WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Cutcliffe: Success for Duke starts with better ability to finish

By Dave Nathan

Aug 3, 2008

Football season is just beginning, but Duke head coach David Cutcliffe is already looking ahead to the finish line. On Sunday afternoon at the Blue Devils media day, the first year coach was adamant that his team will finish better. Whether it’s a drill, a practice, a game, or the season, expect Cutcliffe and his staff to put plenty of emphasis on what happens last.

“What’s going to define this Duke team is November,” Cutcliffe said. “We have a seven game stretch without an open date. This team being able to finish better, whether it’s the fourth quarter or the end of the season is going to define this team. We’d like to get out of the chute and play well. And winning hopefully comes with playing well...I think the critical parts of all of this is how we finish in November.”

Of course, the Blue Devils wrap-up the season’s final month with games at Wake Forest, Clemson, and Virginia Tech. Duke also hosts N.C. State and UNC during that stretch.

While growing up, Cutcliffe’s father taught him what it took to finish strong. Those life lessons have followed him throughout his career. They’re also beginning to rub off on his new team.

“This was my finish lesson early,” Cutcliffe said as he reminisced about one of his childhood experiences involving his dad. “I washed a car and went inside. I was real proud of the job I’d done…The ninth time he (Cutcliffe’s father) walked out and looked at the car, it was finally finished. I had to rewash the whole car every time. That was the beginning of my lesson at eight or nine years old of being a finisher.”

Aside from finishing strong, Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils have some other issues to deal with.

Duke’s kicking game is still a big question mark. Cutcliffe mentioned he will be looking at five place kickers and three punters when practice begins. Cutcliffe has said repeatedly this off-season that if he’s not comfortable with his kicking game, the Blue Devils offense will be going for it on fourth down, “more than you can imagine.”

New look Blue Devils

Look for the black to be eliminated from Duke’s home jerseys this year. The all blue and white uniforms should be similar to what the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts wear. Now if the Colts quarterback could be reunited with his old offensive coordinator…

Scoreboard

Cutcliffe wants to see his team score 30-plus points in every ballgame. That’s the same goal he had as offensive coordinator at Tennessee and head coach at Ole Miss. Oddly enough, it was the Ole Miss defense that won him his first regular season game in 1999. The Rebels defeated Memphis 3-0. On the other hand, Cutcliffe’s second stint in Knoxville began with a 35-18 win over California.

MASH unit

Tight end Brandon King and offensive lineman Marcus Lind are both limited heading into camp after off-season surgery.

Over and out

Linebacker Alfred Williams has decided to leave the team. Williams would have been a fifth year senior.