Here Comes Duke
I really couldn’t see Sean Renfree playing quarterback for Wake Forest.
Not because he’s not good enough. He’s plenty good, as he proved last night by completing 31 of 39 for 350 yards in his first start against Elon.
It’s just that he’s 6-5, and none of the quarterbacks I’ve seen play for Jim Grobe have been anywhere close to that tall.
All the way home from covering the Blue Devils’ 41-27 victory I tried to extrapolate what I saw and compare it to Wake Forest’s 51-13 victory over Presbyterian on Thursday. It’s tricky business, extrapolating, given that not all competition is created equal and little if anything in life is static. Some teams improve faster than others and there’s that old coaches’ saw about how a team makes its greatest strides from the first game to the second.
But if you haven’t heard, Duke is due in BB&T Field Saturday for a monster game for both programs. For the winner, it’s easy to see a way to six wins and a bowl trip. For the loser, the road will be long and snaky.
The Blue Devils have improved under Coach David Cutcliffe, just as many thought they would. Renfree did look like the real thing, and he has two receivers in Conner Vernon and Donovan Varner who could start for any team in the ACC. Between them, they caught 120 passes last season for 1,793 yards. Last night Vernon caught 10 for 129 yards and Varner snagged seven for 123 yards and a touchdown.
I’m not ready to say the running game is that much improved, though it wouldn’t take much to be better than a year ago, when the Blue Devils managed only 63.5 rushing yards a game. Desmond Scott looks like a strong, fast back, but he was playing against FCS competition.
Other than the passing game, I was most impressed with the pressure the defense was able to put on Elon. Scott Riddle, one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the Southern Conference, completed 22 of 42 for 281 yards, but he also threw two interceptions. And he spent much of the night—especially in the first half—picking himself up off the Wallace Wade turf after getting decked.
So in comparison, Duke’s passing game was much sharper and the Blue Devils made Riddle’s life more miserable than the Deacons made that of Brandon Miley. Both teams have some serious questions about their secondary. My guess is it’ll take at least four touchdowns to win the game, and maybe as many as six.
Now watch the final score end up 10-7.
In this series, you can never tell. If you didn’t learn that in 2006, you’re beyond help.