into trouble,” Cutcliffe said. “So just throwing the ball on time and going through our progression reads will prevent late throws or some form of force or taking risk with the football. So, we’ve got to play faster. We’ve got to play within our system. And if we do those things, we will reap the benefits of a really good offensive team.”
By the Numbers
Records: Duke 0-3 (0-3 ACC); Virginia Tech 1-0 (1-0 ACC)
Duke offense: 13.0 ppg | 342.3 ypg | 254.0 passing ypg | 88.3 rushing ypg
Duke defense: 30.3 ppg | 425.0 ypg | 275.0 passing ypg | 150.0 rushing ypg
VT offense: 45.0 ppg | 495.0 ypg | 181.0 passing ypg | 314.0 rushing ypg
VT defense: 24.0 ppg | 386.0 ypg | 247.0 passing ypg | 139.0 rushing ypg
Duke run game vs. VT run defense
Duke’s run game is inconsistent, and it was on full display during the loss to Virginia. The three quarterbacks had a net total rushing yards of -35 with Brice finishing with -23 rushing yards.
Running backs Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant had a strong performance the first two games, but against Virginia they struggled. Jackson and Durant averaged 3.5 and 4.0 yards per carry respectively. However, these numbers were inflated by long gains. Excluding of two outliers that totaled 41 yards, the two would’ve only had 40 yards on a combined 20 carries. However, based on the two outliers, they can be explosive if they get room.
Virginia Tech’s rush defense allowed 139 yards against N.C. State last Saturday, an average of 3.31 yards per play. The linebackers unit is arguably one of the Hokies’ strongest position groups with two upperclassmen starters and prominent backups. One thing to keep an eye on though is the linebackers coach. Longtime defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bud Foster retired after the 2019 season, and head coach Justin Fuente brought in Tracey Claeys as the linebackers coach despite having no experience in that position.
Duke pass game vs. VT pass defense
The Blue Devils’ pass game is struggling to say the least with Brice having a 99.35 passer rating after going 59-for-115 for 722 yards and two touchdowns over three games. Katrenick is the only other quarterback listed, going 2-for-3 for 40 yards in a single game.
Youngstown State graduate transfer Justus Reed, who is 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, is a strong pass rusher, an area that has plagued the Hokies in previous seasons. He tallied three solo tackles, two assists and 2.0 tackles for a loss of 15 yards (the most on the team) against N.C. State. Joining him isvjunior Amare Barno transitioned from linebacker to defensive end this fall.
With little depth in the Hokies’ pass rush defense, the Blue Devils will need to create space to allow the quarterback to make the long passes to the wide receiver corps or quick handoffs to the running backs and follow the progression.
VT run game vs. Duke run defense
The Hokies’ run game was on full display against the Wolfpack last Saturday with running back Khalil Herbert taking center stage. The Kansas transfer had an explosive start and continued to have steady yardage throughout the game. He ended with 104 yards, showing signs of the ground game being revived. Between Herbert, backup quarterback Braxton Burmeister, backup quarterback Quincy Patterson II and wide receiver Tre Turner, who had a combined 167 yards, and the new offensive line, the game was won primarily on the ground. In total, the ground attack tallied 314 yards against the Wolfpack.
While Duke is 0-3, its defensive line is not one to dismiss so quickly. It has only allowed opponents 3.72 yards per carry. Safety Marquis Waters and linebacker Shaka Heyward were key players against Virginia, leading the Duke defense with nine tackles apiece.
It’s clear that the Blue Devils are strong on inside run plays and play-action; however, they need to tighten on the perimeter play. Outside of the tackles, which there are 225 total tackles for the team this season, the defense is more vulnerable. With key cornerbacks out for the foreseeable future, younger players will need to step up to control Virginia Tech’s run game.
VT pass game vs. Duke pass defense
Virginia Tech benefits from a deep quarterback pool, which was evident when starting quarterback Hendon Hooker was out against N.C. State, after being reinstated to the roster after it was too late to practice for the game. Burmeister went 7-for-11 for 106 yards before a major cramp in his right forearm developed in the second quarter. Third string Patterson stepped in, throwing two touchdowns running for another.
The passing game is limited for the Hokies, but when executed well, this could be a danger zone for the Blue Devils even with their high-end pass rushers Chris Rumph II and Victor Dimukeje. The two have a combined 30 total tackles in three games. Dimukeje, however, is close to breaking Duke career records. The defensive end has four games with 2.0+ sacks and currently sits third all-time with 18.0. He’s 4.0 sacks away from Charles Bowser’s all-time school record of 22.0. He is also 3.0 shy of breaking into Duke’s career top-10 list in tackles for loss (currently, he has 29.5).
Duke intangibles vs. VT intangibles
Based on Virginia Tech’s commanding win over N.C. State despite having 23 players and four coaches out due to COVID-19 positive tests and contact tracing, Duke faces a major uphill battle. The Blue Devils need to find consistency within the offense and focus on locking down the perimeter on defense to have a chance of keeping a close game against Virginia Tech.
What also does not help is Cutcliffe’s concern over his team’s conditioning because of the limited time they have to prepare.
“We’ve done some running-conditioning but what I’ve told our coaches is that we have to condition every minute, every drill at practice and to do that, we’ve got to make sure that we’re resting well, and getting enough sleep,” Cutcliffe said. “... We’ve got to take measures that the players contribute their portion and then we’re coaching every minute out there. Coaching on the run is what I like to call it to where the energy level is at its highest peak and we can play four quarters of football at a level that we’re capable of playing.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 2:17 PM.