bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
DURHAM -- Duke coach David Cutcliffe demands that in order for his players to get on the field come game day, they must know their position inside and out.
That's been an especially interesting challenge for Brandon Harper, who hasn't always known from week to week what position he's playing.
Since the start of spring practice, Harper has switched from defensive line to offensive line, then back to defensive line, and now back to offensive line.
He saw the first live offensive snaps of his life in Duke's second game of the season, and last week against N.C. Central, he found himself in the starting lineup at left guard.
"Moving back and forth hasn't really been a problem for me," said Harper, who likely will start again Saturday when Virginia Tech comes to town for a noon kickoff. "It gives me confidence that the coaches think I can step into these different roles and compete.
"I like the challenge. That excites me, to see if I can do it."
Harper didn't play a perfect game by any means in his first start, a 49-14 victory over NCCU. Yet he showed promise for a team in desperate need of some good news along the offensive front.
The Blue Devils lost three dependable starters to graduation, and the task of getting an inexperienced line up to speed in preseason practice was hampered by the program's run-in with swine flu. Potential starter Pontus Bondeson decided to leave the program after the season opener, and then starting left guard Mitchell Lederman suffered a leg injury against Kansas. Lederman could see some action against the Hokies.
"Brandon competed," Cutcliffe said. "He's learning, so it's a little scary having an offensive lineman starting that's having to learn the intricacies of playing it.
"He was erratic at times, but he really showed some flashes of some positive things. He's ahead in his run blocking as opposed to his pass protection. He's got to learn the little techniques and nuances of protections that will help him, and we're on the fast track toward learning, believe me."
Harper played sparingly on the defensive line in 2006 and '07, and a year ago, he played three plays in one game before the coaching staff decided to redshirt him.
After the season, they decided to move him to offensive line for added depth. The 6-3, 305-pounder worked with the offense all spring, but when defensive lineman Kinney Rucker went down to what was feared to be a season-ending injury over the summer, Harper moved back to defense in preseason camp.
Rucker, however, recovered faster than anyone expected, so after the season opener, Harper was on the move again.
"Kinney surprised us all, and then they needed me on offense," Harper said. "I happily came back."
Harper grew up in Alpharetta, Ga., but he lived in Chapel Hill for three years during elementary school when his mother was enrolled in UNC's orthodontics program. Harper said he loved his time in the Triangle and remembered it when he was being recruited.
Now he really knows what it's like to move back and forth.
"It's been a great opportunity to help out the team," he said. "The way football is, you always have to be ready because you never know when somebody's going to go down.
"Everybody is always one play away from playing, so you have to be mentally prepared."
