Duke's David Cutcliffe on Playing Syracuse

Coach previews Blue Devils upcoming road game

Duke is preparing to face Syracuse on the road on Saturday, looking to snap a four-game losing streak to open the season.

“It’s been a little bit of a repetitive feeling as you come up and (explain) why have you gotten beaten,” coach David Cutcliffe said. “The inconsistency of our team falls and lies on the head coach. The inconsistency of our offense, in this case, also falls and lies on the head coach.”

Cutcliffe is calling plays for the offense this season, which is why he also takes all of the blame for the offense’s performance.

“We’re looking at everything we’re doing,” he said. “We’re doing that. The most important thing is that we don’t lose our spirit, we don’t lose our work ethic. It’s not as easy as you might think. Our players are doing everything we’re asking them to do. Between school and football, there really is no other time for them.”

Syracuse beat Duke in Wallace Wade last season, 49-6. The Orange have opened this year 1-2.

“We’ve spent a lot of time moving forward with Syracuse,” Cutcliffe said. “Syracuse is a really good football team. (Head coach) Dino Babers does a great job. He’s a great coach. They’ve got a new defensive coordinator with a really complex system. Obviously, with the offense, they’re going to play fast and spread the field. They’ve got some good football players and an outstanding quarterback in (Tommy) DeVito. So it’s a big challenge for us. And a year ago, they came down here and spanked us pretty badly. It’s another big challenge, our fifth ACC game in a row.”