2002 Statistics

written by James Johnson

Alex Wade came out of nowhere in 2002 to earn 2nd team All-ACC RB honors for the Blue Devils. Wade, a 6'1" 250 pound senior, averaged 4.9 yards per carry, posted five 100-yard games, and nearly broke the 1,000-yard mark. He is one of the strongest players on the team (he can bench press 390 pounds) and uses that strength to be an effective between-the-tackles power runner.

Wade's partner in the backfield, fellow senior Chris Douglas, is a perfect compliment to the powerful fullback. Douglas possesses breakaway speed and is a dangerous receiving threat. He took advantage of his touches last year, averaging 4.9 yards per rushing attempt and 12.1 yards per reception, a nice number for coaches to see in a running back.

Both backs will enjoy as much success this year, in large part due to the fact that the starting offensive line returns intact. Drew Strojny, a 6'8" 300 pound senior tackle, has started 31 consecutive games for Duke. Senior Luke Bayer has started 18 straight games, splitting time between center and guard.

Other returning offensive line starters make up one of the largest and most experienced lines in the nation. They demonstrated strong run blocking last season, and will only be better with another year of playing together under those beefy belts.

Quarterback Adam Smith, a 6'5, 205 pound junior, was thrust into the starting lineup when incumbent starter D. Bryant was declared ineligible last season. Under the circumstances, he performed reasonably well, but does not offer the promise of developing into anything more than a serviceable quarterback. He has a strong arm and the height to see over rushing defensive linemen, but is not particularly fleet afoot.

Smith can manage a ball control game adequately, but falls short of being a quarterback who can shoulder the responsibility of making big plays on his own. Smith's backup, junior Chris Dapolito, is a better athlete but completed less than 40% of his passes in spot duty.

None of Duke's receivers offers anything special. Junior Khary Sharpe was the Blue Devils' leading 2002 receiver. He has the speed to be a deep threat, and could put up some big numbers in a different offense. Tight ends Andy Roland (sophomore, 6'4" 225 lbs.) and Calen Powell (junior, 6'5", 235) are also important parts of Coach Carl Franks' short passing game. But their size precludes either from being a major presence in run-blocking. Look for opposing LBs to stick them hard at the line of scrimmage, rendering them neutral for whatever type of play may be called.

RB Alex Wade

written by James Johnson

Defensive end Shawn Johnson was selected First-Team All-ACC and led the conference with 12 sacks and added another 7.5 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hurries. Bad news: Shawn has decided to transfer from Duke for personal reasons, leaving a HUGE void on the defensive side/line. Also receiving All-ACC honorable mention was NT Matt Zielinski, who had 18.5 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries, and forced three fumbles. It will be imperative that Matt take up the slack on the front lines ability to put pressure on the passer. But another muscle mass must step up, too, so defenses do not effectively key on Zielinski.

Anchoring the linebacking corps is senior Ryan Fowler, who earned All-ACC honorable mention. Fowler led Duke tacklers, including 15 for loss.

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof is in his second season at Duke after enjoying great success in the same position at Georgia Tech. Roof has already added to his coaching resume by taking a formerly soft Blue Devil defense and toughening them up in a hurry.

Duke only allowed 122 yards per game on the ground (best in the ACC) in 2002, yielding only 3.4 yards per rushing attempt despite starting only one senior. With nearly all key players returning and having a second year to get comfortable with Roof's system, the Devils will be a very tough team to exploit through ball-control methods.

In light of their success in stopping the run, Duke still gave up 34 points or more five times. Opponents had to pass, and they completed over 60% of their passes and gained over 250 yards per game against the Blue Devils. They also converted a disturbingly high 41% of third downs.

All four starters return in the secondary this season, and that could be more bad news than good. This group was routinely shredded by opposing quarterbacks. Coach Roof will have to start with some soft zone coverage and turn his defensive line and linebackers loose in aggressive blitz-schemes to have any chance of slowing down opponent's air-attacks. Duke does have one playmaker in the defensive backfield - senior S Terrell Smith, who recovered four fumbles and intercepted three passes while finishing second on the team in tackles. Once again, it cannot be stressed enough how important the loss of sack leader Shawn Johnson was in terms of a defensive ripple effect.

DT Matt Zielinski