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| When David Cutcliffe leads his team through a cloud of smoke this season, he has to double check to make sure nothing’s on fire. (US Presswire) |
ACC Coach of the Week: David Cutcliffe, Duke
At the start of Duke’s game at Wake Forest, the Blue Devils had five defensive players that were out for the game. Another three were out for the season.
On the first snap of the game, defensive end Jamal Wallace had to be helped off the field. On the third snap, linebacker David Helton joined him on the sideline. By game’s end, cornerback Lee Butler and safety Brandon Braxton were out of the game with injuries. Freshman Dwayne Norman ended up being the team’s second-leading tackler after jumping into the gap at safety.
“When you go into our training room, you don’t have any place to sit, because our secondary is in there,” Cutcliffe said.
“Each week, I sit down with (defensive coordinator) Jim Knowles and we go through a potential rotation of disaster,” Cutcliffe said. “We make sure our corners can play safety and our safeties can play corner. We set our two-deep, and then we have another two-deep of what-ifs.”
On offense, the injuries weren’t as plentiful. Duke just lost starting quarterback Sean Renfree with the score tied in the third quarter.
Sophomore Anthony Boone stepped in and led the Blue Devils to two touchdowns and their first win over Wake Forest since 1999. Duke's 4-1 record is its best start since 1994, the last year the Blue Devils played in a bowl game.
“That’s why you play Boone as a freshman, so he’ll be ready,” Cutcliffe said. “The team has confidence in him. They don’t doubt Anthony Boone. I never felt one iota of doubt on that team.”
Murphy’s Law has plagued the Blue Devils all season, but when everything that could go wrong has done so, Cutcliffe’s Law -- "we’ll be ready for it” -- has prevailed.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from ACC bloggers Shawn Krest and Sean Bielawski, follow @CBSSportsACC .
