DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -Duke has become competitive enough under David Cutcliffe that the Blue Devils football coach turned down the opportunity to go to Tennessee.
Yes, that Duke – the one that has not had a winning season or been to a bowl game since 1994.
But Cutcliffe is beginning his third season in Durham and aiming to continue his formidable reconstruction project. The decision to turn down overtures from Rocky Top this winter gave even more credibility to what he is trying to build at Duke.
“All it did was grow something that was already there,” Cutcliffe said. “I hope our players enjoy the way we challenge them and enjoy the way we run our program. We treat them well, but we work them extremely hard. That’s the thing that’s thrilled me most – I know they want to get better. They know, first day in (camp), they’re going to work harder than they’ve ever worked, and that is always a positive.”
The results are evident, even if only by the once-putrid program’s previous standards. Duke (5-7 in 2009) has won nine games in two years under Cutcliffe after winning a total of eight in the five years before he showed up.
And while nobody’s making reservations for the postseason yet, there is another incremental measure of how far they’ve come: for a change, the Blue Devils weren’t picked to finish last in their division.
Whether the Blue Devils snap their pesky bowl drought – or whether it’ll be just another year of more losses than wins – might come down to how well Sean Renfree does in rehabilitating his injured right knee and replacing record-setting four-year starter Thad Lewis at quarterback.
Renfree came off the bench to win the Army game and for the year completed 34 of 50 passes for 330 yards with four touchdowns as Lewis’ backup. But his redshirt freshman season ended in mop-up duty against Georgia Tech when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament, and this offseason endured the difficult task of taking ownership of the team and strengthening his teammates’ trust in him despite not being healthy enough to fully participate in all of the conditioning drills.
that. I kind of started to accept that, even though it was very hard for me saying, ‘I’ve got to take my time.”’
Renfree was the first quarterback recruited to Duke by Cutcliffe, the noted QB guru who developed Peyton and Eli Manning into Heisman Trophy finalists, and is well aware of the scrutiny that comes with being next in that line.
“I think they do the best in the country, to be honest, in preparing quarterbacks, and that makes me feel comfortable,” Renfree said.
He has plenty of targets at his disposal: Nine starters return on offense, including four linemen and three wideouts – Donovan Varner, Conner Vernon and Austin Kelly – who each caught at least 50 passes last season for the ACC’s top passing offense.
The Blue Devils desperately need more production from their ACC-worst ground game. Their leading rusher last season gained just 262 yards – two fewer than Boston College’s Montel Harris had in one game – so Cutcliffe hopes young speedsters Josh Snead and Juwan Thompson can give opponents something to think about besides Renfree’s arm.
The defense must replace five starters – including defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase and heart-and-soul linebacker Vincent Rey – and no returner has started more than 13 games. That leaves the leadership roles to safety Matt Daniels, cornerback Chris Rwabukamba and defensive end Patrick Egboh.
Despite those question marks on defense, the Blue Devils’ program still appears to be on an upswing. Then again, after hitting rock bottom during those dismal years before Cutcliffe’s arrival, there was nowhere to go but up.
“When you measure yourselves, and the summertime is the time to take all that in, I’ve ridden and walked every inch of our facility, looked at it closely, and that’s important to me,” Cutcliffe said. “I looked at all of our numbers in the weight room, all of our testing, looked at our squad … I’m really pleased where we are.”
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