Alabama-Duke: 10 Reasons Why the Blue Devils Can Beat the Tide
Alabama heads to the heart of ACC Country for its showdown with the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday.
Most are predicting a complete blowout as the Crimson Tide, the defending National Champions, boast a No. 1 ranking and the defending Heisman Trophy Award winner.
Duke, on the other hand, has been one of the weakest college football programs for the better part of the last two or three decades. So what chance do the Blue Devils have of actually pulling off the shocker of all shockers?
Here are 10 reasons why and how Duke can do the unthinkable and throw the BCS discussion into complete chaos in Week 3.
It Is a Long Way To Durham and The Wallace Wade Sideline
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Chances are the Alabama faithful haven't made many trips to Durham, N.C., and even fewer trips to Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium.
The historic stadium is named after former Duke great Wallace Wade, who also is greatly revered at Alabama for helping create the winning tradition for the Tide. He has a statue outside both Wallace Wade and Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The reason this provides such an advantage to Duke is that the Alabama faithful which will show in droves, will be delayed getting to the game due to an inability to find parking.
This will confuse the Tide who are used to playing in front of thousands of die-hard Bama fans.
To make matters worse, the jaunt from their locker room to the playing field is more like a marathon.
The locker room for the visiting team isn't inside the main bowl. From the picture above it is actually located about 200-plus yards to the right of the open end of the stadium.
That is a lot of running when you consider the pregame warm ups, the run out prior to kickoff, then back to the locker room for half-time,and then back again for the second half. The Tide will be worn out from all that running. Advantage Duke.
Alabama Has To Deal With Duke's Passing Attack
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Neither team the Crimson Tide has faced this year has been able to do much against their vaunted defense.
Chances are the Tide may not be prepared for a Duke aerial attack that features quarterback Sean Renfree, who is averaging 350 yards per game and two and a half touchdowns per game.
They also haven't played a team that is averaging 44.5 points per game, either. Granted Duke has given up 40.5 points per game so things can always even out in the end.
Still, the Blue Devils have a bevy or receivers that could make it hard for the Alabama secondary to keep up with if Renfree can stay off his back.
Duke's Half-Time Shows Can Choke a Man To Death
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Another decided advantage that the Blue Devils may have is its half-time show, which during big games features fireworks.
With Wallace Wade being a small stadium and Durham often featuring stagnant air, the fireworks are sure to leave a plume of smoke to fill your lungs.
Fireworks Displays are usually done at the open end of the stadium during half time and usually by the end of halftime, the stadium is complete filled with the fog-like cloud.
Alabama will have the unenviable task of running through such a cloud on their long journey back from the locker room.
If they can manage to not choke to death, then there is a chance the Tide could squeak out a win.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The Blue Devils Have Found a Ground Game
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For the Tide to have a chance to slow down the potent Duke offense, they are going to have to stop Desmond Scott.
The Blue Devils' running back is averaging close to 100 yards per game and has two touchdowns already, getting him close to passing his numbers from a season ago.
Combine Scott's running acumen with Duke's passing attack, and the Tide's defense will be kept guessing for most of the game.
Unless their defensive line just blows up the Blue Devils' offensive line, which might just happen.
Alabama Fans Will Not Be Ready for the Duke Football Atmosphere
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Alabama fans may be a little shocked at what they see when they venture to Wallace Wade Stadium.
They will have to deal with an antiquated concession stand and bathroom facilities, which is certainly not something the folks from the SEC are accustomed to.
If the confusion, shock, and awe from that isn't enough, the amount of support Duke has been garnering since David Cutcliffe came to town has helped to make Wallace Wade look more like a Blue Devils home game of late.
Fans used to flock by the handful. Now they are coming out in respectable numbers to support the football team.
This isn't the same old Duke program, and the Bama fans shouldn't expect the same old Duke fans. Unless they go up by 20 or more points, at which time the Blue Devils faithful may call it an early day.
David Cutcliffe Wins at Home
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Since coming to Duke, David Cutcliffe has experienced most of his 10 wins at home.
Prior to his arrival, the Blue Devils couldn't really win anywhere, but since he showed up Duke has made Wallace Wade more of a home game than in recent memory.
Duke may not have the size, strength, or skill to compete with Alabama, but they do have the home field advantage. Cutcliffe insisted on keeping the game in Durham rather than moving to a larger stadium in Charlotte or Atlanta.
The hope is that bringing a high quality opponent to Wallace Wade will attract fans and potential players to Duke home games. If Duke can keep the game respectable, and there is no reason to see why they can't, then that increases interest.
Of course many of the fans who show up will probably be wearing red and hounds-tooth, so what, if any, advantage in fan numbers remains to be seen. Still it is pretty cool and they will be adding more than 3,000 additional seats to accommodate all the fans.
Duke Has Nothing To Lose and Everything To Gain
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No one expects Duke to win, which is generally a good thing if you hope to ride the underdog tag to a win.
Teams that are favored generally are so for a good reason, and there isn't much more of a reason than being the No. 1 team playing a team picked to finish next to last in the conference.
Still Duke is improving and can lay everything out there to play their best football against the nation's No. 1 ranked team.
Regardless of the score, Duke wins. They get a home game against a quality opponent, they get a televised game that isn't the ACC game of the week, and Alabama draws a lot of eyes.
By playing a hard and exciting brand of football, Duke will hopefully spur some interest from recruits and fans alike. So no matter how much Alabama is favored, Duke wins no matter what.
Alabama May Be Due for a Letdown
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After its convincing win last week against Penn State, the Crimson Tide may be due for a letdown this week.
How many times do you see a heavily favored team play poorly after a convincing win in a heavily hyped game like Alabama-Penn State? The answer is a lot, especially if you are in the ACC.
Can the same thing be said for the cream of the SEC crop? Only time will tell, but Duke is a game easily overlooked and Alabama may end up kicking themselves if they come out flat.
Duke's Fanbase Will Increase Exponentially
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Duke may be one of the smallest schools in FBS football, but on Saturday at least, they will have a bigger fanbase than Alabama.
Despite being one of the most hated college basketball programs, Duke will be the lovable underdog against big, bad Alabama.
Expect everyone from the state of Idaho to be on Duke's bandwagon. Expect everyone from Auburn or just about any SEC school not Alabama to be pulling for the Blue Devils at least a little bit.
Will that kind of fan support be enough to put Duke over the top? We will see on Saturday.
Duke and David Cutcliffe Are Due a Signature Win
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Since arriving at Duke, David Cutcliffe has done a lot to improve the program.
He has doubled the program's win total from the past decade in his first two years and two games. He has given hope, where none previously existed that Duke can be competitive once more, and he has improved the overall talent the team is putting out week in and week out.
What he hasn't accomplished is a signature win. Why not start against the No. 1 team in America? Sure the odds are astronomical, but why not? It would be the story of the year in college football and a memory maker for everyone who plays and attends the game on both sides.
Americans love the impossible to become possible and this is the chance for Duke Football to, at least for one day, put itself back on the national map.
Will it happen? Probably not. Can it happen? Absolutely.
Let's Be Realistic
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As a Duke football fan, it is easy to be used to chalking a game like this as a surefire blowout. Everyone expects it and they probably are right.
But Duke fans should be tired by now of hearing locally how bad this game is going to be and how much the Alabama fans will show them about real fandom. Nationally this game wouldn't even be a blip on the radar if it weren't for Alabama being No. 1.
Alabama is a great team and perhaps the best in the land. Duke is a team trying to find the surface after sinking into the abyss for decades. So why not be coy about the big game? Why not poke the beast a little? That is part of college football and part of being a fan.
Alabama fans are big boys and girls and can take it. So Duke fans should show some pride and perhaps a little bit of confidence. The players and coaches would appreciate it.
No team ever won anything by expecting to lose and Duke fans should take that mentality to heart. So expect good things and perhaps they will happen. And help give Alabama and their fans something to remember win or lose.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
