Blue Devils need to get offense turned around

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke's offensive output against Virginia Tech was downright pathetic, the worst in recorded school history. A grand total of 35 yards on 53 plays. Ten punts. Two fumbles and an interception.

No one player deserved the brunt of the blame for the 45-0 loss, so finding a way to improve may not be that simple.

"Looking back and evaluating everything that we do and every step that everybody took, it wasn't a lack of effort or a lack of want to," Blue Devils coach Ted Roof said. "On a lot of plays, we had 10 guys doing what they were supposed to be doing, and we had one guy make a mistake."

This week, that shouldn't be a problem, not with Division I-AA VMI (1-1) traveling to Wallace Wade Stadium. The Keydets have lost 13 of their past 14 games, with the only victory coming over non-scholarship Davidson to open the season.

William & Mary routed VMI 41-7 the next week, yet coach Cal McCombs is looking forward to matching up with Duke.

"I see it as an opportunity to go down there and play a very good football team," he said. "I think we'll get better as a result of playing a game like this."

Roof can only hope the same goes for his team. The season began with a close loss to East Carolina before the route by the Hokies, and the schedule gets more difficult following the visit from VMI.

Duke's next five opponents had combined records last season of 43-17, a total that includes four bowl victories. They open the daunting stretch next week against No. 25 Virginia and end it with No. 8 Florida State, a patch that would challenge even the most competitive programs.

For the Blue Devils it appears particularly daunting.

"The win is kind of like the reward at the end of all your hard work, and we haven't had that yet," linebacker Brendan Dewan said. "The coaches have told us what to do, and they've given us every opportunity to win. It's just a matter of us doing the right things on the field and getting it done. That's on us."

Getting the offense going falls at least partly on quarterback Mike Schneider, assuming he keeps his spot. He finished 4-of-14 for only 14 yards against Virginia Tech, a week after throwing three interceptions against East Carolina.

He has split snaps so far with backup Curt Dukes, and freshman Marcus Jones is waiting for his chance, too. Of course, whoever is behind center needs better protection; Duke has allowed eight sacks in two games.

"It is tough to evaluate that because they were under duress a large part of the time," Roof said. "When we did protect and did have time, I thought Mike Schneider threw some good balls, and we had a couple of drops. Against a team that is as talented as Virginia Tech, you make a mistake and you get exposed, and we paid the price for it."

Those miscues Saturday probably won't make a difference. VMI hasn't beaten a Division I-A school since 1981, when the Keydets finished up a 6-3-1 season with a 6-0 victory over Virginia Tech.

Another one over the Blue Devils would be a huge surprise.

"It's an opportunity to give your program a shot in the arm if you can pull off an upset like that," McCombs said. "It also gives us an opportunity to give us something that would get us over the hump, if we were to go down and upset a team like Duke."