Showing posts tagged “Kansas Jayhawks”
Mike Potter ·
22 Oct 2009, 4:59 PM ·
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Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, #9, could take his team far if he keeps playing the way he did in the Blue Devils' 49-28 win at N.C. State. (File photo by Rob Rowe)
Duke hasn’t been involved in a “must win” football game in quite some time.
Maybe since 1994, the last time the Blue Devils actually played in a bowl game. Perhaps not coincidentally, that was also the last time Duke beat Maryland at Wallace Wade Stadium.
David Cutcliffe, in his second year as head coach of a Duke program that hasn’t won consistently in a generation, has set winning seasons and bowl games as his stated goal. And after his team’s 49-28 victory at N.C. State two weeks ago that wasn’t out of context, the chuckles have been getting more and more muffled.
Duke is 3-3, 1-1 in ACC play, and since its win over N.C. Central can’t be counted toward the six wins needed for bowl eligibility Duke can go worse than 7-5 to get a football game in December.
Maryland is 2-5 and 1-2, and since the Blue Devils’ other remaining opponents all have better records than Ralph Friedgen’s Terps then Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. game in Durham would appear to be the most likely “W” left on the schedule.
Since it’s hard to see how Duke goes 4-1 in its last five after losing at home to the Terps, that makes this one a must win.
The Terps have won five straight in the series, which has not been contested since 2004 in the ACC’s system of rotating cross-divisional foes.
“Our players don’t know a lot about Maryland, so I did a little bit of education,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “They’re used to winning championships and they’re an annual bowl team and those kids are used to winning. Kids don’t see much past ‘now’ today and all they know is Maryland has had a difficult start. But when you put on the tape they see a good football team. They’ve seen a lot of tape and they know what a good football team looks like and what a bad team looks like.
“A lot of people may take exception to this because of their record, but they’re not a bad football team. They just haven’t taken care of the ball in critical situations and that’s cost them games. Both teams should be hungry for a win. This should make for a pretty good football game.”
Cutcliffe said his game captains for the Maryland contest will be senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, senior defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk, senior linebacker Vincent Rey and redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Kyle Hill. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, Football, N.C. Central, N.C. State Abraham Kromah, Alex Wujciak, Austin Kelly, Ayanga Okpokowuruk, Chris Turner, Da'Rel Scott, Danny Edwards, David Cutcliffe, Demetrius Hartsfield, Desmond Scott, Gary Douglas, Jay Hollingsworth, Joe Vellano, Kansas Jayhawks, Kyle Hill, Lamar Young, Louis Berman, Maryland Terrapins, Masengo Kabongo, Ralph Friedgen, Re'quan Boyette, Richmond Spiders, Thaddeus Lewis, Torrey Smith, Travis Baltz, Tyree Watkins, Vince Oghobaase, Vincent Rey, Virginia Tech
Mike Potter ·
20 Oct 2009, 10:39 PM ·
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Duke's Thaddeus Lewis looks to duplicate his record-setting performance against NC State this weekend, when the Blue Devils face the Maryland Terrapins. (File Photo by Rob Rowe.)
WALLACE WADE STADIUM/DURHAM It’s been quite a while since Duke football was getting this kind of respect.
And the Blue Devils are rarely consensus favorites to win.
But they are this week.
Duke (3-3, 1-1) is coming off an open date following a 49-28 victory at N.C. State that was one of the Blue Devils’ best performances in a very long time. So when Maryland (2-5, 1-2) visits Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday at 1:30, the Blue Devils will be about six-point favorites.
Duke coach David Cutcliffe said before the season started he thought this team should be a bowl team, and that will indeed happen if the Blue Devils win four of their last six games.
Duke hasn’t had more than five wins since the 1994 team went 8-4 and played in the Hall of Fame Bowl.
“Are we favored?” Cutcliffe asked the attendees about the Maryland game at his weekly media luncheon. “Lord, have mercy. … (But) I certainly don’t think we should get big-headed about anything around here. The only thing I want them to do is be confident.
“To become a great program we have to continue to get better every day, not just game day. We can’t afford to do anything but get better every day.”
Now, is winning four of the last six doable? Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, Football, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill David Cutcliffe, Georgia Tech, Kansas Jayhawks, Leon Wright, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, Richmond Spiders, Thaddeus Lewis, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Mike Potter ·
29 Sep 2009, 6:29 PM ·
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WALLACE WADE STADIUM/DURHAM It’s pretty easy for Duke football folks to be feeling pretty good about themselves right now.
The Blue Devils are 2-2 at the end of their non-conference portion of the schedule, and are coming off a 49-14 victory in their spirited new cross-town rivalry with N.C. Central in which Coach David Cutcliffe said his team might have taken some things up a notch - at least at times.
“Coming off the game we’re still looking for consistency,” Cutcliffe (pictured) said at his regular weekly press luncheon at the Brooks Football Building. “It was kind of three games. It was a 21-0 game, and then it was a 0-14 game and then it was a 35-0 game. We kind of showed in that regard what we’re capable of doing if we can put that consistently together.”
Yes, the Blue Devils definitely delivered a knockout punch in the rain against a scrappy and inspired but still outmanned opponent.
But the next assignment is going to get a lot tougher.
On Saturday at noon ACC favorite Virginia Tech (3-1) will visit Wade, sporting a No. 6 national ranking and an eight-game winning streak against the Blue Devils. It’s the first true road game for the Hokies, who ripped then-No. 8 Miami 31-7 on Saturday before eking out a 16-15 win over Nebraska the week before.
There is one thing on the positive side for Duke, and that was the success the Blue Devils had last season in Blacksburg as they shed their reputation as the conference doormat. The Hokies won that game 14-3, but needed a 23-yard interception return from Victor Harris to get a knockout punch. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, N.C. Central David Cutcliffe, Frank Beamer, Kansas Jayhawks, Leon Wright, Marshall, Miami Hurricanes, Thaddeus Lewis, Todd Reesing, Tyrod Taylor, Victor Harris, Virginia Tech
Mike Potter ·
19 Sep 2009, 8:17 PM ·
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At least Duke doesn’t have any more non-conference opponents like this one this season.
Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing (pictured) said he had his best game of the season as the No. 22 Jayhawks blew past the Blue Devils 44-16 in Lawrence.
Duke (1-2) shocked the crowd of 50,000-plus in the opening seconds, as Thaddeus Lewis found Austin Kelly for a 66-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage and then sprinted in from 21 yards out on the next.
But after that the rest of the day belonged to Kansas (3-0), which was playing its toughest opponent so far this season.
“Todd did a great job,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino told The Associated Press. “He threw some balls in tough coverage. (Duke) mixed things up pretty well and gave us a lot of looks, man looks and zone looks. But Todd got in a rhythm and he saw what they were doing.”
Duke didn’t score another touchdown until the fourth quarter when freshman Sean Renfree - who came in to sub for Lewis for the second straight game - hit Donovan Varner from 11 yards out to make it 37-16.
Lewis was 16 of 27 for 184 yards with two interceptions, one of them a 38-yard scoring return from Maxwell Onyegbule early in the third period to help the Jayhawks to a 27-7 lead. Renfree was 14 of 23 for 115 and a score.
Reesing completed 28 of 41 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, and added 50 yards on the ground.
“Todd Reesing is a heck of a quarterback,” Duke safety Matt Daniels told the AP. “He really hurt us a lot with his feet.”
Dezmon Briscoe had six catches for 117 yards and a score, while Jayhawk freshman Toben Opurum rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns.
Duke plays N.C. Central for the first time in the Bull City Gridiron Classic on Sept. 26 at Wallace Wade Stadium.
ACC, Duke, Football, N.C. Central Austin Kelly, Donovan Varner, Kansas Jayhawks, Mark Mangino, Matt Daniels, Maxwell Onyegbule, Sean Renfree, Thaddeus Lewis, Toben Opurum
Mike Potter ·
17 Sep 2009, 4:10 PM ·
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Duke has had a couple of weeks to work its early-season kinks out, and for the first time this season the Blue Devils will get a shot at a big-time Division I FBS team when they visit Kansas on Saturday.
The storied basketball programs from the two schools have met in some awfully big games, but it’s the first meeting in football and in fact Duke’s first time squaring off with an opponent from the Big 12 in 20 years.
Blue Devil coach David Cutcliffe has said he thinks this, his second Duke team, has enough talent to play in a bowl game. Saturday’s trip to Lawrence would be a great opportunity to show it.
“We were better in the second game [than the first game, a 24-16 home loss to FCS superpower Richmond], and we’ll be better in the third game than we were in the first two,” Cutcliffe said. “I’m not as worried about Kansas as I am about Duke. They haven’t played anybody who has played well yet, and we want to be that team.”
He is, though, concerned about KU quarterback Todd Reesing.
“Wherever he is on the field, he can attack any part of the field,” Cutcliffe continued. “You want to maintain your coverage discipline. … If my quarterback’s uniform is clean after the game, there’s a chance we played a very good game.”
Blue Devil senior defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk (pictured) said his team is going to have to raise its playing level a notch to have a chance for an upset. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, Football Arist Wright, Army Black Knights, Ayanga Okpokowuruk, Caleb Blakesley, Conner Vernon, Danny Parker, David Cutcliffe, Jacob Branstetter, Jake Sharp, Jay Hollingsworth, Johnny Williams, Justin Thornton, Kansas Jayhawks, Kerry Meier, Mark Mangino, Re'quan Boyette, Richmond Spiders, Sean Renfree, Thaddeus Lewis, Tim Biere, Todd Reesing, Vince Oghobaase, Vincent Rey
Mike Potter ·
15 Sep 2009, 5:16 PM ·
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WALLACE WADE STADIUM/DURHAM There’s not much wrong with a football team that the kind of win Duke had Saturday at Army can’t help solve.
The game was close throughout until the Blue Devils thoroughly dominated the conclusion, as Leon Wright (pictured) returned interceptions for touchdowns on two straight Army plays in the final two minutes to change the score from 21-13 to 35-13 en route to a 35-19 romp.
“I don’t know if that has ever happened in the history of college football,” Blue Devil coach David Cutcliffe, whose 1-1 team will face a much bigger challenge on Saturday at No. 22 Kansas (2-0), said during his weekly press conference at the Brooks Football Building.
Duke has never played Kansas in football, and last played a Big 12 team in 1989.
The win at Army broke Duke’s six-game losing streak.
“It just made the win even more special, I guess,” Wright, who was ACC defensive back of the week, said about the exclamation points on the end of Saturday’s win. “We work on finishing so much. It was great to finish a great team such as Army. It made it so they couldn’t go in and go for two and win the game in overtime.”
Duke’s other big contributor against Army was freshman quarterback Sean Renfree, who came off the bench for senior Thaddeus Lewis in his first college appearance and threw for two touchdown passes.
“It definitely helped me,” Lewis, who has been fighting an ankle injury for six weeks, said of Renfree’s outing. “When you’re a competitor you want your teammates to excel. This is a team thing.
“That’s what I wanted to see about Sean. People will know once I leave here the Blue Devils will have a great quarterback. We compete and make each other better.”
Kansas has beaten Northern Colorado 49-3 and then UTEP on the road, 34-7.
Jayhawk quarterback Todd Reesing is the big weapon, completing 38 of 61 passes for 481 yards and three touchdowns in the two easy wins.
“We’ve got to switch gears,” said Duke defensive end Ayanga Okpokowuruk, who along with Wright, offensive tackle Kyle Hill and center Bryan Morgan are the Blue Devils’ game captains this week. “This is a good team we’re about to play, a very good team. But our focus is on us and making sure we get better doing what we need to do every game. … (Reesing) is a good quarterback. He likes to scramble a lot.”
Cutcliffe said the trip to play the Jayhawks is going to be a very big test.
“Kansas is a really, really good football team,” the coach said. “I enjoyed watching them in the summer. This week, it’s not so much fun to watch them. They’re well-coached in the offense, defense and the kicking game. I think they’re one of the top 15 teams in the country.
Now, how do you beat a top 15 team? Take care of the ball, play great in the kicking game and try to find a way to make big plays.
“They’re really stingy defensively. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s been a long time since Duke has been able to beat a ranked team on the road.”
ACC, Duke, Football Army Black Knights, Ayanga Okpokowuruk, Bryan Morgan, David Cutcliffe, Kansas Jayhawks, Kyle Hill, Leon Wright, Sean Renfree, Thaddeus Lewis, Todd Reesing
Mike Potter ·
12 Sep 2009, 10:38 PM ·
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Freshman quarterback Sean Renfree came off the bench to put Duke ahead, and then Leon Wright came up with two huge defensive plays in the final 1:48 as the Blue Devils beat homestanding Army 35-19 and ended their six-game losing streak.
Renfree connected with Brett Huffman from 17 yards out on his second collegiate play after he took over for Thaddeus Lewis to give Duke a 13-10 lead early in the third quarter, and the Blue Devils didn’t trail again in improving to 1-1.
Duke now leads the series with the Black Knights 11-9-1.
Renfree (pictured) finished with two touchdown passes, completing six of seven passes for 90 yards to help the Blue Devils to a much-needed victory.
“I had intended to play him last week (in the Blue Devils’ season-opening loss to Richmond) and didn’t, and I made my mind up we would play him regardless of circumstance,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe told The Associated Press.
“It’s not any kind of statement or anything other than just confidence in Sean. … I had decided I wanted Sean in there in that series, unless we’re backed up.”
Army led 10-0 before the senior Lewis, who completed five of 17 passes for 60 yards, completed his 50th career touchdown pass to freshman Conner Vernon in the second quarter.
With Duke up 21-13 going into the final two minutes Wright returned two interceptions of Carson Williams passes for touchdowns in a 16-second span to nail down the win.
Army is also 1-1.
Duke will visit Kansas on Sept. 19.
ACC, Duke Army Black Knights, Brett Huffman, Carson Williams, Conner Vernon, David Cutcliffe, Kansas Jayhawks, Leon Wright, Sean Renfree, Thaddeus Lewis
Mike Potter ·
21 Jul 2009, 9:34 AM ·
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The Germans are apparently a lot better at baseball than most Americans might think.
Former Minnesota Twins farmhand Tim Henkenjohann (pictured) fired a solid 8 2/3 innings while teammates blasted three home runs, leading Germany to a 6-3 win over USA Baseball’s National Team in the World Baseball Challenge late Monday night in Prince George, British Columbia.
The USA is 1-1 so far in the six-team event, which includes three Canadian squads, while the Germans are 2-1. The tournament consists of a round-robin, moving on to the elimination round on Friday with the title game on Sunday at 7 (EDT).
Jendrick Speer had a solo homer and Simon Guerhing a two-run shot off Kansas’ T.J. Walz in the fourth inning to give the Germans the lead for good.
The Americans scored on an error in the fifth, but could get no closer.
Germany’s Michael Franke added a two-run homer in the sixth off Louisville’s Tony Zych, then made it 6-1 in the eighth on a balk from UCLA’s Trevor Bauer.
Miami’s Yasmani Grandal and Arizona State’s Matt Newman hit solo homers in the ninth to chase Henkenjohann before Martin Almstetter got the save.
Tonight at 10 (EDT) the USA will take on The Bahamas (0-3), with the Citadel’s Asher Wojciechowski on the hill.
ACC, Baseball, USA Baseball Arizona State, Bahamas, British Columbia, Canada, Jendrick Speer, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisville Cardinals, Matt Newman, Miami Hurricanes, Michael Franke, Minnesota Twins, Prince George, Simon Guerhing, T.J. Walz, The Citadel, Tim Henkenjohann, Tony Zych, Trevor Bauer, UCLA, World Baseball Challenge, Yasmani Grandal
Mike Potter ·
13 Jul 2009, 9:28 AM ·
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Six unearned runs in one inning will do it every time.
Japan rallied for a half-dozen in the third inning, and then held on for a 7-5 victory over USA Baseball’s National Team at the Tokyo Dome to tie the 37th Collegiate Friendship Series at one win apiece.
It’s an annual best-of-5 series, and Game 5 will be played even if somebody sweeps the next two.
Yuki Saito, a national hero in Japan known as “The Handkerchief Prince,” was the winning pitcher while Ole Miss’ Drew Pomeranz (2-1) took the loss.
Arizona State’s Matt Newman (pictured) - who finished 3-for-5 with four RBI - and Arkansas’ Andy Wilkins had RBI singles to give the USA a 2-0 lead in the first.
But the hosts got their six runs in the third after a Pomeranz throwing error. Takanori Sato’s two-run double was the big hit in the frame.
Japan made it 7-2 on a wild pitch from Kansas’ T.J. Walz in the sixth inning.
The Americans responded with three in the seventh on Newman’s bases-clearing double, but could get no closer.
Game 3 is Tuesday at 5 a.m. (EDT) in Sendai, Japan.
Baseball, USA Baseball, Uncategorized Andy Wilkins, Arizona State, Arkansas Razorbacks, Drew Pomeranz, Handkerchief Prince, Japan, Kansas Jayhawks, Matt Newman, Mississippi Rebels, Ole Miss, T.J. Walz, Takanori Sato, Tokyo Dome, Yuki Saito
Mike Potter ·
6 Jul 2009, 11:21 PM ·
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Domestic opposition may be giving USA Baseball’s National Team its first serious competition of the season, but for the second straight day the Red, White and Blue won a three-run victory.
Bryce Brentz (pictured) of Middle Tennessee led the way with a double and a single for two RBI in a 5-2 victory over the Holyoke Blue Sox of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
The crowd of 4,811 was a park record.
Jake Rosenbeck of Buffalo homered for Holyoke in the first inning off Kansas’ eventual winning pitcher T.J. Walz (2-0), just the second homer USA pitching has allowed this season.
The USA set a National Team club record with 11 stolen bases in the contest, with four steals from Cal State-Fullerton’s Christian Colon setting a new individual mark.
The Red, White and Blue’s winning streak is 35 games. Tuesday’s scheduled contest with the NECBL’s North Shore Navigators in Lynn, Mass., has been cancelled because of rain. The team now heads to Japan for six games including the annual five-game Friendship Series with its Japanese counterpart.
Baseball, USA Baseball Bryce Brentz, Buffalo Bulls, Christian Colon, Holyoke Blue Sox, Jake Rosenbeck, Japan, Kansas Jayhawks, Lynn, Middle Tennessee, NECBL, North Shore Navigators, T.J. Walz
