The 2000 season was a tough one for Duke, when the Blue Devils suffered through an 0-11 campaign. On the bright side Carl Franks' team can do nothing but improve in 2001. And one would expect progress behind a quarterback like D. Bryant.

Blue Devils at a glance

2001 schedule Sept. 1 vs. Florida State Sept. 8 at Rice Sept. 15 at Clemson Sept. 22 vs. Northwestern Sept. 29 at Virginia Oct. 6 vs. Georgia Tech Oct. 13 vs. Wake Forest Oct. 20 at Maryland Oct. 27 vs. Vanderbilt Nov. 3 vs. N.C. State Nov. 17 at North Carolina 2000 results (0-11, 0-8 ACC) East Carolina L 38-0 at Northwestern L 38-5 Virginia L 26-10 at Vanderbilt L 26-7 Clemson L 52-22 at Florida State L 63-14 at Georgia Tech L 45-10 Maryland L 20-9 at Wake Forest L 28-26 at N.C. State L 35-31 North Carolina L 59-21

OFFENSE
Bryant, a 6-foot-3, 213-pound junior, is an improving player who will a have new QB coach in Jim Pry. Bryant's ability is the key because he can make plays when things break down. He has tremendous ability with his quickness. He throws an excellent ball with a tight spiral. But there is a lot of burden on his shoulders. He has the responsibility to make things happen. That's an awful lot to expect when the supporting cast isn't up to the level he needs.

Bryant's receivers are very mediocre. The Blue Devils lack a standout performer and dropped several critical receptions last season. Starters Kyle Moore and Ben Erdelgac have to perform better than a year ago. They also need sophomore Reggie Love, also a player on the Duke basketball team, to step up. Same thing with Jeremy Battier, brother of former Duke basketball star Shane Battier.

Without a standout receiver, the Blue Devils will count on their excellent tight ends to become focal points along with Bryant. And Mike Hart is one of the best in the country. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound senior caught 31 passes for a 17.4-yard average last season, but he had no touchdowns, something that must change. Hart, a big tight end with great hands, must be a red-zone threat. So it's up to Bryant to get the ball to Hart in the red zone so his zero touchdowns turn into five or six this year. Behind Hart is another excellent tight end in Nick Brzezinski.

At tailback, the Blue Devils will go with Chris Douglas, a 5-10, 180-pound sophomore. Because of Duke's weakness at receiver, Douglas could line up sometimes in the slot or at receiver to take advantage of his open-field running ability. The Blue Devils hope he emerges as a nice weapon both at tailback and at receiver.

The top returning offensive lineman is John Miller, a solid player at right guard. But the overall offensive line play has to improve as well to give Bryant the necessary protection to make plays.

DEFENSE
The Blue Devils run a 3-4 defense and have everybody back from last year. But as bad as Duke was last year, even with a lot of returning veterans, what do they really have?

Fortunately, the Blue Devils' defense will benefit from the return of two key players off the injury list. One is Nate Krill, a standup defensive end/outside linebacker who missed last season with a shoulder injury. He is going to be a standup defensive end/outside linebacker in Duke's scheme. At 6-8, 250 pounds as an OLB, Krill has a chance to do some damage.

Duke also welcomes the return of B.J. Hill, an athletically gifted 5-11, 205-pound junior strong safety. The former tailback was out last year with a knee injury. Hill will be playing his first year at strong safety, but the Blue Devils feel he will provide a boost to the secondary. They also return outside linebacker Ryan Fowler, their leading tackler from last year, with 87 tackles and seven sacks.

The secondary led by Hill has a chance to be a little bit better. The key will be how quickly he picks up the new position. He is athletically gifted. This is a team that gave up a ton of points last year. They have to improve on defense, that's the most critical part of the equation.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The placekicker, Brent Garber, has a strong leg and is coming off a solid freshman year. The Blue Devils have a new punter, Trey McDonald, a redshirt freshman who had a decent spring.

OVERVIEW: Although the Blue Devils finished 0-11 last year, they have a few winnable games on the schedule. However, it still figures to be another long year for Franks in the ACC. Bryant is a quality, playmaking quarterback, but the Blue Devils need their receivers to emerge and become productive. Perhaps Douglas can help out of the backfield and lined outside as well. The defense also remains a question mark. The 3-4 defense should be better with Krill and Fowler at the OLB spots and the addition of Hill at SS. The key will be how quickly Hill can pick up the new position. But overall, there are still some rough times ahead for Duke.