Psyching up for Duke Blue Devils football

DURHAM, N.C. – As the Duke Blue Devils transition from preseason camp to opening day, one must wonder what goes through the mind of a college football player when the time comes to put his hard work, talent and ability to the test.

The Blue Devils open the season against in-state and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent the Elon Phoenix on Saturday.

Fans in attendance will see Duke come charging out from behind the iron gates in Wallace Wade Stadium through plumes of smoke and pyrotechnics, and the players will show their exuberance in facing their first opponent of the season.

All the grueling work put in during preseason camp will finally be put to the test.

Every team member has been instructed and drilled repeatedly to execute plays in their position with precision and confidence according to the expectations of the coaching staff.

The desire and hope obviously is that they are ready to compete and ultimately win the game.

And with all that said, how does each one of them approach and prepare for it all?

“Internally, I just like to think about the game and everything around me,” offensive guard and captain Laken Tomlinson said.

“I kind of just absorb everything in me and just meditate a little bit and get a moment to myself to get my mind right. Sometimes I pace around, get my mind right, get excited, get emotional, get into the game. Then I turn around and talk with the guys, and when I see someone else talking, that’s more fuel for me. That definitely gets me pumped up.”

Tomlinson follows that routine for games, but he exhibits that energy during practice as well.

A few weeks ago, as the Blue Devils began another 80-snap scrimmage, you could hear someone screaming on the sidelines.

It was Tomlinson.

He was shouting ‘let’s go’ and bouncing around amongst his teammates and anyone that was close to him to show that he was ready to go.

“I like to talk a lot,” Tomlinson continued.

“I like to try to talk to guys, get them fired up. Whenever I see someone else talkin’, I’m going to get fired up too. That’s kind of something I do, kind of my thing. Tryin’ to get myself excited and use my excitement to fuel other people’s excitement.”

As the physical aches and pains of preseason camp has mounted and at times worn players down, each one of them has had to develop the mental aspect of their game to help endure through those feelings during competition.

For defensive end Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo, a mantra or self-talk isn’t what keeps him going.

Production is his target thought.

That’s what he was thinking about when he took a knee to catch his breath during that team scrimmage.

“We’re sore, and it hurts,” DeWalt-Ondigo said.

“But that’s part of camp. Coach does a really good job in taking care of us. By the time the season comes, I think we’ll all be ready and we’ll have fresh legs.”

When DeWalt-Ondijo steps onto the field for gameday, and everyone is watching what he’s contributing to the Duke defense, all they have to know is that he’s looking to make a play that counts.

“I gotta’ be productive,” DeWalt-Ondigo said.

“That’s one thing I think about a lot when I’m hurtin’. With the D-line, we have production ratios. If you don’t have a 1-in-6 production ratio, you’re not doin’ good. That’s one thing that keeps me goin’. You have to be productive. You don’t wanna’ be one of those guys that’s just out there.”

That production ratio is based on, among other things, quarterback pressures, tackles, getting to the ball – just getting in on the play shows that you are involved and doing your part.

DeWalt-Ondigo had that mindset reinforced by former Second-Team All-ACC end Kenny Anunike who he referred to as an example to what he was talking about when talking about being productive.

“I don’t know if you watched Kenny last year, but he would jump on the pile. That’s production,” he said smiling.

So as the Duke front lines have Tomlinson and DeWalt-Ondijo prepared with their focus on motivation and production, quarterback Anthony Boone does the same by keeping the big picture in mind.

He has processed everything that has taken place with his team since the final snap in the Chick-fil-Bowl game last season, throughout Spring training and preseason camp, and leading into the first game of the season.

That includes numerous highs and lows – wins, losses, injuries to key players – all of it.

“We all respect the process,” Boone said.

“When you put your mind to it, you understand what it takes to be patient. You understand what it takes to be hard on yourself. When it’s hard, you understand to push yourself. Just one of those things where each person has their own way.”

For Boone, staying calm and focused is how he leads by example.

He prepares himself to do that as a team captain, but he also knows that others will do the same in order for the team to be successful

“Personally, you have to be mentally tough to play this game,” Boone continued.

“That’s just the way it is. You gotta’ be sharp in every aspect of the game and in every situation. We have many leaders on this team. Everybody understands what it takes to keep everybody goin’. Everybody does a good job of keepin’ everybody focused; just keepin’ the ball movin’.”

Duke is no different than any other team.

They put on their pants, cleats, pads, jerseys, and helmets the same way as the other side does, and each player follows his own routine to prepare for the opening kickoff.

What makes the difference between a winning and losing team is how well each player understands himself and how and what he will contribute to the group.

During the past two seasons in particular, it seems that Duke has done pretty well in understanding and appreciating who they are, finishing with a combined 16-11 record, culminating in two consecutive bowl appearances.

“I think we do a good job of coming together as a team,” Tomlinson said.

“We talk about everything.”

That togetherness has gotten them through numerous wins, losses, and injuries.

So watching from the stands as the Blue Devils and Phoenix face one another in the two teams’ eighth matchup all-time this weekend, you’ll see different things going on.

Tomlinson will be screaming on the sideline and charging himself up to help move the play forward.

That’s what he does.

DeWalt-Ondijo will be rushing the quarterback and jumping on piles – to make as many plays as he can to be productive – even if he’s hurting.

Then you’ll see Boone, appearing calm, almost serene, but with his mind churning and thinking about what needs to happen next.

He’ll be focused to keep the ball moving forward and if something unfortunate happens – an interception, an injury even – he knows and expects that someone else will step in to finish the job for him and the team.

“It’s kind of a next-man-up mentality,” Boone concluded.

“Somebody has to step up…You gotta’ pick your man up. That’s kind of how it is. It’s like an Army mentality. One man goes down, you have to carry your man, or you gotta’ step up for him.”

Leaders think like that.