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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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Week 13: Quick Hits from Lunch With Cut

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Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference today, addressing Duke’s 42-24 loss to Georgia Tech and their next matchup. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute question-and-answer session. The Blue Devils (6-5, 3-4 in the ACC) face Miami (6-5, 4-3) at Wallace Wade Stadium this Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Cutcliffe spoke about the importance of a winning season, his senior class, a matchup with Miami and Maryland's move to the Big Ten at his weekly media luncheon (Thanh-Ha Nguyen/The Chronicle)

“We’ve got a big hurdle in front of us. We have a huge carrot in front of us.”—Cutcliffe

Eliminated from the race for the ACC Coastal Division crown with its loss to Georgia Tech last Saturday, Duke remains focused on securing the team’s first winning season since 1994 with a win against Miami. A 7-5 finish by the Blue Devils would also help their chances of being invited to a more prestigious bowl game for their first postseason appearance in nearly two decades.

“The prospects of a seventh win, the prospects of then that allowing an eighth win, if you accomplish that, is significant,” Cutcliffe said. “But the hurdle is Miami—an extremely talented football team that can just ignite things offensively.”

“He’s fast. He’s dangerous, he’s talented, he’s strong. He’s got great lower body strength and when he opens up and runs we don’t have anybody who can catch him.”—Cutcliffe

The Blue Devil defense will have all eyes on Duke Johnson this weekend. Miami’s freshman running back ranks third in the ACC in rushing yards with 781 on the season and has found the end zone seven times on the ground. As one of the staples of the Hurricanes’ dynamic offense, Duke’s defensive unit will be on high alert after allowing 330 rushing yards against Georgia Tech last Saturday.

“We’re celebrating 20 seniors’ last game. I’m really excited about everything these guys have accomplished.”—Cutcliffe

Duke will honor 20 players in its annual Senior Day festivities Saturday, marking the graduating class’s final home game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Among those who will be featured are quarterback Sean Renfree, running back Juwan Thompson, wide receivers Conner Vernon and Desmond Scott, center Brian Moore, cornerback Lee Butler and safeties Walt Canty and Jordon Byas. The Blue Devils’ senior class will be the first in 18 years to not play their final game of their college football careers on Senior Day—the group has Duke’s bowl game to look forward to.

“Kenny Anunike will return for his sixth year. I’m very excited about that for Kenny and I’m very excited about that for our program.”—Cutcliffe

Cutcliffe announced that defensive end Kenny Anunike will not be among those honored at Senior Day next weekend—he will return for a sixth year at Duke. Anunike was granted a medical hardship waiver by the NCAA last March after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game of the 2011 season, granting him a rare sixth year of eligibility. The Galena, Ohio native has had four surgeries on his left knee since arriving at Duke as a freshman. Annunike is scheduled to graduate from Duke next month with a degree in biological anthropology and anatomy. This season he has recorded 36 tackles, 6.0 tackles for a loss and a team-leading 5.0 sacks.

“I am excited about returning and taking this rare opportunity to play another year at Duke,” Anunike said. “It is truly great to be a part of this new era of Duke football. with Coach Cutcliffe, the staff, my teammates and our fans, I believe that coming back will be my contribution in helping take our program to new heights.”

“I haven’t been here long enough to get emotional about anybody leaving this league. My take is if anybody doesn’t want to be here…go.”—Cutcliffe

Following Maryland’s decision to depart the ACC for the Big Ten in 2014-15, Cutcliffe took a moment to react to the ever-changing landscape of college football. The Terrapins’ move to the Big Ten will have only a marginal impact on Cutcliffe’s Blue Devils—as a member of the ACC’s Atlantic Division for football, Duke and Maryland have not squared off on the gridiron since 2010.

“I think it is unfortunate because it’s a part of the league that has been here from the beginning,” Cutcliffe said. “I’ll be interested to see what happens, but I don’t worry about things I can’t control. They’re not on our schedule anytime soon nor now will they be.”

“It’s really my favorite day with the football team. We’ll go out and practice Thursday morning and then we’ll go have lunch.”—Cutcliffe

Even with their final contest of the season approaching, Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils will take some time Thursday after practice to celebrate Thanksgiving together. The holiday, which traditionally falls just before the final game of the college football regular season, is deeply rooted in the traditions of food, family and football. After a rigorous final practice Thursday morning before taking on Miami, Cutcliffe plans to be entertained by watching his team chow down on a Thanksgiving feast.

“It’s pretty awesome to watch those guys eat Thanksgiving—wow,” Cutcliffe said. “I just watch I don’t even eat much. They go by with these plates and I’m thinking how can you get this much food on one plate? They love it.”

Week 3: Quick Hits from Lunch With Cut

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Head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference today, addressing Duke’s loss to No. 25 Stanford and their next matchup. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute question and answer session. The Blue Devils (1-1) face North Carolina Central (1-1) this Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Bull City Classic.

“I don’t think we should let this day go by without thought and without prayer and without feelings about what occurred to so many innocent people and so many lives. We all remember where we were.”–Cutcliffe

Coach Cutcliffe seeks to shift his team's focus from a 37-point loss to Stanford last weekend.

The Blue Devil coach opened his press conference by providing his thoughts on the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Cutcliffe, who at the time was the head coach at the University of Mississippi, reflected on his experience that day.

“It hits me particularly because I go back to preparing for a football game and Mike MacIntyre who had been in a room with a television comes back into the staff room and says ‘Coach something’s happened in New York.’ We all got up and went there and stood in front of the TV and suddenly football just disappeared,” Cutcliffe said.

“Would you choose things differently? I would say that’s true in every game you play.”–Cutcliffe

Coach Cutcliffe’s offensive playcalling came under question in Duke’s 50-13 loss to Stanford last weekend, and was often criticized as being too conservative. Cutcliffe responded to these criticisms, saying there are things he wished he’d done differently, but according to the Blue Devil coach, “the biggest problem wasn’t schematic”. Citing blocking and tackling as the Duke’s two greatest weaknesses in its loss to the Cardinal, Cutcliffe also revealed that many of the short and conservative swing passes the Blue Devils ran in the first half were not originally designed that way.

“A lot of the quick throws are off of called runs,” Cutcliffe said. “You can’t see that, but it’s a run and the quarterback is in an option mode trying to get the run game started and keep their pass rush a little honest.”

“Desmond Scott has been amazingly unselfish and he is amazingly skilled.”–Cutcliffe

After a quiet first game against Florida International, Scott was one of the few bright spots for Duke in Saturday’s loss to Stanford. After making the transition from running back to wide receiver in the offseason, Scott made an impact for the Blue Devils in week two, catching 11 passes for 83 yards. Cutcliffe did say that Scott’s role will vary from week to week, but lauded the senior for his leadership and willingness to take these roles on in order to help his team.

“I’m excited about this week because I love our community. I know it’s a Bull City Classic but I like to think of it as a Bull City celebration.”–Cutcliffe

For the second time in program history, the Blue Devils will square off with NC Central this weekend in what has been dubbed the Bull City Classic. The teams met for the first time ever in 2009, when Duke defeated the Eagles 49-14 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Cutcliffe said he enjoyed the event because it brings together the greater Durham community, and was optimistic that Durhamites will come out in droves to take in this game. The head coach was hopeful that the game could draw over 35,000 fans, a feat Duke has accomplished at a home game just once since 2001.

“I’ve watched NC Central improve from game one to game two. Neither one of us had the results we wanted in game two, but I watched them get better as that game went on. I know that we will see a well prepared, hungry football team.”–Cutcliffe

After defeating Fayetteville State 54-31 in their season-opener, the Eagles traveled to Elon last week and fell 34-14. Despite the lopsided loss in week two, Cutcliffe was adamant that he had seen many of NC Central’s units show signs of improvement throughout the game.

“I thought their pass rush improved a great deal from one week to the next. Their coverage, the same thing,” Cutcliffe said. “And I think they made a big jump in the kicking game and their kicking game was good the first game. They sured things up well as a staff from game one to game two, so that’s obviously a trend that will continue.”

Quick Hits from Lunch With Cut

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For the first time this season, head coach David Cutcliffe held his weekly press conference. Here are some highlights from his 30-minute Q&A. The Blue Devils open their 2012 campaign this Saturday at 7 p.m. against Florida International.

Injuries will leave Duke short-handed in season-opener.

According to Cutcliffe, Duke will have 12 scholarship players unavailable for the Blue Devils’ season-opening matchup with the Golden Panthers, for what the coach described as “due to injury or whatever reason.” Cutcliffe also cited that two other players’ eligibility will be questionable for Saturday, and with the loss of Blair Holliday from his jet skiing accident, the Duke could be forced to face FIU with as few as 70 scholarship players on the field, as opposed to the usual 85 players.

Blue Devils name four captains for the 2012 season.

Fifth-year senior quarterback Sean Renfree, senior wide receiver Conner Vernon, redshirt junior cornerback Ross Cockrell and senior safety Walt Canty will serve as Duke’s captains this year. Cutcliffe lauded his captains for both their dedication to the team and leadership abilities and added that a large number of players received votes for captain.

“It made me realize as I was looking at those this morning how many fine young men and fine leaders this team have,” Cutcliffe said. “We’re leaning on this fact because of the adversity we have face. We’ve got some big shoulders to stand on on this team.”

“They’re as fast as anybody we’ll play this year.”–Cutcliffe

Coach Cutcliffe was wary of FIU’s speed and experience on both sides of the ball, calling Duke’s matchup with the Golden Panthers “the toughest non-conference opener in the ACC.” After a tough loss to open the 2011 season against Richmond, Cutcliffe hoped his players would play up to a higher level of competition in week one.

“You want to see a really good football game? There’s going to be one out here on Saturday night,” Cutcliffe said.

“There’s no question that this is the best stable of backs that we’ve had since we’ve been here.”

Emphasizing the importance of the running game this year, Cutcliffe cited his depth at running back as a major strength the Blue Devils have not had in the past. Juwan Thompson sits first on the depth chart and will lead the way as the season begins, and the team is glad to have redshirt sophomore Josh Snead back in action after an injury-plagued 2011 season.

Senior Desmond Scott has moved from running back and will start as the team’s slot receiver, but will still see time and touches in the backfield on occasion. Brandon Connette, who served as a backup quarterback last season, will also play running back and fullback this year in addition to seeing time at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end as well. Shaquille Powell rounds out the bunch–as one of nine true freshmen to suit up for Duke this season, Powell has looked promising in training camp. A native of Las Vegas, Powell will have chances to make an impact on the field during his first year and could make his way up the depth chart later in the season.

Cutcliffe and members of Duke coaching staff to visit Blair Holliday tomorrow in Atlanta.

The team announced Tuesday that members of the Blue Devil coaching staff will fly to Atlanta tomorrow afternoon to visit wide receiver Blair Holliday, who is currently recovering from a near-fatal jet skiing accident he suffered in July. Holliday is now beginning to walk and has remained in contact with his coaches and teammates. The Duke staff are hopeful that Holliday may be able to move from Atlanta’s Shepherd Center to an outpatient facility in the near future to continue his rehabilitation.

Duke football summer 2012 recap

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Despite summer being offseason, there has been no shortage with news when it comes to the Duke football team. As the first week of practice continues Friday, here is all the Duke football news you might have missed the past couple months.

Stay tuned to the Blue Zone for all your Duke football news and follow @chroniclesports for even more updates.