Charles Westfall filled in for me this past Saturday and as usual did a good job.  Here are his thoughts -

Coach David Cutcliffe hinted that decision makers and playmakers are one key for Duke's success this year.
 
"Re'quan Boyette is our best playmaker". Boyette was methodical and determined to run straight upfield on most days with draws and traps. In short, it was hard to argue with that assessment. For his efforts, he also caught a nice "orbit" screen and turned it upfield for a decent gain---demonstrating the flexibility that observers have come to expect from a Cutcliffe led offense. For the day, Boyette rushed for 139 yards on 18 carries. His most significant gain was a 65 yard run in a 2 minute drill to provide a go ahead TD for the offense.
 
Just behind in efficiency was Thad Lewis who went 17 for 25 on the day. He spread the wealth amongst Garrett Utt, Jeremy Ringfield, Brandon King, and Eron Riley with a variety of short to intermediate passes. He looked very crisp in an offense that really focused on moving the chains in a no huddle offense. Several times, both Lewis and Zack Asack (Coach Cut described him as "an intriguing player") would glance at Coach Scottie Montgomery for the necessary reads. I would say that Lewis was further along than Asack at this stage, but Cutcliffe states that "the operation of QB wasn't bad, it was OK".
 
Cutcliffe remarked that this scrimmage was "the first round of Scotte being a signal caller, and he did a great job with it".
 
With regard to position switches, Tony Jackson looked the part at running back. Several times, he scampered to the lines and ripped off some decent runs. Speed seems to be his long suit. He showed good initial acceleration, and when he was able to steer clear of the trash around the line of scrimmage then he was able to negotiate good yardage. There were instances in which Jackson couldn't break free from the fray, but that isn't unexpected for most newcomers to the backfield. However, the fact that Jackson averaged over 250 yards per game in high school play could bode well for Duke. Utt also snagged some nice passes over the middle, and Ringfield demonstrated some particularly good hands and appreciation for running good routes as well.
 
For the defense, Rey and Jones stood out on the day. Both were particularly good at shedding blocks and stopping progress pretty effectively. The offense seemed to cross up the defensive unit a little more this Saturday with the pass and some misdirection. Rey, Wes Oglesby, and Charlie Hatcher were able to get a decent passrush to produce 3 total sacks on the day.
 
Special teams were not stressed as much on this day. Joe Surgan burned a few worms with a 40 yard kick that just didn't get off the ground. Nick Maggio, however, fared a little better by hitting a short field goal. It's clear that the kicking units are going to need more serious repair. Hopefully, that will come in the form of Paul Asack, who will be competing for a position as placekicker this fall.
 
With the spring game upcoming, Coach Cutcliffe offered some perspective. "I haven't decided the length of the scrimmage. We'll have two assistants coaching each side, and we'll implement some defensive schemes of upcoming opponents on Saturday". Cutcliffe was encouraged about the second scrimmage and reiterated his desire to see more fans this coming Saturday.