By Clifton Barnes
Duke’s football fortunes are likely to rise and fall on the shoulders of new quarterback Thomas Sirk.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound redshirt junior whose career was slowed by a ruptured achilles takes over for Anthony Boone, who led the Devils to bowl berths.
Sirk has been known mostly as a runner. He came in 12 games last season and ran 47 times for 238 yards and eight touchdowns. He threw only 14 passes
but managed three throwing touchdowns.
He has stepped up big with a winning running TD against Pitt last season and a winning passing TD against Virginia.
“There is no question Thomas is our starter,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said at the preseason ACC media event in Pinehurst. “He’s a very capable quarterback,” he added, trying to dispel the notion that Sirk is just a runner.
Cutcliffe has reminded Sirk that the first person you’ve got to compete against is yourself. “He sets his sights high and I like that about him,” he said.
The backup at quarterback is redshirt sophomore Park Boehme (6-2, 220 pounds) and he is expected to get some action. In fact, Cutcliffe says he’ll play some in the first game. Boehme only took 15 snaps last season when games against inferior oppoenents were out of reach so expect his playing time to go down as the season progresses – unless Sirk is injured.
The game plan doesn’t have to change drastically with Boehme in the game as he also is a running and passing threat.
While Sirk is a question mark, Duke’s starting running back is expected to be solid.
Shaquille Powell, senior who rushed for 618 yards last season, is on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award given to the top running back in the NCAA.
The Blue Devils running game has improve drastically over the years for a Duke team known for passing. The Devils averaged 182 total rushing yards per game, the program’s highest total since 1977 when Duke rushed for 199 yards a game.
Cutcliffe said it’s “not an accident” that the running game has improved. He said the Devils have recruited well at running back and on the offensive front.
Cutcliffe said even if you are primarily known as a passing team, you’d better maintain the ability to run the football, which is something he admitted Duke didn’t do very well when he first started out as Duke coach in 2008.
By 2013, Cutcliffe had led the Blue Devils to their first-ever Division title and a berth in the ACC championship game, not to mention the first 10-win season in the school’s history.
