Gridiron Dynasty - Leahy DIA (BCS)

[joannes3000]

We start the season with a trip to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State. The game was tight at halftime, with us going in with a 21-14 lead, but we took a 35-21 lead going into the 4th and ran away from there. We ran for 414/8 and passed for 113/0/0, totaling 527 offensive yards while our defense allowed 341 yards.

55-21 W

Navy made their way to Durham for our first home game of the season. We took a slim lead into halftime with a FG in a tight game that was aided by our sloppy play. We took a 24-17 lead going into the 4th quarter when the unthinkable happened. For the first time in a while, we lost control in the 2nd half and gave up a TD, and the game, with less than a minute to play. We ran for 350/3 and passed for 35/0/1, totaling 385 yards on offense and our defense allowed 257 yards. The telling stat was our 3 turnovers (-3 for the day). That's how you give games away.

27-24 L

Utah State gave us a chance to redeem ourselves in front of the home faithful and we delivered with a proper blowout win. We ran for 573/7 and passed for 53/1/0, totaling 626 offensive yards while our defense allowed 242 yards.

9-58 W

We went on the road for game 4 to Morgantown to face top 25 ranked West Virginia. We had a 20-14 lead at the half and a 27-21 lead going into the 4th until we finally pulled away with the big win. We ran for 267/6 and passed for 130/0/0, totaling 397 yards on offense while our defense allowed 381 yards.

41-28 W

Our final OOC game had us at the Aloha State to face Hawaii. The opposing coach is a very accomplished one, but Hawaii is the ultimate rebuild project since they face such a distance barrier during recruiting. We showcased our running game to the tune of 543/7 and threw the ball once (incomplete) while our defense allowed 203 yards.

49-6 W

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Just writing up the game against Navy gets my blood boiling, even several games removed. We absolutely gave that game away through turnovers and we should have been 5-0 going into conference play. As it stands, we are 4-1 and I was getting seriously concerned about our chances of hitting double digit wins after that loss. All of a sudden, the game against West Virginia looked like a loss and I'm still very concerned about our games against Maryland and Boston College. Had we been 5-0, I wouldn't be so worried right now.

To hit 10 regular season wins, we will need to beat 2/3 out of the following group: Maryland, Boston College, and Virginia. I feel pretty good against Maryland because they have some weaknesses we can expose. I also feel pretty good against BC since we beat them on the road last season and we get them at home this season. Virginia took on a lot of AC recruits and it's uncertain whether or not they're being actively coached right now. Nevertheless, they still have tons of talent with their starting units, so I don't think we can upset them.

It looks like 9 wins could be our best effort this season, which would be a step back in my opinion. We'll find out soon enough as we face Maryland and BC in interdivisional play.

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4/22/08 at NC State

4/23/08 at Maryland

4/24/08 Boston College

[joannes3000]

We begin interdivisional play against sim-coached NC State. We took a 31-0 lead into the half and rolled. We ran for 464/5 and passed for 33/1/0, totaling 497 offensive yards while our defense allowed 224 yards.

45-10 W

After the snoozer against NC State, we headed to the not-so-friendly confines of College Park to face rival Maryland. We swapped TDs in a hotly contested 1st quarter, then got a little breathing room in the 2nd quarter after rattling off two consecutive TDs. Maryland kicked a FG to end the half and we went into halftime with a 21-9 lead. TDs were swapped again in the 3rd quarter and I liked my chances at that point. You never really feel comfortable against a team like Maryland, however, because they have the offensive firepower to score 14 quick points. We scored the only points in the 4th with a TD, however, as our defense played their part in our victory. We ran for 333/4 and passed for 71/1/0, totaling 404 offensive yards while our defense allowed 251 yards.

35-16 W

Fresh off the huge victory against Maryland, we headed home to face a Boston College team that's been hell-bent on revenge since our upset against them last season. We came out timid in the 1st quarter and before we knew it, BC had a 14-0 lead. Our defense stepped up big for us in the 2nd quarter, however, limiting BC to 2 FGs in our redzone while our offense came alive for 3 TDs. We went into halftime with a razor-thin 21-20 lead and BC would get the ball to start the 2nd half. We exchanged TDs in the 3rd quarter, but gained a little momentum when we forced a punt toward the end of the quarter.

The final frame opened with promise, but our offense fizzled at the 11 and we were forced to settle for a FG and a 31-27 lead. BC's offense then proceeded to shred our defense with a TD drive highlighted by big plays. Down 34-31, we got the ball at the 19 with 8 minutes to play. Our offense started to fizzle again, this time at our 30, when we had two consecutive incomplete passes.

Facing 3rd and ballgame, we connected on a huge 10 yard pass that gave us a first down. From there we didn't face another 3rd down the rest of the way, as we marched down the field for a TD and a 38-34 lead. BC got the ball back with just over 2 minutes to play and it was our defense's turn to step up. We didn't force BC into a 3rd down until they had crossed midfield and they converted with ease.

With 21 seconds left, BC stood at our 23 and our defense forced an incomplete pass. With 11 seconds left and the home crowd in an absolute frenzy, BC swung a pass to their RB and he broke for daylight, easily crossing the 20 and making his way inside the 10. The thundering chant of "DEFENSE" and the excited screams were quickly replaced by silence that was only broken by a collective gasp of sheer terror. First, the loss to Navy, now this? There was to be no miracle at our expense today, however, and our defense pulled the RB down at our 8 yard line as time expired. The crowd erupted into excitement once again, as they stormed the field in victory. BALL GAME!

We ran for 354/3 and passed for 145/2/0, totaling 499 yards on offense while our defense allowed 460 yards. Our defense was huge in this game, helping us overcome a turnover by the offense.

34-38 W

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What a start to conference play! Two huge wins against Maryland and Boston College have us tied atop the Coastal Division with North Carolina and Miami. We're also ranked #18 in the WIS standings. Our 7-1 record has us right back in line to win 10 games, with an outside chance of winning 11!

Not only that, but if we can pull another miracle upset against Virginia in two games, we could seriously be looking at a bid in the CC. Currently, we are ahead of Miami in the standings because they have 2 OOC losses to our 1. As unfair as it is, the first tie-breaker is overall record rather than head-to-head result. That means that if we win out until our finale against The U, we'll head to the CC regardless of the result of that game. As mentioned, however, Virginia is still a powerhouse and we'll have our hands plenty full against them.

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4/25/08 at Georgia Tech

4/26/08 at Virginia

4/27/08 Virginia Tech

4/28/08 at North Carolina

4/29/08 #10 Miami (FL)

[joannes3000]

Major change in plans. Virginia is clearly on auto-pilot, meaning the winner of the Duke/Miami game to end the regular season will head to the CC. I made the huge assumption that we would upset Virginia and that Virginia would beat Miami (Virginia is 6-0 against them), sending us into the finale tied alongside Miami with identical 7-1 conference records.

Back to the NFL Draft!

[joannes3000]

We start divisional play on the road against sim-coached Georgia Tech. The game was uncomfortably tight at the half, 13-7, and we pitched a shutout in the 2nd half for the final margin of victory. We ran for 337/4 and passed for 85/0/0, totaling 422 offensive yards while our defense allowed 203 yards.

27-7 W

In scouting our road game against Virginia, it was clear that they were being sim-coached, but even then we knew they were going to be a handful due to the amount of talent they have even after taking on 20 AC recruits. We took a 28-17 lead into halftime and maintained control in the 2nd half for a huge victory; with this win keeping us in the running for a CC bid. We ran for 476/6 and didn't throw the ball once, while our defense allowed 338 yards.

42-24 W

We come home for a classic trap game against Virginia Tech. We were fresh off of a resounding victory on the road and had our sights set for the post-season. We took a 14-6 lead into halftime and our defense took control in the 2nd half on our way to a win. We ran for 357/5 and passed for 34/0/0, totaling 391 yards while our defense allowed 253 yards.

9-34 W

The Tobacco Road game was sure to be more exciting for several reasons. One, NC had already eclipsed their win total from last year (7). Two, we were on the road. And three, it was the final obstacle before Miami comes to town to settle a CC bid. We took control early in the game and had a 17-7 lead at the half and we continued to roll in the 2nd half. We ran for 252/4 and passed for 122/1/0, totaling 374 yards while our defense allowed 377.

38-14 W

Doomsday arrived at last, as Miami came rolling into town to settle who would represent the Coastal Division in the CC. Miami has experience and talent. We have home-field advantage and the momentum of a budding program. The play-by-play reads like a boxing match.

We open the scoring in the first quarter with a TD, mixing in more of a passing element that caught Miami off guard. Miami shows why they're an elite, as they run right down our throats to tie the game at 7. We didn't back down as we went right back down the field; connecting on a 14 yard TD pass to cap our 2nd drive.

The first big break of the game came in the 2nd quarter as we forced the vaunted Miami defense to punt. Our offense made sure to capitalize on the opportunity by rolling down the field for a TD that gave us a 21-7 lead. Miami turned right around and scored another TD, reminding the home crowd why they are an elite team. With 2 minutes to go, we executed on offense and managed to tack on a FG just before halftime. In a battle like this, you need every last point you can get, and we went into halftime with a 24-14 lead.

Miami got the ball to start the 3rd quarter and marched down the field for a TD. Our offense picked a terrible time to come out uninspired, and we had to punt at midfield. Miami immediately took the momentum and the lead by rolling for another TD. A 10 point lead at halftime had quickly evaporated and we were down 27-24 going into the final quarter.

We had another clutch drive fall apart at midfield, so we opened the 4th quarter by punting to Miami. Sensing our team starting to wilt under pressure, Miami had no problem once again scoring a TD, taking a 34-24 lead. We were able to score a TD on our next possession, and with time running out we went for an onside kick. Unfortunately, Miami recovered it with just under 2 minutes left in the game. We were able to stop them on 4th and short, however, so we got the ball back at our 38 with less than 30 seconds remaining. We connected on a quick pass that got us to midfield, but with no timeouts remaining we were unable to get within range for a FG attempt before time ran out. Argh.

We ran for 142/2 and passed for 279/2/0, totaling 421 offensive yards while our defense allowed 457 yards. The telling stat of the game - we punted twice and Miami only punted once, and we lost by one score.

34-31 L

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Our regular season ended with a resounding thud after losing that heart-breaking game to Miami. The opposing coach had this to say after the game - "Unbelievable game, Joannes. You lost by about 1:00, not by any amount of points. I was outcoached and lucky to pull that one out". That game was our only loss during conference play and unfortunately that still shuts us out of the CC game.

Our early season loss to Navy during OOC play is even more glaring now, as that was our only other loss and we could've realistically been looking at 12 wins, a top 10 ranking, and an outside chance of crashing the level 5 BCS Bowl party. We still go into bowl selection with a more impressive resume than last season. We finished with 11 wins after notching a win against an abandoned Virginia team. We also finished with a #18 WIS ranking. I like our chances of getting into a level 4 bowl this season, which is a step up from last season's level 3 Emerald Bowl. Bowl bids should be announced shortly and I'll give an update as soon as the matchups are determined.

[joannes3000]

From: John Baxter

To: Coach joannes3000

Subject: Congratulations, Coach!

Sent: 4/30/08 3:02PM

I just got off the phone with the organizers of the Peach Bowl and I've accepted their invitation. Great job this year, Coach. I think the exposure we will get playing in this game will really help out the program, not to mention recruiting next season.

Keep up the good work!

John Baxter

Athletic Director

Duke University

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Our 11-2 season is rewarded with an invitation to the level 4 Peach Bowl. Our opponent? The US Naval Academy! The committee must have liked our regular season tilt because they scheduled a rematch this post-season. Navy went 11-3 for the season and won the Sun Belt CC over North Texas. Our regular season loss doesn't seem quite as bad, given the season that Navy accomplished this year, but you better believe we're going to be amped up and looking for revenge.

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The tale of the tape:

Duke OL vs Navy DL - push. Our OL BLK/STR/TECH/STA average is 85/84/67/60, while Navy's DL TKL/STR/TECH/STA average is 86/85/64/51. If anything, I'd give us a slight edge due to the fact that our unit has a little better stamina.

Duke rushing offense vs Navy rush defense - advantage Duke. Our RBs hammered opposing defenses all season long, totaling over 4800 yards rushing, 64 TDs, and averaging 7.4 YPC. We had a 2000 yard rusher (Gardner) along with two 1000 rushers (Gonzalez, Toney). Navy's DL and LB units will be put to the test (again) to see if they can slow us down.

Duke passing offense vs Navy passing defense - push. Our complimentary offense only threw 106 passes all season, but we completed 68.9% of our passes, threw for 1100 yards, and threw 8 TDs to only 1 INT. As the Miami game proved, we can pass more frequently when the match-up is favorable. Our WRs actually match up well against their DBs, with their secondary relying more on SPD (86 avg) than Game Instinct (62 avg) to get the job done.

Duke DL vs Navy OL - advantage Duke. Our DL TKL/STR/TECH/STA average is 83/86/66/56, while Navy's OL BLK/STR/TECH/STA average is 79/79/65/51. We should be able to apply steady pressure without having to rely on the blitz.

Duke rushing defense vs Navy rushing offense - advantage Duke. Navy has two good but not great RBs and they don't rely too heavily on the run. Our advantage up front should bottle up their running game even further.

Duke passing defense vs Navy passing offense - advantage Navy. Navy is led by a gunslinger of a QB that threw for nearly 3800 yards, 43 TDs, 5 INTs, and completed 66.5% of his passes. He's throwing to two awesome WRs on top of that. Our DBs aren't pushovers by any means, but our top DBs will definitely have their hands full. I'm hoping that we can apply pressure on their QB to try to keep him off track.

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Point-blank, we should win this game. Then again, we should've won our first game against Navy as well. Let's look back at the box score from game two:

Our total offense - 385 yards, 350 on the ground

Their total offense - 257 yards, 207 through the air

TOP - advantage us, nearly 35 minutes

Punts - we punted twice, they punted 4 times

So how in the hell did we lose that game again? Oh yeah, this stat: we lost both of the fumbles we had that game and we threw our only pick of the season to this point. On top of that, we caused zero turnovers of our own. A -3 turnover differential will kill us every time.

Are we going to get conservative on offense? Probably not. If we're going to lose, we're going to be going full-throttle on offense and it will be up to Navy's defense to keep up and/or cause a massive amount of turnovers. I'm thinking of opening up the passing game again, ala Miami, to try and catch their defense off guard.

Are we going to get more aggressive on defense? It's very possible. Our defense did well in limiting Navy's offense the first time around. Their top receivers amounted for 130 yards and 1 TD, while their passing offense sputtered in general. I'm thinking that if we ramp up the aggressiveness, we can force a turnover or two and give our offense a few more chances to really hammer away at them.

Are we taking this game lightly? Absolutely not. Not when you lose 2 games all season and you get a chance at redemption. Navy clearly showed that they are capable of beating us; while we were at home, no less. This should be a classic battle. I expect the entire Squawk nation to be in attendance at the Dome to cheer us on.

[AHF]

Congrats on the level 4 bowl bid. The opportunity for sweet revenge will definitely make this more interesting than a random matchup.

[joannes3000]

Oh, we got our revenge.

Navy got the ball to start the game and after giving up a sack on the first play, they connected on a 30 yard bomb. Our defense connected with the receiver, however, and separated the ball from his clutches. 6 plays later, our offense put us up 7-0. Navy's second possession was nearing midfield when our defense forced another fumble that we recovered. 5 plays later, we were up 14-0. Navy got their act together and ended the 1st quarter knocking on our doorstep for a TD.

Navy made good on their drive and opened the 2nd quarter with a TD to make it a 14-7 game. Our offense took the field again and put together a 10 minute TD drive that put us up 21-7 with just under 5 minutes to go. After watching our defense give up several key 3rd down conversions on the next possession, Navy was able to pull within a TD as we headed into halftime.

Our quick start was nice, but I would've liked to have gone into the 2nd half with more than a 7 point lead. We got the ball to start the 3rd quarter, however, and our offense went into grind mode. 11 plays and 8 minutes later, we extended our lead with a TD. Our defense stepped up and forced a three-and-out, getting back to the fundamentals instead of going for the big play. Our offense kept grinding away and we ended the 3rd quarter just outside of their redzone.

We opened the final quarter by finishing off our 3rd quarter drive with a TD. Sensing panic on the Navy sideline, our defense stepped up again by forcing a punt. We drained 4 minutes off the clock before having to punt, giving Navy the ball with 6:30 to go in the game. Facing a 21 point deficit, we knew Navy was going to start passing heavily and our defense was ready. No more points were scored after our opening TD, and the celebration was on at the Dome.

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We ran for 283/5 and passed for 48/0/0, totaling 331 offensive yards while our defense allowed 297 yards. We won the TOP battle also, holding the ball for 36 minutes. And unlike our regular season matchup, we dominated the turnover battle, going +2 in that category. A close game at halftime wasn't close at the end, as our defense pitched a shutout in the 2nd half.

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Our Peach Bowl win marks the 3rd consecutive bowl victory for Duke. Our bowl win also capped off our most successful campaign yet, having gone 12-2 this season. The final polls for the season have us ranked at a respectable #17. I think we're starting to separate ourselves a little bit from the pack, but now we need to prove that we can maintain this high level of play. I think we're up to the challenge.

[AHF]

Fear the [can't bring myself to say it] team Joannes is leading!

[joannes3000]

From: John Baxter

To: Coach joannes3000

Subject: Looking forward to next season...

Sent: 5/5/08 2:59PM

Coach,

I just wanted to send you a quick note to congratulate you on the good season. I hope we can build on it for next season. Keep it up!

John Baxter

Athletics Director

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For the second consecutive year, I've had my job security rise, after watching it nosedive early in my tenure. I'm now back at "very secure", and while this is as high as it gets on the scale, there is no cap. That means as long as I continue to do well I can continue to pad my security even though there will be no visual verification. This will help in the event that we start backsliding, but I honestly don't see that happening any time soon.

Next on the list of things to do is to start dominating in and around the Maryland area, since they've been constantly out-recruiting me. They're not in the same division, so they aren't an immediate threat, but they are a threat during recruiting since they're in the same demographic region. South Carolina is on that list also, although they're a little further down the road.

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37 joannes3000 12-2 7-1 3-2 8-0 17 Peach Bowl - Won

36 joannes3000 11-3 6-2 5-1 5-2 27 Emerald Bowl - Won

35 joannes3000 9-5 4-4 3-3 5-2 39 Alamo Bowl - Won

34 joannes3000 7-6 3-5 3-3 4-3 65 No bowl invitation.

33 joannes3000 5-8 3-5 2-3 3-5 66 No bowl invitation.

Overall record / conference record / home record / away record / final WIS ranking / bowl

[joannes3000]

Season recap/recruiting needs

Going into my 6th season at Duke, I laid out a simple battle plan of beginning to own the recruiting area around me. This wasn’t simple in terms of being able to do it, rather it was simple in terms of how to accomplish it. I wanted to be the #1 contender on as many recruits within 360 miles of Duke. That meant going into the likes of Georgia’s, Maryland’s, Virginia’s, South Carolina’s back yards for recruits in order to send a message – outside of elite Tennessee, recruiting goes through Duke in the southeast.

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Offense

QB Jason Martin is the #9 rated QB prospect and has excellent game instinct; above average work ethic, elusiveness, and technique; and below average athleticism, stamina, and strength. He fits perfectly into our offense and projects to be an excellent starter for us in two seasons. Stud.

RB Michael Berry has excellent strength and elusiveness; above average speed, work ethic, stamina, and hands; and average athleticism and technique. He is the #49 overall prospect and the #18 RB prospect, a stud that will immediately compete for time in the RB rotation.

RB Robert Rosa has phenomenal strength, hands, and elusiveness; excellent technique; average speed; and below average athleticism, work ethic, and stamina. He is the #53 overall prospect and the #20 RB prospect. Rosa will benefit from RSing as a FR and should get right into the RB mix next season.

WR Roger Boggs has phenomenal elusiveness; excellent speed and hands; average work ethic and technique; and below average athleticism and stamina. Boggs is the #110 overall prospect and #31 WR prospect. He is a rare receiving stud in our run-heavy offense that immediately becomes our #2 threat.

WR Paul Lopez has phenomenal speed; excellent work ethic; above average hands; average stamina; and below average athleticism, elusiveness, and technique. He is a former RB that is nothing to write home about now, but his high work ethic projects him to be an above average part of our WR rotation.

TE David Burke has excellent athleticism and strength; above average speed, stamina, blocking, and technique; average work ethic; and below average hands and game instinct. He is the #41 TE prospect and should develop nicely into a blocking TE.

TE Carlos Garner has phenomenal technique; excellent athleticism, speed, blocking, and hands; above average work ethic; average strength and game instinct; and below average stamina. He is a stud that I originally intended to switch to WR, but he will murder opposing LBs from his natural position instead. Garner is the #71 overall prospect and #21 TE prospect.

OL Charles Carter has phenomenal blocking; excellent strength; above average athleticism, game instinct, and technique; and average work ethic and stamina. He is the #39 OL prospect and projects to be a stud lineman.

OL William Malone has phenomenal strength and technique; excellent athleticism, blocking, and game instinct; above average stamina; and average work ethic. Malone is a stud and an instant starter as a FR. He is the #102 overall prospect and #3 OL prospect.

Defense

DL David Haley has phenomenal game instinct; excellent strength and tackling; above average work ethic; average athleticism and technique; and below average stamina. He is the #68 DL prospect and projects to be an excellent part of our front line.

DL Scott Michael has excellent work ethic, strength, game instinct, and technique; above average tackling; and below average athleticism and stamina. He is the #83 DL prospect and also projects to be an excellent addition to our DL.

LB Albert Ayala has phenomenal tackling; excellent speed and strength; above average game instinct; and average athleticism, work ethic, stamina, and technique. He is the #119 overall prospect and #9 LB prospect. Ayala is a stud that will play immediately.

LB Paul Rutledge has phenomenal technique; excellent work ethic, strength, tackling, and game instinct; average athleticism and stamina; and below average speed. Like Ayala, Rutledge is a stud that is ranked the #118 overall prospect and #8 LB prospect. He should get immediate playing time, although he needs to get a step quicker.

DB Wayne Green has excellent work ethic; above average speed and elusiveness; and below average athleticism, stamina, hands, game instinct, and technique. He is the #116 DB prospect and projects to be an above average starter once he rounds out.

DB William Pittman has phenomenal speed; excellent hands and elusiveness; above average work ethic; average athleticism; and below average stamina, game instinct, and technique. He is the #22 DB prospect and projects to be a stud once he refines his mechanics to match his raw abilities.

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This is clearly the best recruiting class we’ve had thus far at Duke. In my estimation, and backed by bhazlewood’s recruit rankings, I feel we landed 6 studs on offense and 2 more on defense. The only player I feel we settled for was WR Paul Lopez, but even he should play a nice role in our game plans. Our goal of locking up players in the immediate area went extremely well, as we didn’t lose any of our top targets to local schools. The only player we lost out on was a stud LB from the NE that ended up signing with Ohio State.

The pittsky recruit rankings haven’t been posted yet, but here's how the recruit rankings fell for the conference using the bhazlewood recruiting service:

Boston College – 87 (abandoned)

Clemson - 77

Florida State - 40

Maryland - 69

NC State (sim) - 103

Wake Forest - 89

Duke – 12!

Georgia Tech (sim) - 109

Miami (FL) - 24

North Carolina - 71

Virginia – 94 (abandoned)

Virginia Tech (sim) – 82

[joannes3000]

Brought to you by: joannes3000.awardspace.com

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After this season's terrific recruiting class, we have moved up several spots in my power rankings. In all of DIA we moved up 9 spots to #29, up from our #39 ranking last season. In the ACC we are now the #2 team, moving up 3 spots from #5 last season.

[AHF]

Quote:

---

Brought to you by:

joannes3000.awardspace.com

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After this season's terrific recruiting class, we have moved up several spots in my power rankings. In all of DIA we moved up 9 spots to #29, up from our #39 ranking last season. In the ACC we are now the #2 team, moving up 3 spots from #5 last season.

Where was Duke when you took the program over in all of DIA?

[joannes3000]

I don't think I have that info archived, but it was easily itoward the very bottom of DIA, similar to where Wake Forest (#98) is right now.

[joannes3000]

Well, here we are at season 6. There is quiet optimism on campus that last season wasn't a flash in the pan. For all of our success, this is still uncharted territory for me, so until I've had a few nice seasons under my belt I'm taking a cautious approach to the beginning of each season.

I completely forgot to schedule any OOC games so I'm working with what the sim scheduled for me. We got 3 human teams and 2 sims; 2 BCS schools and 3 non-BCS. The toughest game will be our season-opener on the road against a solid Cal team that I have ranked 24th in my power ratings. Beyond them, we shouldn't be challenged until we head into conference play. I think we go 4-1 at worst.

Interdivisional play has us on the road against FSU and we play host to Clemson, with a sim game against Wake Forest in between. Again, I think at worst we lose 1 game and go 2-1.

Divisonal play should be exciting as usual, this time with us traveling to Miami to start divisional play. A CC bid could be locked up as early as week 9, as I don't see us stumbling against anyone else within our division especially with Virginia taking on a bunch of sim recruits for the 2nd consecutive season. 4-1 is the mark we're likely to achieve here.

Add it all up and it's looking we have a reasonable shot at a 10-3 season. If we can pull the upset against Miami, we could be in the CC, although the road game against FSU could prove to be difficult. I like our chances at another 10+ wins this season and at least a level 3 bowl bid.

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5/22/08 at #24 California

5/23/08 Marshall

5/24/08 Illinois

5/25/08 Western Michigan

5/26/08 Buffalo

[joannes3000]

The pittsky recruit rankings were super late, but they are here regardless. I've relisted the recruit rankings with the bhazlewood rankings first, followed by the pittsky rankings:

Boston College – 87/106 (abandoned)

Clemson - 77/73

Florida State - 40/21

Maryland - 69/70

NC State (sim) - 103/103

Wake Forest - 89/101

Duke – 12!/8

Georgia Tech (sim) - 109/111

Miami (FL) - 24/31

North Carolina - 71/75

Virginia – 94/88 (abandoned)

Virginia Tech (sim) – 82/82

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The rankings are fairly close, although you see some big swings in the rankings of BC, FSU, Wake Forest, and Miami. Here's a nice breakdown of the top 50 FR in each conference, and you can see how well we did within the ACC, landing 7 of the top 10 recruits.

[joannes3000]

You know, I'm getting real tired of this crap. Much like last season's inexplicable loss to Navy, we blew a completely winnable game early in the season. We headed out west to California for our season-opener and Cal absolutely murdered our defense, especially through the air. We only gave up 252 passing yards, but we allowed them to complete 9/10 3rd down conversions; a lot of them were of the 3rd and medium/long variety. I actually sent out sitemails to several reputable coaches asking for advice on pass defense. More on that later. The result? We allowed a game-tying FG with 5 seconds remaining and ended up losing the game in OT.

We ran for 251/4 and passed for 134/1/0, totaling 385 yards while our defense allowed 419 yards. Again, the most telling stat was the fact that we allowed 9/10 3rd down conversions. We literally couldn't get a stop when we needed one, and it cost us.

41-45 (OT) L

Fired up after our season-opening loss, we came home to face sim-coached Marshall. We were 27.5 point favorites and showed why. We ran for 437/6 and passed for 114/2/0, totaling 551 yards while our defense allowed 224 yards.

0-54 W

We stayed at home for game three, this time to face Illinois. I thought this game would be much closer and it was for one half. We took a 21-10 lead into halftime and then blew the doors off in the 3rd quarter. We rattled off 21 unanswered points in the 3rd and cruised from there. We ran for 319/4 and passed for 146/3/0, totaling 465 yards while our defense allowed 262 yards.

16-49 W

Game 4 was once again at home, this time against a Western Michigan team that is in year one of a rebuild. Once again, we were huge favorites (30.5) and we more than covered the spread. We took a 49-3 lead into halftime and didn't let up in the second half. We ran for 424/9!!! and passed for 178/2/0, totaling 602 yards while our defense allowed 228 yards.

6-77 W

Our final OOC game was yet another home affair, this time against sim-coached Buffalo. We were 33.5 point favorites and had the spread covered before the end of the 2nd quarter. We ran for 407/6 and passed for 302/5/1, totaling 709! yards while our defense allowed 250 yards.

17-76 W

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As disappointed as I was with our opening loss to Cal, I think it led to some much-needed enlightenment regarding my approach to defense. After tweaking my defensive settings a little bit, I think I have things dialed in pretty well. Against Marshall we only allowed 2/10 3rd down conversions and forced 2 INTs. Against Illinois we allowed 8/15 3rd down conversions. Against Western Michigan we allowed 4/13 3rd down conversions and forced 4 INTs. Lastly, against Buffalo we allowed 3/10 3rd down conversions and forced 1 INT.

Granted, this was against talent significantly worse than that of Cal, but the results still give me hope that we've found something that works a lot better than before. The true test will come against our conference foes. I'm hoping that we've got things dialed in pretty well, because we start conference play against FSU.

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5/27/08 at Florida State

5/28/08 Wake Forest

5/29/08 Clemson

[joannes3000]

Ok, time to get serious. The first conference game of the season has us in Tallahassee to face elite FSU. My power rankings has FSU at #56 (we're #29), but it's mainly due to FSU having a few sim recruits. We're making no mistake about it - we're in hostile territory against a strong opponent.

FSU took the lead early as our initial possession ended in a punt - not how I want to start any game. Our next possession didn't go any better, as we coughed up the ball inside our 30. FSU punched the ball in again but missed the xp, and I started getting concerned. Our 3rd possession was the charm, as we finally had a sustained drive that resulted in a TD.

We opened the 2nd quarter with a big defensive stand that resulted in a punt for FSU. We were driving with a full head of steam into the redzone, but FSU forced another fumble and killed the momentum we had going. Our defense picked us right back up, though, forcing another punt. Our offense made good on our next possession by taking the lead on a TD with about a minute until halftime and we went into the break with a 14-13 lead.

The crucial opening possession belonged to FSU, and it was a gut-wrencher. Facing 3rd and 3 from our 37, we stopped them short. FSU went for it on 4th and 1, however, and converted. Then we had FSU looking at 3rd and 7, but they called a gutsy pass play out of their run formation and converted again to get into the redzone. Again, on 3rd and 4 from our 10, we stopped them short only to give up another critical 4th down conversion. Two plays later, FSU took a 20-14 lead with a TD. Not to be outdone, our possession featured a 4th down conversion as we rumbled into the endzone to end the quarter.

FSU was at it again to start the final quarter. We stopped them short on 3rd and 3, only to give up 3 yards and a 1st down on 4th and 2. Three plays later they converted on 3rd and 6, and I was giving my DC the business on the sideline. Just outside of the redzone, we stopped FSU short on 3rd down again, but you know what was coming. 4th and 2, FSU lines up in their run formation. Hand-off to the RB, who is STOPPED SHORT!!! We took control of the ball with 9 minutes to go from our 20 and it was now our game to lose. We immediately faced a 4th and short situation at our 29 and we shut up all of Tallahassee when we ripped off a 10 yard run for the conversion.

We had another key 3rd down three plays later that we converted with ease as we headed into the redzone. With just over 2 minutes to go, we drove a nail into the coffin with a TD to take a 28-20 lead. FSU wouldn't go down without a fight, obviously, as they converted yet another 4th down on their drive. With just over a minute remaining, FSU was facing 4th and 6 and our defense was ready. It was strength on strength, as they lined up in Trips and we countered with our Nickel package. Did our revamped defensive scheme pay off? Yes indeed, as our secondary came up with an INT. Two kneel-downs later, we walked off the field victorious.

We ran for 189/4 and passed for 158/0/0, totaling 347 yards while our defense allowed 293 yards. We overcame 2 turnovers (-1 for the day) and 4/5 4th down conversions by the opposing offense by playing just enough defense when the game was absolutely on the line. We also forced one more punt which negated the extra turnover we gave away, and our offense was clutch down the stretch in scoring the last 14 points of the game. Big time win for the Dookies.

28-20 W

We came home to a sold out home crowd to face sim-coached Wake Forest and they got steamrolled. We took a 35-7 lead into halftime and handled business. We ran for 417/5 and passed for 223/3/0, totaling 640 yards while our defense allowed 272 yards.

13-56 W

WARNING - TRAP GAME AHEAD

Clemson is our final interdivisional game and it's a trap game at it's finest. We're still high from our win over Florida State (and I don't count sim-coached WF as a game) and they're our hurdle before our CC showdown against Miami. We took a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter thanks to some sound defense that forced Clemson to punt on their two possessions. The 2nd quarter was much of the same and we went into halftime with a comfortable 28-0 lead. The game was over by the start of the 4th, where Clemson scored a trio of garbage TDs when they started chucking the ball downfield.

We ran for 426/7 and passed for 187/1/0, totaling 613 yards while our defense allowed 313 yards.

29-56 W

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With interdivisional play now complete, it's showdown time against The U. Both of us are undefeated in the conference thus far, and we're both likely to win out the final 4 games. One thing to note is that North Carolina is putting on another good showing this season, narrowly losing to #17 TCU (35-42) and #11 Auburn (24-30). UNC is also undefeated, but I'd be surprised if they were able to beat us or Miami. They have a solid team but, much like FSU, they have depth issues that I can exploit.

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5/30/08 at #4 Miami (FL)

5/31/08 Georgia Tech

6/1/08 North Carolina

6/2/08 Virginia

6/3/08 at Virginia Tech

[joannes3000]

The biggest game of our season is the first game of divisional play, as we head off to Coral Gables for our growing rivalry against Miami. The first quarter started off with a bang, as both of us scored on our offensive possessions and we took a 14-7 lead into the second quarter.

The second quarter didn't go so well, as Miami was able to score on both of their possessions but we were forced to punt on one of ours. What's worse is that our one score was a chip-shot FG because we ran just short of time before the half.

We were in an unfavorable position going into the 3rd quarter, kicking to Miami facing a 17-21 deficit. Miami scored on their opening drive, and then things got ugly. After a solid kick return, we completed an 18 yard pass to get across midfield, but then coughed up the ball. Turnover. I was literally screaming at my monitor as I read that portion of the play-by-play. Miami took control of the ball and the ball-game by driving for another TD to take a 35-17 lead into the 4th.

We finished off a drive that started late in the 3rd quarter by scoring an early TD in the 4th, bringing us back within 11 points. By the grace of God, Miami decided to throw the ball three consecutive times on their next possession and we were able to force a quick 3 and out, giving us a little bit of hope. Our next possession fizzled just inside the red zone, however, and we were forced to settle for a FG that brought us within 8. With just over 9 minutes remaining, Miami was driving across midfield when our defense stepped up. After a penalty that had Miami facing 2nd and 15, we executed a perfect blitz that left Miami facing 3rd and 19. On 3rd and long, Miami completed a 22 yard pass for an apparent conversion, but DB Richard Mosley OBLITERATED the receiver and forced a fumble! With 5 minutes to go, it was our offense's turn to step up, and they did just that. 4 minutes later we scored on an 8 yard TD pass and dialed up a run for the game-tying 2-pt conversion. With just over a minute left, Miami started chucking the ball down the field and got in range for a 45 yard field-goal. In fitting Miami fashion, the attempt was no good.

We won the coin toss and started on defense in the first OT. It didn't matter, however, as Miami connected on a 25 yard TD pass on their first play. On 3rd and 5, our offense was unable to convert, but we came up with a clutch 4th down conversion to keep the game alive. 3 plays later we found the endzone.

The second OT was similar to the first, with our offense completely sputtering. After a 4 yard run, we threw two straight incomplete passes and had to settle for a FG. Our defense was unable to come up with one more clutch stop, and we were left with our hearts broken for a second consecutive season.

We ran for 139/1 and passed for 270/4/0, totaling 409 yards while our defense allowed 493 yards. Both of us turned the ball over once and punted once, and as you can see the game came down to us not having enough gas in the tank in the 2nd OT. Maybe next year.

45-49 (2OT) L

Our home crowd against sim-coached Ga. Tech helped us forget the Miami loss a little bit, as did the dismantling of an inferior team. We ran for 375/2 and passed for 283/6, totaling 658 yards while our defense allowed 280 yards.

20-61 W

North Carolina was next to come to town, and they brought their 8-2 (5-0) record and top 25 ranking with them. No matter, however, as we own the rivalry. We ran for 275/5 and passed for 176/1/0, totaling 451 yards while our defense allowed 357 yards. That's 8 in a row against the other team in our state, for those keeping track.

21-42 W

Our final home game of the season is against abandoned Virginia. After going 15-0 and winning a NC just three seasons ago, Virginia has won 13 games combined over the past two seasons. We ran for 362/5 and passed for 190/2/0, totaling 552 yards while our defense allowed 256 yards.

14-49 W

We cap off our regular season with a road game to Blacksburg to face sim-coached Virginia Tech. We ran for 359/6 and passed for 252/1/0, totaling 611 yards while our defense allowed 293 yards.

47-17 W

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I have to admit that after losing to Miami, I was in a bit of a funk the rest of the season since we didn't have a lot to play for after that loss, knowing we would be shut out of a CC bid. We handled business down the stretch, however, and managed to notch another solid regular season record. Our 11-2 mark matches last season's record and is our 3rd straight season of 10+ wins.

One thing of note is that we opened up the passing game a little more this season and I like the results. Our running game is still the focus, and for the season we ran 560 times for 4380 yards (7.8 ypc) and 64 TDs. We also passed for 184/254, totaling 2613 yards and a 31/1 TD/INT ratio. We won't scare anyone with our passing attack, but as evidenced by some nice games during the season, you can't just sit back and play the run all game against us. This should bode well going into our bowl game and future seasons.

[joannes3000]

From: John Baxter

To: Coach joannes3000

Subject: Congratulations, Coach!

Sent: 6/4/08 3:04PM

I just got off the phone with the organizers of the Emerald Bowl and I've accepted their invitation. Great job this year, Coach. I think the exposure we will get playing in this game will really help out the program, not to mention recruiting next season.

Keep up the good work!

John Baxter

Athletic Director

Duke University

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I was hoping our top 25 finish and 11-2 record would be enough for another level 4 bowl, but unfortunately it wasn't. Instead, we are in the level 3 Emerald Bowl against Toledo. Toledo went a very respectable 12-1 during the regular season and finished 2nd in the MAC West to eventual CC Ball State.

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The tale of the tape:

Duke OL vs Toledo DL - advantage Duke. Our OL BLK/STR/TECH/STA average is 85/87/69/61, while Toledo's DL TKL/STR/TECH/STA average is 83/88/59/56. We trade off advantages in STR and BLK but we have an overwhelming advantage in TECH as well as the advantage in STA.

Duke rushing offense vs Toledo rushing defense - advantage Duke. Our advantage up front will put pressure on an average LB unit to step up. I don't think they will be able to hold us at bay for 4 quarters.

Duke passing offense vs Toledo passing defense - advantage Duke. Toledo only has three DBs that are on par in terms of SPD with our WRs, so things could get interesting if we decide to open up the passing game on them.

Duke DL vs Toledo OL - push. Our DL TKL/STR/TECH/STA average is 86/84/69/57, while Toledo's OL BLK/STR/TECH/STA average is 85/88/64/50. I think our STA advantage gives us a slight edge, but it will be up to our defense to make use of that advantage. In a drawn out game, I like our chances to get a key stop when we need one.

Duke rushing defense vs Toledo rushing offense - push. Toledo has a 2000 yard rusher but that stat is deceiving, with the majority of his yards coming against sim teams or sub-par teams. Their running game will have to earn yards against our defense, who was really only beaten on the ground by one team - Miami and their Heisman-winning RB. Still, their OL stacks up well against DL, so it could go either way.

Duke passing defense vs Toledo passing offense - push. Toledo has a stellar QB but he is only throwing to mediocre receivers. Our DBs are much quicker than their receiving counterparts, but aren't the smartest our soundest.

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I think our advantages on offense will lead to a long day for the Toledo defense. Our defense should be able to keep their potent offense in check also, and I think their offense in general will be facing their toughest competition yet. Their lone loss was against Ball State, and quite frankly, we would smoke Ball State.

With all that said, we never take a game against human competition lightly, let alone during the post-season. I'm 3-0 in bowl games with a very realistic shot at going 4-0 this season. That means a boost in recruiting next season, to go with bragging rights and reward points (free seasons for me).

[joannes3000]

One interesting thing of note regarding bowl bids this year is the fact that I got stuck with a level 3 bowl when I think I could've landed a level 4 bowl instead. Granted, it isn't very interesting due to the fact that I got stuck with a light OOC after I forgot to do the scheduling myself, and I scheduled a light OOC slate next season. What's interesting is that I got an unsolicited sitemail from a coach that I highly respect regarding my progress at Duke.

Here's some snippets:

"My theory is this. You're 11-2 and will only know how good you are by playing a better team in a level 4 bowl game. If you played 3 better teams in OOC play and finished 8-5, because you lost them. You atleast know you didn't belong in a level 4 bowl game and you will still be in a level 2. maybe even a level 3. If you go 2-1 in those games and finished 10-3. You are more than likely playing in a level 4 bowl game this year."

"I have confidence in you. Don't sell yourself short."

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Wow. The coach in question is one that I talk to on a fairly regular basis, but this is the first time I've gotten affirmation from someone I respect that I'm doing good things at one of my schools. This guy is a multiple NC winner with a career winning % over 80. It goes without saying that I don't ask coaches how I'm doing or what they think of my track record, so to get a message like this out of the blue did wonders for my confidence.

I can't do anything about the patsy OOC schedule I have in place next season, but we'll be scheduling a lot of tougher games in the future, that's for sure.