Dukes settling in at Duke

DURHAM, N.C. - Curt Dukes built an impressive enough reputation as a high school quarterback that he earned a scholarship to storied Nebraska.<br> <br> But last year, Dukes made an unlikely change of address. He left the Cornhuskers a program that has won or shared five national championships since 1970 and came to Duke, a school with three 0-11 seasons in the past eight years.<br> <br> Now he&#39;s a third-string quarterback, learning several positions to find playing time for the Blue Devils. And he&#39;s got no complaints.<br> <br> ``I&#39;ve always considered myself a quarterback,&#39;&#39; Dukes said Tuesday during the Blue Devils&#39; preseason media day. But he said he&#39;ll play ``just anywhere on the field as long as I can contribute and have fun playing the game. Wherever it is, it&#39;s up to the coaches.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Dukes, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore, sat out last year as a transfer and worked with Duke&#39;s scout team. He comes into this season as the No. 3 quarterback behind Mike Schneider and Chris Dapolito.<br> <br> But after spring drills, Dukes met with coach Ted Roof about finding ways to get Dukes on the field. The decision was to give Dukes work at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. It&#39;s unclear where he&#39;ll play when the Blue Devils open the season at Navy on Sept. 4, Dukes could see plenty of snaps.<br> <br> ``Good things just seem to happen when he touches the football,&#39;&#39; Roof said.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s physical and reliable. ... One of the things that frustrates you most as a football coach is unreliability. And Curt Dukes is every dependable.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Dukes was well-known in North Carolina before heading to Nebraska. As a senior at Newton-Conover High School, he rushed for 1,023 yards while throwing for 951 in 10 games. He was a Shrine Bowl selection and a SuperPrep All-America choice that year.<br> <br> He graduated from Newton-Conover a semester early to enroll at Nebraska, but things didn&#39;t work out once he got there. He did not play in a game for Nebraska and stayed there three semesters.<br> <br> Dukes won&#39;t say exactly why he decided to transfer, adding that he was not homesick.<br> <br> ``It just wasn&#39;t what I expected it to be,&#39;&#39; he said. ``It wasn&#39;t a good fit for me.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> He considered several Atlantic Coast Conference schools before choosing Duke over North Carolina last summer. He said academics played a large role in his decision.<br> <br> He admitted that he tried to keep a low-profile when he first arrived in Durham, worried that other players might think he had a big ego because he came from Nebraska. But eventually, Dukes said, he felt at home.<br> <br> The challenge now is trying to keep up with the demands of three different positions.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s difficult sometimes to learn every position,&#39;&#39; he said. ``You&#39;ve got to really concentrate and watch every position. If they rewind the tape three times, you&#39;ve got to watch the quarterback first, then running back and receivers. ... Even in practice, you can&#39;t be in the back talking to the guys. You&#39;ve got to be out front listening.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Still, Dukes said, he feels he made the right decision.<br> <br> ``Somebody told me a long time ago to make sure you&#39;re at a place where if football was taken away, you&#39;d be happy with the degree and education,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> ``I feel really comfortable (at Duke), not only on the football team, but just around campus with the atmosphere and the campus life.&#39;&#39;