Duke Blue Devils Season Preview

Offensively, Duke’s main priorities will be to confi rm a replacement for Boone, who threw for 2,700 yards and 19 TDs last fall, and come up with replacements for Crowder, Tomlinson and Cofi eld, three of the better players at their positions in program history...Junior QB Th omas Sirk, who had 11 TDR in a reserve and short-yardage role last fall, emerged from spring as Boone’s successor...Senior WR Max McCaff rey (37 catches) heads a receiver corps that also includes WRs Johnell Barnes (23 catches) and Chris Taylor as well as TEs David Reeves (13 catches) and 2013 TE starter Braxton Deaver... Duke returns a bevy of RBs in Shaquille Powell (618 yards), Shaun Wilson (598 yds, 7.7 avg.), Joseph Ajeigbe (150 yds) and Jela Duncan, Duke’s second-leading rusher in 2013 who missed all of 2014... Skura leads an off ensive line that includes G Lucas Patrick and Ts Casey Blaser and Gabe Brandner with Cody Robinson and Tanner Stone competing for the other guard spot...Defensively, Duke suff ered an off season blow when senior Kelby Brown, an All-ACC linebacker who missed all of 2014 with an injury, saw his career end with another knee injury in July...Th at leaves safety convert Dwayne Norman joining Mike Holmes and Zavier Carmichael to compete for playing time ...On the defensive line, DT Carlos Wray is only returning starter, but DT A.J. Wolf, DT Mike Ramsay and DE Kyler Brown have all seen playing time while senior DE Britton Grier came out of spring as the other starter at DE...Th e strength of Duke’s defense is its secondary where Cash leads a veteran and talented group that includes CBs Breon Borders and Bryon Fields and safeties DeVon Edwards and Deondre Singleton. Th is quintet has 96 starts between them already with Cash the only senior.