Duke faces tough start with three straight road games

DURHAM, N.C. - Long-downtrodden Duke couldn&#39;t have asked for a tougher way to start its first full season under coach Ted Roof.<br> <br> The Blue Devils open Saturday at Navy, then follow with visits to Connecticut and new Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia Tech before playing their first home game Sept. 25 against Maryland.<br> <br> That kind of road trip can make any homecoming look good even if it&#39;s to Wallace Wade Stadium, where Duke ranked 97th of 117 Division I-A schools in attendance last season.<br> <br> ``We look forward to coming home,&#39;&#39; tight end Ben Patrick said with a smile Monday.<br> <br> Duke will likely be an underdog in each of its first three games. Add the home opener against the Terps, and that&#39;s four tough games to open a season in which the Blue Devils hope to build on last season&#39;s solid finish.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s the way it is,&#39;&#39; said Roof, who was 2-3 in 2003 after taking over for the fired Carl Franks in October. ``You&#39;d like to play all your games at home. I don&#39;t want our players wasting energy on something they have no control over.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Navy presents many unique challenges, several starting before kickoff. The pre-game pageantry in Annapolis always includes a fly over, a procession of Midshipmen marching into the stadium and a list of important battles from previous wars that adorn a portion of the stands.<br> <br> When the game does start, Duke must try to stop Navy&#39;s triple-option offense, which carried the Midshipmen to an 8-5 record last season and a trip to the Houston Bowl. The Blue Devils started their preparation a couple of days earlier than normal, hoping the extra time gives them an edge.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s one of the neat venues in college football,&#39;&#39; Roof said. ``But I don&#39;t want our guys affected by that. I want our guys worried about the guy trying to hit them in the mouth.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> If Duke can manage to win, it would be the team&#39;s second straight victory over a I-A opponent, the first time that&#39;s happened since 1997.<br> <br> Already under Roof, Duke has broken a 30-game ACC losing streak and notched its first win over North Carolina in 14 years.<br> <br> This year&#39;s tough opening schedule could derail any momentum left over from those triumphs, but Roof hasn&#39;t allowed himself or his players to look beyond the opener.<br> <br> ``We haven&#39;t talked about any game except Navy,&#39;&#39; he said. ``All these other games will come in due time.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> With the way the Blue Devils have played over the past 14 years one winning season, three winless records Duke&#39;s players are used to the fact that nothing comes easy.<br> <br> That includes attracting fans to Wallace Wade, where the Blue Devils averaged slightly more than 20,000 fans for their seven home games last season. That was by far the worst home attendance for any team in a Bowl Championship Series conference.<br> <br> Starting the season with three straight road games is simply the latest obstacle.<br> <br> ``That&#39;s just the way it turned out,&#39;&#39; backup quarterback Chris Dapolito said. ``As players, we don&#39;t sit around and worry about it. We&#39;re excited to be playing.<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t think being at home or being on the road makes any difference. When you&#39;re playing the game, you don&#39;t notice where you are, anyway.&#39;&#39;