Carter II Shines As Duke Holds Team Scrimmage

DURHAM, N.C. – Today the Duke Blue Devils held their first full padded scrimmage and boy do they have some work to do. The Blue Devils defense definitely showed up and showed out, led by Michael Carter II, who had three interceptions to help Duke cause multiple turnovers through out the night. 

Junior safety Micheal Carter II led the defense with three interceptions, a handful of tackles and constantly disrupting the passing game. The rest of the Duke defense was ferocious getting after the quarterback, making sure they close the distance and separation, all while making vicious hits. Redshirt senior defensive end Edgar Cerenord had two sacks on the night.

For the head coach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils, their problem won’t be the defense. Most of the pressure will be on the offense, who will be led by redshirt senior quarterback Quentin Harris. Harris saw good action last season, starting in two games and playing in most other games in short running situations. The biggest question coming in to the season will be can Harris be consistent enough as a passer to keep Duke in a position to be an ACC Championship contender.

During the scrimmage, the Blue Devils struggled to move the ball down the field only achieving about five first downs, neither the passing game nor run game could get it clicking. Fortunately, after the half, the Blue Devils found a running game, which ironically was still produced by the defense as freshman safety Jordan Waters made a huge impact. His tough runs sparked the Blue team to have more energy. This was Jordan’s first opportunity to run the rock and he definitely ran it tremendously especially after coming from the safety position.

Also redshirt senior wide receiver Aaron Young caught a nice corner fade in the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown from Harris which really sparked the offense. Also to end the scrimmage on a positive note red-shirt sophomore quarterback Chris Katrenick made a great pass to redshirt freshman Jarrett Garner for the last touchdown of the game. Still, the Blue Devils will need to make and execute a lot of improvements on both offense and defense between now and their first game.

Duke will have a tough task ahead of them on Saturday, August 31st when they travel to Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against the powerhouse of the Alabama Crimson Tide, who is projected as an almost 40-point favorite. 

(Photo credit: Lawrence Davis III)