David Cutcliffe on Stopping UNC's Sam Howell

Duke coach discusses keys to North Carolina game

One of the big challenges facing Duke in Saturday’s game against North Carolina will be finding a way to slow down quarterback Sam Howell.

The Blue Devils did a solid job in last year’s game, holding the record-setting sophomore to 227 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. Now a sophomore, Howell is coming off a game where he topped 440 passing yards against Virginia.

“It probably all revolves—certainly—around him and his ability to do a lot of things,” David Cutcliffe said. “He runs the game well. He manages the game well. They run the football really, really well with two great backs. He manages that part of the game. I think they have a great offensive front. those matchups are going to be critical, whether in the run or pass game. We’ve got to do as good a job as you can do trying to get them off schedule. When you do get pressure on a quarterback or you’re fortunate enough to get a sack, you throw the down and distance off schedule. You have a chance to hopefully get them off the field some. They’re very difficult when they get rolling. No one’s kept them out of the end zone when they get their rhythm and get rolling.”

The UNC offense vs Duke defense is just one aspect of the game.

“On the other side of it, we’ve got to have some success on offense,” he said. “They’re very difficult to convert first downs against. They’ve got a lot of balance. Their scheme is outstanding, defensively. It’s going to take a team victory. When the kicking game comes into play, you’ve got to have that blend, that ability to blend a good defense, kicking game and offense. That gives you a chance in any game to be successful.”