6 questions about Duke
Greetings-
The weekly Q&A with a beat writer who covers Georgia Tech’s opponent. This week, Steve Wiseman of the Durham Herald-Sun was gracious enough to answer some questions about the Blue Devils. Steve has been covering Duke for the Herald-Sun since Aug. 2010. He’s previously worked at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, the Biloxi Sun-Herald and the State in Columbia, covering the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and South Carolina, respectively. You can follow him on Twitter here and read his stuff here.
1. To what degree have Duke’s injuries cost the Blue Devils? Could their record be a win or two better if they’d been healthy?
Injuries have really cost Duke this year. It started early when Will Snyderwine, the preseason all-ACC kicker, suffered a foot injury in preseason camp. He missed two chip-shot field goals in a 23-21 loss to Richmond and has never been the same. He also had a big miss in the 24-23 loss to Wake Forest. So that’s two wins right there. The Blue Devils will have seven players from their two-deep unavailable for Saturday’s game with Georgia Tech.
2. Duke has played a lot of teams close only to lose in the fourth quarter. Do you see any patterns in how those games have been lost?
In David Cutcliffe’s four years on the job, he’s upgraded facilities and improved Duke’s recruiting. The talent in the freshmen and sophomore classes is superior to the junior and senior classes. But Cutcliffe and his staff have been unable to teach the Blue Devils how to win games. One game, it’s a key penalty or turnover that costs them. In another it will be blown assignments on defense, the offensive line allowing a key sack or a running back not getting to the hole fast enough. The 14-10 loss to Virginia Tech is a good example, as are the Wake Forest and Richmond losses. Duke has yet to give Cutcliffe a signature win, despite several chances.
3. Is safety Matt Daniels that good or does he have that many tackles (10.2 per game) because he’s the last line of defense?
Daniels is a legitimate defender, particularly against the run. He has good size, decent speed and is smart about the routes he takes to the ball carrier. Cutcliffe is touting him as an All-American candidate, which is a tough sell because of the team he plays on. Daniels does tend to get exposed in passing coverage – Florida State burned him on a couple of deep routes – and that will keep him from being any more than a late-round pick or undrafted free agent in the NFL next year. But the kid is very smart, a hard worker and one of the team’s steadiest players for sure.
4. What are Sean Renfree’s strengths and weaknesses, and where do you place him among ACC quarterbacks?
Renfree is a classic drop-back, pro-style quarterback. He’s 6-5 and has the ability to see the field well. He suffered a torn ACL in 2009, which has limited his mobility. Many observers, myself included, thought he would take a big step forward this season and become one of the ACC’s top quarterbacks. But it just hasn’t happened. At times, he looks brilliant. At other times, he’s somewhat erratic. I believe he tends to over think things and it hamstrings him. When he is playing loose and free, he’ll lead a team downfield. But for now he’s in the middle of the pack in the ACC.
5. What would you say is the over/under on attendance Saturday?
22,000. It’s going to be cool and, frankly, the fan base has turned its attention to basketball. Duke is on a five-game losing streak and in real danger of closing out with seven losses. Not a pretty sight.
6. What are a few restaurants or bars you’d recommend to Tech fans going to the game?
The place nearest to Wallace Wade Stadium is the Bull Durham Bar and Grill at the Washington Duke Inn. It’s about a three-block walk to the stadium from there. Other than that, there’s really not much on campus. Two sports bars popular throughout the Triangle have locations in Durham – the Carolina Ale House and the Tobacco Road Sports Café. Tobacco Road is in downtown Durham and overlooks the left-field wall at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, so that’s different. Ale House has lots of seating and a long list of brew choices and good food. One other popular local place is Satisfaction, also in downtown Durham.
Thanks for reading. This is probably it until Saturday.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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295 comments Add your comment
GTBob
November 18th, 2011
10:16 am
UGA’s signature win in the past 3 years? Georgia Tech in 2009. Other then that I guess its Auburn from this year? That is just sad.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:17 am
UGA’s best win: Auburn, getting NO VOTES in the Coaches Poll.
Buzzed
November 18th, 2011
10:18 am
Tough story about the OK ST coaches’ deaths. So, yeah, there is more to life than football. But, generally speaking, during football season, there isn’t really. Planning, planning, planning. I don’t give up much to make my way around the Southeast.
SansWorld
November 18th, 2011
10:20 am
Dawgfan, et al.
CPJ is 7 – 5 against top 25 teams while at tech.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:21 am
ACC vs. SEC: 5-5 in the last 10. 1-0 this year. could go 5-0 this year.
Delbert D.
November 18th, 2011
10:23 am
The NCAA Basketball Tournament is not based on polls, nor is the FCS Football Tournament. Obviously, the selection committees see what the writers and coaches think, but there almost always is an argument about why Team X got selected instead of Team Y. VCU last year is a good example.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 18th, 2011
10:23 am
Which bowl does the ACC runner-up play in? Teeheehee. May get the SEC number 6.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:25 am
Gorilla, SEC #6 is #97 in total yards… can’t wait.
Bobby Dodds Ghost
November 18th, 2011
10:27 am
Techs playing its 5th game against a team with 3 or fewer wins. tough schedule.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:28 am
Tough schedule is the SEC Least: UGA has wins against teams that are 10-30 in SEC play.
Wish we played in the SEC LEAST.
Buzzboy47
November 18th, 2011
10:28 am
I am disappointed because I used to have your IPad app free and now you guys are charging 9.99 through Apple ITunes to get the same app.I live In the Florida panhandle now and the local newspaper app is free down here.
GTBob
November 18th, 2011
10:29 am
Is the SEC even going to have 6 bowl eligible teams this year?
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:32 am
Tallest midget in the SEC LEAST: UGA.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
10:32 am
Buzzed, to be honest, I envy you being able to get to away games. I used to go to as many as I could, but never to all of them. I just have too many other things I need to be doing now to do that. Plus, there are places like Athens that I will never go to again, even though it’s definitely within driving distance. The drive itself, however, is on narrow, crowded roads. Parking is next to impossible and incredibly expensive for visitors, and the visiting teams’ fans always get terrible seats, not that with the incline of that stadium, there are any seats that I would truly call “good”. I know it’s a matter of preference, but I don’t like being a mile away from the playing field. And then there are the fans…..by far the rudest, crudest fans of any school I have ever visited, and I have been to games at most of the SEC schools and most of the ACC schools, plus Notre Dame and Southern Cal.
Bobby Dodds Ghost
November 18th, 2011
10:35 am
75% of the losses of Georgias opponents are against top 15 teams. What would techs record be playing Tennessee schedule, probably 4-6 or 3-7.Vandy and Miss State are better teams than Tech.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
10:36 am
Ghost, since Johnson arrived at Tech, Tech is 2-0 against Miss State, and 2-0 against Vandy
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:37 am
UGA would be 4-6 or 3-7 with Tennessee’s schedule numbnuts.
Who’s the best team UGA beat? Afraid to answer?
Moobs
November 18th, 2011
10:39 am
Bob, poor, poor, Bob. Tech’s signature win in the past 10 years? UGA 2010…. no, UGA 2009…. no, UGA 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001……..NOOOO. I guess it would be the one win in 10 years, 2008?
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
10:39 am
Ghost, I also doubt your statistics on percentage wins, because all those teams that Georgia beat don’t just play teams in the top 15; they play the same losing teams that the mutts play, but with LSU and/or Bama thrown in. There is no way that they could all have 75% of their losses against top 15 teams.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:42 am
Moobs: signature win is VT 2009. Closely followed by Clemson 2011. Both top 5 teams.
When was the last time UGA beat a top 5 team?
Buzzed
November 18th, 2011
10:42 am
Super: When you say ‘bad seats’, you’re talking about the kind in your upper north endzone, right? Like where I’ll be sitting next weekend? Speaking of expensive, my tickets next week are $75/each. How much do you guys have to pay for games in Athens?
Bobby Dodds Ghost
November 18th, 2011
10:46 am
Hate to break it to you Joe but Georgia has beaten 5 teams that are better than tech. We beat Tennessee when bray was playing. And next Saturday the generations of domination will continue.
if techs beats duke on Saturday 5 of their Victories will have come against teams with a combined record of 10-42.
Delbert D.
November 18th, 2011
10:46 am
Also, 100% of Georgia’s losses are against top 15 teams. Using your percentage, 25% of Georgia opponents’ losses were against teams not in the top 15.
“What ifs” are always fun. What if Georgia Tech beat Mississippi St. 2 years in a row?
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:48 am
ghost: tennessee?!?!??!! #96 in total yards? BWAHAHAHHAHAHAH
Idiot.
Bobby Dodds Ghost
November 18th, 2011
10:49 am
Miss.State is much better than it was two years ago Is tech? Miss. state has recruited better players , same can’t be said for tech.
Delbert D.
November 18th, 2011
10:49 am
“Hate to break it to you Joe but Georgia has beaten 5 teams that are better than tech.”
Switching from facts to opinions. Don’t think that we didn’t notice.
ToeMeetsLeather
November 18th, 2011
10:49 am
Gorrilla, you’ll get your chance with LSU. We’ll see how that works out for ya’ chief.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:50 am
Let’s look at the UGA wins: Coastal Carolina and the Missy Sisters. New Mexico Community. The the SEC GAUNTLET of Florida (worst UF team in 30 years), Auburn, Tenn, KY, Candy Vandy (lucky to win that one). Even SC is horrible, almost lost to Navy.
Yeah, SEC LEAST.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 18th, 2011
10:51 am
Impressive lineup of holiday fare.
Chick-fil-A Bowl Atlanta, Georgia, ACC #2 vs. SEC #5
Champs Sports Bowl Orlando, Florida, ACC #3 vs. Big East #2 or Notre Dame
Hyundai Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas, Pac-12 #4 vs. ACC #4
Belk Bowl Charlotte, North Carolina, ACC #5 vs. Big East #3
Franklin American
Mortgage Music City Bowl Nashville, Tennessee, ACC #6 vs. SEC #7/8
Advocare V100
Independence Bowl Shreveport, Louisiana, ACC #7 vs. MWC #3
How many nerds will go to El Paso?
Military Bowl
2008 ACC #8 Navy ‘11, Army ‘12,
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
2002 Pac-12 #6 Army ‘11, Navy ‘12, BYU ‘13 ACC #9
GTBob
November 18th, 2011
10:51 am
We beat Tennessee when bray was playing.
Yeah, because they were world beaters before Bray got hurt. They only lost to a bad Florida team by 10. Face it, you haven’t beaten a good team this year. You have only played one good team and you got destroyed.
Bobby Dodds Ghost
November 18th, 2011
10:55 am
Florida 5 losses all against top 25.
Miss. state 4 against top 25
Ole miss 8 losses 4 against top 25
auburn 4 losses all against top 25
Vandy 5 losses 4 against top 25
Tennessee 5 against top 25
Costal carolina 4 losses 1 agaisnt top 25
New Mex st 6 losses 1 against top 25
Gorilla Biscuit
November 18th, 2011
10:56 am
ToeMeetsLeather, at least we’ll get a shot to be champions. Tech has NO shot.
Bobby Dodds Ghost
November 18th, 2011
10:57 am
And we don’t play another good team until SEC championship game, only can beat and play teams on the schedule.Florida would most likely beat tech so what does that make tech?
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
10:59 am
Ghost: all your little list proves is that UGA opponents are OUT OF THEIR LEAGUES when playing top 25 opponents.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
10:59 am
Buzzed, I have never sat in the upper north stands at Grant Field, but I have heard that you really get a great view of the field from there. Like I said, it’s a matter of preference. I know Sanford Stadium is beautiful, but I just don’t care for the incline there and the bowl shape that means you are SOOOO far away from the field. I don’t know how much seats in Athens cost, because I haven’t been there in years. I do know that the Kansas game in Lawrence, Kansas last year cost 80 bucks a seat. I thought that was outrageous, but I think it’s pretty much par for the course throughout the country.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
11:00 am
Gorilla: get a shot at being champions? LOL! More like “get shot by the champions”.
LSU 65-0.
carolinajacket
November 18th, 2011
11:00 am
I’m no Oklahoma State fan, but now, after the tragic loss of the two women’s basketball coaches, I hope the football team wins the championship. It will be interesting to see if it affects their play Saturday.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
11:01 am
Ghost: Techs #19 total offense will be the best offense you faced all year, by a mile. Boises #35 offense TORCHED you, in case you forgot.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
11:01 am
Ghost, you’re changing your criteria now. Originally you said top 15 teams; now you’ve expanded it to top 25. I’m pretty sure the teams Georgia has beaten do not have 75% of their losses against top 15 teams, which was your original claim
Delbert D.
November 18th, 2011
11:02 am
“Florida would most likely beat tech so what does that make tech?”
The victim of speculation.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 18th, 2011
11:02 am
GT Joe, that just goes to show how ignorant you are. That could be the reason you’ve had trouble landing a job.
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
11:03 am
Why would you think I don’t have a job?
Bobby Dodds Ghost
November 18th, 2011
11:04 am
Let tech play Tennessee’s schedule and see where its offense is rated. Five losses against the #1 ,2 .4,7 and 12th ranked defense in country. Tech over past 5 game averages 21 points and 343 yards offense. Thats against the number 11, 29. 58, 62 and 118 ranked defenses.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
11:04 am
What’s happened with the filters all of a sudden?
GT Joe
November 18th, 2011
11:04 am
SECCG: another UGA massacre at the Dome. Twice in one year.
Gorilla Biscuit
November 18th, 2011
11:05 am
“Ghost: Techs #19 total offense will be the best offense you faced all year, by a mile.”
One dimensional. What’re you going to do when Georgia shuts down the dive and the pitch and makes Tevin Washington win the game? Tevin Washington!!
Besides ya’ll be so far behind by the second quarter that your vaunted rushing attack will become null.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
11:05 am
Ghost, let the mutts play Tennessee’s schedule and see where it is rated afterwards.
GTBob
November 18th, 2011
11:05 am
Bobby Dodds Ghost, nice stats on all of those teams and their losses to top 25 teams. Now show their wins over top 25 teams.
Delbert D.
November 18th, 2011
11:06 am
This has been an interesting discussion; thanks for that, guys on both sides. I have to sign out for awhile.
Supersize that order, mutt
November 18th, 2011
11:06 am
later, Delbert