David Cutcliffe has a reputation as a quarterback whisperer. That’s largely because of his tutelage of the Manning brothers, as Peyton’s offensive coordinator at Tennessee and Eli’s head coach at Mississippi.
But Cutcliffe has always appreciated the rushing arts. He helped make Deuce McAllister into an NFL all-star and that 1998 national-title team at Tennessee came after Manning left but featured running back Travis Henry, who rushed for 970 yards. Jay Graham and Jamal Lewis had broken the 1,000-yard mark in previous seasons with the Vols, with Cutcliffe calling the plays.
Cutcliffe hasn’t had any 1,000-yard rushers at Duke.