Duke Does It

Duke did the impossible yesterday and won their division and now becomes the sacrificial lamb for Florida State in the ACC championship game in Charlotte.  You look at Duke and you scratch your head as to how has this team done what they have done.

This season has turned out to a season just like Wake had when they won the ACC title back not that long ago. This also means State and Caroina neither have played in the ACC championship  before while both Wake and Duke will. It also Dukes marks the second football title even though it is only a divisional for Duke when State and Carolina have none in 30 years

Why has this Duke team won and I think the answer is rather simple.  They do almost everything the way the game is suppose to be played?  Yes, they have had three or four turnovers in several games and yet they keep right on winning.  They run, tackle and do the basic football play correctly and after they have done this they wait for you to mess up.  They are the perverbial Bulldog  what grabs hold and won't let go.

David Cutcliffe in his 6th season has shown improvement every year but he has been a preacher that preaches the same sermon day after day.  Those sermons have improved Duke day after day and now after two years of bowl eligibility the fruits have come to Duke football.

I predicted the more talented Tar Heels would win but found myself cheering for Duke first of all Duke has been an underdog for so many years  every blind hog needs to find an acorn once in a while.  More than that however I appreciate good football when I see it.

One of the good things of modern technology  is you can hear every coach every day talking on some kind of media.  If anybody has ever heard coach Cut more than once has to like what he preaches.  I wonder would Cut let a player leaving to go pro after he still has eligibility walk as a senior like Carolina did yesterday with tight end Eric Ebron.  It just seems to me you slap all the seniors in the face who have given your school four or five years.  To me that just wasn't the right thing to do and in a small way keeps you team just a little divided instead of united.

This Duke team has been united playing the game of football the right way.  I do think they will lose next Saturday to Florida State but I suspect will give a good account of themselves better than anybody else in the ACC has this year.  The main reason is they are a good football team.