Notre Dame Football: First Thoughts On Duke
Duke comes back to Notre Dame for the first time since 2007.
Duke Football. When you say the words, not a whole lot actually comes to mind. Duke is a basketball school and a damn good one, but the Blue Devils out on the gridiron… that’s been an entirely different story all together.
However, things have been changing down in Durham, North Carolina, and it is pretty much all due to a name familiar with Notre Dame fans… David Cutcliffe.
Cutcliffe is entering his eighth season as the Duke head coach and he has turned a perennial doormat, into a respectable ACC opponent. He went through the growing pains with records of 4-8, 5-7, 3-9, and 3-9 in his first four seasons, but in the fifth season he went 6-7 with that seventh loss coming in Duke’s first bowl appearance since 1995.
Cutcliffe then got the program turned around going 10-4, 9-4, and 8-5 in the past three seasons and finally getting that bowl win in the Pinstripe Bowl over Indiana. It was Duke’s first bowl win since 1961 in the Cotton Bowl over Arkansas.
So, here’s what I know about Duke football and it ain’t a whole lot (though I vow to research much deeper). David Cutcliffe is one hell of a coach to do what he has done in the place that he has done it. This makes Duke an extremely dangerous opponent and it doesn’t matter if it’s a home game or not.
Well coached teams with limited talent play fundamental football and they play it hard as nails. What might happen if Notre Dame shows up a little tired after playing Michigan State the week before? What if the Irish slop it around for a bit? Well, I bet they get one heck of a challenge.
Slap The Sign will have more on the Duke game and the rest of the schedule in our Schedule preview in June.