Practice No. 7 kicked off at Pascal Field House on Monday, August 4 with intensity as Duke began live tackling for the first time this fall.
“This week is now what we call mastery week,” Diaz said. “The install goes down and now it's just the question of - can we master it? Can we run these plays instinctively without having to think about what our assignments are? The second part is we added tackling. Can we tackle? Can we break tackles? Most importantly, can we secure the ball while we're being tackled? That's the emphasis now for week two.” - Head Coach Manny Diaz
“It’s a testament to what they did in the summertime – what we're allowed to work with them and when they're on their own with the ball, throwing and catching,” Diaz said. “We were able to push a little more install than in week one than we normally would, which gives us a chance just to refine it now.”
The defense looked strong today, highlighted by some great plays from Chandler Rivers, Andrew Pellicciotta, Preston Watson, and Maliki Wright, which included interceptions, forced fumbles, and impressive tackling.
“I think Sahmir, from when we came back in January recognized [the opening in leadership with our graduating wide receivers],” Diaz said. “He did a great job during spring. Then the summer, just being one of the guys who not just is impressive with his effort and taking his game to a different level but calling other guys out. He’s holding his teammates to the standard. I saw that today on the practice field. He's a guy who is deeply, deeply invested Duke football. He wants to have his best season.”