Duke announces sellout for Week 5 matchup vs. Notre Dame

Duke football has quickly become a force to be reckoned with under head coach Mike Elko in the past year. Making the Blue Devils relevant in college football is something only a handful of coaches in the program’s history have been able to accomplish.

On Saturday, Sept. 30th, the Duke football program will yet again get their chance to make their mark on the national stage, as they take on Sam Hartman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish — yet another Top 10 opponent.

On Wednesday evening, the Blue Devils announced their highly anticipated matchup with Notre Dame is a sellout.

Going to be a packed house next Saturday 👀 pic.twitter.com/AuGGYUxDhq

— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 20, 2023

Last season in his first year, Elko led Duke to a 9-4 overall record, guiding the program to their most wins since 2014. He also brought home 2022 ACC Coach of the Year honors.

The Blue Devils have kept the momentum rolling in 2023, winning their first three games, one of those being an upset over the No. 9 ranked Clemson Tigers. They’ve continued to climb in the polls and on Sunday, the Blue Devils were ranked No. 18, their highest ranking in the AP poll since 1994.

In 1994, the Duke head football coach was Fred Goldsmith. That year, he happened to lead the Blue Devils to an 8-4 overall record. That year, he was named ACC Coach of the Year and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

Earlier this season after they upset Clemson, the Blue Devils cracked the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since spending a week at No. 22 in September of 2018.

Duke got a special performance from their dynamic dual-threat quarterback in the Clemson game. Riley Leonard completed 17 of 33 passes for 175 yards, while rushing for eight carries for 98 yards and a touchdown.

The Blue Devils racked up 515 total yards of offense against the Clemson defense, one of the most surprising stats of their upset victory over the Tigers.

Duke head coach Mike Elko has proven himself as one of the brighter minds in college football today, not only with the rise of the Blue Devils. But the fact that the Texas A&M defense can’t seem to get things right ever since he left College Station. Elko has won 12 of his 16 games with Duke and they’re expected to be one of the top contenders for the ACC title this year.

Up next for the Duke, they’ll face off against the UConn Huskies. Then, they’ll have one of their biggest matchups of the season, as they face off against the Fighting Irish on Sept. 30th.