Former Hurricanes wide receiver Ahmmon Richards sent over his keys to the game and they're the most old-school, leather-helmet breakdown you'll ever see. Stop the run. Create negative plays. Run the ball.
From a record-breaking wide receiver.
He's right, though. Here's why, and here are the players who decide it.
Ahmmon also sees it as a mindset. "Once you stop the run, you're almost sending a message to the other team," he said. "We're going to be the more physical team today. Buckle up."
It starts inside. Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott open the lanes that let our linebackers flow downhill, and they have to be active early.
Ahmmon doesn't think Sheppard is streaky, but when he gets hot, he's hot. Once he feels the holes, he starts cutting back across the field and making three or four guys miss. You want him feeling pressure from the first snap, like the holes aren't there.
Ahmmon's reasoning is about what the defense knows. On third-and-4 or third-and-5, it could be a run or a pass, and everyone on defense is thinking. On third-and-8, third-and-9 or third-and-10, you have a tip on what's coming. That helps a secondary that needs all the help it can get right now.
Duke's schedule has been very easy. They've done what they're supposed to do, and they haven't seen anything like Moten, Scott, Armondo Blount, Marquise Lightfoot and Damon Wilson II. Negative plays could be what makes this game different.
Walker Eget might be the least mobile quarterback we've faced. If our ends are ever going to get home, Saturday is the day.
Ahmmon doesn't want Darian Mensah dropping back into Manny Diaz's world all day. Diaz loves the mug look and puts seven or eight guys on the line. You don't want to live in third-and-long against that.
Mensah has shown he can throw through blitzes, but if the offensive line controls the line of scrimmage and Mark Fletcher Jr. and Mallory get going, Duke has to honor the run. That buys Mensah time when he does throw.
Ahmmon gave the guards a specific shout-out. They have a big job this week.
Lightfoot has done a good job, but it isn't the same sheer force. So Ahmmon wants the corners to do more: get physical at the top of routes and buy the defensive line an extra second or two. Play soft coverage, and the rush is never getting there.
We saw it in the third quarter at Notre Dame. The corners challenged receivers, the coverage got stickier, and CJ Carr had to get rid of it and throw fades instead of sitting in the pocket like he did in the first half.
"If the quarterback looks and he sees you not on pace, not on time, he's going to his next read," Ahmmon said. "He's not going to sit there and wait for you to figure out if you're getting off the press."
When nobody gets touched, it's basically seven-on-seven, and the quarterback knows exactly where everyone will be. Even mid-route, when a receiver crosses a corner's face in Cover 2, you're supposed to put hands on him. Ahmmon pointed to Texas, whose defensive backs are always putting hands on someone, drags included.
Ahmmon tied it back to the blitz. Against a team that mugs and blitzes, the counter is pass protection and the run game. Those guys are already in the gaps, and they leave natural bubbles because the second and third levels are nearly at the line.
Get through the crease, and it's an explosive play. Mallory is elusive enough to go from the A gap to the C gap in a blink.
"It's almost like teleporting," Ahmmon said. He makes the first guy miss, has natural bend in his hips and finds the second hole when the first one isn't there. And he generates so much power off the cut that if you're flying in out of position, he's gone.
Justin Scott. Scott was the best lineman on the field for either team against Notre Dame. Moten made some nice plays too, but Scott was overwhelming, especially in the second half, minus a bad facemask penalty. It was the one matchup Notre Dame was losing consistently.
Here's our challenge for him. He's been good this year, but not dominant like a first-round defensive tackle. If you want to go in the first round, you dominate week to week. Last week was first-round film. Give us more against Duke, with TFLs, a sack and pressures.
Ahmmon reminded us that people judge defensive tackles by defensive end standards. These guys are grinders who don't load the stat sheet. And he sees a familiar pattern. Last year, Scott started slow, then late in the season you saw the five-star version. He's on that same trajectory now.
Cooper Barkate. Ahmmon's offensive key player. Barkate spent the year a little in the shadow of the best player in college football. When Malachi Toney went down, he stepped up, and Ahmmon says that momentum is real. Coming off that game against Notre Dame's corners, there's a natural confidence: if I did that against them, who's slowing me down?
Duke is going to load the box and blitz. The way to beat the blitz is to get the ball out fast and let playmakers create after the catch, and Barkate is the guy Mensah goes to in the quick game. At Notre Dame, it was slants, quick in-breakers and fades.
Kamal Bonner. The NC State transfer was their best linebacker the year before he arrived, then he got hurt here and didn't contribute much to last year's run. This year, with Mohamed Toure and Chase Smith back as returning starters, he hadn't broken in. Then came Notre Dame.
Ahmmon admitted he was too emotionally into the game to notice live. On the rewatch, Bonner was in there for basically the whole third quarter, flowing, tackling in space and taking on guards. Notre Dame tried to attack whoever was in that spot, and Bonner answered.
His favorite rep: Notre Dame tried to freeze his eyes by slipping Jordan Faison into the formation. Bonner read it, didn't overrun the play and made the tackle. That set up a longer third down, Damari Brown broke up the pass and we got off the field.
PFF's numbers back it up. He played 27 snaps, his most of the season and his most at Miami. All his grades were green, including an 81 tackling grade. He was a tackling machine at NC State, and the speed and instincts are there.
The bigger issue is the drops: against FSU, the fourth down against Pitt, one against North Carolina and one at Notre Dame. The confidence doesn't look like it's where it needs to be.
Ahmmon gave him grace. Upshaw spent the week preparing with Toney in the slot. Slot timing is different from outside timing, and the trust with Mensah wasn't there yet. Duke, after a full week of reps and extra work with Mensah after practice, is the fair test.
His coaching points:
Then let's see how Manny answers. Does he keep blitzing, or does he flip his tendencies, rush four and stunt, since we haven't picked up stunts well? That's the chess match I'm most excited to watch at noon.
We went deeper on the full game-eve show from Duffy's, including our predictions. Watch it on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, subscribe and turn on notifications for game day.
From a record-breaking wide receiver.
He's right, though. Here's why, and here are the players who decide it.
Key 1: Stop Nate Sheppard
This one's obvious. Make Duke one-dimensional, the way we've done to almost everyone this season.Ahmmon also sees it as a mindset. "Once you stop the run, you're almost sending a message to the other team," he said. "We're going to be the more physical team today. Buckle up."
It starts inside. Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott open the lanes that let our linebackers flow downhill, and they have to be active early.
Ahmmon doesn't think Sheppard is streaky, but when he gets hot, he's hot. Once he feels the holes, he starts cutting back across the field and making three or four guys miss. You want him feeling pressure from the first snap, like the holes aren't there.
Key 2: Create negative plays
Get a few tackles for loss and put Duke in third-and-long, not third-and-manageable.Ahmmon's reasoning is about what the defense knows. On third-and-4 or third-and-5, it could be a run or a pass, and everyone on defense is thinking. On third-and-8, third-and-9 or third-and-10, you have a tip on what's coming. That helps a secondary that needs all the help it can get right now.
Duke's schedule has been very easy. They've done what they're supposed to do, and they haven't seen anything like Moten, Scott, Armondo Blount, Marquise Lightfoot and Damon Wilson II. Negative plays could be what makes this game different.
Walker Eget might be the least mobile quarterback we've faced. If our ends are ever going to get home, Saturday is the day.
Key 3: Establish the run from play one
We've done an OK job running the ball this season. Javian Mallory brought a different spark in the second half against Florida State. This week, it has to be good from the beginning.Ahmmon doesn't want Darian Mensah dropping back into Manny Diaz's world all day. Diaz loves the mug look and puts seven or eight guys on the line. You don't want to live in third-and-long against that.
Mensah has shown he can throw through blitzes, but if the offensive line controls the line of scrimmage and Mark Fletcher Jr. and Mallory get going, Duke has to honor the run. That buys Mensah time when he does throw.
Ahmmon gave the guards a specific shout-out. They have a big job this week.
Press. At least sometimes.
Ahmmon believes the pass rush and the coverage are connected. Last year, Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor won almost instantly with a four-man rush, so our DBs could play off. We don't have that presence yet.Lightfoot has done a good job, but it isn't the same sheer force. So Ahmmon wants the corners to do more: get physical at the top of routes and buy the defensive line an extra second or two. Play soft coverage, and the rush is never getting there.
We saw it in the third quarter at Notre Dame. The corners challenged receivers, the coverage got stickier, and CJ Carr had to get rid of it and throw fades instead of sitting in the pocket like he did in the first half.
"If the quarterback looks and he sees you not on pace, not on time, he's going to his next read," Ahmmon said. "He's not going to sit there and wait for you to figure out if you're getting off the press."
When nobody gets touched, it's basically seven-on-seven, and the quarterback knows exactly where everyone will be. Even mid-route, when a receiver crosses a corner's face in Cover 2, you're supposed to put hands on him. Ahmmon pointed to Texas, whose defensive backs are always putting hands on someone, drags included.
Key players
Javian Mallory. This feels like a Mallory game. Statistically, Duke is good against the run, but Georgia Tech pounded them with Justice Haynes and a freshman back. We've seen this movie with Manny's defenses: when they faced Jonathan Taylor, Kenneth Walker III or North Carolina's Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, it got ugly. Mallory is ready for a big day.Ahmmon tied it back to the blitz. Against a team that mugs and blitzes, the counter is pass protection and the run game. Those guys are already in the gaps, and they leave natural bubbles because the second and third levels are nearly at the line.
Get through the crease, and it's an explosive play. Mallory is elusive enough to go from the A gap to the C gap in a blink.
"It's almost like teleporting," Ahmmon said. He makes the first guy miss, has natural bend in his hips and finds the second hole when the first one isn't there. And he generates so much power off the cut that if you're flying in out of position, he's gone.
Justin Scott. Scott was the best lineman on the field for either team against Notre Dame. Moten made some nice plays too, but Scott was overwhelming, especially in the second half, minus a bad facemask penalty. It was the one matchup Notre Dame was losing consistently.
Here's our challenge for him. He's been good this year, but not dominant like a first-round defensive tackle. If you want to go in the first round, you dominate week to week. Last week was first-round film. Give us more against Duke, with TFLs, a sack and pressures.
Ahmmon reminded us that people judge defensive tackles by defensive end standards. These guys are grinders who don't load the stat sheet. And he sees a familiar pattern. Last year, Scott started slow, then late in the season you saw the five-star version. He's on that same trajectory now.
Cooper Barkate. Ahmmon's offensive key player. Barkate spent the year a little in the shadow of the best player in college football. When Malachi Toney went down, he stepped up, and Ahmmon says that momentum is real. Coming off that game against Notre Dame's corners, there's a natural confidence: if I did that against them, who's slowing me down?
Duke is going to load the box and blitz. The way to beat the blitz is to get the ball out fast and let playmakers create after the catch, and Barkate is the guy Mensah goes to in the quick game. At Notre Dame, it was slants, quick in-breakers and fades.
Kamal Bonner. The NC State transfer was their best linebacker the year before he arrived, then he got hurt here and didn't contribute much to last year's run. This year, with Mohamed Toure and Chase Smith back as returning starters, he hadn't broken in. Then came Notre Dame.
Ahmmon admitted he was too emotionally into the game to notice live. On the rewatch, Bonner was in there for basically the whole third quarter, flowing, tackling in space and taking on guards. Notre Dame tried to attack whoever was in that spot, and Bonner answered.
His favorite rep: Notre Dame tried to freeze his eyes by slipping Jordan Faison into the formation. Bonner read it, didn't overrun the play and made the tackle. That set up a longer third down, Damari Brown broke up the pass and we got off the field.
PFF's numbers back it up. He played 27 snaps, his most of the season and his most at Miami. All his grades were green, including an 81 tackling grade. He was a tackling machine at NC State, and the speed and instincts are there.
The slot
Daylyn Upshaw got clamped by Leonard Moore. Fine, Moore might be the best corner in the country.The bigger issue is the drops: against FSU, the fourth down against Pitt, one against North Carolina and one at Notre Dame. The confidence doesn't look like it's where it needs to be.
Ahmmon gave him grace. Upshaw spent the week preparing with Toney in the slot. Slot timing is different from outside timing, and the trust with Mensah wasn't there yet. Duke, after a full week of reps and extra work with Mensah after practice, is the fair test.
His coaching points:
- Play speed. Outside, you have time to work your release. In the slot, it's point A to point B, quick and decisive. Watch Toney's releases. Upshaw is more methodical, and in the slot, the quarterback has moved on by then.
- Be physical at the catch point. On the pass interference that wasn't called, Ahmmon thinks that if Upshaw had stopped on a dime and gone up hard for the ball, they'd have thrown the flag.
- Block. This is the underrated thing Toney did, cracking safeties and linebackers to spring extra yards in the run game. Upshaw is bigger than Mali. He has to put his hat on people and play through the whistle. He whiffed on a few, including one on the goal line.
One play at a time
That's the game in a sentence: stop Sheppard early, get Duke behind the chains, run it from the first snap and let the young receivers get some confidence.Then let's see how Manny answers. Does he keep blitzing, or does he flip his tendencies, rush four and stunt, since we haven't picked up stunts well? That's the chess match I'm most excited to watch at noon.
We went deeper on the full game-eve show from Duffy's, including our predictions. Watch it on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, subscribe and turn on notifications for game day.
