Duke returns home on Saturday to host Stanford in the Blue Devils’ ACC opener. Manny Diaz’s squad comes in 2-0 after a big win at Illinois last week, led by running back Nate Sheppard and an opportunistic defense.
Stanford head coach Tavita Pritchard previewed Saturday's matchup between the Blue Devils and the Cardinal.
On Duke’s identity
Yeah, I think for them it starts; you guys have heard me talk about playing sound football and playing to your personnel and your personality. And this is a team and a program that's obviously had the success they've had because they know their identity. They play it really well.
On Duke’s defense
On the defensive side, they do a great job of stopping the run. Those guys, they move, and they switch coverages; they switch looks
a lot. They blitz, they play coverage, they play single high, they play two high, they play man, they play zone, they really mix it up, but they do so cohesively. A year ago, they were one of the top defenses in the country taking the ball away. And so they're conscious of that, and that's something that we have to have a heightened awareness of making sure that we're protecting the ball.
On Duke’s offense, Nate Sheppard
On the offensive side, that runner leads the country in all-purpose yards and rushing yards, and he has got great contact balance, and the backup as well.
Those are two guys that we know that they will run the football; they'll run and play action. When you talk about not just those runners, but also the quarterback. We're familiar with the quarterback. I wasn't here when we played against him at San Jose State, but I know that he had a good game against that Stanford team. And so you got a quarterback that presents some real challenges with his ability to throw the ball. And so their ability to be balanced, but also on both offense and defense, and play to their personality and play to their strength presents a challenge.
On Duke’s special teams
And then, as you think about the special teams too, they've stolen some possessions with their fakes. So that's something that we have to be aware of as well and on high alert, knowing that the special teams is both sound, but they'll also look for some opportunities to steal some possessions there too.
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This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Stanford HC Tavita Pritchard previews Duke matchup
