Notre Dame football: 3 Duke players to watch on offense against the Irish
By Matt Clark
Will Taylor
The man under center for Duke’s football team won’t be the only new starter on the offense this season, the starting center will also be a new face. Until a couple of days ago, Jack Wohlabaugh was expected to be the starting center for the Blue Devils in 2020.
Wohlabaugh, who transferred to Duke from Ohio State following the 2017 season, was the starting center for the Blue Devils last season. Coming into the 2020 season, Wohlabaugh was an Outland Trophy watchlist candidate, was named a team captain, and was a strong candidate to be selected in the 2021 NFL Draft as one of the nation’s best centers.
Unfortunately, a few days ago, the fifth-year senior tore his ACL in practice and will miss the entirety of the 2020 college football season. As a result, a redshirt junior, Will Taylor will assume the role as the starting center for Duke this season.
Taylor has some experience at center, having started three games for the Blue Devils last year when Wohlabaugh injured his ankle. However, that experience isn’t extensive, having played just 275 snaps in his collegiate career.
The fact that Wohlabaugh likely received the majority of the snaps with the first team in the preseason and is thus the person that starting quarterback Chase Brice likely has the best rapport is important to note. The fact that the injury occurred so close to the beginning of the season is also of importance.
It will be interesting to see what kind of chemistry Brice and Taylor have out of the gate against Notre Dame and whether Clark Lea will put pressure on the tandem early and often in an attempt to force mistakes between the new center and his quarterback.
With prolific pass rushers like Daelin Hayes and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on the Notre Dame defense, it would not be surprising to see Lea try to exploit Taylor by focusing the pass rush right up the middle of the Duke offensive line.
If he does, it will be important to keep an eye on how Taylor handles this pressure from an Irish defense that is loaded with playmakers and is expected to be very good this season. If he can hold his own, Brice has the skill to excel in the passing game. If he buckles under the pressure of the Notre Dame defense, it could be a long day for the Duke offense.