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Blue Devil Rewind: Coastal Division Champions
3/31/2020 3:03:00 PM | Football
This series will take an inside look at top moments in Duke football history and are not meant to be a complete listing of all memorable accomplishments, but a sampling of great moments as determined by the GoDuke.com staff.
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Duke's record-setting 2013 campaign was the culmination of a years-long process started by that season's National Coach of the Year David Cutcliffe and the coaching staff after their arrival in December, 2007.
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FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW
THE TEAM
Steve Wiseman (Duke Beat Reporter, The Herald-Sun) – "That 2013 Duke team still stands out to me because of its tenaciousness. So many times along the way to that Coastal Division championship obstacles popped up that could have sent that season in a far different direction. Anthony Boone's broken collarbone at Memphis in Week 2. Consecutive home losses to start the ACC schedule. The 22-0 deficit at Virginia. None of those things derailed that Duke team on its journey to the ACC championship game."
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Dave Harding (Duke Offensive Lineman, 2010-13) – "The 2013 team was special because we were unified around the singular goal of bringing Duke Football back to prominence. Every person on the roster committed to Duke when it wasn't cool to do so, and we were all determined to turn the program around. We weren't there for individual success, we were all completely invested in doing our part to make the program better. The team got a taste of success in 2012 but we weren't content with simply reaching bowl eligibility, we wanted more and were willing to put in the work to achieve it. Although the work wasn't always easy, we usually found a way to have fun and keep positive attitudes. We enjoyed each other's company and had fantastic team chemistry."
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THE IMPORTANT PIECES
Dave Harding (Duke Offensive Lineman, 2010-13) – "Coach Cutcliffe was, without a doubt, the person most responsible for our success. He was able to lay out his vision to each of the players as recruits and turn that vision into a reality by unifying everyone around common values. The fact that he was able to do that despite the challenges associated with turning a Power 5 program around is nothing short of amazing. I still have a handwritten letter that Coach Cutcliffe sent me in high school. In it, he promised that coming to Duke would include me in something special and that we would win a championship. Most people would have laughed at that notion in 2008 but we were the ones laughing in 2013."
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Steve Wiseman (Duke Beat Reporter, The Herald-Sun) – "Like Cutcliffe always stresses, this was a Duke team that received contributions from offense, defense and special teams to win. Jamison Crowder emerged as one of the ACC's top receivers and was on his way to the NFL. Crowder's production in the return game, along with Ross Martin's kicking and Will Monday's punting, were secret weapons on special teams. Linebacker Kelby Brown's toughness personified the defense. Jeremy Cash finally got to play after sitting out the 2012 season as a transfer and was impressive. Ross Cockrell was a brilliant senior leader and one of the ACC's best cornerbacks. This team knew how to find that extra gear when it was needed."
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THE OUTCOME
Dave Harding (Duke Offensive Lineman, 2010-13) – "I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the player leadership on the team. Yes, the captains were a special group, but the entire team took on a unique personality during that season. Accountability was important to everyone and people were willing to take responsibility for their actions on and off the field. Those characteristics are rare in a culture, especially in a large group of college aged men, and it paid off with a Coastal Division Championship."
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Steve Wiseman (Duke Beat Reporter, The Herald-Sun) – "Brandon Connette ran the offense while Boone's injury healed. Then Connette sprained his ankle in a freak accident running out of Pascal Field House leaving the Thursday morning walkthrough. Boone made his return partially out of necessity and threw three touchdown passes to beat Navy. There's that tenacity again.Â
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"The Oct. 19 game at Virginia changed everything. The Cavaliers scored the game's first 22 points and were in total control until Boone led a touchdown drive in the final seconds of the first half. That sparked the Blue Devils, who scored the game's final 35 points and shut out Virginia after halftime to win, 35-22. Without that win, the events of the following Saturday likely go differently. It was simply that kind of season.
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"Playing No. 16 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Duke produced only 198 yards of offense, failing to convert a third down while committing four turnovers. Yet Duke's defense intercepted four passes and the Blue Devils won, 13-10. The program's first win over a ranked team since 1994 and its first road win over a ranked team since 1917 secured bowl eligibility.
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"It turned out that Duke was just getting started. Those wins led to an eight-game winning streak, capped a 10-2 regular season with a, 25-22, win at North Carolina that wrapped up the Coastal title. After 17 consecutive losing seasons, Duke finally emerged from the football wilderness. The program had been building up and improving the last few years and finally broke through in a big way."
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013
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Duke's record-setting 2013 campaign was the culmination of a years-long process started by that season's National Coach of the Year David Cutcliffe and the coaching staff after their arrival in December, 2007.
Â
Cutcliffe guided the Blue Devils to a 10-4 record that year, including the ACC's Coastal Division championship and an appearance in the 46th annual Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, Ga., where Duke and Texas A&M played in the most-watched non-BCS game of the bowl season. Â
The ACC's Coach of the Year in both 2012 and 2013, Cutcliffe guided Duke to final national rankings in the BCS standings (24th), USA Today/Coaches poll (22nd) and Associated Press poll (23rd). Duke's 10 wins were also the most in school history, bettering the previous standard of nine set by the 1933, 1936, 1938 and 1941 squads. Â
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 The ACC's Coach of the Year in both 2012 and 2013, Cutcliffe guided Duke to final national rankings in the BCS standings (24th), USA Today/Coaches poll (22nd) and Associated Press poll (23rd). Duke's 10 wins were also the most in school history, bettering the previous standard of nine set by the 1933, 1936, 1938 and 1941 squads. Â
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FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW
THE TEAM
Steve Wiseman (Duke Beat Reporter, The Herald-Sun) – "That 2013 Duke team still stands out to me because of its tenaciousness. So many times along the way to that Coastal Division championship obstacles popped up that could have sent that season in a far different direction. Anthony Boone's broken collarbone at Memphis in Week 2. Consecutive home losses to start the ACC schedule. The 22-0 deficit at Virginia. None of those things derailed that Duke team on its journey to the ACC championship game."
Â
Dave Harding (Duke Offensive Lineman, 2010-13) – "The 2013 team was special because we were unified around the singular goal of bringing Duke Football back to prominence. Every person on the roster committed to Duke when it wasn't cool to do so, and we were all determined to turn the program around. We weren't there for individual success, we were all completely invested in doing our part to make the program better. The team got a taste of success in 2012 but we weren't content with simply reaching bowl eligibility, we wanted more and were willing to put in the work to achieve it. Although the work wasn't always easy, we usually found a way to have fun and keep positive attitudes. We enjoyed each other's company and had fantastic team chemistry."
Â
THE IMPORTANT PIECES
Dave Harding (Duke Offensive Lineman, 2010-13) – "Coach Cutcliffe was, without a doubt, the person most responsible for our success. He was able to lay out his vision to each of the players as recruits and turn that vision into a reality by unifying everyone around common values. The fact that he was able to do that despite the challenges associated with turning a Power 5 program around is nothing short of amazing. I still have a handwritten letter that Coach Cutcliffe sent me in high school. In it, he promised that coming to Duke would include me in something special and that we would win a championship. Most people would have laughed at that notion in 2008 but we were the ones laughing in 2013."
Â
Steve Wiseman (Duke Beat Reporter, The Herald-Sun) – "Like Cutcliffe always stresses, this was a Duke team that received contributions from offense, defense and special teams to win. Jamison Crowder emerged as one of the ACC's top receivers and was on his way to the NFL. Crowder's production in the return game, along with Ross Martin's kicking and Will Monday's punting, were secret weapons on special teams. Linebacker Kelby Brown's toughness personified the defense. Jeremy Cash finally got to play after sitting out the 2012 season as a transfer and was impressive. Ross Cockrell was a brilliant senior leader and one of the ACC's best cornerbacks. This team knew how to find that extra gear when it was needed."
Â
THE OUTCOME
Dave Harding (Duke Offensive Lineman, 2010-13) – "I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the player leadership on the team. Yes, the captains were a special group, but the entire team took on a unique personality during that season. Accountability was important to everyone and people were willing to take responsibility for their actions on and off the field. Those characteristics are rare in a culture, especially in a large group of college aged men, and it paid off with a Coastal Division Championship."
Â
Steve Wiseman (Duke Beat Reporter, The Herald-Sun) – "Brandon Connette ran the offense while Boone's injury healed. Then Connette sprained his ankle in a freak accident running out of Pascal Field House leaving the Thursday morning walkthrough. Boone made his return partially out of necessity and threw three touchdown passes to beat Navy. There's that tenacity again.Â
Â
"The Oct. 19 game at Virginia changed everything. The Cavaliers scored the game's first 22 points and were in total control until Boone led a touchdown drive in the final seconds of the first half. That sparked the Blue Devils, who scored the game's final 35 points and shut out Virginia after halftime to win, 35-22. Without that win, the events of the following Saturday likely go differently. It was simply that kind of season.
Â
"Playing No. 16 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Duke produced only 198 yards of offense, failing to convert a third down while committing four turnovers. Yet Duke's defense intercepted four passes and the Blue Devils won, 13-10. The program's first win over a ranked team since 1994 and its first road win over a ranked team since 1917 secured bowl eligibility.
Â
"It turned out that Duke was just getting started. Those wins led to an eight-game winning streak, capped a 10-2 regular season with a, 25-22, win at North Carolina that wrapped up the Coastal title. After 17 consecutive losing seasons, Duke finally emerged from the football wilderness. The program had been building up and improving the last few years and finally broke through in a big way."
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TEAM HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013
- For the first time since the ACC went to divisional play in 2005, the Blue Devils captured their first Coastal Division championship after finishing with a mark of 6-2 in ACC play
- Those six ACC wins marked Duke's most conference victories since 1989 (6-1)
- Duke broke the school wins record with its 10th victory following a 27-25 win at North Carolina on Nov. 30, 2013
- The Blue Devils defeated two ranked teams that season when it took down No. 16 Virginia Tech and No. 24 Miami … the last time Duke beat two ranked teams in the same season was 1971 (No. 19 South Carolina & No. 11 West Virginia)
- Duke also posted a perfect 5-0 record in road games, marking the first time since 1962 that Duke finished the season undefeated in true road games
- Duke earned a berth to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, where it faced No. 20 Texas A&M ... the bowl berth was Duke's second straight, coming on the heels of the Belk Bowl in 2012 ... it marked the first time in program history that Duke advanced to bowl games in back-to-back seasons.
- Duke finished the season ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, No. 22 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll and No. 24 in the final BCS rankings … the last time Duke received a final national ranking was in 1962 when the UPI slotted the Blue Devils at No. 14.
- The Blue Devils also had numerous individual honors throughout 2013 to include:
- Team Captains: Anthony Boone, Ross Cockrell, Justin Foxx, Dave Harding, and Perry Simmons
- All-America: Jeremy Cash, Jamison Crowder, and DeVon Edwards
- Freshman All-America: DeVon Edwards
- Academic All-America: Perry Simmons
- All-ACC (Coaches): Kenny Anunike, Kelby Brown, Jeremy Cash, Ross Cockrell, Jamison Crowder, Braxton Deaver, Will Monday, Perry Simmons, and Laken Tomlinson
- All-ACC (ACSMA): Kenny Anunike, Kelby Brown, Jeremy Cash, Ross Cockrell, Jamison Crowder, Braxton Deaver, DeVon Edwards, Ross Martin, Will Monday, Perry Simmons, and Laken Tomlinson
- Carmen Falcone Team MVP: Jamison Crowder
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