Kurt Roper instructs the Duke offense with quarterback Anthony Boone nearby. Credit: TAKAAKI IWABU

Duke football has one more week of spring practice before the April 13 spring game in Wallace Wade at 4 p.m. (open to the public, by the way). In anticipation of that event, I chatted briefly with offensive coordinator Kurt Roper about what's been happening with the offense.

What have you guys been doing on the offensive side of the ball this spring?

Anthony Boone had a rather successfull debut as a starting quarterback in last week's 42-17 win over Virginia. Credit: CHRIS SEWARD

In today's paper there's a version of my story on QB Anthony Boone's evoluation from sleepy freshman into four-touchdown-throwing starter. While I'm expecting Sean Renfree to start Satruday at Virginia Tech, I'm also expecting Boone to come in and take meaningful snaps. So give the story a read if you've got the time.

Hopefully it came across, but Boone's a real affable guy off the field. He laughs, he jokes, and he's candid, especially for a Division-I quarterback. 

Boone also had the chance to play at much bigger schools than Duke. At one point, the Hokies were recruiting him hard, and he attended a spring game and a few home games up in Blacksburg while in high school. He also received an offer from his childhood dream school—South Carolina—about a month before his signing day. But he stuck with Duke, the school he committed to November of his junior year after watching the Blue Devils get beat 27-17 by a Russell Wilson-led NC State squad.

Sean Renfree did not play last week against Virginia due to his elbow injury. Credit: CHRIS SEWARD

DURHAM—Injured quarterback Sean Renfree was an active participant in Duke’s practice Tuesday, head coach David Cutcliffe announced at his weekly press conference. Renfree suffered an elbow injury in the third quarter of Duke’s win over Wake Forest and did not play last week against Virginia.

Cutcliffe said a decision on whether Renfree or Anthony Boone will start will come later in the week.

Jela Duncan kept running after a defender twisted off his helmet. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke’s 34-27 victory over Wake Forest did a few things:

*Ended a 12-game losing streak against the Demon Deacons that dated back to 1999

*Gave the 4-1 Blue Devils more wins already than they collected in each of the previous two seasons

*Set Duke off on its best start since 1994, the last year Duke went to a bowl

“Things” is also the word the head coach David Cutcliffe used to describe the intangible benefits from finally ending the streak. Check out his epigraph along with the rest of the look back:

The Epigraph:

“It’s a win that we felt like we’ve needed to have happen. We just continued, in this game, to be in a position to win it and not. And you try not to let those things become things, but if you’re not careful they will. Each game has its own personality, but everybody is human. You just didn’t want one of those things in the end where you said, ‘oh my, here we go again.’ We fought it off.” —David Cutcliffe

What we learned: