Duke's Desmond Scott slated to play

DURHAM - Highly ranked and widely recruited freshman running back Desmond Scott will make his first appearance for Duke on Saturday against N.C. Central.

 Scott, a Durham Hillside High graduate, impressed the Blue Devils coaching staff as a third-team practice player and has now moved into the second-team rotation.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe said Scott had made major improvements since training camp and earned the playing time. This announcement came during a news conference looking ahead to Saturday's game, which is being billed as the "Bull City Gridiron Classic."

The two teams will meet for the first time in a game hosted by the Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. An electric atmosphere is expected for the 7 p.m. kickoff. 

In addressing the state of his team, Cutcliffe said the Devils (1-2) have not been consistent and as a result are not a "good football team."

"There's plenty to focus on that is positive," he said. "We're focusing on that, but we are at the same time correcting errors. We can't consistently make errors and be as good as we can be."

But it's hard to take too much away from a 44-16 defeat to Kansas, especially when the Devils were unable to convert on third down in the first half. 

Cutcliffe said he shoulders some of the the blame for the Devils' lack of consistency and poor game-day output. 

In three games, Cutcliffe said, the Devils have not been able to translate what they do in practice to the game.

The Devils hope Scott's performance in practice can carry over to the field. On Tuesday, he worked with the first and second teams in practice and is expected to continue playing throughout the season, Cutcliffe said.

"He's gotten a lot better as a young player," Cutcliffe said. "The biggest reason is his performance at practice. ... He's understanding what we want from him now, working like he's suppose to work." 

 Scott could help a team that is struggling to run the ball and has had injuries slow down backs Re'quan Boyette and Jay Hollingsworth.