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The Duke Blue Devils face a serious challenge in 2015 to maintain their recent run of success following some key players graduating and moving on from the program. That challenge looks a little more daunting following the news that starting cornerback Bryon Fields has become the latest major contributor to be lost for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee suffered during practice.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior has been a key part of the Duke defense since he got on campus. He has played in all 27 games during his Blue Devil career, starting 14 of them. Over the course of the last two seasons, he’s recorded 112 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, and eight pass breakups. Duke has depth in the secondary to try and pick up the slack but the loss of a seasoned veteran like Fields is never a good thing for a defense looking to contain some very aggressive offensive attacks in the ACC.
Fall camp has been a rough one for David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils and Fields seems to be just the latest casualty. Earlier this summer, Duke lost sixth-year linebacker Kelby Brown to a fourth ACL tear, ending his career on a low note. Redshirt junior running back Jela Duncan also suffered a season ending injury when he torn a pectoral muscle during camp. Two other running backs have been sidelined with lower-body injuries as well. If there are any more players lost, Duke might struggle just to field a full team, let along one that could compete for an ACC title.
With yet another contributor down for the year in Bryon Fields, the Duke defense is stretched thin to pick up the slack of his lost presence in the secondary. Will his absence be felt as the Blue Devils make their move towards another Coastal Division title in 2015?
You can follow Tyler Brett on Twitter @ATylerBrett, on Facebook and on Google.
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