David Cutcliffe Not Sure Why Duke Starts Slow

Coach says team goes all-out in practice from the start

Duke has not gotten off to fast starts in recent games, and coach David Cutcliffe isn’t sure why. “From the get-go in practice we're going wide open,” he said. “It's not tunnel emotion or locker room emotion. It's not a state of readiness. I don't think those things can really have a pinpointed reason. I think what you have to focus on is 60 minutes of really good football. I think that goes back to the other question of ‘where your focus is.' What's your edge. You know what kind of edge do you have. Can you maintain an edge wire to wire. All of those things – and that's been around forever. But all of those things are a big part. And I know Coach (Bear) Bryant used to talk about it and I agree with this. It's not that you don't start fast, but as your practice goes if you're going to be a really good fourth quarter team then your practices should peak at the end, with energy. And I think that's difficult for most teams to accomplish.”

Cutcliffe also doesn’t know why so many ACC teams have been upset or had close calls this season.

“I don’t know the answer,” he said. “I can speculate. The most difficult thing is to find consistent focus. You’ve got to dial in, zero in. None of us know who, but each team has somebody that’s playing that’s hurt or not as effective. So it’s a multitude of things. I love it. I think the challenge of having a team focused and consistent is one of the great challenges in coaching today.”