Duke Football 2023 (8-5, 4-4 ACC) Birmingham Bowl Champions

[CameronBornAndBred]

WRAL has a press conference video and writeup from earlier today with Mike Elko talking about the upcoming UCONN game.
It's good stuff. Here's a snippet. (Whole video is in the article, too.)

Elko explained how he’s trying to keep his team motivated.

“You don’t have to be in this game very long to realize that the second you anticipate something happening is exactly what won’t happen,” Elko said. “And so, we talk all the time in our building that anytime you take the game of football for granted, it will find a way to humble you really, really [quickly].”

Elko said he watched UConn’s tape against NC State when the two teams played on Aug. 31. NC State won the game 24-14. He said it helps watching tape against a team he is familiar with, given NC State also plays in the ACC.

“It obviously jumps off the tape how well [UConn] played against them,” Elko said. “I think it quickly gets your attention.

https://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-look ... /21054790/

[OPK]

WRAL has a press conference video and writeup from earlier today with Mike Elko talking about the upcoming UCONN game.
It's good stuff. Here's a snippet. (Whole video is in the article, too.)

Elko explained how he’s trying to keep his team motivated.

“You don’t have to be in this game very long to realize that the second you anticipate something happening is exactly what won’t happen,” Elko said. “And so, we talk all the time in our building that anytime you take the game of football for granted, it will find a way to humble you really, really [quickly].”

Elko said he watched UConn’s tape against NC State when the two teams played on Aug. 31. NC State won the game 24-14. He said it helps watching tape against a team he is familiar with, given NC State also plays in the ACC.

“It obviously jumps off the tape how well [UConn] played against them,” Elko said. “I think it quickly gets your attention.

https://www.wralsportsfan.com/duke-look ... /21054790/

Thanks, enjoyed that video.

Bob Green would really like the discussion near the end where Elko talked about what wins championships: run the ball well, dominate the line, and defense.

[CameronBornAndBred]

A snippet from a paywalled ESPN+ story on future draft picks.
The question asked is "Who else could rise into the QB3 spot by the end of the season?" (Behind Caleb Williams and Cheater Maye)

Matt Miller's answer.

Outside of Penix, I'm keeping an eye on Duke's Riley Leonard and Oregon's Bo Nix as strong options. Leonard is an accurate passer who excels on timing and rhythm plays. The 6-foot-4, 212-pounder is a mobile threat, too, as he can pull the ball down and make plays happen with his feet.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/draft2 ... all-week-3

[CameronBornAndBred]

Another fun snippet from an ESPN Insider story.

Under a section titled "Most Improved Win Totals"

Duke Blue Devils
Preseason SP+ ranking: No. 49, 6.1 average projected wins
After 3 weeks: No. 32, 8.2 average wins (+2.1)

It took some red zone funkiness for Duke to beat Clemson by 21 points in Week 1, but make no mistake: It wasn't funky that the Blue Devils won. And since then, they have handled their business as projected against Lafayette and Northwestern. They are up to 32nd in SP+ -- they haven't finished a season that high since 2014 -- and they are positioning themselves to match or exceed last year's 8-4 regular season. Mike Elko has earned loads of plaudits for his work in immediately turning this program back around (and with minimal transfer portal help), but we probably still aren't talking about it enough.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/i ... all-season

[CameronBornAndBred]

[ArkieDukie]

Greetings from Iceland! I just saw that Notre Dame lost to tOSU. Looks like we will get a very angry opponent next weekend. Let’s send them home with their second consecutive loss!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Line for this Saturday's game is 5.5 points in favor of the Irish. That's amazingly respectful.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Welp, no need to even go now, unless you just want a fun tailgate experience. Duke wins.

According to our computer model, the Duke Blue Devils will beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish when they square off at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday, September 30 (at 7:30 PM ET). We have more projections, regarding the point spread, total and final score, available below.

Fighting Irish vs. Blue Devils Picks & Predictions
Pick ATS: Duke)
Pick OU: Under (52)
Prediction: Duke 25, Notre Dame 23

https://athlonsports.com/betting/notre- ... prediction


I don't know if I expect a 2 point game, and I know I don't expect a Duke victory, but if it's that close at under 2 minutes, just make sure that there's a defibrillator on hand in the stands close by.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Same uni as for the Clemson game, but with white gothic lettering on a blue helmet. (Blue jerseys, white pants)

Perfect!

[CameronBornAndBred]

The fact that the loss really hurts is a testament to how far this program has come. I was so proud of our team tonight.

[OPK]

Great game, ND made the plays they had to make. Kudos.

[hustleplays]

The fact that the loss really hurts is a testament to how far this program has come. I was so proud of our team tonight.

A great game -- heartbreaking result, but so much heart went into going toe-to-toe with a top team. Terrific comeback from 10-0.

I'm still a little grouchy about our guys not seeing/adjusting to the fake punt lineup. We saw it in the cheap seats and yelled out trick play! That was smart on ND's part, but not smart on ours. But so much else to be happy about.

Hope Riley's okay. Riley's clan was at Tailgate again. They are a great bunch of people.

Chris, thank you again for a magnificent Tailgate! The beef was heavenly, as was the shrimp, spaghetti, salmon, etc. Also loved the fresh veggies and the to-die-for chocolate cake.

Great privilege to be at Duke yesterday! Thanks to all!

[devildeac]

Waiting for Chris to post the M&A and Social Discussion threads for our 800 PM game time vs The Pack...

[Bob Green]

Waiting for Chris to post the M&A and Social Discussion threads for our 800 PM game time vs The Pack...

ESPN Football Power Index gives Duke an 80% chance to win. I’m sure Riley’s injury is NOT factored in the equation. I’m cautiously optimistic we will be fine with Belin at quarterback. The staff will fine tune the game plan to his skill set, he is surrounded by talent and he looked good against Lafayette.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Waiting for Chris to post the M&A and Social Discussion threads for our 800 PM game time vs The Pack...

ESPN Football Power Index gives Duke an 80% chance to win. I’m sure Riley’s injury is NOT factored in the equation. I’m cautiously optimistic we will be fine with Belin at quarterback. The staff will fine tune the game plan to his skill set, he is surrounded by talent and he looked good against Lafayette.

State will have a different QB. Doeren benched Armstrong in favor of MJ Morris. He'll get his first start this week, so at least Duke will get a look.
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/nc-state- ... /21078072/

[CameronBornAndBred]

Here comes the gauntlet, but it's not the one I expected. Over the next three weeks, we face two top 20 teams on the road in FSU and the birds. After that, the Cheaters are on the horizon.

Gotta get through State first. I'm very happy that the Wuffies won against Marshall because I think that will keep our guys a little more focused.

[OPK]

Open at -3.5 favorite, small shift to -4.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Jim Sumner on Facebook...

Duke football coach Mike Elko says star quarterback Riley Leonard is day-to-day with an ankle injury

[devildeac]

Jim Sumner on Facebook...

Duke football coach Mike Elko says star quarterback Riley Leonard is day-to-day with an ankle injury

[Bob Green]

Uniform:

Black helmets w/ blue Iron D, blue jerseys, black pants

https://x.com/dukefootball/status/17126 ... 4G-UXXVtSw