Duke Clark talks two-touchdown Florida breakthrough
· Yahoo Sports
Duke Clark waited through an injury-shortened freshman season before announcing his return with two touchdowns in Florida’s opener against Florida Atlantic.
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The versatile running back caught a 10-yard touchdown from Aaron Philo before adding a 4-yard score on the ground in the Gators’ 66-21 victory. Clark discussed both plays, his expanded role in Buster Faulkner’s offense and the work that went into his return.
Clark also touched on learning from Jadan Baugh, competing in Florida’s crowded backfield, adding muscle during the offseason and the personal meaning behind the nickname his late grandmother gave him.
Here’s everything Clark had to say.
What did you see on your touchdown reception?
I would just say staying the course with the play. Never let the play end until the whistle blows. Just keep going and keep going. Then he threw me the ball, and the rest is history. I just tried to score.
How did it feel to score twice in The Swamp?
It felt good, man. It felt good. Couldn't do it last year. I got hurt. It's a big legacy. Anytime you get in the end zone in The Swamp, the crowd goes crazy. It’s just nice. Everything about it is nice.
What do you like about Buster Faulkner’s offense?
His scheme is great. He spreads everybody around. If you watch it, it’s very explosive. He can throw the ball over the top. You can hand the ball off, and even the running backs can go wide. It’s just very explosive.
How difficult is it to learn all the details of the offense?
It’s not hard. We’ve been doing it for months now, so it’s been getting easier every day. We’ve run 10,000 plays all together, so I would say it’s just repetition. That’s all it is.
How demanding is Faulkner about executing correctly?
Yeah, he’s very demanding. If anything goes wrong, he’s on us. He’s like, “Get back to it. Restart. Redo it.” He’s big on that.
How does Faulkner’s demanding approach improve the offense’s execution?
Everybody takes coaching pretty well, so the execution has been very good. Whenever he gets on us, it puts us in a different mood to go out there and execute.
Where did your ball skills and versatility come from?
I played wide receiver a little bit in high school. I played a little bit of everything in high school — defense and offense.
How does that versatility help you in Florida’s offense?
It helps me out a lot because we spread out a lot. We go to the slot, and there are little things where we go into different places. We spread it out. Versatility matters a lot because you’ve got to be able to catch the ball, run the ball and block. There’s a lot that comes with that.
What was your freshman season like before the injury?
Coming in as a freshman is big. You’ve got to get all the jitters out. You go in there like a little ant, and you’ve got to make sure you’re doing all the right things. With the injury, it happens. It’s not like you can do anything to prevent it. It happens. I just worked day in and day out, just working on the injury and getting over it. Now I’m here.
What was the offseason strength and conditioning program like for you?
It was big. I put on a lot of weight. Coach Whitt, that’s my guy, man. I love Coach Whitt. He wants a lot out of us, and I’ve got to give it to him.
Did the offense really run 10,000 plays during the offseason?
Yeah, they charted it. I would say it was difficult only because it’s a new offense. It’s not the same hand signals or the same calls. It may be the same things, as in you’re running the ball this way or that way, but it’ll be a different number or whatnot.
What has it been like competing in Florida’s running back room?
The whole room is competitive. Day in and day out, we just keep competing and keep competing, and we cheer each other on. It’s not like we’re working against each other. We all work together.
What is Patrick Durkin like in the locker room?
He’s different. He’s pretty fast to be running with us. Durkin is fast. In the gauntlet — I know y’all have seen the gauntlet — we went against each other a lot, and boy, I had a hard time going against Durkin. He’s quick. He’s jittery. He’d probably beat me, too. I’m telling you, he’s jittery. He’s really jittery.
Have you ever been around another kicker like Durkin?
No, I haven’t. He’s fast, and he also interacts with us a lot. You don’t usually see kickers interacting with us or lifting with us in the weight room. It’s big to have a kicker like Durkin.
What was it like scoring your first rushing touchdown?
It was big, man. I love the energy. I love what the crowd brought. It’s just big. I can’t even explain it, honestly.
What did you think of TJ Abrams blocking a nose tackle on your touchdown?
He did his job, and we try to have everybody do their job. The rest is history.
What did you think of Abrams stepping up and making a big play?
It was big. I say, “When your number is called, go out there and execute.” That’s exactly what he did. I love TJ for that.
What does running 10,000 plays say about Faulkner’s approach?
He’s got a variety of stuff. I’m sure he looks at the play-call sheet like, “What do I want to run next?” or looks at what the defense is doing. He’s just big and demanding. Everything about him is crazy.
Is Faulkner a perfectionist?
That’s crazy. We’ll be in the team meeting, and he’ll be drawing up plays. Ten thousand is a crazy number. I had to ask him again, like, “Are you sure we did 10,000?” He tallied it up — this many plays and this many pass plays. Yes, 10,000.
Has Florida shown everything its offense can do?
Y’all haven’t seen anything yet. Y’all saw Eric go down in the first quarter. VB3 scored a touchdown. That guy is a monster right there. I love him. He’s so fast. Just watching his speed, oh my God. Then, we saw London and Lou at the back end of the game. Those two guys are big to our whole running back room.
Y’all haven’t seen Dallas do anything really crazy yet, but the season he put together last year — he’s got a lot ahead of him. The tight ends, oh my gosh. The tight ends put their heads down and work. I can say they’re probably some of the hardest workers on the team.
What is it like watching Jadan Baugh play?
Every time, it’s just electric. He puts a smile on your face, like, “This dude is great,” with everything he does.
What kind of mentor has Baugh been for you?
I pick up a lot of things from him. We go back and watch film, and he’ll say, “You could have made that cut. I know you’ve got it.” He teaches me how to jump-cut or, if something needs to be faster, how to do it a little faster. He’s a great teacher. A great teacher.
What have you learned from running backs coach Chris Foster?
Chris Foster is also a great teacher. I’ve learned a lot from him already this year. With him and Coach Sumrall coming in, he’s a smart guy. We joke about that a lot, but all around, he’s a good guy.
What does Foster want you to do to elevate your game?
He wants me to be at my best all the time — finishing at practice, running all the way to the end zone, and taking that extra step so that, in the game, it’s just second nature.
How much weight did you add during the offseason?
I was 195 last year. I’m 208 right now, so that’s a big jump. It’s a lot of muscle mass and less fat, so I really appreciate Coach Whitt for that.
How have the former Georgia Tech players helped Florida’s offense?
We all came together as one. With those guys coming from Georgia Tech and us already being here, we just connected. As soon as they stepped on campus, we already knew, “Yeah, that’s what we needed.”
Did their familiarity with Faulkner help the offense develop more quickly?
Yeah, because they already knew the plays and everything. They already knew what to expect out of Buster. They told us what to do and what not to do, so they gave us the ropes ahead of time.
Where did the nickname “Duke” come from?
Duke is my nickname. My grandma gave it to me back in the day, and she passed away, so I ran with it when I got to college.
Why did your grandmother call you Duke?
I honestly can’t even tell you. She just started calling me that. Ever since I was little, I’ve been called Duke. I decided to take that name on when I got up here.
Was your grandmother a John Wayne fan?
Honestly, I really don’t know. I can’t even tell you that.
How has your experience at receiver helped you as a running back?
It has helped me a lot because, like I said, versatility is one thing. They can spread me out here or there. I can be an extra man on the field with Jadan. I can catch the ball out of the backfield. Route running comes as second nature after you’ve played receiver for so long, so it’s pretty easy now.
What was your favorite route as a high school receiver?
I liked to run the post because I’m kind of fast. Once I make the cut, I can just run. You’ve got to throw me open.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Duke Clark talks two-touchdown Florida breakthrough