Duke WRs hope confident passing game will click

DURHAM, N.C. — Conner Vernon is out to prove Duke's offense didn't leave when Thad Lewis did.

The most accomplished passer in school history may have graduated, but the guys who caught most of his throws are still around.

The Blue Devils return three players who caught at least 50 balls apiece last year as part of the most productive passing offense in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Now Vernon, Donovan Varner and Austin Kelly want to make the transition easier for Lewis' replacement, redshirt sophomore Sean Renfree.

"We can all do it all, and we rely on each other when somebody needs a big play - it could go to anybody," Vernon said Tuesday during the team's media day. "We brought that faith into Renfree, also. If it's third-and-8, he can have confidence in anybody to catch it."

Renfree has one of the ACC's toughest jobs this season. He's not only replacing a four-year starter and the only Duke quarterback to eclipse 10,000 career yards passing, but also is rehabilitating a torn ligament in his right knee.

It certainly helps to have one of the best threesomes of receivers in the conference at his disposal: Varner fills the role of the big-play speedster, the 6-foot-2 Kelly provides a big target with what Renfree described as "a huge range to catch the football" and Vernon is the reliable possession receiver with solid ball skills.

"Having a bunch of good receivers is a good problem to have, because you can pretty much go to whoever you want," Renfree said. "We're not looking to get the ball to one guy on third down. We can throw to whoever you want to."

All three ranked in the ACC's top 10 in receptions per game last season. Varner led the league with 65 total grabs, Vernon ranked fifth with 55 and Kelly was 10th with 54. Varner also averaged an ACC-best 87 yards receiving per game, while Vernon was sixth in the conference, averaging nearly 69 yards.

"If things are going well in our offense - and Thad did a great job of using weapons - we're going to have three or four guys catching a lot of balls," coach David Cutcliffe said.

They were the biggest beneficiaries of Lewis' productivity - among Duke passers, only eventual NFL quarterback Anthony Dilweg in 1988 threw for more yards than Lewis' 3,330 in 2009 - and are being counted upon to give Renfree plenty of options.

Vernon said Renfree knows the offense very well.

"Reading defenses and stuff like that, Sean is very good at it - moreso than Thaddeus, in my opinion," Vernon said. "Thaddeus was more of the playmaking quarterback. Thaddeus made plays, but in my opinion, Sean is a very good quarterback and ... can read the defense."

For now, though, the priority is keeping them healthy through the end of preseason camp. Varner was held out of Monday night's scrimmage with a hamstring injury, Kelly didn't practice Tuesday morning and Cutcliffe said the trio was a little banged-up.

"Day after day after day ... We've got to be very conscious of those guys' legs," Cutcliffe said.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.