For the first time in three seasons, third-seeded Duke's the underdog on Memorial Day Weekend. And that makes the Blue Devils very happy. And very dangerous, as they look for their first national title.
Duke spent the last five minutes of practice at Gillette Stadium on Friday lined up in the wing T. With five down lineman - including Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Ned Crotty - down in stances across from a defense composed of coaches, the Blue Devils ran a few plays from scrimmage.
First, a fly pattern down the right side. Incomplete. Then, a fade down the left that hit Max Quinzani square in the pocket...and fell to the turf. On third and long, it was a QB throwback that went just a little far past Jason Orlando stick. Finally, on fourth and forever, a hook and ladder that got the hook part right, but saw the lateral roll off the field for a rare turnover on the Patriots' home field.
"We didn't execute very well out there," said Duke coach John Danowski with a laugh.
The Duke team that practiced on Friday at Gillette Stadium resembled in many ways the one that took the field on the Friday before Memorial Day last year. The size, the speed, the ability to pick a mosquito off the top corner with a shot from 20 yards out - that was all the same. But the biggest difference was also the loudest. This team was yelling, laughing, jumping around, running throwback passes.
The 2008 Blue Devils, the owners of one of the top offenses in the history of the game of lacrosse, let alone college, came into Gillette as the team expected to win. To win big. But more, with the program still healing from the damage inflicted by the 2006 rape allegations scandal, they were expected to win for the program.
Duke spent the last five minutes of practice at Gillette Stadium on Friday lined up in the wing T. With five down lineman - including Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Ned Crotty - down in stances across from a defense composed of coaches, the Blue Devils ran a few plays from scrimmage.
First, a fly pattern down the right side. Incomplete. Then, a fade down the left that hit Max Quinzani square in the pocket...and fell to the turf. On third and long, it was a QB throwback that went just a little far past Jason Orlando stick. Finally, on fourth and forever, a hook and ladder that got the hook part right, but saw the lateral roll off the field for a rare turnover on the Patriots' home field.
"We didn't execute very well out there," said Duke coach John Danowski with a laugh.
The Duke team that practiced on Friday at Gillette Stadium resembled in many ways the one that took the field on the Friday before Memorial Day last year. The size, the speed, the ability to pick a mosquito off the top corner with a shot from 20 yards out - that was all the same. But the biggest difference was also the loudest. This team was yelling, laughing, jumping around, running throwback passes.
The 2008 Blue Devils, the owners of one of the top offenses in the history of the game of lacrosse, let alone college, came into Gillette as the team expected to win. To win big. But more, with the program still healing from the damage inflicted by the 2006 rape allegations scandal, they were expected to win for the program.
So, flanked by media for two full seasons, they became torch-bearers, saviors. Metaphors.
"The first two years, because of what happened in 2006, everything was about redemption, being perfect, reversing the perception people had of Duke lacrosse," Danoski said. "But everyone learned you're not gonna do that through playing a game."
"We don't have back story this year," Quinzani said, smiling and looked upward. "I can actually sigh after that that. Last year we had greater things to think about. We were getting these speeches by these people that wanted us to do well for the Duke community, do well for this, do well for that, and I'm just playing because I like playing with the guys."
Last year, Quinzani said, the expectations became a second line of defense. A Duke team that excelled in a free-flowing style suddenly applied the clamps against Johns Hopkins in the national semifinals, trailing 4-2 early and eventually falling to the Blue Jays in one of the year's biggest upsets. That loss came a year after the Dukies, 17-2 at the time, fell to Hopkins in the championship game.
"I remember last year where I could've made some plays where I said I'm gonna slow it down," he said. "I talked to Brad Ross at halftime and said that we're not taking as many risks. This year our motto is to make 'em early so you don't have to make 'em late."
And lately, they've been doing just that. Duke comes into Championship Weekend as one of the hottest teams in all of lacrosse. The Devils haven't lost since March 17. That's nine straight, including an ACC Championship win over North Carolina (and a second-round Tournament win over UNC), two wins over top-seeded Virginia and a dominating 14-5 win over Navy in the NCAA First Round.
Sure, they're not scoring 15 goals a game. But they're close. Four All-Americans at attack or midfield and another on defense have made sure that if this Duke team doesn't boast the raw talent that that year's cast did, it's close. Very close.
Couple that with a newfound comfort with playing in tight games and the lessons learned from three early-season losses, including one to unranked Harvard, and this team comes into Saturday feeling, for the first time in three years, loose, Crotty said.
"Last year that was one of our problems, getting tight in close games," Crotty said. "I think throughout the whole season, we have so much more tight game experience this year."
After those three losses, the media flocked to Harvard and murmured about Duke having a down year. Now, at Gillette, they're back. But the conversations aren't metaphorical. They're not
"Through it all, we had two one-goal losses at the end [of the year]," Danowski said. "This year 's different, it's a not feeling that we have to win, but that we want to win - same as everyone else."
"To be able and come in and just play, it's such a relief," Crotty said.
"The first two years, because of what happened in 2006, everything was about redemption, being perfect, reversing the perception people had of Duke lacrosse," Danoski said. "But everyone learned you're not gonna do that through playing a game."
"We don't have back story this year," Quinzani said, smiling and looked upward. "I can actually sigh after that that. Last year we had greater things to think about. We were getting these speeches by these people that wanted us to do well for the Duke community, do well for this, do well for that, and I'm just playing because I like playing with the guys."
Last year, Quinzani said, the expectations became a second line of defense. A Duke team that excelled in a free-flowing style suddenly applied the clamps against Johns Hopkins in the national semifinals, trailing 4-2 early and eventually falling to the Blue Jays in one of the year's biggest upsets. That loss came a year after the Dukies, 17-2 at the time, fell to Hopkins in the championship game.
"I remember last year where I could've made some plays where I said I'm gonna slow it down," he said. "I talked to Brad Ross at halftime and said that we're not taking as many risks. This year our motto is to make 'em early so you don't have to make 'em late."
And lately, they've been doing just that. Duke comes into Championship Weekend as one of the hottest teams in all of lacrosse. The Devils haven't lost since March 17. That's nine straight, including an ACC Championship win over North Carolina (and a second-round Tournament win over UNC), two wins over top-seeded Virginia and a dominating 14-5 win over Navy in the NCAA First Round.
Sure, they're not scoring 15 goals a game. But they're close. Four All-Americans at attack or midfield and another on defense have made sure that if this Duke team doesn't boast the raw talent that that year's cast did, it's close. Very close.
Couple that with a newfound comfort with playing in tight games and the lessons learned from three early-season losses, including one to unranked Harvard, and this team comes into Saturday feeling, for the first time in three years, loose, Crotty said.
"Last year that was one of our problems, getting tight in close games," Crotty said. "I think throughout the whole season, we have so much more tight game experience this year."
After those three losses, the media flocked to Harvard and murmured about Duke having a down year. Now, at Gillette, they're back. But the conversations aren't metaphorical. They're not
"Through it all, we had two one-goal losses at the end [of the year]," Danowski said. "This year 's different, it's a not feeling that we have to win, but that we want to win - same as everyone else."
"To be able and come in and just play, it's such a relief," Crotty said.
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