Duke head coach Mike Elko shares his thoughts following his first ACC win

Duke head coach Mike Elko got his first ACC win on Saturday night in blowout fashion in Durham, as his Blue Devils dominated the Virginia Cavaliers 38-17 from start to finish. Duke currently sits at 1-0 in the conference standings with their new head coach. One of the biggest reasons for the victory was their dominant rushing attack that piled up 248 yards on the ground Saturday night in rainy conditions. Following his first ACC victory, Elko spoke with the ACC Network on the field.

First, he talked about what he thought were some of the biggest difference makers on both sides of the football in the victory. “Yeah, I thought the way we controlled the line of scrimmage was really special. That’s what we want this program to be about. I thought the offensive line really responded. They battled back and we got a seven and a half minute drive [that we] put together in the fourth quarter. Just really proud of how we blocked them,” Elko said to the ACC Network sideline reporter following the game.

The Duke offensive line manhandled the Virginia front seven all night long and opened up holes for their plethora of running backs. The Blue Devils’ rushing attack also punched in four touchdowns. The bulk of their rushing yards came from running back Jaylen Coleman (97 yards), running back Jaquez Moore (67 yards), and quarterback Riley Leonard (59 yards).

Speaking of his running backs, he spoke about Jaylen Coleman and Jordan Waters and gave his thoughts on the rest of the Blue Devil running backs. “Yeah, they did great and Jaquez Moore jumps in and pops a run and Terry Moore gets in. And we’re doing a really good job of becoming a physical program. We just gotta keep it going,” Elko said.

Finally, the former Texas A&M defensive coordinator discussed whether or not getting his first ACC win was special. “Yeah. Of course. Of course. And from where we were when we played these guys [last year] to where we are right now. Just a credit to these kids and this program and how much hard work they put into this thing,” Elko said.

The Blue Devils (4-1) will look to continue their winning ways next weekend against Jeff Sims and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-3).