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Duke pulls off upset of Clemson, fans storm the field

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•09/04/23•

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Duke HC Mike Elko

The second year of Mike Elko‘s tenure in Durham has started off with a bang. Last season was about getting Duke back on the right track, winning nine games for the first time in nearly a decade. Elko wanted to make a statement in 2023 and did exactly that on Monday night.

Clemson came to town as the No. 9 ranked team in the country. Head coach Dabo Swinney has been the class of the ACC over the past few years, winning conference title after conference title. Out of the gates, you knew the Tigers were going to be in trouble, and despite having multiple opportunities to get back into it, Clemson could just not capitalize.

Duke was a two-touchdown underdog and wound up winning by four scores. A historic upset for the program and a night they will never forget a Wallace Wade Stadium. No matter how the rest of the season goes, Labor Day 2023 will be a special one for Blue Devil fans.

They celebrated in an appropriate fashion as well. Once the game went final, fans rushed out of the stands and started the first field-storming of the season. Incredible scenes for a program that has been a lot throughout recent years.

You can check out the full moment following Duke’s upset over Clemson here.

Usually, the success at Duke comes from the basketball program. Between Coach K and now in the first year of Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils are undoubtedly one of the best basketball schools in the country. Even with all of those wins, never do students get to storm the court.

Football is a little bit different, though. Outside of a few years in David Cutcliffe, there has not been too much on the gridiron for Duke. Elko is looking to change the perception of Duke Football and did so in a big way on Monday night.

Getting a top-10 win is a great start. It has not happened for Duke since the 1989 season when Steve Spurrier was the head coach. Ironically, Clemson was the opponent then too, with everything coming full circle.

Duke fans with early morning classes are likely in trouble. The celebration is going to go on late into the night and will start on the field of Wallace Wade Stadium. Once cleared out, the town of Durham is going to be awake for quite some time.