Oct. 28, 2006
Vanderbilt will be looking to rebound from a 31-13 loss last week to South Carolina when it travels to Durham, N.C. Saturday for a game against the Duke Blue Devils. Kickoff is slated for 12:00 p.m. CST. The game will not be televised.
Players to Watch:
#11 John Talley: Senior CB (5-11, 180). Talley moved into a tie for first in Duke history with his 16th career interception in the Blue Devils’ 20-15 home loss to Miami last week. His sixteen interceptions leave him seventh all-time in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the category, and his 375 career interception return yards is tops in ACC history. Named a preseason All American by the Sporting News, Talley’s five interceptions this year is fifth best in the nation.
#9 Thaddeus Lewis: Freshman QB (6-2, 190). Named the starter for Duke’s week two game at Wake Forest, Lewis became just the second true freshman to start under center for the Blue Devils in the past 22 years. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown in his debut, but on the season is just 96 for 186 with four touchdowns against nine interceptions. His 1,197 passing yards through six games stands as the sixth-highest single season total by a freshman in Blue Devil history.
#21 Re’quan Boyette: Sophomore RB (5-10, 215). Though listed just third on the Blue Devils depth chart at tailback, Boyette carries a significant portion of the load on the ground for Duke. His 42 overall rushes are second on the team, and Boyette leads Duke with 191 yards gained on the ground, an average of 4.5 yards per carry and an average of 27.3 yards per game gained on the ground.
#15 Eron Riley: Sophomore WR (6-3, 200). Just third on the team with 20 catches on the year, Riley’s average of 16.6 yards per catch leads Duke and he is first on the team with two touchdown receptions. Riley struck for a 41-yard touchdown score Oct. 14 against Florida State, and his average of 47.6 receiving yards per game ranks sixth in the ACC.
#81 Jomar Wright: Junior WR (6-1, 200). Wright is Duke’s leading receiver through seven games, as he has racked up 27 catches for 386 yards. He was on the receiving end of a 54-yard pass from Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis, the longest of the year for the Blue Devils, and his average of 55.1 receiving yards per game leads the team.
Talking Points:
Saturday will mark the 10th meeting in the all-time Duke-Vanderbilt series, with the Commodores holding a 6-3 series edge. Vanderbilt’s 42-28 win over Duke in 2001 was their fifth straight win over Duke, and the two teams have split four prior meetings in Durham, N.C.
Duke is 52-47-5 overall against the Southeastern Conference. The Blue Devils’ .333 winning percentage against Vanderbilt is its lowest against any SEC school.
Duke head coach Ted Roof has faced Vanderbilt four times in his coaching career. He beat Vanderbilt twice as an assistant at Alabama in 1987 and 1988, and split two meetings with the Commodores while on the Duke staff in 1991 and 1992.
Duke, winless thus far in 2006, have been outscored 201-66 by its seven opponents and has been shut out three times.
After trailing Miami 20-2 after three quarters last week, the Blue Devils posted 196 yards from scrimmage in the fourth quarter and pulled to within five, but did not capitalize on a chance to win on the final play from scrimmage.
Duke netted a total of negative 21 yards on the ground in its Sept. 30 home loss to Virginia, but rebounded the next week at Alabama by gaining a season-best 201 yards on the ground.
Duke WR Eron Riley has caught at least one pass in each of Duke’s last 13 games, dating back to the 2005 season.
Sophomore starting middle linebacker Michael Tauilili officially changed his last name over the off-season to pay respect to his Samoan heritage. He was known last year as Michael Brown.
The Duke roster contains just seven recruited scholarship seniors who are in their final year of eligibility. Only Florida State, Kentucky and South Carolina have fewer with six.
The Duke starting offensive line unit entered 2006 with just twelve career starts among them, the lowest total in the nation.
Duke has earned an American Football Coaches Association award, given to teams that graduate 70 percent or more of their football student athletes in a given year, an NCAA-leading 12 times, including last season when Duke graduated more than 90 percent of their players.