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Duke football drops hype video ahead of showdown with Notre Dame

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•09/29/23
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Ex-Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. (Photo by Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports)

The Duke Blue Devils football team has ascended to unprecedented heights under head coach Mike Elko. They currently sit at 4-0, having taken down the ninth-ranked Clemson Tigers earlier this year in one of the biggest wins in school history. This weekend, Duke welcomes a highly anticipated matchup with the No. 11 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

It also marks the first time in school history that Duke has welcomed College GameDay to campus for a football game. It’s unquestionably one of the most anticipated games in Blue Devil football history.

Check out the hype video below.

It’s certainly an exciting time to be a Duke football fan, as the program is enjoying unprecedented attention and success thanks to the dynamic combination of Mike Elko and Riley Leonard, one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC.

As a passer, he’s completed 67.7% of his passes for 778 yards, while tossing in two touchdowns and no interceptions. As a runner, he’s run for 238 yards and four touchdowns on just 29 carries.

The tandem are banding together to make people notice Duke football.

Ahead of their matchup with Notre Dame on Saturday, ESPN’s College GameDay and The Pat McAfee Show is in Durham, North Carolina. Leonard joined the latter on Friday, where he explained what made him and Elko such a tremendous fit for each other.

“Absolutely,” Leonard responded, as McAfee said Elko is the perfect fit for Duke. “… We’re both super competitive. I think that’s what kind of brings us together. From the very first meeting, he was going to roll with the guys we had on this Duke team. We went 3-9. He comes in, you know you guys have all seen the clip, he said we’re going to win now. We believed it.

“He said that every single meeting, for a whole summer. We came out here and did it last year, and we’re doing it now.”

Elko and Leonard’s first season together in 2022 truly planted the seeds, but their victory against Clemson earlier this season let the world know the Blue Devils are a force to be reckoned with. If they can defeat the Fighting Irish on Saturday, there’ll be no more excuses for the doubters.

Regardless of Saturday’s result, Riley Leonard and Mike Elko are doing something special at Duke, and deserve every bit of attention they’re getting at the moment.

Duke and Notre Dame will face off on Saturday, Sept. 30th. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM EST.

On3’s Steve Samra also contributed to this article.