TCY - Let's Go Duke! Let's Go Duke! (Year 10)

[MikeVick7]

Welcome to year 10 of my Duke Blue Devils TCY Dynasty. Feedback is always welcome.

Check out Year 9 as we made our 3rd straight trip to the playoffs.

Primary Offense: Pro Form
Primary Defense: 4-3
Current Prestige: 83
Career Record: 56-50

Year 1 (2-10) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=25759)
Year 2 (2-9) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=25870)
Year 3 (3-8) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=25949)
Year 4 (6-5) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=26000)
Year 5 (5-6) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=26086)
Year 6 (5-6) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=26123)
Year 7 (9-3) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=26151)
Year 8 (12-2) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=26213)
Year 9 (12-1) (http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/showthread.php?t=26285)

Email Time
RB Duane Dock has left the team because of last season's suspension. (Well he would have been real good. Luckily we've got two other younger guys who are probably just as good.

P Todd Gibson has left the team because of the lack of playing time. (He was just a walk-on. No biggie)

DE Marlon Banks, has been made academically ineligible for the upcoming season for failing a class. (Nothing like a computer generated walk-on ruining your academic rating.

Michigan coach Alonzo Parrish had been named Coach of the Year. (AGAIN!?!? How much is he paying these voters? He has the best talent in the nation and has not won the national championship in the last two years.)

Hirings
Syndicate Coordinator - Rick Hopkins (39) Not much of an improvement over Ellard but we's a little better in handling Investigations and 4 years younger.

Scouts
Mid-Atlantic Scout - Deion Matlock (39)
Midwest Scout - Kendall Sanders (54)

Scheduling

2012 Duke Schedule

Team Rank: 17
Rival: North Carolina
Stadium Capacity: 33,900
Season Tickets Sold: 19,700

Week Opponent
1 (27) MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
3 NORTHWESTERN
4 at (35) Miami of Ohio
$$5 (20) VIRGINIA
$$6 at North Carolina State
$$7 (36) GEORGIA TECH
$$8 (7) FLORIDA STATE
$$10 at Maryland
$$11 at Clemson
$$12 WAKE FOREST
$$13 at North Carolina

We stepped up our non-conference schedule for the first time this year. Not playing any real heavyweights at this point...but a couple teams that are playoff regulars in Middle Tennesse State and Miami of Ohio.

Recruiting Summary

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat Cur Fut AP Hometown
WR Landeta, Ricky 5-10 176 10 94 36 87 96 Layton, UT
S Nixon, Jake 5-11 174 4 122 31 86 36 Wynne, AR
OLB Jones, Wayne 6-1 217 19 298 12 83 50 Millersville, PA
G Hynes, Kevin 6-5 278 11 125 20 81 68 Columbia, SC
DT Walker, Herb 6-5 267 1 9 23 80 97 Fort Lauderdale, FL
TE Buchanan, Robert 6-2 229 5 232 37 80 92 Clarksburg, WV
ILB Carlson, Mike 5-10 210 2 48 39 80 95 La Jolla, CA
RB Salter, Louis 5-11 209 7 92 47 79 45 Fairmont, NC
FB Zatechka, Leon 6-0 212 14 619 35 78 58 McHenry, IL
OLB Glover, Howie 6-1 200 46 819 13 77 39 Mars Hill, ME
WR Rellford, Geoff 6-0 174 52 665 23 69 13 Jacksboro, TN
OLB Richmond, Scott 6-5 227 25 374 25 68 43 Newport News, VA
WR McKnight, Lonnie 6-1 188 13 159 31 66 38 Sand Springs, OK
S Fields, JC 5-11 179 84 -- 15 61 11 Warren, NJ
DE Van Pelt, Floyd 6-5 268 29 315 22 49 94 Icard, NC

We didn't land any flat-out studs but another solid class none the less. Rivals.com has ranked us the #13 best class.

[MikeVick7]

Coaching Breakdown

Coaching Record

Year Team Record Post Rank Perf Acad Recr TV Tick Don Score
2011 Duke 12-1 Yes 6 93 94 68 89 52 78 82
2010 Duke 12-2 Yes 10 90 94 95 84 54 39 76
2009 Duke 9-3 Yes 35 78 94 97 82 22 73 74
2008 Duke 5-6 No 74 26 94 97 71 11 4 44
2007 Duke 5-6 No 62 64 94 97 9 10 18 50
2006 Duke 6-5 No 54 73 94 97 71 6 73 69
2005 Duke 3-8 No 93 73 94 97 74 9 49 65
2004 Duke 2-9 No 110 43 94 97 0 5 31 45
2003 Duke 2-10 No 107 0 92 97 14 13 46 38

Post - Post-Season Appearance, Perf - Team Performance Score, Acad - Academic
Performance Score, Recr - Recruiting Score, TV - Television Revenue Score,
Tick - Ticket Revenue Score, Don - Alumni Donations Score

[MikeVick7]

Starting Lineups

Offense

Player Pos Elig HT WT Current Future Honors
Pritchett, Ken QB Sr 6-1 220 70 100 ACCPOY
DiPietro, Rodney RB So* 6-0 216 69 83
Zatechka, Leon FB Fr 6-0 226 35 78
Coons, Bob TE Sr 6-4 261 65 74
Driver, Skip WR Sr 6-0 196 70 87
Taylor, Oscar WR Jr* 6-0 193 43 82

Bullock, Shawn C Sr* 6-5 305 70 83
Hartman, Bucky G Sr* 6-5 307 98 98 2ndACC
Brazinski, Trent G Sr 6-3 297 78 100
Devine, Steven T Sr* 6-4 311 92 99 1stACC
McIntyre, Edwin T Jr* 6-2 278 55 89

Pritchett - We don't return as many starters all-ACC starters but we have our 2nd team all-american QB.
DiPietro - Very talented as a RS Sophmore. Gets the nod for the departed Duane Dock.
Zatechka - Was recruited to start right away.
Coons - Had 27 catches last season. Great hands...doesn't drop many passes.
Driver - Actually became our best WR last year statistically. Scored on 11 TD catches and 2 punt returns
Taylor - Had only 10 catches last season but 3 were for TD's.
Bullock - 3rd year starter. Has 53 career run blocks.
Hartman - 2-time 2nd team All-ACC performer. Still just a Jr.
Brazinski - First year starter but this guy is a monster.
Devine - Earned 1st team All-ACC last year. Had 43 run blocks. Just a Jr.
McIntyre - Started as a RS Freshman last year. 15 KRB's. This is our best offensive line.

Defense

Player Pos Elig HT WT Current Future Honors
Baxter, Jermaine DE Sr 6-7 296 54 84
Anderson, Lenny DE So* 5-10 227 39 73
Rayburn, Buddy DT Sr 6-2 298 52 60
Farrell, Troy DT Sr 6-3 270 26 68

Sedor, Tim ILB Jr* 6-1 227 61 73
Washington, Stephen SOLB Sr 6-2 261 60 62
Olsen, Pat WOLB Sr 6-0 231 27 68

Bernier, Vincent CB Jr* 5-10 187 77 80
Donovan, Ralph CB Sr 6-0 204 63 69 2ndACC
Battle, Lee FS Sr* 5-9 190 84 99
Szczepaniak, Bobby SS Sr 6-1 201 52 59

Baxter - Injury prone...but still the best talent we have on the d-line. Has 28 career sacks.
Anderson - Gets the nod over Lewis this year cause he has so much potential.
Rayburn - This 3rd year starter is a pure run-stopper. What he does doesn't show up in the stat column.
Farrell - Hasn't had a chance to develop much in his career but still has great potential.
Sedor - First year starter. Not great in any one category...just solid all-around.
Washington - Stephen's been waiting in the wings for three years...he's now earned the starting spot.
Olsen - Our most obvious weak spot on the defense. All the LB's are first year starters.
Bernier - Has developed into our #1 CB jumping over Donovan. Had 3 Ints last year.
Donovan - Two-time all-ACC 2nd teamer has 12 career INts...that's a school record.
Battle - Moves over to the FS spot. Big shoes to fill.
Szczepaniak - Kinda like Washington...just been waiting for a chance. Was a big surprise coming out of HS.

Special Teams

Player Pos Elig HT WT Current Future Honors
Shepard, Oliver P So* 6-1 188 71 87
Ulmer, Scott K So* 6-3 219 81 100

Shepard - First year starter. Just a good all-around punter.
Ulmer - Had the biggest off season improvement. Great accuracy. Could break Everett's records.

[MikeVick7]

ACC Predictions

School Record Conf Comp Poll Loss Sched Total Rank
Florida State 0-0 ACC 7.00 6.50 0.00 0.12 13.62 6
**Duke 0-0 ACC 17.00 27.00 0.00 0.08 44.08 21
Virginia 0-0 ACC 20.00 26.00 0.00 0.32 46.32 23
Georgia Tech 0-0 ACC 36.00 30.50 0.00 0.16 66.66 31
North Carolina State 0-0 ACC 60.00 55.50 0.00 0.28 115.7855
Wake Forest 0-0 ACC 90.00 86.50 0.00 0.36 176.8689
North Carolina 0-0 ACC 89.00 88.00 0.00 0.24 177.2490
Clemson 0-0 ACC 85.00 96.50 0.00 0.04 181.5492
Maryland 0-0 ACC 102.0099.50 0.00 0.20 201.70100

They might actually have the predictions right this year. We lost a lot of experience but we won't exactly be hurting.

Pre-season Top 25

Overall Rankings

School Record Conf Comp Poll Loss Sched Total Rank
Michigan 0-0 B10 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.52 2.52 1
Texas 0-0 B12 2.00 2.00 0.00 1.20 5.20 2
Stanford 0-0 P10 4.00 4.00 0.00 1.84 9.84 3
Notre Dame 0-0 IND 3.00 3.00 0.00 4.56 10.56 4
Tennessee 0-0 SEC 5.00 5.00 0.00 2.20 12.20 5
Florida State 0-0 ACC 7.00 6.50 0.00 0.12 13.62 6
Oklahoma 0-0 B12 6.00 6.50 0.00 1.12 13.62 7
Boston College 0-0 BEC 9.00 8.50 0.00 1.32 18.82 8
Penn State 0-0 B10 8.00 12.50 0.00 0.72 21.22 9
Alabama 0-0 SEC 10.00 11.00 0.00 2.28 23.28 10
UCLA 0-0 P10 13.00 12.00 0.00 1.88 26.88 11
Rice 0-0 WAC 14.00 11.50 0.00 3.44 28.94 12
Utah 0-0 MTW 11.00 16.00 0.00 2.76 29.76 13
Wisconsin 0-0 B10 16.00 13.00 0.00 0.80 29.80 14
Hawaii 0-0 WAC 12.00 17.00 0.00 3.32 32.32 15
Florida 0-0 SEC 15.00 16.50 0.00 2.04 33.54 16
Colorado State 0-0 MTW 19.00 16.00 0.00 2.60 37.60 17
Syracuse 0-0 BEC 21.00 17.50 0.00 1.48 39.98 18
Pittsburgh 0-0 BEC 18.00 22.00 0.00 1.40 41.40 19
USC 0-0 P10 22.00 18.50 0.00 1.92 42.42 20
**Duke 0-0 ACC 17.00 27.00 0.00 0.08 44.08 21
Washington 0-0 P10 23.00 19.50 0.00 1.96 44.46 22
Virginia 0-0 ACC 20.00 26.00 0.00 0.32 46.32 23
Illinois 0-0 B10 24.00 26.50 0.00 0.40 50.90 24
Middle Tennessee State 0-0 SBT 27.00 23.00 0.00 4.32 54.32 25

Is Michigan getting too much respect these days?

[MikeVick7]

Week 1

#27 Middle Tennessee State (0-0) at #17 Duke (0-0) (-15) TV4

First meeting

Key Injuries - None

Preview - MTSU has been one of the more successful programs in the first 9 years of my dynasty at 83-27...but have had a terrible time in the playoffs going 1-9. Yeah yeah I know...they are using their weak conference to breeze through the regular season and then they meet their maker in the playoffs against the "big boys." Although this is very true they have been able to use there Team Prestige to form a pretty good roster. And they've always had a pretty potent offense as they've used the Run and Shoot to set some pretty impressive passing records...including most passing touchdowns in a career. That record is held by 2010 graduate Ted Elliott who threw 124 TD's. They also graduated one of the best WR's ever to play college ball Al Forrester. Al holds the NCAA records for most receptions (355)...most receiving yards (5732) and most Receiving TD's (59) in a career. They also hold the mark for most passing yards averaged in a season by a team. 384.5 is the top mark set back in 2007. This season they start a little bit more inexperienced QB in RS So Seth Hilliard who has no career starts. Meanwhile we bring our most successful QB's back for his Senior year as Ken Pritchett...who was 2nd team All-American last year as a Junior. Pritchett threw for 31 TD's last year and has 58 in his career.

Box Score: Middle Tennessee State at Duke
Durham, NC.

Week 1, 2012

Attendance: 24,200 (33,900).

Weather: 69 degrees, stormy.

1Q: 02:54 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 24 field goal.
1Q: 02:08 MDTN - Rob Maxey 74 run.
1Q: 02:08 MDTN - Blake Robson extra point.

2Q: 12:03 DUKE - Troy Farrell -1 fumble return.
2Q: 12:03 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 07:26 MDTN - Blake Robson 25 field goal.
2Q: 02:31 MDTN - Lester Dunlap 5 pass from Seth Hilliard.
2Q: 02:31 MDTN - Blake Robson extra point.

3Q: 09:52 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 31 field goal.
3Q: 01:37 DUKE - Oscar Taylor 23 pass from Ken Pritchett.
3Q: 01:37 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

4Q: 10:41 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 2 run.
4Q: 10:41 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
4Q: 06:48 MDTN - Tyrus Boyer 7 pass from Seth Hilliard.
4Q: 06:48 MDTN - Blake Robson extra point.
4Q: 02:03 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 12 pass from Ken Pritchett.
4Q: 02:03 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
4Q: 00:19 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 34 field goal.

Game MVP: DUKE 93 Tim Sedor

Middle Tennessee State 7 10 0 7 - 24
Duke 3 7 10 17 - 37

Team Statistics MDTN DUKE

Net Rushing Yards 65 114
Passing Yards 241 362
Total Yards 306 476

Sacked/Yards Lost 7-41 0-0

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 25 63 2.5 15 1 10 0
41 Herndon 8 30 3.7 14 0 2 0
10 Pritchett 3 16 5.3 11 0 1 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
10 Pritchett 34 24 362 10.6 28 2 1

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
80 Taylor 5 96 19.2 43 24 1
82 Driver 4 82 20.5 16 28 0
22 DiPietro 4 52 13.0 35 21 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
93 Sedor 12 0 3.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 5 1 0.0 0 0 0
34 Szczepaniak 4 1 0.0 0 0 0
92 Baxter 3 1 2.0 0 0 0
57 Washington 3 0 1.0 0 0 0
99 Olsen 2 0 0.0 1 49 0
77 Anderson 0 2 1.0 0 0 0

Well first let me say that we had to play in a storm. There's a big shock there. But despite the rainy and windy conditions...both teams put on an offensive display. And I guess when you play over half your games in the rain every year you really learn how to play effectively...and that's exactly what Ken Pritchett did. The all-american senior went 24-34 for 362 yards and 2 TD's in leading the Blue Devils to a season opening win. MTSU actually led 17-10 at the half before Pritchett took over. He hit Oscar Taylor on a 23 yard TD pass with 1:37 left in the 3rd to take a 20-17 lead. Then he iced the game with a 12 yard TD pass to Rodney DiPietro with 2:03 left to make it 34-24. The Dukie defense was also on fire today as they sacked a pair of MTSU QB's a total of 7 times. ILB Tim Sedor had a memorable first start as he racked up 12 tackles to go along with his 3 sacks. Jermaine Baxter...proving that when he's healthy he's a terror...picked up 2 sacks as well.

Next up - Bye week.

[MikeVick7]

Week 2

Bye week

Next up - Northwestern at Duke

[MikeVick7]

Week 3

Northwestern (0-1) at #11 Duke (1-0) (-9) No TV

Last season: Duke 44 Northwestern 7
Career Record against opponent: 7-2

Key Injuries - None

Preview - Last year against the Cats we ran around them and we passed over them for a total of 487 yards...which was 5th best in school history. Ken Pritchett threw 4 TD's and both Ward and Dock each ran for over 100 yards. This season the Cats don't look much better as they lost their opening game to Sitka...at home no less...17-3. They've got a brand new starting QB and RB...so things don't look so good up in Evanston. And well...we might as well embrace this but we're gonna play in the rain again.

Box Score: Northwestern at Duke
Durham, NC.

Week 3, 2012

Attendance: 25,000 (33,900).

Weather: 60 degrees, rain.

1Q: 04:58 UNOR - Norman Wynn 40 field goal.
1Q: 00:18 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 33 field goal.

2Q: 09:39 UNOR - Norman Wynn 30 field goal.
2Q: 00:00 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 36 field goal.

3Q: 14:51 DUKE - Vincent Bernier 99 kickoff return.
3Q: 14:51 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
3Q: 10:43 DUKE - Skip Driver 18 pass from Ken Pritchett.
3Q: 10:43 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
3Q: 00:29 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 36 field goal.

4Q: 07:26 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 3 pass from Wally Johansen.
4Q: 07:26 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
4Q: 03:12 DUKE - J.J. Foster 3 pass from Wally Johansen.
4Q: 03:12 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Northwestern 3 3 0 0 - 6
Duke 3 3 17 14 - 37

Team Statistics UNOR DUKE

Net Rushing Yards 78 76
Passing Yards 171 291
Total Yards 249 367

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 24 83 3.4 34 0 11 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
10 Pritchett 24 16 241 10.0 51 1 0
3 Johansen 5 4 50 10.0 30 2 0

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
22 DiPietro 8 111 13.8 66 51 1
86 Coons 3 29 9.6 7 10 0
82 Driver 3 59 19.6 27 31 1
2 Foster 1 3 3.0 4 3 1

Kick Returns Att Yards Avg TD
33 Bernier 1 99 99.0 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
93 Sedor 11 1 0.0 0 0 0
34 Szczepaniak 7 1 0.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 5 3 0.0 1 46 0
57 Washington 4 1 0.0 0 0 0
94 Crook 3 2 1.5 0 0 0
45 Donovan 2 1 0.0 1 1 0
79 Van Pelt 1 1 1.5 0 0 0

Well we're definitely happy with the win today as blanked the Cats 31-0 after a sluggish first half that saw both teams connect on 2 FG's each. The rain obviously had some effect on both team's offenses. Then the sparkplug came right after halftime when Vincent Bernier took the kick off back 99 yards for a TD. That score kinda lit a fire under our butts as we scored on three TD passes. The last two TD passes came from back-up Wally Johansen and it's Johansen's arm that we'll have to rely on the rest of the year as Ken Pritchett had to come out of the game because his smoking problem caught up with him. Yes people...our All-American QB saw his career come to an end due to tobacco withdrawal syndrome. Oh boy. And that's not all. Our much injured DE Jermaine Baxter suffered a compound leg fracture that ended his up and down career as well. We can...and have replaced Baxter in the past. That shouldn't be a problem going forward...but I'm not sure if we can as easily replace Pritchett.

Next up - Duke at Miami of Ohio

[StanGunner]

I just started reading about year 6. Keep it up.

[MikeVick7]

I just started reading about year 6. Keep it up.

Hey thanks. I've really been enjoying the improvement of my team and that's about the year that things started to turn around. Now with my QB out...things could get a bit dicey.

Thanks for reading.

[MikeVick7]

Week 4

#13 Duke (2-0) at #25 Miami of Ohio (1-0) (-4) TV1

Last season: First Meeting
Career Record against opponent: 0-0

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season

Sad to see two careers coming to an end. Especially Pritchett's

Preview - Well...now it gets interesting. With Pritchett out for the rest of the season...the fate of this team falls into the hands of RS Jr QB Wally Johansen. The positives about Johansen is that we get a bit more of a scrambling QB. We haven't had that yet...so that could make for some interestings twists. Otherwise we should be fine for all intensive purposes...Lewis will step back in the starting lineup for Baxter. You know...Duke's record-holder for most sacks in a season 13.5...and that was when he was a freshman. Our opponent for this week is Miami of Ohio...like MTSU...they are another mid-major that has become somewhat of a mini-powerhouse. Last season they beat UCLA in the first round of the playoffs and then got shutout by Michigan in Round 2. With Pritchett out and the game in Oxford OH...we're a 4 pt dog.

Box Score: Duke at Miami of Ohio
Oxford, OH.

Week 4, 2012

Attendance: 29,900 (30,000).

Weather: 60 degrees, fair.

1Q: 11:39 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 38 field goal.
1Q: 00:28 MIAO - Lawrence Fredrickson 19 pass from Mel Graves.
1Q: 00:28 MIAO - Korey Casey extra point.

3Q: 09:40 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 14 run.
3Q: 09:40 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

4Q: 13:49 MIAO - Lawrence Fredrickson 6 pass from Mel Graves.
4Q: 13:49 MIAO - Korey Casey extra point.
4Q: 07:18 MIAO - Norm Briscoe 35 fumble return.
4Q: 07:18 MIAO - Korey Casey extra point.
4Q: 03:20 DUKE - Bob Coons 10 pass from Wally Johansen.
4Q: 03:20 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro run for conversion.
4Q: 00:55 MIAO - Korey Casey 20 field goal.

Game MVP: MIAO 92 Andre Calabrese

Duke 3 0 7 8 - 18
Miami of Ohio 7 0 0 17 - 24

Team Statistics DUKE MIAO

Net Rushing Yards 37 130
Passing Yards 184 227
Total Yards 221 357

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 14 25 1.7 14 1 7 0
3 Johansen 8 4 0.5 36 0 1 5

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 36 15 184 5.1 40 1 1

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
22 DiPietro 7 47 6.7 32 11 0
86 Coons 2 31 15.5 25 21 1
82 Driver 2 30 15.0 20 19 0

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
93 Sedor 10 5 1.0 0 0 0
34 Szczepaniak 10 2 0.0 0 0 0
57 Washington 9 5 0.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 9 5 0.0 0 0 0
33 Bernier 3 1 0.0 2 1 0
39 Bensen 1 1 0.0 1 21 0

Miami of Ohio Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
29 Jack 36 125 3.4 13 0 10 0

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
92 Calabrese 4 3 3.0 0 0 0

Hmm...is this an indication of things to come? Miami used a ball control running attack that wore down our defense with some sustained drives in the 3rd and 4th quarter to score 17 in the 4th and win the game 24-18. Johansen definitely struggled in his first career start going 15-36 for 184 yards and the running game did not help him at all. DiPietro couldn't get anything going...14-25 yards and Johansen actually had our longest run of the day with a 36 yard scramble in the 3rd quarter. Our defense played very well but were just on the field for too long and eventually wore down.

Next up - Virginia at Duke

[MikeVick7]

Week 5

#43 Virginia (1-1) at #29 Duke (2-1) (-10) TV5

Last season: Duke 21 Virginia 17
Career Record against opponent: 3-6

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season

Preview - Virginia had quite a run through the playoffs last year as they got to the final four before losing to Michigan by only 7 points. So far this year...they've also gotten off to a rough start losing their opener to Michigan State and then coming back with a win over Miss St last week 45-10. Virginia is always tough and they gave us a very competitive game last year only losing by 4 points. We were actually down 17-7 at one point before scoring 14 2nd half points to steal a win against the Cavs. The Cavs have always run the Veer offense and it's led by RB Randall Horner. Horner was a workhorse last year running the ball 428 times...which is 3rd all time...for 1626 yards and 16 TD's. This year he's upped his ypc a bit from 3.7 to 4.9 and he has 352 yards in just two games so far. We'll definitely have to pass and run much better this week if we want a chance against this quality progrum.

Box Score: Virginia at Duke
Durham, NC.

Week 5, 2012

Attendance: 25,900 (33,900).

Weather: 56 degrees, fair.

1Q: 04:43 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 27 field goal.

2Q: 06:53 VIRG - Hugh Shelton 23 field goal.
2Q: 01:34 VIRG - Craig Jennings 10 run.
2Q: 01:34 VIRG - Hugh Shelton extra point.

3Q: 12:14 DUKE - Oscar Taylor 53 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 12:14 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
3Q: 10:13 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 13 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 10:13 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
3Q: 08:13 VIRG - Marco Willis 9 pass from Shawn Kitchings.
3Q: 08:13 VIRG - Hugh Shelton extra point.
3Q: 06:46 VIRG - Bruce Barlow 49 interception return.
3Q: 06:46 VIRG - Hugh Shelton extra point.
3Q: 02:48 VIRG - Craig Jennings 27 run.
3Q: 02:48 VIRG - Hugh Shelton extra point.

4Q: 11:22 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 6 run.
4Q: 11:22 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
4Q: 06:55 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 30 field goal.
4Q: 03:20 DUKE - Skip Driver 28 pass from Wally Johansen.
4Q: 03:20 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

Game MVP: DUKE 93 Tim Sedor

Virginia 0 10 21 0 - 31
Duke 3 0 14 17 - 34

Team Statistics VIRG DUKE

Net Rushing Yards 181 54
Passing Yards 252 322
Total Yards 433 376

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 22 54 2.4 11 1 9 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 31 19 322 10.3 53 3 2

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
22 DiPietro 6 64 10.6 44 13 1
82 Driver 5 98 19.6 44 31 1
80 Taylor 3 82 27.3 25 53 1
83 Landeta 2 70 35.0 13 41 0

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
77 Anderson 11 2 0.5 0 0 0
93 Sedor 9 6 2.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 8 11 0.0 0 0 0
57 Washington 6 2 0.0 1 22 0
21 Hellestrae 1 0 0.0 1 36 0

I'm a little speechless after this one. We really didn't have any chance to win this game down 31-17 after 3 quarters but for some reason...the Cavs defensive coordinator refused to get out of his 8-man front and Johansen finally realized that when there's 8 in the box...passing should be a little bit easier. So once he got that through his thick skull...scoring was a breeze. In the 4th quarter...we scored on a 5-play 91 yard drive that took just 2:14 off the clock as DiPietro took it in from 6 yards out. Then after a punt we had an 8-play 42 yard drive that took 2:51 off the clock and ended with a Scotty Ulmer FG. Then after another punt. We had a quick 7-play 35 yard drive that took 2:29 off the clock and ended with a 28 yard TD pass to Skip Driver to take a 34-31 lead. UVA put together one last drive that got down to the 10 yard line with just :12 left but Wyse missed a gimme as Virginia suffered a tough loss...with much of the thanks going to their defensive coordinator. I applaud their strategy of putting more pressure on our QB to complete passes...and it worked great for 3 quarters...why they didn't get out of it late...I'll never know.

Next up - Duke at North Carolina State

[MikeVick7]

Week 6

#24 Duke (3-1) (-13) at North Carolina State (1-3) TV5

Last season: Duke 51 NC State 24
Career Record against opponent: 3-6

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season

Preview - I'm not sure what's up with the Wolfpack so far this season. A 1-3 start is very non-Pack -like...but who are we to complain. We're on the verge of self-destructing ourselves...so we're gonna take it where we can get it. One thing we have to do is get our running game in order. DiPietro is only averaging 2.64 ypc so far this season and has been stuffed on 37 of 85 carries. His importance has gone up two-fold since Pritchett's injury. Last week Wally Johansen actually had his best game of his short career as he led us to victory after trailing by 14 in the 4th quarter. The defense has really been tested so far and Tim Sedor has been a very pleasant surprise. He's accumulated 42 tackles in just 4 games and 15 of those have been TFL's. That's 2nd in the country.

Box Score: Duke at North Carolina State
Raleigh, NC.

Week 6, 2012

Attendance: 42,400 (51,500).

Weather: 53 degrees, rain.

1Q: 05:11 NCST - Cary Dion 18 field goal.
1Q: 03:55 DUKE - Bob Coons 63 fumble return.
1Q: 03:55 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

2Q: 14:43 DUKE - Antoine Herndon 5 run.
2Q: 14:43 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 12:40 NCST - Harvey Emmons 55 run.
2Q: 12:40 NCST - Cary Dion extra point.
2Q: 09:21 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 4 run.
2Q: 09:21 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 01:27 NCST - Cary Dion 40 field goal.
2Q: 00:50 NCST - Desmond Beauregard 26 interception return.
2Q: 00:50 NCST - Cary Dion extra point.

3Q: 12:32 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 5 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 12:32 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

4Q: 12:12 NCST - Cary Dion 32 field goal.
4Q: 07:45 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 21 field goal.
4Q: 02:27 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 14 run.
4Q: 02:27 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
4Q: 00:40 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 9 run.
4Q: 00:40 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Duke 7 14 7 17 - 45
North Carolina State 3 17 0 3 - 23

Team Statistics DUKE NCST

Net Rushing Yards 196 120
Passing Yards 161 149
Total Yards 357 269

Avg. Drive Start OWN 43 OWN 22

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 23 173 7.5 33 3 4 0
3 Johansen 8 14 1.7 15 0 2 1
41 Herndon 3 8 2.6 5 1 0 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 30 15 161 5.3 29 1 3

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
80 Taylor 4 59 14.7 6 20 0
29 Zatechka 4 25 6.2 9 13 0
82 Driver 3 49 16.3 12 29 0
22 DiPietro 3 18 6.0 13 9 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
27 Battle 13 4 0.0 0 0 0
34 Szczepaniak 7 3 0.0 0 0 0
57 Washington 5 3 0.5 0 0 0
33 Bernier 4 1 0.0 0 0 0
91 Lewis 3 0 2.0 0 0 0
93 Sedor 3 0 1.0 0 0 0
45 Donovan 2 1 0.0 1 0 0

See...this is what can happen when you have a running game. You can watch your QB throw 3 Ints...yet still be in control of the game because you have a presence on the ground. Rodney DiPietro finally woke up after a four game slumber and rushed for 173 yards on 23 carries for 3 TD's. He followed that up with 3 more catches and a receiving TD. Another factor was that our defense and special teams put us in great starting field positions all day long. And I think we just have to admit that we love playing in the rain. Hey...we're 4-1 now. We'll take it.

Next up - Georgia Tech at Duke

Recruiting Commitments

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat AP Hometown
RB Rhoden, Donald 5-10 180 13 150 66 Levittown, NY
WR Finch, Victor 5-9 175 2 55 94 Anniston, AL
C Wooden, Benjamin 6-1 266 2 26 93 Naperville, IL
G McNally, Les 6-3 263 3 64 40 Louisville, KY
CB Williamson, Terrell 5-11 163 2 31 71 Lancaster, PA

We really went after some big-time recruits this year and it's paying off so far. Four top 100 recruits committed this week and Rhoden committed after just one visit. Got lucky there as our top guy committed somewhere else.

[MikeVick7]

Week 7

#38 Georgia Tech (3-1) at #21 Duke (4-1) (-9) TV4

Last season: Duke 45 GTech 14
Career Record against opponent: 2-7

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
LB Pat Olsen - Bruised Ribcage - Probable 4 weeks

Preview - It's amazing how one game can change the perception of a player. Rodney DiPietro had a great game last week and now after looking at his stats...he ain't sittin too bad. Right now he's up to 398 yards on the ground with 6 TD's and he's caught an amazing 28 of 33 passes thrown to him for 292 more yards and 4 more TD's. He leads the team in both rushing and receiving TD's. GTech's off to a good start this year at 3-1...but they lost their starting QB Troy Hopfner to a torn calf muscle in last week's game against Maryland so now they must rely on Soph Ernie Brock who has only 3 games under his belt and no career starts. In a passing offense...they're in a spot of trouble. Clifton Smedley is a respectable running back so we'll really have to key on him to have our best chance at shutting down this offense. Tech used to be the biggest thorn in our side...winning the first 7 meeting. Since then...we've taken the

last two.

Box Score: Georgia Tech at Duke
Durham, NC.

Week 7, 2012

Attendance: 28,600 (33,900).

Weather: 46 degrees, rain.

1Q: 04:12 GATC - Myron Crockett 17 pass from Ernie Brock.
1Q: 04:12 GATC - Matt Carney extra point.

2Q: 06:43 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 21 field goal.
2Q: 03:38 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 4 run.
2Q: 03:38 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 00:43 DUKE - Ricky Landeta 53 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 00:43 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

3Q: 12:42 DUKE - Ricky Landeta 5 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 12:42 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
3Q: 04:20 DUKE - Skip Driver 18 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 04:20 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point failed.
3Q: 00:05 DUKE - Leon Zatechka 8 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 00:05 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

4Q: 02:16 GATC - Broderick Sullivan 8 pass from Jeffrey Coker.
4Q: 02:16 GATC - Matt Carney extra point.
4Q: 01:02 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 29 run.
4Q: 01:02 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Georgia Tech 7 0 0 7 - 14
Duke 0 17 20 7 - 44

Team Statistics GATC DUKE

Net Rushing Yards 39 136
Passing Yards 236 311
Total Yards 275 447

Sacked/Yards Lost 5-30 3-19

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 19 152 8.0 58 2 4 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 29 20 264 9.1 53 4 2
7 Curtis 2 2 47 23.5 37 0 0

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
22 DiPietro 5 71 14.2 27 37 0
86 Coons 4 53 13.2 17 26 0
82 Driver 4 57 14.2 44 18 1
83 Landeta 4 73 18.2 31 53 2
29 Zatechka 1 8 8.0 8 8 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
45 Donovan 9 1 0.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 6 0 0.0 0 0 0
93 Sedor 5 1 2.0 1 16 0
77 Anderson 4 0 1.0 0 0 0

Wow...it's like we're looking at a totally different player the last two weeks. After a terrible first quarter...we had a drive to begin the 2nd quarter that seemed to change the complexion of the game. After a punt to our own 14 we proceeded to go on a 14-play 93 yard drive that only amounted into a 21 yard Scott Ulmer FG. But it left the Tech D on the field for 6 1/2 minutes and seemed to just tire them out. After that drive we proceeded to score TD's on our next 5 drives to blow this game open. Johansen had a great game going 20-29 for 264 yards and 4 TD's. And DiPietro continued his hot streak by rushing for 152 more yards and 2 TD's. He also brought in 5 passes for 71 more yards. And we played in the rain again. The rain is our friend. :D

Next up - Florida State at Duke

Recruiting Commitments

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat AP Hometown
QB Buchanan, Jonathan 5-11 194 1 8 89 Pasadena, MD
OLB Castagnola, Kim 6-2 211 23 388 87 Sugar Land, TX

Buchanan was a excellent score for us. The first time we've been able to land the #1 QB in the high school ranks.

[MikeVick7]

Week 8

#12 Florida State (3-1) at #15 Duke (5-1) (-14) TV3

Last season: Duke 10 FSU 7
Career Record against opponent: 4-5

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
LB Pat Olsen - Bruised Ribcage - Probable 3 weeks

Preview - I said it last year before the game and I'll say it again. I'm not sure what we do to this team...but we've had their number for the last 4 years. The games are always low scoring and the winning margin is always in single digits. Last season was no different. Down 7-3 in the 4th quarter...the Devils put together a 2-play drive with no TO's and :43 left and we hit on a TD pass to win the game. Since losing the 3rd game of the year...we've put together a nice three game winning streak and are actually playing some pretty good ball. FSU is back strong once again this year but they've run into a little bit of a snag. They lost their 2nd team all-ACC QB Brian Stolowitz to broken Ribs in the 2nd game of the year. With him out...it didn't affect them until last game when they got blown out by Wake Forest 42-13. It's definitely not the same Noles squad as in year's past at least offensively. Right now they're 108th in rushing offense and 96th in passing offense. Their defense is still strong as they are #1 against the pass but their lack of O has put a big strain on their offense. Despite their problems...the fact that we are 14 pt favorites is kinda scary.

Box Score: Florida State at Duke
Durham, NC.

Week 8, 2012

Attendance: 30,000 (33,900).

Weather: 59 degrees, fair.

1Q: 11:08 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 2 run.
1Q: 11:08 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
1Q: 06:35 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 54 run.
1Q: 06:35 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
1Q: 00:00 DUKE - Wally Johansen 8 run.
1Q: 00:00 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

2Q: 12:27 DUKE - Ricky Landeta 11 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 12:27 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 03:36 FLST - Ethan Ellis 4 pass from Tommie Tyler.
2Q: 03:36 FLST - Jeremy Wetzel extra point.
2Q: 00:55 DUKE - Ralph Donovan 61 interception return.
2Q: 00:55 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

3Q: 08:15 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 43 field goal.
3Q: 03:19 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 30 field goal.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Florida State 0 7 0 0 - 7
Duke 21 14 6 0 - 41

Team Statistics FLST DUKE

Net Rushing Yards 50 133
Passing Yards 216 197
Total Yards 266 330

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 24 153 6.3 54 2 6 0
3 Johansen 9 -27 -3.0 8 1 1 5

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 24 14 197 8.2 44 1 0

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
80 Taylor 4 90 22.5 9 44 0
86 Coons 3 41 13.6 8 25 0
82 Driver 3 34 11.3 11 14 0
83 Landeta 1 11 11.0 11 11 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
93 Sedor 8 1 0.0 0 0 0
57 Washington 5 2 1.0 0 0 0
33 Bernier 5 1 0.0 1 0 0
91 Lewis 3 1 2.0 0 0 0
45 Donovan 3 1 0.0 1 61 1

I'm not sure what's up with the Noles...but they're in trouble. I thought defensively they would be strong enough to make this a game but we moved through them like swiss cheese to the tune of 35 points in the first half. DiPietro continued his brilliance as he rushed for 153 more yards and 2 more TD's. Defensively this was the poorest showing by a Noles defense and with their starting QB down for the rest of the year...they're really gonna have to carry them. This win makes it four in a row and we're on fire.

Next up - Bye week.

Recruiting Commitments

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat AP Hometown
DT Shepherd, Mo 6-1 253 11 147 49 Piedmont, SC

[MikeVick7]

Mid-season Report (A week late)

2012 Summary for Duke

Record: 6-1
Rank: 13

Duke Team Rank
Rushes 229 52
Rushing Yards 746 69
Yards Per Carry 3.25 83 (T)
Pass Attempts 215 22 (T)
Completions 129 11
Passing Yards 1828 7
Yards Per Attempt 8.50 21
3rd Down Conversions 34.8 57 (T)
Points Per Game 36.5 11
Turnovers 10 46 (T)
Turnover Margin +6 22 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 234 72 (T)
Rushing Yards 663 33 (T)
Yards Per Carry 2.83 20
Pass Attempts 232 124
Completions 117 113
Passing Yards 1492 105
Yards Per Attempt 6.43 37 (T)
3rd Down Conversions 34.3 65
Points Per Game 18.4 30
Turnovers 16 12 (T)

Primary Formation: Pro Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 37 MDTN (34) 24
3 37 UNOR (116) 6
4 18 at MIAO (7) 24
5 34 VIRG (37) 31
6 45 at NCST (103) 23
7 44 GATC (44) 14
8 41 FLST (30) 7
10 at MARY (65)
11 at CLEM (108)
12 WAKE (61)
13 at NCAR (95)

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
3 Johansen QB 155 87 1178 7.60 12 8
10 Pritchett QB 58 40 603 10.39 3 1
Team --- 215 129 1828 8.50 15 9

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
22 DiPietro RB 151 703 4.65 10 51 95
3 Johansen QB 35 -41 -1.17 1 23 113
41 Herndon RB 22 65 2.95 1 4 2
Team --- 229 746 3.25 12 86 242

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
82 Driver WR 48 24 409 17.0 174 3
22 DiPietro RB 41 34 368 10.8 222 4
80 Taylor WR 36 21 425 20.2 109 2
83 Landeta WR 26 12 248 20.6 85 3
29 Zatechka FB 24 14 112 8.0 58 1
86 Coons TE 23 16 206 12.8 82 1
2 Foster WR 10 5 44 8.8 4 1
Team --- 215 129 1828 14.1 740 15

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
93 Sedor ILB 58 14 9.0 21 1 3
27 Battle S 46 26 0.0 9 1 5
34 Szczepaniak S 39 14 0.0 5 0 1
57 Washington OLB 34 16 2.5 7 1 3
45 Donovan CB 25 8 0.0 2 3 6
77 Anderson DE 23 10 3.0 8 0 0
33 Bernier CB 20 7 0.0 2 3 6
70 Rayburn DT 19 7 0.0 3 0 1
99 Olsen OLB 16 4 0.0 1 1 4
39 Bensen CB 14 4 0.0 1 1 1
96 Farrell DT 13 3 1.0 8 0 0
91 Lewis DE 13 3 5.0 7 0 0
Team --- 387 132 28.0 86 12 34

[MikeVick7]

2012 Season Standings, Atlantic Coast

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
**Duke 6 1 0 .857 256 129 4 0 0 1.000 164 75 Won 4
Maryland 4 3 0 .571 133 138 3 1 0 .750 79 55 Won 2
Virginia 3 2 0 .600 182 85 2 1 0 .666 113 37 Won 2
Georgia Tech 3 2 0 .600 136 133 2 1 0 .666 65 85 Lost 1
Wake Forest 4 3 0 .571 162 140 2 2 0 .500 111 75 Lost 1
Florida State 3 2 0 .600 89 116 1 2 0 .333 47 93 Lost 2
North Carolina 2 5 0 .285 137 174 1 3 0 .250 74 96 Won 1
Clemson 1 5 0 .166 93 180 1 3 0 .250 62 122 Lost 2
North Carolina State 1 5 0 .166 93 167 0 3 0 .000 43 120 Lost 3


Overall Rankings

School Record Conf Comp Poll Loss Sched Total Rank
Stanford 7-0 P10 1.00 3.00 0.00 1.44 5.44 1
Notre Dame 7-0 IND 3.00 2.00 0.00 2.56 7.56 2
Florida 6-0 SEC 2.25 5.00 0.00 2.20 9.45 3
Texas 6-0 B12 5.50 1.00 0.00 3.84 10.34 4
Michigan 6-1 B10 5.50 4.00 1.00 1.60 12.10 5
SMU 6-0 WAC 6.50 6.00 0.00 3.16 15.66 6
UCLA 6-1 P10 7.00 8.50 1.00 0.52 17.02 7
San Diego State 7-0 MTW 4.00 12.50 0.00 1.56 18.06 8
Boston College 5-1 BEC 11.50 8.50 1.00 1.64 22.64 9
Miami of Ohio 6-0 MUS 12.25 7.00 0.00 4.92 24.17 10
Wisconsin 5-1 B10 10.75 12.50 1.00 2.40 26.65 11
Utah 4-1 MTW 11.50 14.50 1.00 1.12 28.12 12
Syracuse 5-1 BEC 12.75 13.50 1.00 2.16 29.41 13
Pittsburgh 6-1 BEC 11.25 15.00 1.00 3.40 30.65 14
Washington 5-1 P10 17.50 14.50 1.00 2.44 35.44 15
**Duke 6-1 ACC 15.25 17.50 1.00 2.32 36.07 16
Alabama 5-1 SEC 20.25 11.50 1.00 3.96 36.71 17
Akron 5-1 MUS 14.75 23.00 1.00 3.80 42.55 18
South Carolina 5-1 SEC 13.75 28.00 1.00 1.76 44.51 19
Tennessee 4-2 SEC 26.75 18.00 2.00 0.88 47.63 20
USC 4-1 P10 25.00 18.00 1.00 3.72 47.72 21
Barrow 5-1 SCE 23.75 19.00 1.00 4.24 47.99 22
Penn State 4-2 B10 20.25 26.00 2.00 1.16 49.41 23
Missouri 5-1 B12 18.00 29.50 1.00 2.64 51.14 24
Central Florida 4-2 MUS 15.75 36.00 2.00 0.84 54.59 25

[MikeVick7]

Week 9

Bye week

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
LB Pat Olsen - Bruised Ribcage - Probable 2 weeks
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 5 weeks

Next up - Duke at Maryland

Recruiting Commitments

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat AP Hometown
OLB Breiten, JR 5-11 200 28 462 80 Rocky Mount, NC

[MikeVick7]

Week 10

#14 Duke (6-1) (-21) at Maryland (4-4) TV4

Last season: Duke 30 Maryland 7
Career Record against opponent: 5-4

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 5 weeks
LB Pat Olsen - Bruised Ribcage - Probable 1 weeks

Preview - Maryland has been fairly competitive this year...especially within the conference. They have wins over Clemson...UNC and Wake Forest and losses vs GTEch 28-21 and NCState 28-27. So close games indeed...closer than they've been in the last few years. They're led by two good RB's...Billy Webb has 639 yards rushing and 5 TD's and Glenn Gerbasi has added 230 yards and 1 TD. Our running game has possibly gone through it's best 4 game stretch ever. Rodney DiPietro is now up to 703 yards on the season and 10 TD's. Plus he still leads the team in receptions with 34. Tim Sedor continues to be the leading force on defense with 58 tackles...9 sacks and 21 TFL's. He leads the team in all three categories.

Box Score: Duke at Maryland
College Park, MD.

Week 10, 2012

Attendance: 29,700 (48,100).

Weather: 51 degrees, rain.

1Q: 10:51 DUKE - Bob Coons 11 pass from Wally Johansen.
1Q: 10:51 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
1Q: 06:06 MARY - Tyrell Sanchez 1 run.
1Q: 06:06 MARY - Phil Fisk extra point.
1Q: 05:05 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 75 run.
1Q: 05:05 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

2Q: 11:54 DUKE - Oscar Taylor 14 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 11:54 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 08:45 DUKE - Leon Zatechka 11 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 08:45 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 07:27 DUKE - Oscar Taylor 11 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 07:27 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

3Q: 10:30 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 7 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 10:30 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
3Q: 02:49 DUKE - J.J. Foster 4 pass from Donnell Dunlap.
3Q: 02:49 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

4Q: 09:26 DUKE - Antoine Herndon 24 run.
4Q: 09:26 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
4Q: 05:31 MARY - Glenn Gerbasi 36 pass from Kirk Driver.
4Q: 05:31 MARY - Phil Fisk extra point.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Duke 14 21 14 7 - 56
Maryland 7 0 0 7 - 14

Team Statistics DUKE MARY

Net Rushing Yards 253 109
Passing Yards 243 264
Total Yards 496 373

Avg. Drive Start OWN 40 OWN 20

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 23 187 8.1 75 1 8 0
41 Herndon 11 50 4.5 24 1 2 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 13 12 141 10.8 30 5 0
14 Dunlap 4 4 55 13.7 19 1 0
7 Curtis 3 3 47 15.6 20 0 0

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
80 Taylor 4 54 13.5 42 19 2
82 Driver 3 57 19.0 8 30 0
22 DiPietro 3 27 9.0 10 13 1
29 Zatechka 3 24 8.0 11 11 1
2 Foster 2 21 10.5 13 17 1
86 Coons 1 11 11.0 12 11 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
34 Szczepaniak 7 2 0.0 0 0 0
93 Sedor 7 2 0.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 6 0 0.0 0 0 0
70 Rayburn 5 2 0.0 0 0 0
91 Lewis 3 0 2.0 0 0 0
99 Olsen 3 0 0.0 1 0 0

What can I say? We're on a massive roll and it keeps getting better each week. 187 more yards for DiPietro and 2 more TD's...1 rushing and 1 passing. As a team we set a school record for the most rushing yards in one game (253) and our total offense was 3rd best in school history (496). Our QB's were a combined 19-20 and threw for a total of 6 TD's. Johansen had 12 completions and 5 TD's. On D...Chuck Lewis has picked up some steam as of late with 2 more sacks.

Next up - Duke at Clemson

Recruiting Commitments

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat AP Hometown
TE Rice, Tyrell 6-3 234 1 4 100 Friendswood, TX
C Lindberg, Brady 6-2 290 1 15 88 Tallahassee, FL
DE Moss, Vernon 6-5 251 11 73 21 Gaithersburg, MD
CB Borders, Clarence 6-1 171 22 514 15 Richburg, SC

Another HUGE recruiting week. Rice was a big score and with Lindberg we have the top two Centers in the country.

[MikeVick7]

Week 11

#12 Duke (7-1) (-23) at Clemson (1-6) No TV

Last season: Duke 31 Clemson 21
Career Record against opponent: 6-3

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 4 weeks
LB Pat Olsen - Bruised Ribcage - Probable 1 weeks

Preview - Clemson has really fallen off the wagon this year...1-6 overall and 1-4 in ACC action. The only thing they have going for them this week is that the game is at their place. Our team continues to roll. Johansen has thrown 17 TD passes and DiPietro has scored 16 TD's. Offensively we're now the 9th best scoring team in the nation and our D...although the stats are the greatest...seems to get better each week. Clemson gave us a scare last year outgaining us 472-363...but we won the game 31-21.

Box Score: Duke at Clemson
Clemson, SC.

Week 11, 2012

Attendance: 25,000 (81,500).

Weather: 41 degrees, rain.

1Q: 05:30 DUKE - Antoine Herndon 3 run.
1Q: 05:30 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
1Q: 00:11 DUKE - Skip Driver 15 pass from Wally Johansen.
1Q: 00:11 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

2Q: 04:26 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 2 run.
2Q: 04:26 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 00:52 DUKE - Oscar Taylor 52 run.
2Q: 00:52 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

3Q: 12:19 DUKE - Scott Ulmer 42 field goal.
3Q: 08:35 DUKE - Skip Driver 19 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 08:35 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
3Q: 03:56 CLEM - Leroy Rayburn 13 pass from Jay Harper.
3Q: 03:56 CLEM - Dean Hines extra point.

Game MVP: DUKE 82 Skip Driver

Duke 14 14 10 0 - 38
Clemson 0 0 7 0 - 7

Team Statistics DUKE CLEM

Net Rushing Yards 232 55
Passing Yards 226 65
Total Yards 458 120

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 25 147 5.8 50 1 7 0
41 Herndon 6 23 3.8 8 1 0 0
80 Taylor 2 56 28.0 52 1 0 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 26 16 226 8.6 35 2 3

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
82 Driver 8 126 15.7 35 23 2
86 Coons 2 22 11.0 12 11 0
80 Taylor 2 24 12.0 17 14 0
22 DiPietro 2 47 23.5 18 35 0
29 Zatechka 2 7 3.5 0 7 0

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
27 Battle 8 3 0.0 1 57 0
93 Sedor 5 1 1.0 0 0 0
90 Catalano 5 1 0.0 0 0 0
70 Rayburn 5 0 0.0 0 0 0
45 Donovan 4 0 0.0 0 0 0
91 Lewis 3 1 1.5 0 0 0
77 Anderson 2 2 1.5 0 0 0

Despite the 3 Ints and 5 TO's altogether...possibly our best game this year all-around. 458 yards of total offense and we hold Clemson to 120 yards of total offense. Our 232 yards on the ground was 4th best all-time. DiPietro with 147 more yards on the ground and another TD. Skip Driver picks up MVP honors however with 8 catches...126 yards and 2 TD's. I would like to gush more about my team but I don't want to jinx anything.

Next up - Wake Forest at Duke

Recruiting Commitments

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat AP Hometown
DT Andersen, Clarence 6-0 236 19 277 15 La Plata, MD
S Vaughn, Joe 6-0 189 13 204 22 Hays, NC

[MikeVick7]

Week 12

Wake Forest (5-5) at #10 Duke (8-1) (-13) No TV

Last season: Duke 31 Wake 3
Career Record against opponent: 5-4

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 2 weeks

Preview - With Wake's run and shoot offense there's always a chance that they could go off...but even though they might put some points on the board...more than likely their defense won't do their job. This year could be their worst as they are 115th against the run and 119th against the pass...but somehow they're only 72nd in scoring defense giving up 26.3 points per game. Right now I can't believe that we've won our last six games in a row. I thought we would be involved in a lot of close conference games...but the Virginia game was our closest and the rest have been blowouts. If we win today's game against the Deacons then we clinch our 4th ACC title in a row.

Box Score: Wake Forest at Duke
Durham, NC.

Week 12, 2012

Attendance: 31,400 (33,900).

Weather: 50 degrees, rain.

1Q: 14:47 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 46 run.
1Q: 14:47 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
1Q: 13:11 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 48 run.
1Q: 13:11 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
1Q: 06:46 DUKE - Skip Driver 14 pass from Wally Johansen.
1Q: 06:46 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
1Q: 01:49 DUKE - J.J. Foster 9 pass from Wally Johansen.
1Q: 01:49 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
1Q: 00:32 DUKE - Vincent Bernier 71 interception return.
1Q: 00:32 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.

2Q: 13:19 WAKE - Teddy Barajas 25 run.
2Q: 13:19 WAKE - Lonnie Walters extra point.
2Q: 07:55 DUKE - Walt Benton 19 field goal.
2Q: 02:05 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 17 run.
2Q: 02:05 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.

3Q: 10:01 DUKE - Oscar Taylor 10 pass from Kenny Curtis.
3Q: 10:01 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
3Q: 03:35 WAKE - Lonnie Walters 36 field goal.

4Q: 13:13 DUKE - Walt Benton 29 field goal.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Wake Forest 0 7 3 0 - 10
Duke 35 10 7 3 - 55

Team Statistics WAKE DUKE

Net Rushing Yards 46 228
Passing Yards 163 259
Total Yards 209 487

Interceptions 5 0
Fumbles/Lost 2/1 0/0

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 19 175 9.2 48 3 4 0
41 Herndon 16 55 3.4 14 0 4 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 19 13 152 8.0 22 2 0
14 Dunlap 8 6 67 8.3 20 0 0
7 Curtis 5 4 40 8.0 11 1 0

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
82 Driver 5 62 12.4 40 18 1
80 Taylor 5 69 13.8 15 22 1
83 Landeta 4 61 15.2 20 20 0
2 Foster 2 18 9.0 10 9 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
94 Crook 5 0 1.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 5 1 0.0 1 21 0
34 Szczepaniak 5 1 0.0 0 0 0
90 Catalano 2 1 1.0 0 0 0
99 Olsen 2 0 1.0 0 0 0
91 Lewis 1 0 1.0 0 0 0
79 Van Pelt 1 0 1.0 0 0 0
33 Bernier 1 0 0.0 2 71 1
21 Hellestrae 1 0 0.0 2 27 0

Two words: Steam Roller. Things couldn't have gotten off to a better start in this game as the first two plays from scrimmage for us were both Rodney DiPietro TD runs. One for 46 and one for 48. He ended up with game MVP honors and 175 yards with 3 TD's. Johansen cruised going 13-19 for 152 yards and 2 TD's. The defense ended up with 5 sacks and 5 Ints. Again with the win we clinched the ACC title...our 4th in a row.

On the injury front...this may sound silly but we lost Kicker Scott Ulmer for 9 weeks with a torn calf muscle. With the way the offense is working...you would think who cares...but we're gonna have close games in the playoffs and his leg will be missed.

Next up - Duke at North Carolina

[MikeVick7]

Week 13

#10 Duke (9-1) (-16) at North Carolina (3-7) No TV

Last season: Duke 35 UNC 10
Career Record against opponent: 4-5

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
K Scott Ulmer - Torn Calf Muscle - Out 9 weeks
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 6 weeks
TE Bob Coons - Bruised Shoulder - Probable 1 week

Preview - Our main goal in this game is to get out of it as injury free as possible. We lost our kicker last week and our punter is listed as probable so he will also rest this game as well. Our ACC run has been unreal. The games haven't even been close enough to do a real detailed write up on. That will most likely change in the playoffs. The big blow in this game for the Heels is that their RB Darren McCarthy...the guy who tore us up 2 years had a season ending injury (broken fibula) in last week's game. He had 1141 yards and 7 TD's on the ground for them this season.

Box Score: Duke at North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC.

Week 13, 2012

Attendance: 38,900 (60,000).

Weather: 67 degrees, fair.

1Q: 09:01 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 10 run.
1Q: 09:01 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.

2Q: 12:35 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 7 run.
2Q: 12:35 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
2Q: 01:08 NCAR - Trent Sanders 41 field goal.

3Q: 06:29 DUKE - Walt Benton 22 field goal.
3Q: 03:07 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 37 pass from Wally Johansen.
3Q: 03:07 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.

4Q: 13:31 NCAR - Isaac Houston 2 pass from Chris Hitchcock.
4Q: 13:31 NCAR - Trent Sanders extra point.
4Q: 08:32 DUKE - Bob Coons 9 pass from Wally Johansen.
4Q: 08:32 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
4Q: 05:19 DUKE - Bob Coons 19 pass from Wally Johansen.
4Q: 05:19 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
4Q: 01:11 DUKE - Ricky Landeta 6 pass from Kenny Curtis.
4Q: 01:11 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Duke 7 7 10 21 - 45
North Carolina 0 3 0 7 - 10

Team Statistics DUKE NCAR

Net Rushing Yards 193 51
Passing Yards 290 167
Total Yards 483 218

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 27 202 7.4 33 2 5 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 26 17 269 10.3 37 3 0
7 Curtis 4 3 21 5.2 12 1 0

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
22 DiPietro 6 78 13.0 34 37 1
82 Driver 4 75 18.7 26 31 0
86 Coons 3 43 14.3 40 19 2
83 Landeta 3 30 10.0 19 13 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
93 Sedor 7 2 0.0 0 0 0
57 Washington 6 2 1.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 6 2 0.0 0 0 0
70 Rayburn 4 2 0.5 0 0 0
94 Crook 2 0 1.0 0 0 0
45 Donovan 1 1 0.0 1 14 0

Nice way to end up things in the regular season to DiPietro. He saved his best for last racking up 202 yards on the ground...a career high. And then he added 78 more yards in the air and scored 3 TD's when it was all said and done. Johansen closed out a great season in relief throwing for 269 yards and 3 TD's with no Ints.

Next up - Bye week and hopefully resting the wounded.

Recruiting Commitments

Pos Name Ht Wt Rank Nat AP Hometown
DE Samuels, Cris 5-11 210 93 918 22 Magna, UT

[MikeVick7]

Week 14

Bye week

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
DE Chuck Lewis - ACL Damage to the Knee - Out season
K Scott Ulmer - Torn Calf Muscle - Out 8 weeks
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 5 weeks

We somehow lost Lewis in last week's game even though I don't remember seeing it on the play-by-play. This is a big loss.

Next up - Bye week

[MikeVick7]

Week 15

Bye week

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
DE Chuck Lewis - ACL Damage to the Knee - Out season
K Scott Ulmer - Torn Calf Muscle - Out 7 weeks
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 4 weeks

Next up - Bye week

[MikeVick7]

Week 16

Bye week

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
DE Chuck Lewis - ACL Damage to the Knee - Out season
K Scott Ulmer - Torn Calf Muscle - Out 7 weeks
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 4 weeks

Next up - Miami of Ohio vs Duke (Hmmm...interesting.)

[MikeVick7]

Week 17 - Round of 16

#9 Duke (10-1) (-1) vs #11 Miami of Ohio (12-1) TV1

This season: Miami of Ohio 24 Duke 18
Career Record against opponent: 0-1

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
DE Chuck Lewis - ACL Damage to the Knee - Out season
K Scott Ulmer - Torn Calf Muscle - Out 5 weeks
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 3 weeks

Preview - Veeery interesting match-up. Miami gave us our only loss of the year back in the 3rd game of the season in Oxford 24-18. Even though we have the same starting lineup in this game as we did back in that game...the way we're playing is like night and day. In that game they held DiPietro to just 25 yards rushing on 14 carries...and Johansen was just 15-36 for 184 yards and 1 TD. Meanwhile their Wing-T offense controlled the clock and wore our defense down in the 4th quarter as we allowed them to score 17 points and they ended up winning by 6. For Miami in that game it was Ty Jack who ran all over us to the tune of 125 yards on the ground. He ended up with 1649 yards on the season with 8 TD's. The Miami rushing offense ended up 10th in the nation and they attempted the 2nd most rushes on the year. Defensively they are very strong as they ended up 15th in defensive scoring and 1st in creating TO's. I think if we play just like we've been playing for the last 8 weeks...the outcome will be very different than earlier this year.

On the injury front...we'll be w/o Ulmer. We really hope the game doesn't come down to the kicking game.

Box Score: Duke vs Miami of Ohio
Pensacola, FL.

Round of Sixteen, 2012

Attendance: 40,800 (67,100).

Weather: 65 degrees, fair.

1Q: 10:29 DUKE - Leon Zatechka 11 pass from Wally Johansen.
1Q: 10:29 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.

2Q: 11:51 DUKE - Bob Coons 12 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 11:51 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
2Q: 01:27 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 3 run.
2Q: 01:27 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.

3Q: 12:40 MIAO - Korey Casey 62 field goal.
3Q: 08:20 DUKE - Walt Benton 21 field goal.
3Q: 01:32 MIAO - Lawrence Fredrickson 37 pass from Mel Graves.
3Q: 01:32 MIAO - Korey Casey extra point.

4Q: 07:57 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 2 run.
4Q: 07:57 DUKE - Walt Benton extra point.
4Q: 06:06 DUKE - Walt Benton 28 field goal.

Game MVP: DUKE 22 Rodney DiPietro

Duke 7 14 3 10 - 34
Miami of Ohio 0 0 10 0 - 10

Team Statistics DUKE MIAO

Net Rushing Yards 240 14
Passing Yards 235 151
Total Yards 475 165

Sacked/Yards Lost 0-0 6-33

3rd Down Plays 7/15 1/13

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 36 189 5.2 47 2 13 0
3 Johansen 5 42 8.4 14 0 0 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 30 17 235 7.8 27 2 2

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
29 Zatechka 6 64 10.6 27 19 1
22 DiPietro 4 52 13.0 34 27 0
83 Landeta 2 43 21.5 7 26 0
86 Coons 1 12 12.0 0 12 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
44 Johnstone 6 4 3.0 0 0 0
77 Anderson 5 0 2.0 0 0 0
99 Olsen 4 2 0.0 0 0 0

First the positives...it was definitely good to avenge the loss from earlier in the season. It was also great to hold the 10th best rushing team to 14 yards on the ground. Meanwhile...we tallied 240 yards as DiPietro ran for 189 on 36 carries and 2 TD's. Plus we picked up 6 sacks on the day and held them to 1-13 on 3rd down conversions.

Now the negatives...in a season of remaining virtually injury-free...how do we end up with season ending injuries to 3 starters and our nickel back? Just a real shame. We sustained injuries to TE Bob Coons...ILB Tim Sedor...SOLB Stephen Washington and Nickel Back Ike Bensen. Also injured...but should be able to remain in the starting lineup are DE Lenny Anderson and WR Skip Driver. That puts a real negative on a great season. But hey...we're still alive...so let's see if we can piece something together next week against a very powerful Texas squad.

Next up - Texas vs Duke

[MikeVick7]

Week 18 - Quarterfinals

#7 Duke (11-1) vs #1 Texas (13-0) (-6) TV1

Last season: First Meeting
Career Record against opponent: 0-0

Key Injuries
QB Ken Pritchett - Tobacco Withdrawal Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Compound Leg Fracture - Out season
DE Chuck Lewis - ACL Damage to the Knee - Out season
CB Ike Bensen - Dislocated Elbow - Out season
TE Bob Coons - Broken Tibia - Out season
ILB Tim Sedor - Broken Wrist - Out season
OLB Stephen Washington - Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - Out season
K Scott Ulmer - Torn Calf Muscle - Questionable 3 weeks
DE Lenny Anderson - Broken Hand - Probable 8 weeks
WR Skip Driver - Strained Hamstring - Probable Unknown
P Oliver Shepard - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 2 weeks

Preview - To put it in plain English...the Longhorns can flat out run the ball. UT is first in all major rushing categories as a team in the country. 1st in rushes (662)...1st in yards (3585) and 1st in yards per carry (5.41). What makes their rushing exploits even more impressive is that their top two rushers are QB's. Andy Horton and Bryant Keeler have each spent time under center this year due to injuries and both have been equally effective in running the pill. Horton has 193 carries for 824 yards and 8 TD's. Meanwhile Bryant has 158 carries for 849 yards and 11 TD's. And then let's not forget about their actual "running" back...Scott Hanks...he has 878 yards on 142 carries and 13 TD's. Almost an afterthought...ha. Luckily run defense is our strength on that side of the ball (14th in the nation) so it will be very interesting to see how we match up against this powerhouse. We sustained a ton of injuries last week and had to un-red shirt some players to fill some holes and some will get the start. Here it goes...

Box Score: Duke vs Texas
Killeen, TX.

Playoff Quarterfinals, 2012

Attendance: 56,000 (69,400).

Weather: 62 degrees, fair.

1Q: 06:08 DUKE - Rodney DiPietro 3 run.
1Q: 06:08 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
1Q: 02:04 TEXS - Jay Young 30 field goal.

2Q: 11:08 DUKE - Ricky Landeta 7 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 11:08 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.
2Q: 05:08 TEXS - Jay Young 21 field goal.
2Q: 03:17 DUKE - Robert Buchanan 12 pass from Wally Johansen.
2Q: 03:17 DUKE - Scott Ulmer extra point.

3Q: 05:37 TEXS - Will Stargell 18 run.
3Q: 05:37 TEXS - Jay Young extra point.

4Q: 13:17 TEXS - Jay Young 36 field goal.
4Q: 05:17 TEXS - Andy Horton 1 run.
4Q: 05:17 TEXS - Andy Horton pass for conversion failed.
4Q: 02:09 TEXS - Will Stargell 73 pass from Andy Horton.
4Q: 02:09 TEXS - Jay Young extra point.

Game MVP: TEXS 2 Andy Horton

Duke 7 14 0 0 - 21
Texas 3 3 7 16 - 29

Team Statistics DUKE TEXS

First Downs 18 29

Total Rushes 21 58
Net Rushing Yards 102 269
Yards Per Carry 4.8 4.6
Sacked/Yards Lost 2-14 0-0

Pass Attempts 23 18
Completions 13 15
Passing Yards 186 248
Yards Per Attempt 8.0 13.7
Interceptions 1 1
Fumbles/Lost 0/0 1/1

Total Plays 44 76
Total Yards 288 517
Yards Per Play 6.5 6.8

3rd Down Plays 0/8 8/14

Time Of Possession 21:51 38:09

Duke Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
22 DiPietro 16 115 7.1 39 1 2 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
3 Johansen 23 13 186 8.0 30 2 1

Receiving Catch Yards Avg YAC Long TD
22 DiPietro 5 60 12.0 33 15 0
83 Landeta 3 49 16.3 23 30 1
82 Driver 2 35 17.5 9 28 0
80 Taylor 2 30 15.0 11 16 0
85 Buchanan 1 12 12.0 12 12 1

Defense Tackle Assist Sack Int IntYds IntTD
44 Johnstone 10 3 0.0 0 0 0
34 Szczepaniak 9 1 0.0 0 0 0
58 Richmond 8 5 0.0 0 0 0
77 Anderson 7 2 0.0 0 0 0
27 Battle 6 7 0.0 1 0 0

Texas Individual Statistics

Rushing Att Yards Avg Long TD Stufd Sackd
2 Horton 36 115 3.1 14 1 10 0
47 Hanks 11 72 6.5 35 0 4 0
86 Stargell 2 30 15.0 18 1 0 0

Passing Att Comp Yards Yd/Att Long TD Int
2 Horton 18 15 248 13.7 73 1 1

I'll give it up to the Horns...they were down by 15 points at the half but they stuck by their guns...wore my defense down and eventually won the game 29-21. Everything was rosey in Dukie land at the half. DiPietro was his usual self...slicing through the Longhorn defense and Johansen was picking apart the secondary like they've each done in the last 8 games of the season. Then the Texas D tightened up and the Longhorns offense kept moving the ball and with each passing minute it seemed to get easier and easier and they lit up the 2nd half scoreboards with 23 unanswered points. Andy Horton can best be described as the Energizer Bunny. He ran the ball 36 times for 115 yards and 1 TD and then found time to complete an amazing 15 of 18 passes for 248 yards and another TD. The Longhorns dominated the total offense...517-288 and TOP...38:09 to 21:51. And they held us to 0-8 3rd down conversions. Real solid performance. Now we'll just lick our wounds and look forward to next season.

Next up - The offseason

[MikeVick7]

Playoff Games for 2012

Game Matchup
Championship Game Notre Dame (15-1) 41, UCLA (14-2) 17

Semifinal Game 1 UCLA (14-2) 40, Texas (14-1) 14 (Figures.)
Semifinal Game 2 Notre Dame (15-1) 24, Stanford (13-1) 23

Quarterfinal Game 1 Notre Dame (15-1) 27, Florida (13-1) 7
Quarterfinal Game 2 UCLA (14-2) 14, Michigan (11-2) 12
Quarterfinal Game 3 Texas (14-1) 29, Duke (11-2) 21
Quarterfinal Game 4 Stanford (13-1) 29, Pittsburgh (11-2) 17

Second Round Game 1 Notre Dame (15-1) 31, Louisville (10-2) 3
Second Round Game 2 UCLA (14-2) 27, Utah (10-2) 7
Second Round Game 3 Pittsburgh (11-2) 12, Boston College (11-2) 6
Second Round Game 4 Duke (11-2) 34, Miami of Ohio (12-2) 10
Second Round Game 5 Florida (13-1) 45, Oklahoma (9-4) 19
Second Round Game 6 Stanford (13-1) 48, San Diego State (10-3) 3
Second Round Game 7 Texas (14-1) 20, Barrow (10-3) 14
Second Round Game 8 Michigan (11-2) 35, Rice (9-4) 6

First Round Game 1 Boston College (11-2) 20, Wisconsin (10-2) 13
First Round Game 2 UCLA (14-2) 41, Hawaii (9-3) 13
First Round Game 3 Oklahoma (9-4) 51, Western Michigan (8-5) 24
First Round Game 4 San Diego State (10-3) 35, Louisiana-Monroe (8-4) 28
First Round Game 5 Rice (9-4) 37, Ketchikan (9-3) 10
First Round Game 6 Barrow (10-3) 28, SMU (10-2) 0
First Round Game 7 Miami of Ohio (12-2) 29, Georgia (9-3) 27
First Round Game 8 Notre Dame (15-1) 34, New Mexico (9-3) 9

Notre Dame is becoming the new Michigan. And it doesn't make us feel real great the UT got clobbered by UCLA the week after we lost to them.

[MikeVick7]

Final ACC Standings

2012 Season Standings, Atlantic Coast

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
**Duke 11 2 0 .846 505 209 8 0 0 1.000 358 116 Lost 1
Virginia 9 2 0 .818 478 147 7 1 0 .875 354 86 Won 8
Georgia Tech 6 5 0 .545 345 288 5 3 0 .625 246 206 Lost 1
Florida State 6 5 0 .545 216 303 4 4 0 .500 167 246 Lost 2
Wake Forest 5 6 0 .454 223 318 3 5 0 .375 172 253 Lost 2
North Carolina State 4 7 0 .363 231 282 3 5 0 .375 181 235 Won 2
Maryland 4 7 0 .363 219 300 3 5 0 .375 165 217 Lost 4
North Carolina 3 8 0 .272 198 339 2 6 0 .250 135 261 Lost 1
Clemson 1 10 0 .090 163 369 1 7 0 .125 115 273 Lost 7


Final Top 25

Overall Rankings

School Record Conf Comp Poll Loss Sched Total Rank
Notre Dame 15-1 IND 1.00 2.00 1.00 0.08 4.08 1
Stanford 13-1 P10 2.00 3.00 1.00 0.16 6.16 2
Texas 14-1 B12 4.25 1.00 1.00 1.72 7.97 3
UCLA 14-2 P10 3.25 6.00 2.00 0.04 11.29 4
Florida 13-1 SEC 4.75 5.00 1.00 0.60 11.35 5
Boston College 11-2 BEC 3.75 7.00 2.00 0.64 13.39 6
Michigan 11-2 B10 7.00 4.00 2.00 0.68 13.68 7
Wisconsin 10-2 B10 7.50 9.50 2.00 1.32 20.32 8
Miami of Ohio 12-2 MUS 8.50 11.00 2.00 1.92 23.42 9
**Duke 11-2 ACC 10.75 11.00 2.00 1.04 24.79 10
Pittsburgh 11-2 BEC 11.50 10.50 2.00 2.00 26.00 11
Utah 10-2 MTW 13.75 9.00 2.00 1.96 26.71 12
Oklahoma 9-4 B12 14.00 16.00 4.00 0.76 34.76 13
SMU 10-2 WAC 20.25 13.00 2.00 3.44 38.69 14
Barrow 10-3 SCE 14.75 19.00 3.00 3.76 40.51 15
Virginia 9-2 ACC 24.75 13.00 2.00 4.96 44.71 16
Washington 8-3 P10 22.25 18.00 3.00 2.28 45.53 17
Georgia 9-3 SEC 20.50 21.00 3.00 1.76 46.26 18
Louisville 10-2 USA 22.75 18.00 2.00 4.08 46.83 19
San Diego State 10-3 MTW 16.25 27.00 3.00 1.44 47.69 20
Syracuse 8-3 BEC 22.50 19.00 3.00 3.24 47.74 21
Illinois 8-3 B10 18.25 23.50 3.00 3.72 48.47 22
Hawaii 9-3 WAC 28.00 19.00 3.00 1.08 51.08 23
South Carolina 9-2 SEC 25.00 20.00 2.00 4.68 51.68 24
Rice 9-4 WAC 24.00 22.00 4.00 3.60 53.60 25

[MikeVick7]

Post Season Awards

Atlantic Coast Major Awards for 2012

Award Player Team
**Conference MVP Rodney DiPietro Duke
**Top Offensive Player Rodney DiPietro Duke
**Top Defensive Player Lee Battle Duke
Top Offensive Freshman Craig Jennings Virginia
Top Defensive Freshman Cory Barnes Wake Forest

Atlantic Coast First-Team Awards for 2012

Award Player Team
**Running Back Rodney DiPietro Duke
**Tight End Bob Coons Duke
**Offensive Tackle Steven Devine Duke
**Kicker Scott Ulmer Duke
**Inside Linebacker Tim Sedor Duke
**Cornerback Vincent Bernier Duke
**Safety Lee Battle Duke

Atlantic Coast Second-Team Awards for 2012

Award Player Team
**Quarterback Wally Johansen Duke
**Wide Receiver Skip Driver Duke
**Offensive Guard Trent Brazinski Duke
**Offensive Tackle Edwin McIntyre Duke
**Outside Linebacker Stephen Washington Duke
**Cornerback Ralph Donovan Duke

We claim our 3rd straight ACC MVP with Rodney DiPietro coming out of nowhere to grab the title. And Lee Battle becomes our first conference Defensive Player of the Year. And we gotta tip our hats to Johansen. He was our 2nd string guy who really played well in place of the injured Pritchett. He'll return as our starter next season.

The National Player of the Year is SMU RB Rich Gunn.

Rushing: 465-2105 yards and 17 TD's.
Receiving: 44 catches for 436 yards and 2 TD's.

Gunn ends his college career as the NCAA's all-time leading rusher. He ends up with 1484 carries for 6851 yards (both records) and 70 TD's.

[MikeVick7]

2012 Summary for Duke

Record: 11-2
Rank: 9

Duke Team Rank
Rushes 457 32 (T)
Rushing Yards 1994 24
Yards Per Carry 4.36 8
Pass Attempts 376 25
Completions 237 9
Passing Yards 3267 12
Yards Per Attempt 8.68 17
3rd Down Conversions 37.8 26 (T)
Points Per Game 38.8 5
Turnovers 18 40 (T)
Turnover Margin +13 8 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 443 103 (T)
Rushing Yards 1207 26 (T)
Yards Per Carry 2.72 16
Pass Attempts 381 119
Completions 192 100 (T)
Passing Yards 2550 98
Yards Per Attempt 6.69 44
3rd Down Conversions 32.2 38
Points Per Game 16.0 19
Turnovers 31 5 (T)

Primary Formation: Pro Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 37 MDTN (34) 24
3 37 UNOR (115) 6
4 18 at MIAO (13) 24
5 34 VIRG (12) 31
6 45 at NCST (80) 23
7 44 GATC (44) 14
8 41 FLST (35) 7
10 56 at MARY (89) 14
11 38 at CLEM (119) 7
12 55 WAKE (75) 10
13 45 at NCAR (101) 10
17 34 vs MIAO (13) 10
18 21 vs TEXS (1) 29

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
3 Johansen QB 292 175 2387 8.17 28 14
10 Pritchett QB 58 40 603 10.39 3 1
Team --- 376 237 3267 8.68 34 15

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
22 DiPietro RB 297 1718 5.78 20 90 164
3 Johansen QB 60 -35 -0.58 1 33 178
41 Herndon RB 58 201 3.46 3 11 9
Team --- 457 1994 4.36 25 149 400

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
82 Driver WR 82 46 764 16.6 292 6
22 DiPietro RB 68 56 651 11.6 360 6
80 Taylor WR 66 37 664 17.9 212 5
83 Landeta WR 45 26 470 18.0 164 5
29 Zatechka FB 44 28 225 8.0 111 3
86 Coons TE 35 24 298 12.4 153 5
2 Foster WR 16 10 100 10.0 41 3
Team --- 376 237 3267 13.7 1375 34

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
27 Battle S 81 39 0.0 14 4 11
93 Sedor ILB 78 19 10.0 26 1 4
34 Szczepaniak S 70 20 0.0 8 0 4
57 Washington OLB 45 20 3.5 10 1 3
70 Rayburn DT 42 17 1.0 11 0 2
77 Anderson DE 40 17 8.0 14 0 0
45 Donovan CB 35 16 0.0 3 4 9
99 Olsen OLB 34 7 1.0 5 2 7
33 Bernier CB 32 8 0.0 4 5 9
44 Johnstone ILB 26 9 3.0 7 0 1
39 Bensen CB 25 6 0.0 1 1 1
96 Farrell DT 22 8 1.0 11 0 0
91 Lewis DE 21 6 9.5 13 0 0
94 Crook DT 18 6 5.0 9 0 0
58 Richmond OLB 16 6 0.0 3 0 0
90 Catalano DT 15 7 1.0 6 0 0
Team --- 706 230 49.0 155 21 56

[MikeVick7]

Duke Season Records

Category Players Record Year
Pass Completions Ken Pritchett 258 2010
Passing Yards Ken Pritchett 3377 2010
Passing Touchdowns Ken Pritchett 31 2011
Quarterback Rating Ken Pritchett 159.7 2011
Rushing Attempts Emmitt Ward 323 2010
Rushing Yards Rodney DiPietro 1718 2012
Rushing Touchdowns Rodney DiPietro 20 2012
Yards Per Carry Rodney DiPietro 5.7 2012
Receptions Matt Avalos 66 2010
Receiving Yards Matt Avalos 1032 2009
Receiving Touchdowns Skip Driver 11 2011
Interceptions Ralph Donovan 6 2010
Tackles Johnnie Blackburn 84 2010
Sacks Chuck Lewis 13.5 2011
Field Goals Kenny Everett 23 2010
Key Run Blocks Steven Devine 43 2011
Tackles for Loss Tim Sedor 26 2012
Passes Defensed Ellis Kadletz 16 2010
Touchdown Scored Rodney DiPietro 26 2012
All-Purpose Yards Rodney DiPietro 2369 2012


Duke Career Records

Category Players Record Year
Pass Completions Matt Kimball 591 2007
Passing Yards Matt Kimball 7556 2007
Passing Touchdowns Ken Pritchett 61 2012
Rushing Attempts Emmitt Ward 907 2011
Rushing Yards Emmitt Ward 3967 2011
Rushing Touchdowns Emmitt Ward 44 2011
Receptions Matt Avalos 203 2011
Receiving Yards Matt Avalos 3207 2011
Receiving Touchdowns Kerry Huffman 25 2011
Interceptions Ralph Donovan 16 2012
Tackles Hunter Hickman 299 2007
Sacks Roy Robbins 36.5 2011
Field Goals Kenny Everett 64 2011
Key Run Blocks Steven Devine 104 2012
Tackles for Loss Roy Robbins 64 2011
Passes Defensed Johnnie Blackburn 45 2011
Touchdown Scored Emmitt Ward 55 2011
All-Purpose Yards Emmitt Ward 5267 2011