I’ll have to admit I wasn’t very optimistic about Duke’ chances of winning its fifth game of the year after Virginia went up 22-0 on a two-point conversion.
Lets just say I thought that was the game, but a funny thing happened on the way to another disappointing Duke loss, they won and in dramatic style; well as dramatic as a 35-22 final can be.
Perhaps it was Mike London opting to go for two instead of kicking the field goal, an act many were calling running up the score, but when you look at the final score and see that Virginia didn’t score another point perhaps London’s call wasn’t such a bad idea. Or it could have just been the motivating factor that the Blue Devils seemed to be lacking.
Duke managed to get a touchdown before the half, but I still had my doubts. A field goal did little for my confidence, though the fact that the Blue Devils defense yet again was playing solid in the second half of ball game did give me pause to have hope. It wasn’t until Brandon Connette ran in a short touchdown run and cut the score to 22-17 did I think a comeback was really possible.
At that point my heart began to race, my palms were sweating, I was irritable. If I were out of shape and at risk I may have thought I as going to have a heart attack. That or I was acting as if Duke was playing UNC in basketball. The feelings I had were that intense.
When Connette hit Braxton Deaver for a 47-yard touchdown reception to take the lead I was euphoric. I was as excited as anytime I’ve ever watched a Duke Basketball game, save a National Championship game, but if I really put the expectations I have for Duke Football with how far they have come into perspective, it is definitely on par.
And while I know there are other people who are out there just like me, the feeling I have is that Duke fans still haven’t really taken notice of the football team, and now that basketball season is underway and games or mere weeks away, I’m not certain if they will.
Now that Duke is 5-2 they may get some better than average turnout at their next home game in three weeks against NC State, but will it be a sell out? Will the fans come out in force like they did last year when the Blue Devils beat North Carolina to get to six wins and bowl eligibility? Perhaps, but why does it take the team being one win away to get people into the stands.
There is no basketball between August and mid October yet the turnout in Wallace Wade has been paltry just a season removed from the Blue Devils first bowl game in 18 years. Only Duke’s game against Troy, which was Homecoming and Duke Employee Appreciate, was anything close to a sell out.
Fans can complain that prices are too high or the fan base is too spread out but there are enough people to fill Wallace Wade. It certainly doesn’t help that so few students show up. Granted Duke’s a small private school, but still, these kids can get into the game free and still don’t show up. At the Navy game there may have been 12 students there. That is unacceptable.
For the second straight year Duke will head to Blacksburg with a chance to get to 6 wins, however, that task will be immense considering how good the Virginia Tech has been this year, especially on defense. Still a worst case scenario for Duke is they come back to Wallace Wade at 5-3 with a winnable game against NC State.
Will fans show up? Sure they will, but why has it taken so long. If you are one of those who saying you are waiting to see if Duke Football is worth watching or not, I present to you their comeback against Virginia. If you can’t get excited about that as a Duke fan, you are either a) dead or b) not really a Duke fan.
Also if you still think Duke isn’t serious about football, you clearly haven’t been paying any attention. David Cutcliffe has resurrected this program and as Athletic Director Kevin White said prior to the Virginia game, Duke is on the brink of getting some really good teams and taking the program even closer to where they want to be. So, why aren’t you showing up again?
Are the Blue Devils perfect? No. Do they still have slips and slides and look inept, yes from time to time, but the state of the program now compared to just six years ago is without question 100 percent better.
So hopefully Wallace Wade will be filled on Saturday November 9 with just as many Duke fans as the likely large contingent of State fans who are expected to show.
