Manny Diaz’s goal in his first spring practice at Duke was simple.
“I think our players have got an understanding of what we're trying to do.”
That was Diaz moments after Duke’s spring “game” and I used quotation marks for a reason.
The ostensible framework was offense versus defense, the outcome determined by a scoring system so byzantine that the person running the scoreboard kept changing his/her mind.
But here’s the thing. Duke had only eight offensive linemen available this spring. Only five suited up for the spring game.
Don’t worry, there is help on the way this fall.
Diaz tried to make lemonade out of lemons.
“What you saw today is some of the limitations that we've had this spring with the offensive line. I thought those guys were heroes for 15 days to get the work they got in which I which obviously is going to only help them get better.”
Part of the scrimmage involved blocking, none involved tackling and a good bit had a coach toss the ball to the quarterback while the defensive linemen raised their hands and tried to look menacing against an offense that didn’t have any linemen.
“The inability to live tackle in an 11 on 11 situation, it’s always hard to make assessments,” Diaz said. “Would he have been down, would he not have been down, would it have been a sack, would it not have been a sack? That’s all part of spring.”
Okay, did we learn anything?
Well, we did get to see touted transfer Maalik Murphy at quarterback. He wasn’t perfect by any means. He missed a wide-open Jordan Moore in the end zone and threw what should have been an interception had Isaiah Fisher-Smith not dropped it. But he demonstrated that big arm we’ve all heard about. Imagine your tight end--he’s listed at 6-5, 235--with Nolan Ryan’s fastball.
“I think I’ve got a lot of work to do, honestly,” Murphy said. “I feel like my teammates will vouch for that. I want to win. At the end of the day, we’re all competitors and we want the best for the team and I know I have to get better. Missing throws, all the assignments weren’t done to our standard. Lots of things to work on.”
For obvious reasons we didn’t see the quarterbacks run this spring. But Murphy suggested that might not change this fall.
“I want to do whatever it takes to win. If it comes down to me running the ball, so be it. I definitely prefer to pass first. That’s the kind of quarterback I am.”
So maybe time to disabuse yourself of any notion of Murphy being Riley Leonard, part two, taking off and going 70 yards down the field.
It should be noted that Grayson Loftis got his share of snaps and did some nice things. Diaz has consistently refused to anoint Murphy as the presumptive starter.
And quarterbacks do get injured.
Just ask Henry Belin IV, who still hasn’t recovered from the injuries that sidelined him most of last season. Belin did not dress out.
Diaz said that “our best guys looked like our best guys tonight.”
Wide receiver Jordan Moore was Duke’s best guy. He was dominant, which did not escape Diaz’s notice.
“I think this offense is tailor made for him. I think he's got a chance to put up big numbers this year. I think we’ve got the guys that can get him the ball and I think we’ve got a lot of ways to get it in there.”
Murphy said he and Moore already have established chemistry.
“He’s a dawg. I love him. He’s who I’m closest to in the receivers room and I hope I get closer to everyone else. I’ve learned how he attacks his work, how he wants to win, how he approaches the game.”
Wide receiver is one of Duke’s strongest positions. Sahmir Hagans and Jontavis Robertson bring experience, while redshirt freshman Sean Brown, all 165 pounds of him had a nice outing. Catch him if you can. Diaz praised Javon Harvey, a grad-student transfer from Old Dominion.
Then there’s Eli Pancol, back on the field after missing last season with a knee injury.
The 6-3, 205-pound grad student is Duke’s best receiver in traffic, the guy that can win those tough 50/50 balls.
“I see a spirit of someone who feels like they’ve been given their football life back,” Diaz said. “He seems like he’s having so much joy on the football field.”
There were some defensive standouts, end Wesley Williams, linebacker Tre Freeman and cornerback Chandler Rivers among them.
After all they won the scrimmage, by the score of 21-16, in case you were wondering.
And don’t forget freshman DB Vontae Floyd, who had the game’s only interception.
Loftis was the victim.
The highlight was a 30 or so-yard pass from Murphy to Moore, a jump ball Moore won by outwrestling Rivers in the end zone.
“They could have sat there all night,” Diaz said of Moore and Rivers. “But that's what you want by two gladiators really and that's what they've done all spring, challenge each other make each other better.”
There’s an adage that champions are made in the off-season and the off-season is already underway, workouts in the weight room and the blazing summer sun, with the coaches nowhere to be seen.
“I told the team we need to have a great summer. We have to come back a better team for practice one this fall then we were for practice 15 this spring. What happens in this time when we can't be out there with them with the ball? I think that development really tell the story as we get into August.”
The coaches won’t have much time off. The portal awaits and there are holes to be filled, pretty much every position. Goes with the job description these days.
I think the word "concern" is valid. "Worry" is premature.
No question Duke has some big holes to fill on OL. Graham Barton projects as a first-round NFL pick later this week and Jacob Monk should hear his name called on day three. Maurice McIntyre was a rotation player for several years, while Jake Hornibrook and Scott Elliott were productive one-year portal additions.
Further adding to the concern is the fact that Brian Parker and Justin Pickett are the only returnees with much PT at Duke and Pickett has had a hard time staying healthy; he was not dressed out Saturday.
But Duke has several OL transfers scheduled to come in next fall, including James Pogorelc from Stanford and Zachary Franks from Northwestern. Franks is 6-6, 315 and was very highly regarded out of high school. But, like Pickett, he's had trouble staying healthy. Two Power-Five transfers, neither a star but both with potential. I would expect Diaz to add at least a couple more, although I think a total of 20 is a bit much. But other than perhaps wide receiver I'm not sure there's any position group that won't be targeted by Diaz and his staff over the summer.
I remember when coaches could find enough down time in their schedules to spend a couple of weeks at the beach with the family. Sounds quaint. It's 365/24/7 these days. And that is not a good thing. But the transfer portal waits for no one.
Jim, I know you say don’t worry but I’m worried about the offensive line. We need lots of help.
Wide receiver room is really strong. Running back room is in solid shape. TE is another position of need.
I liked when the ESPN commentator said to Coach Diaz, words to the effect of you’re probably going to look to the portal for a few more guys and Coach Diaz quickly replied, “More than a few.”