Duke Football: Should Cutcliffe Bring Back Former Offensive Coordinator?

By Chris Brown | Dec 7, 2017

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 24: Head coach David Cutcliffe of the Duke Blue Devils speaks with an official during the fourth quarter of a game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 24, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Duke defeated Notre Dame 38-35. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Former Duke Football offensive coordinator Kurt Roper was just fired by South Carolina, and the Blue Devils should do whatever it takes to bring him back.

Duke Football had a very up-and-down-and-up again season. They started winning four straight games, then lost six in a row, then won their last two to earn a bowl bid. One of the main issues with the Blue Devils and the number one complaint from fans was their offense. The clear solution is to bring back former offensive coordinator Kurt Roper, who was recently let go by the University of South Carolina, as soon as possible.

During the season, Duke had one of the top defenses in the country. However, the offense often couldn’t score points needed to win games. They were many frustrating moments with the offense: failing to capitalize off turnovers created by the defense, punting often, and kicking field goals when the team needed touchdowns.

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David Cutcliffe and Kurt Roper have worked together since 1998 and Cutcliffe’s days at Tennessee and Ole Miss. Roper is also very familiar with the Duke Football program. He the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for six years since David Cutcliffe arrived. His younger brother, Zac Roper, is the current offensive coordinator after former Duke star Scottie Montgomery became the head coach at ECU in 2015.

There’s no doubt that Zac Roper has the potential to be a great coach, but he came to Duke to run special teams. Zac Roper improved as OC since last year’s 4-8 season, but his brother has much more experience proving he can successfully run an offense. After Will Muschamp was fired from Florida, Roper joined Muschamp’s staff at South Carolina in 2016. It’s unclear why SC fired Kurt Roper with a bowl game coming up, but this presents a great opportunity for Duke.

So how does Kurt Roper help? The Blue Devils’ offense performed at historic levels when he was the OC from 2008-2012. Roper was extremely key in turning the football program around. In the 2012 season, he led Duke to a program-record 410 points and 31.5 points per game.

He was also responsible for the development of many former Duke greats in recent memory. Thad Lewis, Juwaun Thompson, Donovan Varner, Sean Renfree, Conner Vernon, Anthony Boone, Jamison Crowder, and more thrived in Roper’s offense. After helping lead Duke to the 2013 ACC Championship Game, his success led him to the SEC to take the same position at Florida.

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In my opinion, Cutcliffe should do whatever it takes to bring Kurt Roper back to Duke. He can improve the offense with players such as Daniel Jones, TJ Rahming, and Brittain Brown returning next season. Duke Football is currently preparing for the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit on Dec. 26th.

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