DURHAM – As a native of Birmingham, Ala., and a 1976 graduate of Alabama, Duke coach David Cutcliffe certainly understands the significance of Saturday's home-game against the Crimson Tide at Wallace Wade Stadium.
He's aware that the Blue Devils (1-1, 0-1 ACC) are facing the defending national champions and No. 1-ranked team in the nation.
Still ...
"If we play really, really well, we have a chance at winning this game," Cutcliffe said at Tuesday's news conference. "We're capable of playing really well."
In their first two games this season – a victory over Elon and a loss to Wake Forest – the Devils have sputtered in the third quarter.
Against Wake, after rallying to tie the game at half-time, the Devils started flat in the third and were never able to revive themselves.
Cutcliffe, in his third year with the program, said at the start of this season that this team was more capable of playing "great" than his two previous teams. He also said he wasn't sure how consistent this team would perform.
Both statements have been true in the start to this season, with the Devils vacillating from tremendous to inept.
Cutcliffe, often blunt and straight-forward about task, said his team will need "great" play to knock off the reigning national champions as they did in 1937 with a win over Pittsburgh and in 1951 with a win over Tennessee and in 1955 with a win over Ohio State.
"Now it's going to take four quarters of that kind of football to beat a team as outstanding as Alabama," he said. "So the part that's so critical about this game is it's the third game and let's see how much more we can get right in the third game than in the first two. We can't afford to have a doldrum in the third quarter. We better play great four quarters."
Edward joined the News & Observer staff in 2004. He is a graduate of American University and Johns Hopkins University. He covers Wake Forest football and women's college basketball for the N&O. Edward is a native of Washington, D.C. He can be reached at 829-4781 or
Comments
Actually Bama's women's golf
Sat, 09/18/2010 - 11:12 — omicron780Actually Bama's women's golf totally crushed Duke's women's golf last week at the prestigious NCAA Preview...so probably only basketball.
Guys
Wed, 09/15/2010 - 08:06 — gvillegatrDUIke's offense is light years ahead of Penn States. They were able to post three points on the road and should have been more, but they turned it over a few times.
DUIke will put up at least two TD's.
Oh ...alright 57-14
Wed, 09/15/2010 - 09:22 — unc098Oh ...alright 57-14
lol
Wed, 09/15/2010 - 11:16 — gvillegatrgood deal!
No
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 21:18 — JPDOhioI do not think Duke will beat Alabama.
But, crazier things have happened this year. So, it is not likely, but not out of the question either.
Duke must be 'great' to defeat Alabama
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 18:30 — unc098Duke-Great
Thats an oxymoron.
Duke put up 48 points last
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 16:19 — mad_maxDuke put up 48 points last weekend. They will be lucky to put up more than 7 this weekend.
score...
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 20:02 — izzykareemi think it depends how much Saban wants to rub it in to another former SEC coach's face. I don't see how Duke scores unless its some kind of math competition at halftime
Good point but remember that
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 21:50 — unc098Good point but remember that Saban plays for a national championship every year. Plus I don't think there is any love lost between the big SEC schools. Alabama's second string could still beat Duke 57-7.
I am predicting 57-7
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 18:31 — unc098I am predicting 57-7
I'm predicting 55-0 . . .
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 19:07 — melvinfurdbut realize predicting the actual score is virtually impossible. However, Dook will fall, big time, to the Elephants. Despite what Cutcliffe says, Dook has virtually no chance. Basketball or women's golf, different story - Bama would be in big trouble on the spot.
ASU vs. UM JMU vs VT Duke
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 14:51 — izzykareemASU vs. UM
JMU vs VT
Duke beating Alabama could negatively impact recruiting at UNC-CH and NCSU (we're already pretty low this year) but I still would love to see Saban get beat, what a slimy dude.
What do you know?
Fri, 09/17/2010 - 17:42 — ElephantInVAWhat do you really know about Nick Saban? I would venture to guess that all you really know is that he said he would not leave the Dolphins to coach Alabama, but then did so, anyway. That one action doesn't define the person who is Nick Saban. Coach Saban has shown, during his time as head football coach at the University of Alabama, that he is a person of remarkable character, a person who loves and cares for his players. He expects the very best from these young men - on the field, at practice, in the classroom (check Bama's players' academic ratings) and everywhere else. The players love him for his insistance on their developing superior invididual discipline. They also love him for his uncanny ability to develop a team-minded atmosphere. The players consistently demonstrate a love for team, putting the team above their invidiual glory. Coach Saban has taken a team that was suffering from back-to-back NCAA death penalites and who had a head coach who apparently was unable to instill these qualities in his players (Mike Shula -- whom I appreciate as a man and as a former QB at Bama) and brought them, once again, to the top of the NCAA football world.
Having said all of that, I hope you can understand how off-base you are by calling our coach a "slimy dude". He is nothing of the sort. Perhaps next time you will do your homework before using such SLIMY languange to describe a man who has proven himself worthy of respect.
More
Tue, 09/14/2010 - 14:27 — SurferAdd several more "reallys" for that "chance".