Duke's Casey Holman: Deon Jackson Ran Through People Today

Duke offensive lineman Casey Holman was happy with the offense’s performance in the Blue Devils’ first scrimmage.

“It was hot outside, but we had a good day,” he said. “We got a lot of healthy guys back. We figured out what we had to do better. We had to get better effort. Execution-wise, I thought we executed pretty well.”

The linemen have been busy working on versatility, playing multiple positions.

“Collectively, we felt pretty good,” he said. “We’ve been changing guys around, getting new guys in there. We feel good as a group. We feel like we’re interchangeable. We’re running smooth right now. Once we hit bumps, we’ll figure those out, but right now we feel good together.”

The offense still has much to work out, including who will start at quarterback.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” he said. “We don’t know what’s going on. We’ve got three guys running at quarterback, right now. So it was exciting just to get out here and see what we’ve got. We got out here and boomed with a 12-play drive for a touchdown, so that kind of got that tempo set and the energy started.”

Holman and the line blocked for running back Deon Jackson, who scored two touchdowns on impressive rushing.

“Deon ran through people today,” Holman said. “He ran hard. He didn’t hesitate. He followed our guys. We created those holes for him. He ran. He had energy. He wanted it today.”

Holman has been moving between tackle and guard.

“The main difference between the two is reads,” he said. “Where I’m looking. You’ve got to be a little less athletic at guard and a little more powerful. You’ve got to have a little more finesse at tackle.”

The idea behind the multiple positions on the line is to make sure everyone understands the offense. “It gives everyone the intention to learn other positions and pay more attention to details,” he said. “Schematically, we’re not focusing on ‘Who do I block?’ You’re focusing on ‘How is this play running? What’s the concept of it?’”