Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 30, 2023 37 GAME PREVIEW: DUKE previously dormant program into one worthy of being aired in primetime on ABC against one of the biggest brands in the sport. Elko said going on the road to face UConn in Week 4 was "another great opportunity for [Duke] to showcase what we are becoming." If that was the case then against a Huskies team that started the season 0-3 and has not had a winning season since 2010, then what kind of opportunity does hosting Notre Dame — an illustrious program with na- tional titles galore and pedigree for ages — with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the broadcast represent? There is a case to be made this is the biggest Duke football game since the man the stadium is named after led the program to two Rose Bowl appearances after a pair of 9-0 seasons in his ac- claimed career. Wallace Wade died in Durham in 1986. Pearl Harbor was bombed less than a month prior to the second of those Rose Bowl bouts. The third- ranked Blue Devils lost 20-16 to the No. 17 Oregon State Beavers on Jan. 1, 1942. Yeah, it's arguably been that long since Duke fans have had a game with this much riding on it. Undoubtedly, Elko wouldn't have it any other way. This is why the 46-year-old became a head coach. The winding path from South Bend to College Station to Dur- ham led to Sept. 30, 2023. "We know what we're here for," Elko said. "We know what we're trying to accomplish." ✦ 1. Rapid Turnaround Duke's turnaround under second-year head coach Mike Elko has been fast and furious. In the three seasons prior to mutually parting ways with former head coach David Cutcliffe in 2021, the Blue Devils went 5-7, 2-9 and 3-9, respectively. Elko and offensive coordinator Kevin Johns took over, named then-sopho- more Riley Leonard the starting quarterback and didn't look back. Duke went 9-4 in Elko's first season and started 3-0 in 2023. The stunning 2022 season earned Elko a contract extension through 2029 in July. "Over the last 18 months, Coach Elko has cultivated and executed a plan to push Duke football forward with tremendous attention to detail, energy and a persistent commitment to excellence," athletics director Nina King said at the time. "His passionate dedication to the Duke experience sets the standard." 2. New Defensive Coordinator Looking to turn around a lackluster 2022 defense, Duke hired Texas A&M co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Tyler Santucci. The Aggies gave Santucci the co-DC title in 2022 after Elko took the Duke job, working under defensive coordinator DJ Durkin. Santucci made a splash in his first game with the Blue Devils Sept. 4. Against then-No. 9 Clemson, Duke limited the Tigers to seven points that were not entirely the defense's fault. Clemson got the ball at the Duke 18-yard line after Blue Devils redshirt senior wide receiver and punt returner Jalon Calhoun muffed a punt that the Tigers recovered. Santucci's group also recovered 2 fumbles and picked off Clemson sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik in the fourth quarter to seal the 28-7 win. Since bursting onto the national scene — the Clemson game had a standalone, Monday night time slot on ESPN — Duke's defense took care of business against Lafayette (7 points) and North- western (14). Notre Dame will be Santucci's biggest test yet. 3. No Ranked Wins? No Longer After its Week 1 win over then-No. 9 Clemson, Duke made the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2018, but that wasn't the longest drought it broke that night. The Blue Devils — ranked No. 21 in their first AP poll appearance and No. 18 after Week 3 — picked up their first win over a ranked team since 2016. That season, a 3-6 Duke team upset No. 15 North Carolina 28-27 Nov. 10, the Blue Devils' senior night. For Duke's last top-10 win, you have to go all the way back to Sept. 30, 1989. The Blue Devils, led by former Heisman Trophy-winning Florida quar- terback and later national championship-winning Florida head coach Steve Spurrier, beat No. 7 Clem- son 34 years ago by a score of 21-17. — Jack Soble Head coach Mike Elko has won 13 of his first 17 games at Duke, after the Blue Devils had won a com- bined 10 games in the three seasons prior to his arrival. PHOTO COURTESY DUKE ATHLETICS Three Things To Know About Duke