David Cutcliffe: It’s Hard for Me Not to Get Really Angry at Myself

All three phases had breakdowns in loss to Hokies

Duke coach David Cutcliffe saw some similarities in the team’s fourth straight loss to start the season, but he also saw some key differences.

“Obviously, when you reach the level we’re at right now, opening statements are difficult,” he said, “because it seems you’re saying the same things each and every week when you come up short. I think the game was a bit different. Again, though, it was a tale of inconsistencies. Very concerned about the penalties that occurred. Concerned that we had some breakdowns in the kicking game. That’s a little different from what we’ve had.”

Duke had problems on offense, defense and special teams, which is the opposite of what Cutcliffe wants.

“The biggest thing for us at this point, is putting all three phases together,” he said. “When we’ve played consistently well, we’ve been able to blend the kicking game, defense and offense. We effectively, in three or four series, could put a game out of reach. Certainly, (we’re) breaking down in those areas.”

Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils coaches were constantly trying to adapt to new issues that cropped up in the game.

“Where it kind of was in this one, when one (area) got going, something else didn’t hold up,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s hard for me not to get really angry at myself, and I am. At the same time, I can’t lose my head. We have to be objective as we study this. We’re going to continue to prepare and find our way back to the winners’ circle.”