This week, the defending national champion Alabama rolls into Wallace Wade Stadium. Not many people know that Wade left Alabama to coach at Duke in 1931 and brought considerable success to the Blue Devils. Among his accomplishments was the legendary 1938 season where Duke went undefeated, untied, and unscored-upon. That is, until the 1939 Rose Bowl which Duke hosted at the stadium soon to bear his name. Large crowds weren't allowed to gather on the west coast so the game was moved to Durham to be played in what was then one of the largest stadiums on the east coast.
Now, when Alabama visits, it will be the smallest stadium the Tide has visited in three years.
So because of this rare occasion, Elliot Roberts from bamasportsreport.com and I got together to talk about this weekends game:
Elliot: Alabama has been on national television twice in as many weeks and has been the darling of ESPN all summer, so everyone knows what the Tide is sporting coming into this game. What, other than David Cutcliffe and a stadium named after former Duke and Bama coaching great Wallace Wade does Duke have?
The Tide sees a couple of new wrinkles this weekend.
Mark Ingram has his triumphant return. That's one huge (welcome) change Tide fans are excited about. Ingram had his knee scoped just days before the San Jose State opener, and he's back and (supposedly) looking great. It was apparently a very minor procedure, and he should get carries as long as the game remains competitive.
Marcel Dareus is also back - but from an NCAA mandated sit down. Dareus went to the Miami party so many of the North Carolina kids are in trouble for, but was apparently very up front about what went down and what "benefits" he received. So, he's back. And angry. Hide your breakables. Marcel Dareus is comin', and after a week on the scout team, he's ready to hit someone wearing blue.
Is the Duke defensive front seven up to the task of stopping Ingram and former backup, now Heisman Trophy dark horse Trent Richardson?
Chris: Quite frankly, no. An emphatic no. Due to our own offseason troubles involving two defensive linemen and guns, the Duke base defense was forced to change from a 4-3 to a 3-4 due to a lack of interior linemen. In the first two games, they have surrendered 354 yards rushing...to Wake Forest and Elon.
McElroy hasn't got a huge cannon of an arm. He's much more of a nickel and dime sort of passer. But he's shown the willingness to throw at any open target - last week hitting a redshirt freshman receiver on his first touchdown, then a senior tight end (who's primarily a blocker) on the next TD pass. He's not scared of throwing it to any target at any time. It's what makes him so dangerous. He's able to find the weakness and exploit it.
He's a technician - he won't beat you with his arm, but with his head.
So, I guess that leads us to the final question - who wins and by how much?
Chris: Well, with a defense that hasn't been able to stop anything on the ground this year, I fully expect Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson to have their way Saturday in front of the expanded seating at Wallace Wade.
Duke will get a field goal early and one late, but not break the plane of the end zone. Both Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram will. One of them more than once. It'll be over early in Durham, and the Tide fans will begin to drop copious amounts of money into the North Carolina bar economy. Thanks for the Duke education... if you will.
Alabama 41
Duke 6
Special thanks to bamasportsreport.com for this collaboration!
