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Sean Renfree undergoes surgery following Duke’s Belk Bowl loss

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Duke redshirt senior quarterback Sean Renfree underwent surgery Friday to repair a torn right pectoralis major muscle, the team released in a statement Friday evening. Renfree’s surgery came the day after the Blue Devils’ 48-34 loss to Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., a game in which Renfree attempted 49 passes and took a number of bone-crushing hits.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Claude T. Moorman III, Duke’s head team physician and the director of Duke Sports Medicine.  The team expects Renfree to make a full recovery.

“As always, Sean is in great spirits,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said in the statment.  “While this is an unfortunate setback, those who know Sean have no doubt that he will turn this misfortune into something positive.  He is a very special young man; one who has done so much for our football program here at Duke.  I just can’t say enough about his character, leadership and selflessness, and those attributes don’t begin to describe Sean’s ability to play the game of football.  He is one of the best to play not only at Duke, but in the Atlantic Coast Conference.”

The injury appeared to take place on the final play of Renfree’s Duke career, when the signal-caller dropped back to throw while attempting to lead a game-tying drive in the contest’s final minute. Renfree was hit as he threw by a Cincinnati defender, and the pass was intercepted near the line of scrimmage by linebacker Nick Temple and returned 55 yards for the game’s final touchdown.

Renfree capped off his Duke career with a solid performance in the team’s first postseason game since 1994, completing 37-of-49 passes for 358 yards and tossing one touchdown along with two interceptions. No timetable has been set for the quarterback’s recovery. Renfree missed Duke’s win against Virginia earlier this season after injuring his right arm in the Blue Devils’ victory against Wake Forest.

As his collegiate carer drew to a close, the Blue Devil signal-caller has become the topic of some NFL Draft buzz, receiving high praise from ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. in the days leading up to the Belk Bowl. Kiper predicted Renfree could be a late-round draft selection in April’s draft earlier this month, but this injury will certainly set Renfree back in his draft preparation and could potentially affect his stock.

Duke vs. Cincinnati: Quarter by Quarter Summary

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Fourth Quarter (Duke 34, Cincinnati 48):

Duke opened the fourth quarter the same way it ended the third: Throwing short passes for long gains. Although Renfree got the Blue Devils to the 5-yard line, it was Connette who took Duke into the end zone, on a 2-yard pass to David Reeves, putting the Blue Devils up 31-27 with 12:45 left in the game.

Cincinnati was not going to allow the momentum to completely shift in Duke’s favor, as Kay began the drive with a 35-yard pass to Travis Kelce. After a pass interference penalty against Duke, Kay connected with Chris Moore in the back left corner of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown pass to put the Bearcats up 34-31 against the Blue Devils with 11:19 remaining in the game.

At this point in the game, it was truly a battle of quarterbacks, with Kay and Renfree each successfully leading their teams against the oppositions’ defense. The occasional rush by Duke allowed Renfree enough freedom to complete his midrange passes, as he would continue to do on the Blue Devils’ next drive.

After Renfree failed to complete a third-down pass, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe made the call to bring out kicker Ross Martin for 52-yard field goal. The freshman split the uprights with his kick and tied up the game, 34-34 with 7:24 left in the game.

Martin then came out and showed his leg strength once again, booting the ball deep into the end zone for a touchback, resulting in the Bearcats taking over at the 20-yard line.

The Blue Devils’ defense held strong once again, forcing a three-and-out for Cincinnati. Jamison Crowder provided Duke with an exciting return of 21 yards, almost breaking out into the open before a Bearcat defender tripped him up at the Cincinnati 43-yard line.

With Duke threatening within the redzone, Josh Snead took the ball up the middle and looked to have a crease before Brandon Mills collided with Snead, forcing the ball to come out at the six-yard line. John Williams of Cincinnati then jumped on the ball, giving the Bearcats the ball at the 6-yard line.

Brendon Kay then showed why he is so dangerous, after rushing for nine yards on the first play of the drive. It was two plays later that Kay struck a streaking Travis Kelce over the middle, going 83 yards for the touchdown and giving Cincinnati a 41-34 lead.

Duke looked to have an answer after a 13-yard completion from Renfree to Crowder and a roughing-the-passer penalty against the Bearcats. But it was Cincinnati’s defense that came up big in the end, when Renfree was hit by Malik Bomar, resulting in his pass being intercepted by linebacker Nick Temple and returned 55 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.

Third Quarter (Duke 24, Cincinnati 27): The Bearcats went directly to George Winn, in an attempt to take some pressure off of Kay. The signal-caller took advantage, scrambling for another third-down conversion. Kay then found his favorite target, McClung for a 55-yard pass to Duke’s 10-yard line.  The play was lengthened by a roughing-the-passer penalty on the Blue Devils, putting the Bearcats at the 5-yard line. Duke’s defense held strong, stopping Cincinnati on the goal line, and forcing a false start penalty. Kay was sacked the next play by Anthony Young-Wiseman, forcing the Bearcats to settle for a 27-yard field goal, putting Cincinnati up 20-16.

Duke went back to the no-huddle offense, with Renfree doing his best to pick apart the Bearcats defense. He pushed his luck too far when he threw into double-coverage, looking for Thompson but instead finding Cincinnati safety Arryn Chenault who returned the interception 23 yards to the Cincinnati 43-yard line.

The Bearcats started off their drive with a reverse to McClung, who took the ball 14 yards for a Cincinnati first down. On the next play, Winn showed why he was the player to watch coming into the game, taking the handoff and running straight up the middle, mostly untouched, for a 46-yard touchdown.

The momentum was clearly in Cincinnati’s favor, as Duke only returned the following kickoff 12 yards to its 14-yardline. The Blue Devils, who ran successfully in the first quarter, could not find their rhythm in the rushing game, with many of the rushes going for fewer than five yards in the second half.

Renfree, aside from the earlier interception, completed the majority of his passes. He made up for his earlier double-coverage interception by dropping the ball between two defenders to Desmond Scott for 39-yards on a third-and-nine, and on the following play, throwing a laser to Connor Vernon for a 10-yard touchdown. The Blue Devils went for two, to pull the game within three, and converted on a cross-field pass from Renfree to Isaac Blakeney. Renfree rolled out to the right, pulling the entire defense with him, and threw back to the left corner of the end zone where Blakeney was standing alone.

Renfree went seven-for-seven and 79 yards and a touchdown, as well as completing the two-point conversion, on Duke’s 11-play, 86-yard drive to pull the Blue Devils within three, trailing 27-24.

Duke held the Bearcats to a three-and-out on their next drive, forcing them to punt the ball away to the Blue Devils, who would take over at their own 32-yard line.

Renfree and the Blue Devil offense put together a good drive before the quarter concluded, with a 12-yard run by Crowder and a pass interference call the following play, resulting in a 15-yard penalty against the Bearcats. The quarter ended with  Renfree completing a pass to Vernon to move the Blue Devils to the Bearcats’ 37-yard line.

Second Quarter (Duke 16, Cincinnati 17): The Bearcats then allowed George Winn to pound away on the ground, with consecutive runs of nine and 20 yards. Kay converted a third down on a scramble, but the play was called back after a clipping penalty was called on Cincinnati. Duke took advantage of the Bearcats’ mistake. Justin Foxx sacked Kay for a loss of eight yards, forcing Cincinnati to punt the ball.

Cincinnati’s defense finally settled in during the second quarter, preventing the Blue Devils form gaining any large chunks of yardage as they had in the opening quarter. Much of Duke’s offensive production came through short dump passes to running backs and receivers, with most plays going for between four and seven yards.

Duke gave the Bearcats good field position after going for it on a fourth down once again, but failing to convert, resulting in Cincinnati taking over the ball at their own 46-yard line.

Cincinnati then went back to work on offense, with Kay finally connecting with his receivers for gains of 18 and 26 yards, with the latter being a touchdown over the middle to Anthony McClung. This completed a five-play, 54-yard drive for the Bearcats, taking only 2:04 off the clock

The Blue Devils started their next possession at their 26-yard line. On the first play, controversy was raised, as an incomplete pass to Desmond Scott was ruled an interception that resulted in a touchdown by Clemente Casseus. After further review, the officials overruled the call of an interception, but maintained an illegal blocking call on Duke’s Renfree during the Cincinnati return.

Duke punter Will Monday may have had the play of the quarter on the next down, when he booted a punt 79 yards to the Cincinnati 2-yard line.  Punt returner Anthony McClung watched the ball skim close to the sideline for 15 yards before taking a bounce towards the center of the field right in front of the Bearcats goal line.

Kay did not let the poor field position bother him, as he ran the ball for 25 yards on a third-and-9 from his own three. After an incomplete pass, Kay completed a 31-yard pass to Anthony McClung to put the Bearcats at the Duke 41. The next play, Kay delivered a bomb to Ralph Abernathy for a 41-yard touchdown pass, putting Cincinnati up 17-16. The drive took only six plays and 1:46 off the clock while covering 98 yards.

Duke put together a nice drive to end the half. It was thought to have ended with a 54-yard field goal by Ross Martin, but the play was ruled dead due to a Cincinnati penalty for illegal substitution. Martin got another chance to kick, this time from 48 yards out, but missed wide left by a matter of inches.

First quarter (Duke 16, Cincinnati 3): Duke jumped on the Bearcats from the opening kickoff, starting the Belk Bowl with a decisive 8-play, 79 yard drive which was capped by a five-yard touchdown run by Brandon Connette. The extra-point was blocked by the Bearcats and was nearly run in for a two-point conversion by kicker Ross Martin.

Cincinnati quarterback Brandon Kay entered the game looking to continue the success he had coming into the contest, but was held by Duke’s defense to six yards on five completions.

The Bearcats tried to utilize star running back George Winn early, but it took 8 minutes before he had any success against the Blue Devils. Duke’s defense held the Bearcats to a three-and-out on their first drive, taking over on their own 40-yard line after a 26-yard punt by Cincinatti’s Pat O’Donnel.

Duke stuck to the run throughout the first quarter, eventually opening up the air for Renfree. The Blue Devils’ three-headed rushing attack proved successful, as Duncan, Snead and Thompson put up 72 yards rushing in the first period, complimenting Renfree’s 94 yards through the air.

After converting on a fourth-and-one, the Blue Devils were forced to settle for a field goal, with Ross Martin converting from 33 yards out.

On Cincinnati’s next drive, the Blue Devils forced a punt, which was then blocked by Tony Foster, who chased down and dove on the ball down in the end zone to put Duke up 16-0 with 4:45 left in the quarter.

Cincinnati’s offense found life in its next drive, covering 50 yards in 8 plays, but was forced to settle for a 45-yard field goal after Kay’s toss to the end zone went incomplete.

Video and links: Duke football vs. Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl

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Eighteen years later, Duke is back in a bowl game, kicking off against Cincinnati at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the Belk Bowl.

Get all the coverage on our Belk Bowl page

In our final edition of Four Downs, our football video show with Duke Student Broadcasting, football beat writer Daniel Carp talks with DSB’s Danny Nolan about the festivities in Charlotte:

And with a few hours until game time, here are all the links you should make sure to read:

Coach K talks Duke football, Belk Bowl

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In today’s edition of the Duke Basketball Report, Bob Harris’ radio show with Mike Krzyzewski, the pair took a step back from basketball to discuss the football team, which is playing in its first bowl game in 18 years tonight.

Duke and Cincinnati will kick off at 6:30 p.m. in Charlotte for the Belk Bowl.

Get all your Duke-Cincinnati  information on The Chronicle’s Belk Bowl page

Here are some of the best quotes from Coach K on the Blue Devil football team, the bowl game and head coach David Cutcliffe.

On the importance of making the bowl game:

It’s not just a big day for Duke football, it’s a big day for Duke University. I think we’re definitely on the right track.

On the coaching staff:

I think the job coach Cutcliffe and the staff have done—along with teaming up with our athletic director Kevin White and our school, our school our department and our football program—they’ve all made a commitment to excellence in our football program and it has shown good signs. Tonight is a very visible sign.

On the timing and location of the game:

It’s the only game in town. That’s a cool thing. All the bowls, there could be four of them on one night, but we’re the attraction tonight.

On the importance of winning

I hope it’s well attended. We’re going to love that. The other thing is I’d like to see us win. Going to a bowl game is great, but winning a bowl game puts a different kind of stamp on that. I know these kids and their staff are ready to do that.

On his team watching the game:

We’re not going to be there because we’re practicing but we’re going to get the whole team together and watch the game together and cheer together. Hopefully they can come through.

On whether this is comparable to going to the Final Four

I wouldn’t say this bowl is going to a Final Four. I’d say a BCS bowl would be going to the Final Four. But this is getting into the tournament—it’s a step. You have to be careful and know that this is just a step because you want bigger things. In order to get bigger things, this is a bigger thing to get that. I remember when we first got to the tournament, you’re happy to be in the tournament. Then all of a sudden you’re not happy being in the tournament anymore, you want more. The sooner you can want more the better.

 

Belk Bowl provides Duke football players with permissible benefits

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CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The rules of college football are plain and simple. Under no circumstances are Division I athletes allowed to accept gifts—unless they are playing in a bowl game, that is.

Playing in the Belk Bowl provides Duke football players with a number of new experiences, which include additional practices at the end of the season and traveling to play a neutral site game. But none of these experiences are as unique as the gifts college athletes can legally receive from sponsors at bowl games.

Every bowl game has its own system when it comes to the gifts available to more than 200 athletes who participate in the contest. These gifts range from backpacks and clothes to gift cards and even iPads. The total value of the gifts typically comes out to around $550, the limit the NCAA sets for this special occasion.

Duke’s players at the 2012 Belk Bowl received a number of fabulous prizes, including a Fossil watch and a shopping spree at the flagship Belk store in Southpark, N.C. The shopping spree was estimated to be about $400, according to Sports Business Daily.

“It’s great being able to take all of these gifts and know that you won’t get banned for a year by the NCAA as a result. That’s amazing,” defensive end Kenny Anunike said.

Shopping for a Division I football player can often be an arduous process. There aren’t too many stores with sizes readily on hand to fit the frame of your average offensive lineman. But the shopping spree at Belk featured an expanded “Big & Tall” section—a football player’s delight.

Anunike took advantage of this, finding the perfect beige pair of Cole Haan shoes to fit his size 14 feet.

“I couldn’t believe they even had my size,” Anunike said. “I’m used to going to a shoe store asking for my size and they come back empty-handed.”

Other Blue Devil players used the shopping spree as an opportunity to do some last-minute Christmas shopping for their families and friends. Safety Walt Canty was one of the many Duke players who ventured over to the women’s department in an earnest attempt to pick out clothes for their mothers and sisters.

“I went shopping for heels for my sister so that was very interesting,” Canty said. “I’ve never done that before. I still don’t think I’ve got the hang of it, but it was different.”

Taking place just days before Christmas, the Belk Bowl shopping spree also gave Duke football players an opportunity to provide gifts for underprivileged children. Wide receiver Desmond Scott, a Durham native, chose to spend his shopping spree buying gifts for a friend and her young children who have been in a difficult financial situation.

“She’s living life the right way. She’s working hard, trying to please God, so on and so forth, so I just wanted to help her out with her kids,” Scott said. “I got them some coats, some shirts, some pants, just some simple things to help them out.”

Scott also revealed that not only is he using his own bowl gifts to give back to others, he is playing a “Secret Santa” of sorts.

“She still doesn’t know yet,” Scott said. “Once I get home I’ll ship it over to her house, and the day that I get the phone call from her, I will know how she feels.”

He is not the only player shopping for other families this holiday season. Kelby and Kyler Brown, linebackers and Charlotte natives, worked to set up a number of their teammates who wished to shop for families in need with lists of gifts that children have requested.

“Not too many teams in America would do that,” Scott said. “That just speaks to the type of guys that coach Cutcliffe recruits and what one person can do and inspire other teammates to do as well.”

Quick Hits from Belk Bowl Media Day

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Duke head coach David Cutcliffe and selected members of his team addressed the media Wednesday morning at Media Day for the 2012 Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. Here are some highlights from the event. The Blue Devils (6-6) face Cincinnati (9-3) at Bank of America Stadium tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.

Senior wide receiver Conner Vernon on his team’s approach to tomorrow’s game:

“Now we’re getting into game mode, especially with the game being tomorrow. That’s kind of our focus now, is our game. We’ve had a lot of fun events here this week, but now it’s time to get down to business and win a football game.”

Vernon on the differences between the regular season and preparation for a bowl game:

“The first week of bowl prep was actually more intense than any week we had during the year from a hitting and physical standpoint. Now this last week we’ve just backed up and focused on our execution heading into tomorrow’s game.”

Vernon on the team’s NASCAR experience earlier this week:

“Going to Charlotte Motor Speedway was quite an experience. Being able to get into a car and go at those kind of speeds like those guys do, you get a greater appreciation for the sport. There were only six of us on the track at the time, I can’t imagine 20 or more cars going as fast as we were at such close distances.”

Vernon on his team’s hopes to get off to a fast start tomorrow:

“That’s huge for us. We have kind of been a second half team and coming out of the gate is really important. Cincinnati is a really good football team. They had nine wins this season, so that’s no secret there. We’re going to have to come out of the gate because it’s easier to stay ahead than to catch up. So we’re going to have to execute right off the bat.”

Senior safety Walt Canty on the defense’s point of emphasis in bowl preparation:

“We’re just trying to get as consistent as we can. We know we are a good football team. The tough part is being able to put it together day after day. Even those games that we struggled we had good things going on also, but we just want to become more consistent.”

Canty on Cincinnati running back George Winn, the Big East’s leading rusher in 2012:

“He’s a great football player. Luckily we play in the ACC, so we see good football players week in and week out. But he is definitely going to be a challenge for us.”

Redshirt cornerback Ross Cockrell on changing his signature hairstyle:

“It was just time to let it go. I went to the barbershop and it took me three years to grow out and only an hour to get it all chopped off. It’s a strange feeling. I hope that makes people remember my number a little more, so we’ll see if that works. My head is a little lighter and it’s a little colder as well, so we’ll see if that makes me any more aerodynamic.”

Cockrell on the keys to success for the Duke defense against Cincinnati:

“We have to limit our explosive plays. We’ve given up a lot of yards the last few games, and we’ve been working to try and limit those big gains down the field. We can’t fall behind and we can’t give up those big plays and give the other team momentum.”

Cockrell on Duke not having won a bowl game since 1961:

“I was actually surprised. I had no idea it had been that long since Duke has won a bowl game. It’s been a long time. We’ve talked about it and it’s something we are looking forward to changing.”

Redshirt senior defensive end Kenny Anunike on staying focused throughout the Blue Devils’ busy bowl week schedule:

“Obviously there’s a lot going on down here. We have a lot of people, a lot of activities and a lot of media. But at the same time we know we have a job to do. We have to focus on the task at hand. The guys definitely understand what we have to do and what we have to get done.”

Anunike on the keys to Duke’s defense in bowl preparation:

“We’ve been focusing on correcting our mistakes. I think the effort has always been there, but sometimes I think we’ve been out of position or we’ve been down late in the ballgames and have been unable to pick ourselves back up. I think we’ve definitely tackled that in our film study and we’ll be ready to go for tomorrow night’s game.”

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