Opener against Clemson an opportunity for Duke to show it's 'here to stay'

Duke exceed just about everyone’s expectations in 2022, going 9-4 in Mike Elko‘s first season at the helm. The Blue Devils will have a chance to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke in their first game of the 2023 season.

Duke will host Clemson on Labor Day to open the year. The Sept. 4 matchup will be televised by ESPN and will kickoff at 8 p.m.

Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard spoke about his team having a chance to make a statement in Week 1 during the 2023 ACC Kickoff Event on Wednesday.

“That’s a huge opportunity for us. National television, Labor Day on Monday night. That’s an opportunity for us,” Leonard said. “It’s less of a challenge and more of an opportunity to prove ourselves, to prove to everybody that last year wasn’t just a one-year fluke. Coach Elko, me and all these guys, we’re here to stay. We’re here to build this school into a dual-sport school – football and basketball school.”

Leonard was a big reason why the Blue Devils were so good last season. In his first year as a starter, Leonard completed 64 percent of his passes, threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns, while rushing for 699 yards and 13 scores.

Leonard spent this offseason studying NFL quarterbacks and is hoping to build off of what he did last season.

“I’ve been studying a lot of NFL quarterbacks and how they approach the game and the intangibles that come with that,” Leonard said. “So how do I go through a film session with the offensive line? How do I go through a film session with the receivers? How do I approach the line of scrimmage in a more professional manner? Going to the sideline and knowing who to talk to.”

He will get a chance to show off what he has learned against arguably the best defense in the ACC when Clemson comes to town. 

Mike Elko explains how Duke is handling preseason hype after surprise Year 1

There were a lot of eyes on Duke at the ACC Kickoff event on Wednesday, and the entire college football world will be tuned in when the Blue Devils host Clemson.

Needless to say, expectations are high for Duke in 2023.

Second-year coach Mike Elko explained how the Blue Devils are handling the hype on Wednesday.

“Last year, there was so much negative publicity around our program,” Elko said. “We had to block it out. We had to talk to our guys a lot about what we do is what we do and nobody really knows. We got to become who we are capable become and go out there, get on those stages, and showcase it. Now, it’s just flipped.”

Elko inherited a team that went 3-9 in 2021. He immediately turned them into a 9-4 team that won the Military Bowl. It was a massive turnaround job that is going to be difficult to build on.

“We’re saying basically, those same people that are telling you how good you are, they still don’t know. We still have to put the work in, we still have to go out and execute. We still got to make sure we’re doing the things day in and day out we can to become the best program we are capable of becoming. I think we got versed at really blocking the outside noise last year for the wrong reasons,” Elko said.

“We’re just trying to apply that this year to what is a much more positive publicity of our program going into the season.”