Duke QB Chase Brice: "I Know I Got Tired" in Opener

Duke coaches praised the Blue Devil players throughout the preseason for being disciplined and diligent in working out when quarantined at home. The team returned to campus in shape, and coaches thought the team would be able to wear down the Fighting Irish in the opener. Instead, Notre Dame scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away.

That had the team questioning its level of preparation.

“When you lose all of summer, that takes a toll on your body,” quarterback Chase Brice said. “When you’re not on a schedule with morning workouts and meetings, eating healthy with food that the program can provide. It’s different when you’re home. You’ve got to trust your team, make sure everybody’s doing what they can. We took a large approach in trying to get back into game shape. I think this game, we kind of got tired a little bit. I know I did. I got a little bit tired. I’ve got to take ownership of that and really look at my conditioning levels better, so I can go a full four quarters and be there for my team.”

Brice pointed the finger at himself for several problems on offense.

“We want to be making explosive plays,” he said. “There were some we left out there today—a couple of bad decisions on my part—trying to play fast. I’m going to start giving my guys better opportunities to make plays.”

Part of the team’s struggles came from younger backups getting into the game, and making youthful mistakes. Brice thinks that’s a short-term setback that will pay dividends later.

“We’re playing lot of guys,” he said. “A lot of young guys are going to go out there and play. That’s only going to help us in the long run.”

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