Duke redshirt senior defensive back Ross Cockrell was named to the 2013 College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Defensive Back Trophy Watch List.

As a junior, Cockrell was named to the All-American honorable mention team by Sports Illustrated. He led the ACC with 0.38 interceptions per game. He was third in the ACC in passes defended with 1.38 per game. Overall, he picked off five passes and broke up 13 more passes.

Cockrell also had 71 tackles as a captain in 2012. Heading into his final season at Duke, he is one of the ACC’s top cornerbacks.

Here is more about the CFPA Award:

The CFPA Defensive Back Trophy is one of 20 position-specific awards presented by CFPA that encompass the offensive, defensive and special teams aspects of football. All CFPA recipients are selected exclusively based upon objective scientific rankings of the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams. All players are eligible for awards at their respective positions; players are not preemptively eliminated from consideration. More than 130 CFPA recipients have signed professional contracts, and twenty-one have been first-round NFL Draft selections.

The Duke football team gets underway with their first game on Saturday, August 31st against NC Central at 4pm ET. It can be seen live on ESPN3.

Duke quarterback Sean Renfree was taken in the 7th round of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday. He was the 249th overall pick. It was the final day of the draft.

Renfree was the first player taken from Duke since 2004. He is the first Duke quarterback to be drafted since 1996.

Renfree is the school’s leader in single season passing accuracy (.673) and career passing accuracy (.647). His career passing yardage is third all-time (9,465). In his career, he was 898-for-1,389 with 51 touchdowns and 40 interceptions.

In the ACC, he is third all-time in completions, tied for fourth in 300 yard passing games (11), sixth in pass completion percentage, and seventh in passing yardage.

He helped guide Duke to their first bowl game since 1994 in his senior season. Renfree was 297-for-441 with 3,113 yards and 19 touchdowns (with ten interceptions) in his final season. He was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and the recipient of both the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award and the Pop Warner National College Football Award for his off-the-field accomplishments.

Bleacher Report believes the Falcons got one of the best long-term quarterback in the draft and a backup for starter Matt Ryan. They also believe Renfree will fit in nicely with their offense.

In surprising news, wide receiver Conner Vernon was not selected, despite being the ACC’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. USA Today was also surprised by him not being drafted and put him on their list of top players not drafted. USA Today also points out that typecasting may also have been a factor.

However, shortly after the final name was called, Vernon signed a contract with the Oakland Raiders.

Vernon was one of Renfree‘s favorite targets. In his final season, Vernon caught 85 passes for 1,074 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Raiders are fairly inexperienced at the wide receiver position, so he has a chance at making the cut. They also drafted quarterback Tyler Wilson out of Arkansas and the two showed great chemistry in the 2013 Senior Bowl.

The ACC’s all-time leader in pass receptions and receiving yardage, Duke‘s Conner Vernon, is headed to play in the 64th annual Senior Bowl. He is the 21st player out of Duke to play in the Senior Bowl, but the first since 1999 (Chris Combs).

The game will be played on January 26th at 4pm ET at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. It will be televised on the NFL Network.

In 48 career games as a Blue Devil, Vernon caught 283 passes for 3,749 yards and 21 touchdowns. Besides setting ACC records in receptions and receiving yards, he also set records for most consecutive games with at least one reception (48), most seasons with 50-plus receptions (four), and most seasons with 70-plus receptions (three). Over his career, he ranks 23rd in the NCAA in catches and 24th in the NCAA in yardage.

The senior captain set Duke’s single season record for catches with 85, which ranks fifth all-time in ACC history. He joined fellow receiver Jamison Crowder to set a school record for most catches by two teammates (161) and receiving yards by two teammates (2,148). Vernon, Crowder, and Desmond Scott set the school record for most catches by three teammates (227) and most receiving yards for three teammates (2,814).

Duke is the ONLY school in the country to have three players with at least 65 receptions on the season.

The Belk Bowl started out SO well for the Duke football team, as they quickly jumped out to a 16-0 lead. However, they made some mistakes and had trouble tackling in the open field. That led to a 48-34 loss to Cincinnati.

At the end of the first quarter, Duke led 16-3 and it looked as though they might blow the Bearcats out. It also looked as though they might pick up their first bowl victory since 1961. They scored on a rushing touchdown, a field goal, and a blocked punt. So their running game was working, as was their defense.

But fans should have seen the bad omen from the beginning when Ross Martin missed his first extra point of his career (and the season) on Duke’s first scoring drive (which was their first possession).

Then the Blue Devils did not score in the second quarter. They were hurt by Jela Duncan‘s fumble on the 1/2 yard line. Cincinnati went on to score two straight touchdowns on passes from quarterback Brendon Kay of 22 yards and 41 yards.

The first half came to an end in interesting fashion. Martin nailed a 53 yard field goal which would have given Duke the lead at halftime. However, Cincinnati was penalized prior to the snap and Martin‘s 48 yard FG was no good.

The Bearcats continued to take advantage in the second half of Duke’s failure to tackle in the open field. That is something that dogged the Duke defense all season long. On third and 12 in the Bearcats’ first drive of the second half, Kay hit Anthony McClung for 55 yards (which led to a field goal).

After Duke quarterback Sean Renfree was intercepted, Cincinnati tacked on more points. On their second play of the drive, George Winn rushed for a 46 yard touchdown to give the Bearcats a 27-16 lead.

But then Duke came back. Renfree connected with Conner Vernon for a 10 yard TD pass and found a wide open Isaac Blakeney in the corner for the two-point conversion to cut their deficit to 27-24.

» Continue reading “Mistakes Prove Costly as Duke Loses in Belk Bowl”

The University of Cincinnati will essentially be playing without a head coach in the Belk Bowl on December 27th. Butch Jones left for a new job and Tommy Tuberville’s hiring isn’t quite official. So, defensive coach Steve Stripling will be leading the Bearcats in the bowl game.

Via UniWatch/Twitter

But they will be playing with snazzy new helmets.

Cincinnati ended up in a four-way tie for the Big East title (9-3 overall), but didn’t play in the title game, thus no BCS Bowl bid. Instead, they have to face a 6-6 Duke team (that is bowl bound for the first time since 1994) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

The two teams have similar offenses (both average 31 points per game) though Cincinnati relies on the running game (199.8 yards per game) more than Duke (119 ypg). Duke gets more passing yards per game (277.6 compared to 231), but the Bearcats pick up more yards per catch (14.4 compared to 10.6).

The difference between the two teams is their defenses. Cincinnati allows just 17.2 PPG while Duke allows 35 points. The Blue Devils allow about 200 rushing yards per game, which is about Cincinnati’s average. They also allow 261.8 passing yards per game, which is well over what the Bearcats average. The Bearcats like the first and third quarters, where they have scored over 100 points in each this season and have not given up 50 total points in either of those quarters.

Greg Blair leads the Bearcats in tackles with 123. He also has two interceptions and forced a fumble. He was named to the All-Big East first team on defense at line backer. Dan Giordano, a defensive lineman, joined Blair on the first team. He has five sacks and 51 tackles. Walter Stewart, a fellow defensive lineman, also has five sacks. He was named to the All-Big East second team (along with punter Pat O’Donnell).

» Continue reading “Getting to Know Cincinnati: Belk Bowl Preview”

Despite the fact that the Duke football season hasn’t come to an end yet (that will happen on December 27th in the 11th annual Belk Bowl against Cincinnati), the team has been racking up some awards.

Matt Lubick was named the top receivers coach in the country by FootballScoop. In his third season at Duke, he has coached three receivers that form the only trio in the nation to have 60-plus receptions each (Conner Vernon, Jamison Crowder, and Desmond Scott). These three, along with quarterback Sean Renfree, are a big reason why Duke is heading to a bowl game for the first time since 1994.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who was named the ACC’s Coach of the Year, called Lubick the best recruiter he has ever worked with.

Here is what Vernon had to say about Coach Lubick, in helping him become the ACC’s all-time leading receiver:

 ”Coach Lubick is really big on fundamentals and he’s crafted my game monumentally from that standpoint,” Vernon said.  “He’s a phenomenal coach and a great teacher, but overall a he’s better person than all of that. He’s always putting players before him in every situation. He’s always looking out for us to make sure we’re up to par in school and not just in athletics. He’s more of a mentor than a coach. I don’t really like to call him a coach because he means a lot more to me than just football.”

Kicker Ross Martin was named to the Freshman All-American team by both CBSCollegeSports.com and Sporting News. He is just the seventh Blue Devil to earn that honor. Four of those honors have come in the last five years.

Martin has had the best season of any Blue Devil kicker. He has made 18-of-20 field goals and all 44 of his extra points to total 98 points on the season. With just the bowl game remaining in his first season at Duke, he has already set school records in PATs. His points are second most in school history.

He also received honorable mention All-American honors by Sports Illustrated. Cornerback Ross Cockrell joined him on that list.

Cockrell is a co-captain and leads the ACC in interceptions with five and third in passes defended (17). In the 12 games this season, he has 63 tackles, four tackles for a loss, and 12 pass breakups.

He was also a first team All-ACC selection by both the media and the coaches. He has also scored two touchdowns this season, one after blocking a field goal and taking it 75 yards for the score against FIU and the other on an interception return of 32 yards versus NC Central.

In the inaugural All-ACC Football Team voted on by the coaches, Duke football coach David Cutlciffe was named the Coach of the Year. Not surprising considering Duke is finally heading to a bowl game (the Belk Bowl) despite the injuries. I was a little surprised he took the honor as Duke is just 6-6 and have lost their last four games. He was on seven of the 12 ballots.

Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon was selected to the All-ACC first team. Fellow wide receiver Jamison Crowder and kicker Ross Martin were named honorable mentions.

On defense, corner back Ross Cockrell was named to the first team. Safety Walt Canty was named to the second team. Defensive end Kenny Anunike was named an honorable mention.

Punter Will Monday was named to the first team in terms of special teams.

For more on the entire selections, click HERE.

The Duke football team became bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 and were rewarded with a trip to the Belk Bowl. The Blue Devils will face the Cincinnati Bearcats of the Big East on December 27th at 6:30pm ET on ESPN. The Belk Bowl will be played in Charlotte, NC at the Bank of America Stadium (wonder who has the advantage there?)

Cincinnati is 8-3 overall and lost to both Louisville and Rutgers in their conference, and Toledo out of it. They won their fourth Big East title in the last five years (though in a tie). Duke is just 6-6 and has lost four games in a row.

What is the Belk Bowl you ask?

It began back in 2002 with a sellout crowd of 73,535 at the home of the Carolina Panthers. The ACC and Big East supply the opponents. In that first game, Virginia played West Virginia (the number 2 teams in each of their respective conferences).

Bank of America Stadium thus played host to the largest non-BCS crowd of the bowl season and the second most attended inaugural game in the history of the NCAA.

Duke quarterback Sean Renfree was named as the Jim Tatum Award winner on Thursday. This award is given out to the ACC’s top football scholar athlete. It will be handed out at the ACC’s Night of Legends on Friday night.

Jim Tatum was a two-time ACC Coach of the Year and coached in the 1950s at both Maryland and North Carolina. He whole-heartedly believed in the student-athlete.

Renfree is the fourth Blue Devil to be honored with this award. He is a three year starter and a two year captain. He is one of the most accurate passers in the history of the ACC. His is currently third in the ACC with a .663 completion percentage (260-of-392) and is on pace to break his career-high of .650 set in 2011. He holds or shares 14 records at Duke.

In terms of the ACC career ranks, he is fourth in pass completions and sixth in pass completion percentage. Renfree is tied for seventh in 300 yard passing games and ninth in passing yardage.

He has already been honored for his off-the-field accomplishments this season: a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, the recipient of the Pop Warner National College Football Award, named to the AFCA’s Good Works Team, and a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.

He graduated in December of 2011 with a degree in public policy (3.4 GPA). He is currently working towards a masters degree in humanities (he currently has a 3.8 GPA). Renfree was an All-ACC Academic team member in 2010 and 2011.

On Monday, the All-ACC teams were announced. Two Duke football players were named to the first team.

Cornerback Ross Cockrell leads the ACC in interceptions with five. He also has 63 tackles on the season, four for a loss.

Punter Will Monday leads the ACC and is ranked 14th nationally in punting average (44.12 yards).

*Two more Blue Devils were named to the second team.

Wide receiver Conner Vernon became the ACC’s all-time leader in pass receptions and receiving yards. He currently has 273 catches in 47 career games for 3,630 yards and 20 touchdowns. During the 2012 season, Vernon leads the team with 75 receptions. He has totaled 955 yards and seven touchdowns. It is the third time he has received this honor.

Safety Walt Canty, who is a co-captain, has 102 tackles on the season, 5.5 for a loss. He averages 8.5 tackles a game.

*Five more Blue Devils were named honorable mentions.

Defensive end Kenny Anunike has 42 tackles on the season, six for a loss. He also has five sacks.

Wide receiver Jamison Crowder has 70 receptions on the season for 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns. I am surprised that he did not at least make the second team.

Offensive guard Dave Harding started all 12 games and helped Duke to rank second in the conference in sacks allowed per pass attempt. Offensive tackle Perry Simmons also started all 12 games and helped Duke to an average of 31.33 points per game.

Kicker Ross Martin made 18-of-20 field goal attempts. He made all 44 of his extra points.

Duke will only lose two of the above nine players for the 2013 season (Vernon and Canty). For a complete list of all the ACC players honored, click HERE.