Duke head coach Mike Elko on win over Wake Forest: 'We just battled'

The Duke Blue Devils football team has been battling through a number of critical injuries lately, including their star quarterback Riley Leonard. But on Thursday evening against Wake Forest, the Blue Devils found a way to keep hanging around and pull out a 24-21 victory in the final seconds, thanks to a game-winning 26-yard kick from Todd Pelino. On the field in Wallace Wade Stadium following the win, ESPN’s Harry Lyles, Jr. spoke with Duke head coach Mike Elko.

What does the hard-fought win say about his team?

“Yeah, I mean that we have a tremendous amount of character. That we have a tremendous amount of grit. And we just battled. And we battled. We knew it was gonna be that kind of game. I think we were out about eight starters. And it doesn’t matter. Right? At the end of the day, we’ve got to find a way to get a result and our kids just kept fighting. They kept fighting and found enough ways to make plays. How about Todd Pelino going out there and burying that one?!” Elko said.

Duke found a way to pull out the win, despite being down to their third string quarterback, Grayson Loftis. While he definitely made a number of nice throws that were dropped throughout the evening, he also sailed a number of balls, too. He completed 7 of 19 passes for 86 yards, while tossing one touchdown and one interception.

Their offense was completely different without Riley Leonard, and that’s not a surprise. Leonard is one of the most dynamic dual threats in all of college football. He’ll unfortunately have to miss an ‘extended period of time’ due to a left toe injury, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. It also didn’t help having star left tackle, Graham Barton, miss Thursday night’s game with an injury, either.

The Blue Devils were aided by a solid ground game against Wake Forest. Both Jaquez Moore and Jordan Waters combined for over 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Duke also had some good fortune on their side. Wake quarterback Mitch Griffis had the ball slip out of his hand with 4:19 remaining, and it went right into the arms of Blue Devils linebacker Ryan Smith. That critical turnover gave Duke the football and allowed them to march down the field and kick the game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

There was also a critical personal foul penalty on Wake Forest that extended the drive late, allowing the Blue Devils to setup in excellent position for the 26-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the game.

More information on Duke QB Riley Leonard missing time

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard will reportedly miss significant time due to an injury he sustained against Louisville. On Thursday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel provided additional details.

“Riley Leonard will miss an ‘extended period of time’ with a left toe injury suffered late in the game against Louisville,” Thamel wrote on Twitter. “Freshman Grayson Loftis will get his first career start tonight against Wake Forest.

“A definitive timetable on Leonard’s potential return from this injury has yet to be determined, per sources. It’s a *different* injury than the right ankle injury he suffered against Notre Dame that kept him out of the NC State game.”

Leonard struggled in Duke’s 23-0 loss to Louisville last weekend. In the defeat, Leonard only completed 9-of-his-23 pass attempts for 121 yards while throwing an interception. He also recorded 10 carries for a mere 13 yards, averaging 1.3 yards per rush.

Leonard missed time earlier this season after sustaining an ankle injury in the closing moments of Duke’s Week 6 loss to Notre Dame. He seemingly reaggravated this injury in the second half of Duke’s 38-20 loss to Florida State in Week 8.

Now, Leonard will be sidelined again due to his health. While Duke will be without its QB1, the show must go on.

On3’s Grant Grubbs also contributed to this article.