Preview: What to Look For in Duke's Second Scrimmage

Duke will play its second scrimmage of the fall camp on Saturday, August 29. With the clock ticking toward the season opener, the Blue Devils still have plenty to decide in the waning days of preseason. Here’s a look at what’s at stake for the upcoming scrimmage.

The depth chart:

This will be the last live game simulation before the team releases its first depth chart. Coach David Cutcliffe said he anticipated having it by mid-week, and “I met with the staff today and talked about that very thing—bracketing players on the depth chart.” And there are plenty of spots where the depth chart is still very unsettled.

Offensive line:

New line coach Greg Frey has been mixing and matching players at various spots on the line, as part of the “get to know you” phase of taking over the role. That means that there are still plenty of decisions to be made at the five starting positions and five backups.

“Right now we’re really working with about 10 people that are competing for either playing time and/or starting,” Cutcliffe said.

Secondary:

All throughout the spring and preseason, the depth in Duke’s secondary has been praised. Of course, with plenty of talent comes plenty of competition. “We’ve got guys competing at corner, guys competing at safety,” Cutcliffe said.

Quarterback:

Of course, the headline-grabbing competition is at quarterback, where Chris Katrenick, Gunnar Holmberg and Chase Brice are all fighting to start. Brice won round one, in last Saturday’s first scrimmage. Now, the coaches will move toward a final decision for the opener.

“We’re going to put a lot of different situations in the game, when you’re backed up, red zone, third down. I want to see how they respond to each one of those situations that do win and lose games, so that will be the focus for (scrimmage 2),” Cutcliffe said.