How this Duke star DE plans to put football ‘on the map’ against Notre Dame
Chris Rumph II lined up on the left side of the defensive line, his right hand steadying him on the ground with his left elbow resting on his knee.
Duke’s redshirt junior defensive end ran towards the center before juking out redshirt first-year tight end Matt Smith. Rumph ran back towards the sideline, blocking first-year wide receiver Jontavis Robertson as the whistle blew during Thursday’s practice.
Rumph lined up in a similar stance later in practice, but this time, he ran straight to redshirt senior offensive tackle Devery Hamilton. Even with a 76-pound difference, the defensive end held his own.
Looking at him now, fans wouldn’t be able to tell that he didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school or that he only started one game in the 2019 season.
However, Rumph, a PFF All-American and ranked No. 33 overall by 247Sports, accumulated 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2019, and has played in every game of his Duke career (25). At 225 lbs last season, he ended with a 92.9 pass-rush grade and an FBS-high 30.8% pass-rush win rate.
Now, Rumph rivals top prospects in the SEC with his versatile playing style and is a first round contender for the NFL draft.
“I come out here, and I put work in every day in practice, making sure to bring the younger guys with me,” Rumph said. “At the end of the day, it’s a team sport. No one man, especially in football, is going to dominate the whole game so you’re gonna need your teammates.”
Duke’s two returning high-end pass rushers
While the Blue Devils face attrition in defensive tackle and linebacker, Duke returned two high-end pass rushers, Rumph and Victor Dimukeje, to bookend the line and the secondary is deep with experience.
The Blue Devils haven’t done any complete overhauls in positions, said co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri; however, there are a few players who are being cross trained to make sure the program has the “best 11” on the field. With older players leading the younger ones, the trust and chemistry makes the pass rush system that much stronger because of communication. Rumph II said linebackers are plugging the holes, allowing the secondary to cover and the others to rush.
“The sacks coming in and searches coming,” Rumph said, “that’s the byproduct of us working together.”
Blue Devils open against Notre Dame
Duke’s defense ranked No. 9 in the ACC for average opponent points per game last year with teams averaging 29.2 points each game, scoring 350 points over a 12-game season. However, among college football teams across the nation in the 2019 season, Duke ranked in the top-25 in opponent passing yards and No. 4 out of ACC teams, only allowing 199 per game.
Now, for the second year in a row, the Blue Devils will open their season with a top-ranked team. With their first game in 23 days against Notre Dame at South Bend, Ind., Duke is hoping to avoid the mistakes that led to its 5-7 (3-5 ACC) season last year. Before its 27-17 win on Senior Day against Miami, the Blue Devils lost five straight, including a 48-14 loss to UVA, a narrow 3-point fall to UNC, and a whopping 38-7 game to then-No. 15 Notre Dame.
“This is our opportunity to put Duke on the map,” Rumph II said, “make sure that everyone knows in the ACC that we’re here to play and we’re coming with a vengeance.”
This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How this Duke star DE plans to put football ‘on the map’ against Notre Dame."