Daniel Jones only had one game as a redshirt freshman in which he completed less than half of his passes. That was 7 for 15 against Army in a hurricane. I think we can give him a pass on that one.
No pun intended.
But he did throw five picks in a 34-20 loss to Virginia. Easily his worst game. But he passed 54 times, completing 33 for 324 yards.
And that 2016 team just wasn't very good. That was the year A.J. Reed couldn't make a kick. Jones was playing from behind a lot.
Don't get me wrong. I like Leonard. A lot. He's shown good pocket presence, an ability to scramble and a nice touch. I think he's a leader. But Duke hasn't exactly faced murderer's row. That Northwestern win doesn't look anywhere near as good now as it did at the time and the same could be said about Temple and Virginia. Duke hasn't beaten a team yet that's going to sniff an FBS bowl game. Jones was 24 for 32 for 290 yards and three touchdowns in a road win over Notre Dame. The Irish weren't that good that year. But still. Beating them in South Bend? Pretty cool.
And Jones threw for 563 yards against a Northwestern team that beat Pitt in a bowl game.
I'm not sure Leonard has anything like that on his resume.
Yet.
But if he leads Duke to a win over Carolina, like Jones did in 2016, well that would help. :)
And yes, I mentioned the play-calling. Let me give two examples, from each end of the game.
First possession. Duke drives to GT 37. Leonard sacked on second down, bringing up 3rd and 10. Too close to punt, too far for a field goal, too far behind the chains to pick up 10 yards on two rushes.
Got to throw the ball past the chains. Instead Duke runs Waters off tackle for three yards. Punt, touchback and Duke picks up all of 17 yards.
And the OT. After the penalty Duke has 3rd and 20 from the 35. That's a 52-yard field goal. NFL kickers do that in their sleep. But not college kickers. That's the extreme end of his range. Why not run the ball? Pick up five yards and it's a 47-yard field goal. Pick up eight and it's a 44-yard field goal. Not a chip shot but doable. And you can set the kick up in the middle of the field. And it's not like Duke was taking a shot down field. Even if that pass in the flat had been complete it wouldn't have picked up much. Jacquez Moore had a better chance of popping a long one on a run, IMO.
In case you're wondering about the post-game presser, I asked two questions and both were negative. I asked Elko about the penalties. Asking about the play-calling seemed a bridge too far, especially when Elko wasn't actually the one calling the plays.
Given where Duke is and how important getting to six wins and a bowl would be to this program, this was a bad loss. No way to sugarcoat it.
Good analysis of a game that Duke almost stole from the Yellow Jackets but in the end the poor OL and DL play, poor QB play, a stupid targeting play by our best defender and captain, shaky wide receiver plays and yes, those penalties cost Duke a win. I did like the fight the team brought at games end even though we were outplayed for the majority of the game. The coaching staff has plenty to work on this week.
Thanks, Jim. Re those putative too early Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard comparisons, Did Jones never have a bad game his freshman year? Or did you see something more fundamental?
Today's game gave me PTSD tremors -- too much similarity to teams of the last several years: Undisciplined penalties, dropped balls, wide gaps in the D.
Many DBR posters and myself wonder about the O play calling. Seemed unimaginative. Did the coaches lose confidence in Leonard?
Well, for one thing Leonard isn't a freshman.
Daniel Jones only had one game as a redshirt freshman in which he completed less than half of his passes. That was 7 for 15 against Army in a hurricane. I think we can give him a pass on that one.
No pun intended.
But he did throw five picks in a 34-20 loss to Virginia. Easily his worst game. But he passed 54 times, completing 33 for 324 yards.
And that 2016 team just wasn't very good. That was the year A.J. Reed couldn't make a kick. Jones was playing from behind a lot.
Don't get me wrong. I like Leonard. A lot. He's shown good pocket presence, an ability to scramble and a nice touch. I think he's a leader. But Duke hasn't exactly faced murderer's row. That Northwestern win doesn't look anywhere near as good now as it did at the time and the same could be said about Temple and Virginia. Duke hasn't beaten a team yet that's going to sniff an FBS bowl game. Jones was 24 for 32 for 290 yards and three touchdowns in a road win over Notre Dame. The Irish weren't that good that year. But still. Beating them in South Bend? Pretty cool.
And Jones threw for 563 yards against a Northwestern team that beat Pitt in a bowl game.
I'm not sure Leonard has anything like that on his resume.
Yet.
But if he leads Duke to a win over Carolina, like Jones did in 2016, well that would help. :)
And yes, I mentioned the play-calling. Let me give two examples, from each end of the game.
First possession. Duke drives to GT 37. Leonard sacked on second down, bringing up 3rd and 10. Too close to punt, too far for a field goal, too far behind the chains to pick up 10 yards on two rushes.
Got to throw the ball past the chains. Instead Duke runs Waters off tackle for three yards. Punt, touchback and Duke picks up all of 17 yards.
And the OT. After the penalty Duke has 3rd and 20 from the 35. That's a 52-yard field goal. NFL kickers do that in their sleep. But not college kickers. That's the extreme end of his range. Why not run the ball? Pick up five yards and it's a 47-yard field goal. Pick up eight and it's a 44-yard field goal. Not a chip shot but doable. And you can set the kick up in the middle of the field. And it's not like Duke was taking a shot down field. Even if that pass in the flat had been complete it wouldn't have picked up much. Jacquez Moore had a better chance of popping a long one on a run, IMO.
In case you're wondering about the post-game presser, I asked two questions and both were negative. I asked Elko about the penalties. Asking about the play-calling seemed a bridge too far, especially when Elko wasn't actually the one calling the plays.
Given where Duke is and how important getting to six wins and a bowl would be to this program, this was a bad loss. No way to sugarcoat it.
Thanks for the feedback and thanks for reading.
Good analysis of a game that Duke almost stole from the Yellow Jackets but in the end the poor OL and DL play, poor QB play, a stupid targeting play by our best defender and captain, shaky wide receiver plays and yes, those penalties cost Duke a win. I did like the fight the team brought at games end even though we were outplayed for the majority of the game. The coaching staff has plenty to work on this week.
GoDuke & beat the Cheats!
Thanks, Jim. Re those putative too early Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard comparisons, Did Jones never have a bad game his freshman year? Or did you see something more fundamental?
Today's game gave me PTSD tremors -- too much similarity to teams of the last several years: Undisciplined penalties, dropped balls, wide gaps in the D.
Many DBR posters and myself wonder about the O play calling. Seemed unimaginative. Did the coaches lose confidence in Leonard?
Thanks for any insight you can provide.
“And can we please slow down those Daniel Jones - Riley Leonard comparisons?”
Guilty.