Tis the season when basketball is winding down and those not interested in baseball turn their collective gaze to the football season which is still nearly three months away from kicking off.
For Duke Football fans the 2013 season holds both promise but uncertainty as the Blue Devils who are coming off their best season (6-7) in nearly 20 years and their first bowl appearance in the same time frame. But the loss of quite a few stars has many wondering if this team will be as good, get better, or just be worse.
We will start our look at the 2013 version of the Blue Devils with the defensive line which has suffered a myriad of injuries and rotations over David Cutcliffe’s six years on the job. The 2013 version of the defensive line should be one of both depth and skill.
One positive result of all the injuries is that over the last few years it has forced Duke to play younger, less experienced players. That has subsequently allowed the defensive line to build a good amount of depth, but they have also shifted players around at different positions on the line as a necessity.
The Blue Devils welcome back defensive end Kenny Anunike who was granted a sixth year of eligibility and was the anchor of Duke’s defensive line last season. He has recovered from multiple injuries over his career and missed spring practice as he was recovering from another knee surgery. He has shown the ability to be a pass rusher and get to the quarterback.
Anunike will start at one end of the line while any number of potential guys could step up at the other starting end spot in Duke’s 4-2-5 scheme. Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo could be one of those potential starters. Dewalt-Ondijo has started and served in a reserve role over his career and is expected to compete as a starter at defensive end.
Others that could compete for the starting nod along side Anunike include familiar names Dezmond Johnson, Justin Foxx, and Johnathan Woodruff, but there are a number of younger guys who will likely be in the rotation, which should make the defensive end position one of the deeper ones on the team.
The interior line is not nearly as deep but it has experience. Redshirt senior tackle Sydney Sarmiento is the most experienced guy in the interior of the line and will likely start at one tackle position, beyond that who starts could come down to a coin toss. Based on the fact that Duke has 12 guys listed as defensive ends and only three listed at defensive tackle you could end up seeing some ends moving inside to build up depth.
Nose tackle is a position that isn’t much more deep but again has some talent and experience in Jamal Bruce, Keilin Rayner and Carlos Wray and one or two of those guys could play at the same time.
The defensive line has been an area of concern in Cutcliffe’s tenure as injuries have taken their toll and have forced the Blue Devils defense to constantly rank as one of the worst in the ACC in yards allowed on the ground.
The hope for 2013 is that with the experienced and improved depth in some areas that the defensive line will become something of a strength, but the way the Blue Devils luck has gone, an injury or two could have them struggling to fill the gaps and put more pressure on the rest of the defense and, of course, the offense to try and keep up in games.
Other than Anunike, Sarmiento, and Jamal Bruce it is hard to say right now how is going to be the starters but the talent and depth is there to make this a better unit than it has been in the past. But we said the same thing last season so we will have to wait and see how the season shakes out.
Projected starters: Kenny Anunike, Sydney Sarmiento, Jamal Bruce
Key Reserves: Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo, Dezmond Johnson, Keilin Rayner, Carlos Wray, Justin Foxx and Johnathan Woodruff
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