![]() From there Duke simply took control as Elko's team began running hard and taking well timed shots down field as frustration built on the Cavalier side. On Saturday that script was completely flipped as Duke looked the part of the more confident and competent team.Īfter being stopped early on their first drive the Blue Devil defense allowed the Cavaliers to move the ball before forcing a punt that flipped the field. Knowing that they would out-execute, out-talent, and eventually out-score the Blue Devils. There was a certain belief and many more displayed by the team in blue.įor most of the seven game losing streak against UVa the common theme was that Virginia walked onto the field knowing they were going to win. For us to play the game we wanted, we had to run the football and we did."ģ. "It wasn't just going to be about, said the Duke head coach. "This was one of the most dominant O-line performances that I've ever seen," said Leonard. The Blue Devils rushed for more than 240 yards and kept Leonard relatively untouched for most of the game, and they did it against a Virginia defense that had been very tough against the run throughout its first four games. After protecting Leonard well in the non-conference season and allowing the Duke running backs a number of running lanes, the Blue Devils announced themselves to the ACC in the trenches by dominating a Virginia program that had simply outclassed Duke for the better part of the last decade. In five games the Blue Devils have seen a group comprised of many new faces begin to carve out and define a cohesive identity that continued to manifest itself against the Cavaliers. ![]() A season ago that rate was -.0.58 and two years ago it was a disastrous -1.73.Īnother big change in Duke's success in moving and holding on to the football has been the night and day performance of the offensive line from a season ago. I think the kids understand how important that is for our success."Īfter five games Duke leads the ACC and is tied for fifth in the country with a +1.60 turnover margin per game. "We literally teach it every single rep every single day. ![]() It's not something we just talk about because we need to talk about it" said Elko of his team's focus on the turnover battle. "We emphasize it, we preach it, and we live it every day. That +8 turnover margin may very well be the biggest factor in Duke's somewhat unexpected and immediate turnaround. That was on offense, on defense Duke's wild dog attack and gang tackling style forced two turnovers and pushed the season turnover tally to 10-2 in favor of Elko's squad. ![]() Even so the preparation paid off as the Blue Devils devised a game plan that still displayed the sort of aggressive creativity the program had shown during the non-conference season, but also seemed designed to minimize potential mistakes due to conditions. By the time the game started, however, there was some rain but nothing as severe as it could have been. During the week Duke had worked with wet footballs and other poor condition simulations in order to prepare for less than ideal conditions. Weather had been a major concern leading into the game as the remnants of Hurricane Ian moved through the Carolinas and left some rain bands in the area as kickoff time arrived. Before hitting the road, here are some of the major takeaways from win number four of the Mike Elko era. Next week Duke will look to earn the program's first ACC road win of the season while continuing to inch closer to post season qualification when the team travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech. Sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard was once again the catalyst for the Duke success, running for a touchdown and passing for another as the Blue Devils took control early on and remained poised and disciplined throughout the game en route to snapping a 13 game ACC losing streak. The win snapped a seven game losing streak for the Blue Devils against the Cavaliers and further fueled rookie head coach Mike Elko's early claim for potential league coach of the year honors. Duke Football improved to 4-1 on the season and 1-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a convincing 38-17 win over Virginia on Saturday evening in Wallace Wade Stadium.
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