Sept. 20, 2007

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Patrick Bailey doesn't know how many more victory celebrations there will be for Duke's football team in the final nine games of the season.

And, in one sense, it doesn't matter. Win or lose, he only knows one way to play.

"I want to play every snap to the best of my ability and finish every play," the senior defensive end said. "Your actions will take care of the scoreboard. My goal for us as a team is to win every game. But whatever happens, I want to play each game until I can't move any more."

That attribute has been a trademark of Bailey's play since he became a starter in his sophomore season.

"He's athletic but I think what makes him a good player is he's relentless," said Blue Devils coach Ted Roof. "He's got a good motor and he chases the football. He runs things down and doesn't give up on plays."

Other coaches in the ACC have long admired Bailey's style.

"He's tenacious, he's very active, he's very aggressive, he's got a real feel for the game and he's a playmaker for their team," said Virginia coach Al Groh. "We know him by number, we know him by name and we know him by deed. He's a very good player."

Statistically this season, Bailey has recorded 27 tackles, including two-and-a-half sacks, along with three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. But perhaps his most important work was helping to put pressure on Northwestern quarterback C.J. Bacher in the final 38 seconds of last Saturday's game.

With first-and-goal from the Duke 7-yard line, Bacher threw four straight incompletions. When the last one hit the ground, Duke's 22-game losing streak was over.

"There was a timeout before the last series," Bailey said, "and the whole offense came up and cheered us. As a defense, we said `We've got to win this one, so we're going to make something happen.' All of us were right there and he (Bacher) felt the pressure."

Roof said the atmosphere in the locker room "was wonderful, a lot of happy kids that played their guts out and got a win." Not surprisingly, the plane ride home was quiet, full of tired and emotionally drained players.

And now Duke is moving on. Bailey gave himself 24 hours to enjoy the win. Roof put it in perspective by saying it was just one game, like the first two losses were one game each. Next up is Navy this week in Annapolis. The Blue Devils played in Annapolis in Bailey's freshman season, a game Navy won, and the trip left an impression.

"That was my first NCAA game," Bailey said. "I remember the atmosphere. Those guys (midshipmen) are really loyal to their program."

Bailey said Navy's option offense, which leads the country in rushing, presents problems because the players are so disciplined. He said they execute so well that "you've got to tackle three guys on every play."

In addition, Roof added, the Middies have added the passing element into their attack. They have receivers who can run and if Duke's safeties bite on the running play, Navy's quarterback won't hesitate to let it fly.

So this game will be another challenge, which is nothing new for the Blue Devils. Last week's game was only the fourth time in Bailey's career that he has played in a winning college game.

"For every human there are always `what if' thoughts," Bailey said. "But I don't regret coming here at all. These guys helped me develop into the person I am today."

Bailey grew up in some wide open spaces outside of San Antonio, where the closest mailbox had a mailing address of Elmendorf, a town of about 700. He said there was plenty of countryside for him and his three younger brothers to roam.

Because his father was a math teacher in the San Antonio school system, Bailey was permitted to go to Alamo Heights High School. He took his father's pre-calculus class and was cut no slack.

"He treated me like every other student," Bailey said. "At home, I couldn't ask him anything about math. Fortunately, I enjoyed it."

Bailey's dad made sure he took care of things in the classroom as well as in sports. In football, Bailey was an offensive end until his senior year, when he also played end on what he called "the dark side," otherwise known as defense.

His interest in engineering led Bailey to consider Duke, Rice and Purdue as his final three college choices. He picked Duke because he enjoyed the team atmosphere on his official visit.

Now on track for his degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bailey isn't sure what he wants to do with his skills. But there's time and plenty of job fairs coming up to figure that out. Now there's a matter of a finite number of football games left in his career.

Bailey played defensive end as a freshman and inside linebacker as a sophomore. The last two years he settled in as the "rush end," playing on the line in a four-man front and the fourth linebacker in a 3-4 defense. The idea, Roof said, is to put him in different positions and let him use his athleticism to make some plays.

"I feel physical enough for enough for defensive end and I can also fill space as a linebacker," said the 6-4, 243-pound Bailey. "So I guess I'm a hybrid. I try to use my speed to get around the edge and get to the ball. Sacks are exciting because you realize how it hampers the offense, backing them up six or seven yards."

No one will know for sure how the confidence gained from last week's win will help the Blue Devils against Navy or anyone else.

"It was a long drought," Bailey said, "and hopefully the win will have a snowball effect and keep us together and motivated every week."

Not that Bailey needs extra motivation because he always keeps the motor running.

"Watching Pat is just something else," said defensive lineman Ayanga Okokowuruk. "Every single play you just see him making a tackle or affecting the play in some way. Even after the game, you watch the film and it's like `Pat was all over the field.'

"That makes you want to step your game up. He's putting it all on the line and it makes you want to put it all on the line as well."

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Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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