2010 Duke Football Predictions

The Duke Blue Devils are starting to show some signs of life in the ACC, as the Blue Devils went 3-5 in conference play last season, pretty good for a team that had won just four conference games the previous nine seasons. A lot of credit needs to be given to head coach Davis Cutcliffe, who gets ready for his third season with the Blue Devils. Duke returns 15 starters this season, and for a team that went 5-7 last year, they have to have a pretty good shot at getting to six wins and a bowl game this season. Here is a quick look at what the Blue Devils will bring to the table, plus my prediction on where they finish the year in the ACC.

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Offense: The Blue Devils were pretty efficient throwing the ball last season behind Thaddeus Lewis, but he is gone and Duke must turn to sophomore Sean Renfree, who got in the action in a few games as a last year, throwing for 330 yards with four touchdowns. Renfree will step into a pretty good situation with a talented group of receivers and an experienced offensive line.

At wide receiver the Blue Devils return two of the top wide outs in the ACC this season in junior Donovan Varner and sophomore Conner Vernon. Varner led the Blue Devils in 2009 with 65 catches for 1,047 yards and eight touchdowns. Duke also gets back senior starting wide out Austin Kelly and senior tight end Brett Huffman.

The Blue Devils really struggled to run the ball in 2009, as they averaged just 64 yards a game last season. Sophomore Desmond Scott is back after starting five games in 2009, but Scott ran for just 262 yards and one touchdown. I expect the running game to be much better this season, making the Blue Devils even more of a challenge to opposing teams.

The offensive line has four starters back from last season, but must find a new starting right tackle before the season gets underway. Heading into the fall junior Jon Needham is the leading candidate to take over the job. If this unit improves like it should, the Blue Devils should have an offense that can put up some points this season.

Defense: The Blue Devils still have some work to do on the defensive side of the ball, and will likely struggle again in 2010. Duke has six starters back on this side of the ball, but only two come up front on the defensive line. Sophomore Tyree Glover is expected to start at defensive tackle alongside junior Charlie Hatcher, who had six tackles for loss last season. At defensive end the Blue Devils get back senior Patrick Egboh, and will more than likely move senior Wesley oglesby into the starting unit on the other side.

At linebacker the Blue Devils bring back seniors Damian Thornton and Abraham Kromah, but this unit needs to improve greatly if this team i going to start making it harder on opposing teams to score. Joining the starting unit this season will be senior Adam Banks at the strong-side linebacker spot.

The Blue Devils have not been good against the pass, and only return senior corner Chris Rwabukamba and junior strong safety Matt Daniels, so this unit is likely to struggle again in 2010. Look for junior Johnny Williams to take over at the other corner spot, while Jordan Byas steps in at free safety.

Prediction – 5th ACC Coastal: No question this team is headed in the right direction, but they still have a ways to go before they are going to jump, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. It will be tough for the Blue Devils to get to six wins this season, as they would need a couple big upsets to reach that mark.

Get a complete look at how the conference will shape up this season, by checking out Jimmy Boyd’s 2010 ACC predictions.

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