CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2009 Duke

5–⁠7 (3–⁠5 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by David Cutcliffe.

Schedule and results

Duke in 2009, game by game: lost vs. Richmond 16–24; won at Army 35–19; lost at No. 22 Kansas 16–44; won vs. North Carolina Central 49–14; lost vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech 26–34; won at NC State 49–28; won vs. Maryland 17–13; won at Virginia 28–17; lost at North Carolina 6–19; lost vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech 10–49; lost at No. 21 Miami 16–34; lost vs. Wake Forest 34–45+35−39Lost 16–24 vs. Richmond-8RichmondWon 35–19 at Army+16ArmyLost 16–44 at No. 22 Kansas-28No. 22 KansasWon 49–14 vs. North Carolina Central+35North Carolina …Lost 26–34 vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech-8No. 6 Virginia TechWon 49–28 at NC State+21NC StateWon 17–13 vs. Maryland+4MarylandWon 28–17 at Virginia+11VirginiaLost 6–19 at North Carolina-13North CarolinaLost 10–49 vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech-39No. 7 Georgia TechLost 16–34 at No. 21 Miami-18No. 21 MiamiLost 34–45 vs. Wake Forest-11Wake Forest
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsRichmondL 16–⁠2447%
Sep 12atArmyW 35–⁠1939%
Sep 19at22KansasL 16–⁠4420%
Sep 26vsNorth Carolina CentralW 49–⁠1483%
Oct 3vs6Virginia TechL 26–⁠3425%
Oct 10atNC StateW 49–⁠2826%
Oct 24vsMarylandW 17–⁠1358%
Oct 31atVirginiaW 28–⁠1737%
Nov 7atNorth CarolinaL 6–⁠1937%
Nov 14vs7Georgia TechL 10–⁠4929%
Nov 21at21MiamiL 16–⁠3426%
Nov 28vsWake ForestL 34–⁠4550%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Wake Forest 45–⁠34; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 8th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 76th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 108 on file).

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 8th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
302–⁠340
Coach
David Cutcliffe
Elo
1422 +22 this season
SP+ rating
-6.1 No. 86 of 120; offense No. 86, defense No. 75, special teams No. 63
SRS
−2.8 No. 72 of 120 in FBS
Recruiting class
No. 54
Offensive coordinators
Kurt Roper and Matt Luke
Defensive coordinators
Mike MacIntyre and Marion Hobby
Captains
Thad Lewis and Vincent Rey
Most valuable player
Thad Lewis
Offense
Multiple
Defense
Multiple

How good, play by play

  • Offense86th of 120
  • Defense88th of 120
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted86th of 120
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted88th of 120
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0138%0.9186th of 120
Defense0.0843%0.9488th of 120
Opponent-adjusted0.03 off
0.06 def		40% off
42% def		—86th off
88th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense-0.4own 322% allowed
Defense-0.2own 311% caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsThaddeus Lewis QB3,330 yds
Passing touchdownsThaddeus Lewis QB20 TD
Rushing yardsDesmond Scott WR262 yds
Rushing touchdownsThaddeus Lewis QB4 TD
Receiving yardsDonovan Varner WR1,047 yds
Receiving touchdownsDonovan Varner WR8 TD
InterceptionsLeon Wright CB5 INT

Top recruits in the 2009 class

Desmond Scott APB★★★★No. 212
Walt Canty S★★★No. 919
Sean Schroeder PRO★★★No. 971
Corey Gattis ATH★★★No. 1026
Conner Vernon WR★★★No. 1073

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2009 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.853
Running backs23.50.863
Receivers23.00.830
Offensive line32.30.783
Defensive line33.00.833
Linebackers32.70.788
Defensive backs42.80.831
Athletes and specialists32.70.822
Whole class212.80.821

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 96

The 2009 roster

96 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2009 line; 28 have a stat line. See the roster

2009 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Georgia Tech7–⁠111–⁠313
Virginia Tech6–⁠210–⁠310
Clemson6–⁠29–⁠524
Miami5–⁠39–⁠419
Boston College5–⁠38–⁠5
North Carolina4–⁠48–⁠5
Florida State4–⁠47–⁠6
Wake Forest3–⁠55–⁠7
Duke3–⁠55–⁠7
NC State2–⁠65–⁠7
Virginia2–⁠63–⁠9
Maryland1–⁠72–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.