TCY - Let's Go Duke! Let's Go Duke! (Year 7)
 

Welcome to year 7 of my Duke Blue Devils TCY Dynasty. Feedback is always welcome.

Year 1 (2-10)
Year 2 (2-9)
Year 3 (3-8)
Year 4 (6-5)
Year 5 (5-6)
Year 6 (5-6)

Email Time
Utah has been suspended for rules violations over the past season...they will not be eligible for television revenue or post-season competition for one year.

Rick Gibson has retired from his position as Mid-Atlantic Scout

Archie Gibson has retired from his position as Southeast Scout

Wade Schokoara has retired from his position as Southwest Scout

Steven Easter has retired from his position of Offensive Coordinator. Apparently the pressures of the team's bad performance this year forced him to quit. That sucks...he's the best OC in the nation.

North Carolina State has hired Ronnie Marin from Navy as it's new head coach.

Hirings
Offensive Coordinator - Dexter Chapman (68) He'll probably retire after this season but he has a good ranking and the kids seem to like him. Let's see how he handles the Single Back Offense.

New Scouts
Glenn Bonds - Mid-Atlantic Scout (69)
Jamal Andrews - Southeast Scout (54)
Geoff Burgo - Southwest Scout (54)

Scheduling
We play Ball State on the 2nd half of the home and home this year...then have the annual game with Northwestern at home. And we picked up what we hope will be a easy game vs Lousiana-Lafayette at home in week 3.

Recruiting Summary
Ok well our new scout has a "decent" rating for judging QB skills...but if he's in the ballpark for judging QB talent then our new QB Wally Johansen is a big disappointment. We are however excited with G Bucky Hartman and DE Jermaine Baxter. This was our best recruiting class so far...a #8 rating.

Starting Lineups

Offense
Bates - Pritchett didn't show enough off-season improvement to start...however Bates did. Could be a different QB.
Ward - Actually started all the games last year as a RS Freshman. Needs to be better this year.
Branch - Only caught six balls last year. Gets overshadowed by WR corps.
Hutton - Will be the deep threat. Had 36 catches last season.
Boyer - Was injured after the first game last year. Expect big things from him.
Avalos - Caught 28 passes and 4 TD's as 3rd WR last year.
O-Line - I would like to point out someone on the line but we've never had a lineman win an all conference award for us. LT Emmons is the anchor of this year's line.

Defense
Robbins - Had 7 sacks as a true freshman.
Baxter - Has great potential and great size. Hopefully he won't end up another Strand.
Hopper - Had a ok season as a first year starter last season. Needs to step up.
Hilton - First year as a starter. Decent run-stopper and pass rusher.
Barlow - Barlow progressed so much in the off-season that he'll get the start. Better run-stopper than Judge.
Solorio - Will play SOLB this year. Had 66 tackles in first year.
Boyd - Coming off the suspension. First year starter.
Kadletz - Only 2 Int's last season. Nice improvement in the off-season.
Stokes - First year as a starter. Senior has maxed his potential
Blackburn - Has the greatest talent in the secondary. Will be counted on to do a lot.
Stephenson - RS Sophmore really hasn't seen the field in the first two years.

Special Teams
Copeland - Averaged 35.6 per punt last year. Had great improvement in the off-season.
Everett - 11 for 17 in FG's last year. Also had great off-season improvement.

ACC Predictions
We're predicted to finish 5th just like last season. And once again there is a definite division amongst the teams. There's the top 4 and then everyone else. Hopefully we can change that this year.

Pre-Season Top 25
No surprise here. Michigan is a juggernaut. We really need to make a move up into the top 50 this year.

Week 1

Bye week.

Next up - at Ball State.

Week 2

Duke (0-0) at Ball State (0-0) (-1) No TV

Last season: Duke 31-12

Key Injuries - None

Preview - Kerry Huffman put on a show last year catching 9 passes for 141 yards and 2 TD's. We also turned the ball over 5 times in that game yet still won the game and held them to just 12 points. I like the way Bates improved in the off-season and hopefully he will be a more accurate passer this season. Also Ward is a little bit better back this year as well. Ball State has some decent talent on their team. Their RB Lamont Maloney is a four year starter and has gained 2692 yards in his career and 18 TD's. Their best player is their punter Danny Drake (100/100).
Ball State actually missed a 19 yd FG with :02 left in regulation. I've actually won a title at another school with this offense...it's just been terrible for us. I thought Bates would do better than 23-42 against an ok defense. And if Donovan Barlow has to make 19 tackles every game...it's gonna be a long season. What a warrior though. I can't stand losing these weak non-conference games.

Next up - Louisiana-Lafayette comes to town.

Week 3

Louisiana-Lafayette (0-1) at Duke (0-1) (-8) No TV

First meeting.

Key Injuries
WR Patrick Boyer - Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - Out 6 weeks
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out 13 weeks
LB Donovan Barlow - Concussion - Probable 5 weeks

Well we lose Boyer for the 2nd time in 2 years. This time he may only miss 4 games. Solorio is another blow and if we end up losing Barlow...we'll have to cash in the season.

Preview - Lafayette lost a close game to Miss St in week 2...25-20. They did this with a walk-on QB Trevor Shapiro who are scout ranks a 0 out of a 100. So if we can't jump on this kid...then we might as well forfeit the rest of the season.

Well we'd like to personally thank Louisiana-Lafayette for making us feel like a real football team again today. Harris Bates set a school record in throwing for 6 TD passes in a 56-17 win. Five different players caught touchdown passes in all as we were able to pass at will. On the flipside...we suffered a big setback as we lost Donovan Barlow for basically the next this season and the next (75 weeks). So we'll have to turn back to Trevor Judge to man the ILB spot for us.

Next up - Northwestern at Duke

Week 4

Northwestern (0-2) at Duke (1-1) (-7) No TV

Last season: Northwestern 38-35

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
WR Patrick Boyer - Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - Out 5 weeks
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out 12 weeks
CB Terrell Stokes - Concussion - Probable 2 weeks
RB Emmitt Ward - Broken Nose - Probable 1 week

The injuries continue to pile up. No we have to worry about Terrell Stokes and his concussion. We've now lost 3 starters and 1 back-up for the season. Lord help us.

Preview - Just when I thought that we had become a better club than Northwestern...they come back and beat us up in their place last year. We couldn't stop the run last year and they were one of the first teams to alert us of that. We had a really good game last week and we hope some of that carries over to this week before we head into the conference schedule. On their side of the ball their RB returns...Jamal Minter. The same guy that tore us up for 148 yards last year. So far this year...things have been tough for the Wildcats. They've lost games to Oklahoma St 28-3 and Baylor 45-14. Ouch.
A sluggish game to put it best...but I was real proud of our D. And Trevor Judge played with a little fire under his butt in becoming the MVP with 10 tackles and 2 sacks. Bates had a decent game...going 22-35 and 269 yards and Emmitt Ward contributed the other 2 TD's and 70 yards on the ground. Not sure what's up with our kicker Kenny Everett though...1 for 5 so far this year. Stepping up is in his future.

Next up - Duke at Maryland to kick off the ACC season.

Week 5

Duke (2-1) at Maryland (2-1) (-6) No TV

Last season: A wild one in Durham 28-21 Blue Devils

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out 11 weeks
WR Patrick Boyer - Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - Out 4 weeks
TE Andrew Branch - Sprained Knee - Doubtful 5 weeks
LB Trevor Judge - Broken Nose - Probable 2 weeks
CB Terrell Stokes - Concussion - Probable 1 weeks

Ward recovers from his broken nose and then decided to give it to Judge. So he joins our walking wounded. A bigger blow is TE Andrew Branch...who becomes the latest starter to get a serious injury.

Preview - We closed out the season with a victory over ther Terps. A game where we witnessed 21 points scored in the final 1:18. Luckily we came out on the positive end of that exchange to win our 5th game of the year. Harris Bates had 358 passing yards and 2 TD passes and Kurt Dawson and Kurt Hutton had huge games with 147 and 131 receiving yards respectively. This year Maryland continues to be the power running team they have always been. They rank 39th in rushing yards through 3 games and have their starting QB and RB back this year. But it's FB Adam Bolen who leads their team in rushing yards with 217. They've also been very successful through the air throwing for 718 yards and 7 TD's as well. This one could be rough.
For the second straight week I can say that I'm very happy with my defenses performance. With the game tied at 10 halfway through the 3rd quarter Bates finds a hobbled Andrew Branch from 11 yards out to go ahead 17-10. Then after an Int by the Blue Devil defense...Dwayne Coffey scored on a rare long TD run from 84 yards out to make it 24-10. Then he added another 3 yard TD run to ice it. Once we forced Maryland to pass we knew we had them where we wanted them as Mickey Carlisle threw three 4th quarter Int's. Matt Avalos was the game MVP as he caught 5 passes for 148 yards and a TD. Just a good all around game for this Blue Devil team.

Next up - A tough Virginia squad comes to Durham.

Week 6

#34 Virginia (2-1) (-3) at #48 Duke (3-1) TV5

Last season: 47-21 Virginia

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out 10 weeks
CB Terrell Stokes - Pulled Quadriceps Muscle - Out 6 weeks
WR Patrick Boyer - Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - Out 3 weeks
TE Andrew Branch - Sprained Knee - Questionable 4 weeks
LB Trevor Judge - Broken Nose - Probable 1 weeks
RB Emmitt Ward - Turf Toe - Probable Uknown

Stokes joins the inactive crew. He goes from concussion to pulled muscle. Our backups continue to play well though.

Preview - Virginia proved to be too powerful for us last year as we still have not beat them in six years. In last year's game they ran for 233 and threw for 255...all the while holding us to 185 total yards of offense. So far this year they're 2-1 with their loss coming to the hands of FSU in a shutout 38-0. That give us a little optimism. Harris Bates has quietly putting together a great season. He's thrown for almost 1100 yards in just the first four games along with 11 TD passes. Our defense is greatly improved over the last two years despite the injuries.
Well now there are only two ACC teams that we haven't beat. Another great defensive performance to make it 4 straight for the Blue Devils. This game was a defensive battle throughout as the Cavs were up 7-6. Then Jumbo Hilton picked up a loose ball and ran it back 86 yards for a TD to make it 12-7. Then our D kept on steppin up. They had 6 sacks on the day and repeatedly put the Cavs in long yardage situations. We added two more TD's in the 4th...both by Emmitt Ward...one an 8 yard reception and a 1 yd TD run. What a total turnaround from last year.

Next up - Duke at Clemson

Recruiting Commitments

Week 7

#41 Duke (4-1) at Clemson (3-1) (-11) TV4

Last season: Duke 45 Clemson 16

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out 9 weeks
CB Terrell Stokes - Pulled Quadriceps Muscle - Out 5 weeks
WR Patrick Boyer - Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - Questionable 2 weeks
TE Andrew Branch - Sprained Knee - Questionable 3 weeks
RB Emmitt Ward - Turf Toe - Probable Uknown

That list is shrinking.

Preview - We're on fire right now. We've never been 4-1 in any of our seasons...so we're not sure what to do with ourselves. Last season we beat up on Clemson to the tune of 45-16. This year they're sitting at 3-1 and 2-0 in the conference. They've already beaten NC State and Tech so something must be going right in Death Valley. The thing that the Tigers are doing best this year is they're taking care of the ball. They've only turned the ball over 2 times and forced 13 TO's. The +11 is the best in the nation right now. We'll just need to stop their running game and see if they can stop our passing game. Last year Bates threw for 288 and 3 TD's.
This wild game came down to turnovers. It was apparent early that neither team could stop one another as there was 938 yards of total offense in the game. But Clemson...who was first in the nation in turnovers...ended up throwing 3 Int's and that was a big factor in ending a lot of their drives and giving us good field position. Harris Bates had one his best nights going 22-34 for 361 yards...3 TD's and no int's. The guy that really got us going early though was Matt Avalos. He ended up with 8 catches for 175 yards and a TD. Kurt Hutton had 2 TD catches as well. And...we continue to compliment our passing game with an effective running game this year. On defense...Ralph Donovan had 2 Int's.

Next up - Duke at North Carolina

Recruiting Commitments

Mid-Season Report

Hey...we're 28th!!

Week 8

#35 Duke (5-1) (-5) at North Carolina (2-3) TV5

Last season: 37-24 North Carolina

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out 8 weeks
CB Terrell Stokes - Pulled Quadriceps Muscle - Out 4 weeks
WR Patrick Boyer - Arthroscopic Knee Surgery - Probable 1 weeks
TE Andrew Branch - Sprained Knee - Probable 2 weeks

Preview - Last year UNC embarrassed us 37-24. They were up 37-3 going into the 4th quarter before we slapped on 21 meaningless points in the 4th. The Heels racked up 547 total yards of offense with 205 on the ground and 342 in the air. Just embarrassing. This year...we hope to return the favor as we're back in Chapel Hill. Boyer returns to the starting lineup as the 3rd WR this week along with Branch at TE.
We got to give it to our defense once again today. The rain hampered our offense somewhat...but it luckily didn't affect us as much as it affected the Heels offense. Trevor Judge...picked up his 2nd MVP award of the season as he led the team with 8 tackles and 2 sacks. He brings a different dimension to the ILB spot with his blitzing ability...and this year it's really been effective.

Next up - What now becomes the ACC game of the year...FSU at Duke.

Recruiting Commitments

Week 9

#4 Florida State (6-0) (-10) at #33 Duke (6-1) TV2

Last season: 24-6 Duke

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out Season
CB Terrell Stokes - Pulled Quadriceps Muscle - Doubtful 3 weeks
TE Andrew Branch - Sprained Knee - Probable 1 weeks

Preview - Last year we somehow played defense and won a game against the giant of our conference 24-6. The Noles outgained us 308-218 and doubled our time of possession...but they also allowed 6 sacks which led to many drives stalling out. That win was the lone bright spot in a season full of disappointments. This year however we've had the best start (6-1) and are going into this game with the Noles to battle for first place in the conference.
As good as we've been this year...the Noles have been better. They've outscored their opponents 282-48 through 6 games...and 181-45 in 4 conference games. They've had 3 shutouts already...2 in conference. They're 2nd in scoring at 47 points per game...they only committed 2 turnovers this year and are 2nd in turnover margin. JJ Van Pelt is having a dream season at QB...101-161 for 1493 yards...19 TD's and only 2 Int's. Then you look at their defense...8th in rushing yards allowed...3rd in passing yards allowed and 3rd in points per game. We've got our work cut out for us.
Huge...huge win for our program. For the 2nd year in a row we beat...in my mind...a better Noles team and this season the rewards are a little bit bigger. Sole possession of first place in the ACC. It was another defensive battle...much like last season...as both teams played to a scoreless first quarter. Then with 6:51 left in the 2nd quarter...Emmitt Ward busted out on a 21 yd TD run to put us up 7-0. FSU added a 42 yard FG right before half to make it 7-3. Then FSU took the lead for the first time as JJ Van Pelt hit the Noles top WR Johnnie Rice for a 1 yd TD pass to go up 10-7. Both teams battled until the late in the 4th when we put together an 8 play 92 yard drive for the go ahead TD and then we held onto the win. Emmitt Ward was an unlikely MVP in this game...but he was the reason we were able to even up the TOP which we got killed on last year. Great win for the Blue Devils.

Next up - Bye week.

Recruiting Commitment

Week 10

Bye week.

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out Season
CB Terrell Stokes - Pulled Quadriceps Muscle - Questionable 2 weeks

Next up - Duke at Wake Forest

Recruiting Commitments

Week 11

#31 Duke (7-1) at Wake Forest (3-5) (-2) No TV (No respect...Wake -2?)

Last season: 24-21 Wake Forest

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out SeasonLB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Out 5 weeks
CB Terrell Stokes - Pulled Quadriceps Muscle - Probable 1 weeks

Preview - I think it was good to have a bye week between this game and the FSU game so we can have a week to kind of get over our big fat heads that swelled up after probably our biggest win to date. We still have three tough games left and the first one is against a team that beat us last year...Wake Forest. Wake's struggled again this year...but they are a 2 pt favorite at home against us...so there must be something that Vegas sees in them. Wake again relies on their passing attack...more so than we do...as their rushing game has gone in the tank once again this year...ranked 121st in the nation. Passing-wise though they are 16th. Defensively is where they have their problems as they are 120th against the run and 86th against the pass. After winning their 3 non-conference games...they have lost all 5 of their ACC games so far. We are slowly getting healthy and just at the right time. We'll welcome back CB Terrell Stokes back into the starting lineup this week.
The stormy conditions definitely wreaked havoc on both passing teams today as we just played a little bit smarter ball and won the low scoring affair 17-0. RB Emmitt Ward again showed how much he has improved this year...as in a rainy-type game...he proved to be the steady force that allowed us to win our 8th game of the year. He had 20 carries for 95 yards and another TD. Meanwhile...Harris Bates had a rough day percentage-wise...20-43...but still put up 294 yards and didn't throw any Int's. Our defense was great today...6 more sacks...and our first shutout of the year.

Next up - Georgia Tech at Duke

Recruiting Commitments

Week 12

#11 Georgia Tech (7-1) (-10) at #25 Duke (8-1) TV1 Niiiiiice!!

Last season: Tech 28 Duke 3

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Out Season
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Doubtful 4 weeks

Preview - Welcome to big game of the year #2. Our first appearance on national TV as we are the primary game this week. And the first time we've been ranked in the top 25. Tech...like FSU...is a formidable opponent with some impressive stats especially on defense. They are 5th in rushing yards allowed and 6th in scoring defense at 11.0 ppg. And although they are 7-1...they haven't exactly blown people out. 12-10 over NC State...15-7 over Maryland...24-14 over Wake and their only loss has been vs Clemson...24-16. They run a Trips Formation so like last week...expect a lot of passing yards...weather permitting. We continue our great run but this will be the biggest conference test remaining. Last year they beat us again 28-3 as they and the Wolfpack remain the only two ACC teams we haven't beat yet. They are the last two teams on our schedule. Isn't that kind of ironical and stuff? We really are counting on a big contribution from Emmitt Ward again this week...but will he be able to run against the tough Yellowjacket D? He did against FSU...so we'll see.
The Jackets just had a little bit too much for us in this great game. I really thought our running game would out-perform their's...but it was Kerry Stryzinski who was the workhorse for Tech as he earned game MVP and led his team to the 10 point win. Stryzinski had 90 yards on the ground and 52 more in the air to go with his 2 rushing TD's. Meanwhile...Emmitt Ward was held to 64 yards and no TD's. Tech led throughout...we closed it to 21-14 on a Kurt Hutton TD catch as the 4th quarter began...but Tech would allow no more points and added a FG with 3:15 left to ice it. Now there's a 3-way tie at the top of the ACC. Tech plays at FSU this week...so we're hoping for a Noles win and then if we take care of business at home vs NC State...we should win the conference outright.

Next up - NC State at Duke

Recruiting Commitments

Week 13

North Carolina State (5-5) at #33 Duke (8-3) (-2) No TV

Last season: NC State 24 Duke 13

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Doubtful 8 weeks
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Questionable 3 weeks
WR Matt Avalos - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 9 weeks

Preview - This is big game of the year #3. The task is easy...beat a team we have never beaten before and have a chance to win the ACC title. No problem right? Well we have a couple things in our favor. Better record...we're 8-2...they're 5-5. We're playing at home. And...arguably the best offensive player for the Wolfpack...Jessie Motley...is out for the rest of the year with a torn calf muscle. Motley had 1222 rushing yards and 10 TD's before going down with the injury. Another blow for NC State is their 2nd team all-ACC TE Will Furman is also doubtful with a hyperextended elbow. So for a team that relies on the rushing game...15th in the nation...this is a big blow for them. Meanwhile on our side...we just gotta come out and put some points up on the board. We haven't scored more than 17 points in any game the last three weeks. So while this has been our best season offensively...the last three weeks we haven't lit it up. Hopefully our homefield advantage and better overall health will be big positives for us in our final regular season game. Oh...and go Noles!

On a side note: we had to suspend starting DT Nicky Hopper because he violated team rules. True Fr Troy Farrell...who has been redshirted all season...will get the start in his place.
What a game! The Dukies stormed back with 26 unanswered points to win their first game against NC State and with FSU's win over Georgia Tech...their first ACC Championship! We came looking like crap in the first 20 minutes of the game. NC State took their opening drive in for a Tyrone Matson 15 yd TD catch to go up 7-0. Then they took advantage of a fumble and Nolan Mock scored from 13 yards out to make it 14-0. Then on their next possession...Blaine DeLorraine caught a 14 yd TD pass from Otis Lofton to make it 21-0. Just like old times against the Wolfpack. But then we gained our composure and started hunting down the Pack. First we get a 33 yard FG from Kenny Everett. Then with 4 mins left in the half we get the first of two rushing TD's from Emmitt Ward to make it 21-10 at the half. In the 2nd half...we open up with a 10 yd TD pass from Bates to Boyer to make it 21-17. Then in the 4th...we get our 2nd FG from Everett...this time from 37 yard out to close it to one. Finally we put together a 4 play 63 yard drive and get our 2nd TD from Ward as he takes it in from 7 yards out to put us up for the first time 26-20. Then we get an Int from Darryl Meechan on the Wolfpack's last drive to preserve the win. Speaking of the D...we really got to give it up to Trevor Judge. A starter last season...he was demoted to 2nd string after the development of Donovan Barlow...but after Barlow went down in game two...Judge has stepped up and played very well. He ended up with 12 sacks and 19 TFL's...both led our team.

So again...with the Noles 14-7 win over the Yellowjackets...via the tiebreaker...we win the ACC conference title and advance to the playoffs for the first time.

Next up - The playoffs!!!

Recruiting Commitments

Week 14

Bye week.

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Pulled Groin - Doubtful 3 weeks
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Questionable 7 weeks
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Questionable 2 weeks
WR Matt Avalos - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 8 weeks

Week 15

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Pulled Groin - Questionable 2 weeks
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Questionable 6 weeks
LB Daniel Solorio - Torn Knee Ligament - Probable 1 weeks
WR Matt Avalos - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 8 weeks

Recruiting Commitments

Week 16

Bye week.

ACC Post-season Tournament matchups
#50 Miami of Ohio (7-5) vs #14 Florida State (9-2) (-14) in Michigan City, IN
#6 Michigan (9-2) (-1) vs #17 Georgia Tech (9-2) in Dayton, OH

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Pulled Groin - Questionable 2 weeks
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Questionable 5 weeks
WR Matt Avalos - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 7 weeks

Results
FSU 34 Miami of Ohio 13
Michigan 30 Georgia Tech 23

Next up - Penn State vs Duke

Week 17

#29 Duke (9-2) vs #14 Penn State (10-2) (-13) TV4 in Marietta, GA

First ever meeting

Other ACC Post-season Tournament matchups
#1 Texas (12-0) vs #12 Florida State (10-2) (-3) TV 1 in Brownsville, TX

Key Injuries
LB Donovan Barlow - Repetitive Concussion Syndrome - Out season
DE Jermaine Baxter - Pulled Groin - Probable 1 weeks
DE Jimmy Wayt - High Ankle Sprain - Probable 4 weeks
WR Matt Avalos - Shoulder Tendonitis - Probable 6 weeks

Preview - The match-up with Penn State looks a litle daunting. Their team comes in with some impressive states. Our first problem is trying to stop their QB Russell Maurer. In 12 games this year he has thrown for 2280 yards...31 TD's and only 11 Int's in their Veer offense. The other task is just stopping their offense as a unit. They are 5th in rushing yards and 29th in passing yards...while averaging 40.9 points per game...3rd in the nation. Defensively they are equally as good...5th in the nation in rushing yards allowed...46th in passing yards allowed and 6th in points allowed at 13.0 a game. On the season they have three shutouts and they're only losses have come at Pitt and at Wisconsin. They have a win over Michigan on their resume this season.
On our side of the ball...we'll just have to do what we do best...throw the ball. Harris Bates has thrown for 2957 yards this year with 21 TD passes and only 8 Int's. RB Emmitt Ward has been a huge help down the stretch and on the season he has 822 yards and 10 TD's on the ground. Our defense doesn't quite stack up numbers-wise as compared to the Lions...but we only give up 14.5 points per game...18th in the nation. The fact that Penn State is 46th in the nation against the pass offers up a little hope...but we'll have to take care of the ball and catch a few breaks to beat this powerhouse.

On the injury front...everyone's healthy except for Barlow...and Hopper who was suspended.
Defense ended up being the name of the game in this Round of 16 playoff game. Penn State racked up 6 sacks...5 coming in the 2nd half as they continued to put pressure on Bates and in addition to shutting down our running game they totally confused us in the 2nd half. Penn State put some doubt in our minds early as on the first play from scrimmage Frank Custer took the ball 80 yards for a TD run. But then we buckled down and actually took a 14-7 lead going into the half. Emmitt Ward took it in from 6 yards out with 2:11 left in the first quarter...then Harris Bates found Matt Avalos from 38 yards out in the 2nd quarter to give us the halftime lead. Then the Penn State defense took over. We were actually driving to go up 21-7 when Bates threw a Int in the end zone. to Covey. Penn State then used their next drive to tie it up with a Rufus Craig TD catch. Then after their next drive stalled they punted...we fumbled and Drew Small picked up the fumble and took it 44 yards for a TD to give Penn State the lead for good 21-14. Bryant Dillon added a final TD run of 3 yards with 2:24 left to ice the game. Jerry Covey was all over the field for the Lions as he had 14 tackles and 1 Int.

Other ACC action
Texas 17 FSU 6

Next up - The offseason.

Playoffs
Well surprise...surprise...Michigan wins their 5th title in 7 years. And we can take some solace in losing to the team that lost in the national championship game by only two points.

Final ACC Standings
Yeah that's right. ACC Champs.

Final Top 25
We'll take 35th. Michigan is just ridiculous. Sucks to be Utah.

Post Season Awards
Another nice haul for the Blue Devils. All five players that received awards were all first time winners.

The National Player of the Year was Florida Sr QB Thomas Meyer.

Passing: 260-387 for 3450 yards...34 TD's and 12 Int's. 164.8 QB Rating.

Ok...yeah I'll guess we'll give it to him.

Duke Career Records

Duke Season Records

Wow, congrats! I'm still looking to guide Maryland to the playoffs and I'm on year 9. I've either hit some horrible luck, or I'm the worst coach ever :).

'Grats again!

Thanks! Well I've got Duke's high academic ranking to fall back on...so that has sped up my progress. And thanks for inspiring me to pick this game back up. Keep plugging away with your career...you'll get there.