Tag: Mike Elko

Five takeaways from Clemson’s deflating loss to Duke

Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s upset loss to Duke.

​​​When Dabo Swinney and the Tigers kicked off their 2023 season against the Duke Blue Devils, there are few, if any, who would have predicted this result. 

Clemson was the heavy favorite heading into this matchup, and they continually dealt self-inflicted wounds in their 28-7 loss to Duke. There’s no doubt that the Blue Devils played a strong game, but it is as clear as day that the Tigers did themselves no favors with their sloppy tackling and turnovers in the red zone. 

It is difficult to find positives from a performance like this as each No.9 Clemson fan likely feels the same deflated feeling. What could have been a great start to another Clemson football season quickly turned into a nightmare. This was the most frustrating game I’ve watched since I started covering Clemson football.

Here are five takeaways from Clemson’s crushing opening week loss to Duke.

Blue Devils’ New Helmets Inspried by Duke Basketball

The Blue Devils look for some inspiration from the Hardwood with new helmet design for Monday Night clash against Clemson.

Duke’s football team will debut a new helmet design when they host Clemson, the reigning ACC champions and preseason No. 9, at Wallace Wade Stadium Monday Night on ESPN.

Duke football program enters its second season under Mike Elko, who had a 9-4 record in his first campaign as head coach, it’s evident that the current ACC Coach of the Year doesn’t bear any ill-will towards Duke basketball for its unmatched popularity among students and fans across the globe.

Elko is a well-known Blue Devil, known for his ability to inspire his team while collaborating with second-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer.

The Gothic-style lettering design on Duke football helmets may be new, but it has been a regular feature for the past four Blue Devil basketball teams. The design is now viewed in Durham as a tribute to all past and present Duke basketball players and is used for special occasions both at home and away.

The basketball-inspired new helmets may not help the Blue Devils achieve the upset, but they will look good on TV.

Clemson vs. Duke named a top six Week 1 matchup

Clemson’s matchup with Duke is among the best on the Week 1 schedule.

We are days away from Clemson football’s season opener at Duke, and the hype around this matchup continues to pick up steam.

The Blue Devils were one of the biggest shocks not only in the ACC but in all of college football in 2022. Starting quarterback Riley Leonard was one of the top players at the position, and first-year head coach Mike Elko was so impressive that he won 2022 ACC Coach of the Year.

In years past, Duke was more often than not an afterthought. With Elko at the helm and an improved roster, the Blue Devils are now one of the better teams in the ACC.

Clemson is in a different situation as a program that has an opportunity to return to form and reclaim their spot as one of the top teams in the country in 2023. The program itself remains élite; they just need to show it on the field. 

A program on the rise vs. a program that has College Football Playoff aspirations is shaping up to be an excellent competition. According to USA TODAY Sports analyst Eddie Timanus, it is one of the top six games on the Week 1 slate.

Clemson jumps right into ACC competition in the Labor Day night special, and it might not be the walk in the park Tigers’ fans have come to expect when visiting Duke. The Blue Devils won nine games in Mike Elko’s first year at the helm and were within a field goal of winning three more. Granted there was no Clemson on the schedule, and the Tigers didn’t lose to anyone within the conference. Clemson’s offense is now in the hands of QB Cade Klubnik, and he’ll want to reestablish the explosiveness of the attack early on with help from WR Beaux Collins and RB Will Shipley. Duke QB Riley Leonard is also back, and he’ll be just as motivated to demonstrate that last year’s success was not a fluke. His equally battle-tested arsenal includes WR Jalon Calhoun and RB Jordan Waters.

A great breakdown of the matchup: this game is an opportunity for both programs to prove themselves. For Duke, it is just as Timnaus said, demonstrating that last year’s success was no fluke and Leonaed, along with the Blue Devils, are the real deal. For Clemson, it is about proving they can not only make changes when necessary but prove those changes to be successful.

All eyes will be on Cade Klubnik under center as we see the young quarterback’s first regular-season start and first start under Garrett Riley. Expectations are high for this matchup.

USA TODAY Sports expert picks for Clemson vs. Duke heavily favor the Tigers

USA TODAY Sports experts are all on the same page for Clemson vs. Duke.

College football is back, and we anxiously await September 4 and the return of Clemson football.

The Tigers have a Labor Day matchup with the Mike Elko and the Duke Blue Devils, which some years wouldn’t be a major concern for a program such as Clemson. Times change, and Duke has a great roster with top-tier head coaching coming off an ACC Coach of the Year first season with a program and home-field advantage against the Tigers.

Even so, this is a completely different Clemson football team we’ll see in 2023 than we did in 2022. Cade Klubnik is now under center, and new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is exactly the type of coach the Tigers needed to turn things around on the offensive side of the ball.

The question is, how will they look in their first matchup of the season? A few see this as a game where Clemson could be on upset alert, but USA TODAY Sports experts don’t seem to believe so. In their Week 1 predictions, all six experts making picks chose the Tigers to win the game. 

On paper, Clemson has more talent on both sides of the ball and should handle their business against the Blue Devils. The thing is, games aren’t played on paper, and Duke has a quarterback and head coach who can will their teams into a serious battle with the Tigers. 

From my perspective, this matchup simply comes down to the Clemson offense. If Klubnik shows up and shows out with Riley, Will Shipley, and Phil Mafah do what they do best on the ground, and the offensive line and receivers put together a serviceable performance, Clemson should win comfortably. 

This matchup is a great Week 1 test and an exciting game for college football fans.

Dabo Swinney on the challenges of an opener against Duke

Dabo Swinney discussed the Tigers opening matchup against Duke and the challenges they face.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program’s fall camp is underway, and the anticipation for the Tigers’ opener against the Duke Blue Devils is building.

People would hear Duke opener for many years and not think much of it. 2023 is not one of those years. 

Duke head coach Mike Elko won ACC Coach of the Year in his first season with the Blue Devils, and the roster remains strong heading into the season. With a star quarterback in Riley Leonard under center, Duke is no joke and will have another competitive season in the ACC. It could be a tough task for the Tigers as opening week can surprise and be unpredictable. 

“We need to show up with a great focus and commitment every day and we need to learn and grow from the success and the mistakes of the day before and just kind of build throughout camp. That’s part of it and obviously we need a little luck to stay healthy in a couple spots for sure,” Swinney said.

“We don’t get to play football until Labor Day night. You saw a game last night…there’s a reason why the pros play preseason games, for that reason right there. Cause they haven’t played football, it’s a long time to go. I don’t care how much you practice, there’s no simulation of playing the game and even when you get two scrimmages, you’re still going against each other.”

Opening week can be a challenge for many, but not everyone plays the highest caliber opponents to open their season. While Duke isn’t a premier college football team heading into the 2023 season, they are a talented group that could shock many with their performance. They did exactly that last season.

“We’re playing a really, really good team in duke who’s got a ton of confidence and a ton of guys back. There’s always challenges,” the Clemson head coach said. “You get into game week, you’ve only got so much time…we’ve been working on our first few opponents since the spring and guess what, they’re going to be doing that for us too…the key is finding a way to win the opener and then you go from there.”

The Tigers matchup with the Blue Devils should be an excellent one. It will be a good opportunity for Clemson to start the season off with a bang.

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Duke head coach Mike Elko talks matchup with Clemson, opportunity on the ‘national stage’

Duke head coach Mike Elko discusses their Week 1 matchup with the Tigers.

The Duke Blue Devils are an ACC team on the rise, with 2022 ACC Head Coach of the Year Mike Elko entering his second season in charge of the program.

Duke has a tough Week 1 matchup, with Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers heading to Durham to open the season. Elko spoke about playing the defending ACC champions Wednesday at the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff, sharing some praise for the Tigers and what the program has accomplished.

“I think being on that national stage is what we want Duke football to be,” the Duke head coach said. “Obviously Clemson has been the gold standard in this conference. We’ve not shied away from that this entire offseason, that they have done so many things to kind of carry the ACC and be our representative for so long.”

The 2022 season was great for both the Tigers and the Blue Devils, with Duke showing signs of being a dangerous team down the line. In 2022, Duke finished 9-4 (5-3 ACC) last season and won the Military Bowl vs. UCF. They have a star quarterback in Riley Leonard, one of the best offensive linemen in the country in Graham Barton, and one of the best defensive players in the game in defensive tackle Dewayne Carter.

A talented team, Elko heads into their matchup with the Tigers, believing that this is the football they need to play to take the next step as a program.

“But if we want to get our seat at the table and we want to get talked about in that light, those are the games that we’re going to have to play. So to be able to play that game in Durham in front of a packed house on Monday night with everybody watching, that’s what you want. I think that’s what our players want. That’s what our kids want, and that’s what our program wants.

“It’s not to say that we don’t have a ton of respect for who they are and what they do, but that’s an opportunity that we’re really looking forward to.”

The Tigers matchup with the Blue Devils on Labor Day, with the game is set to kick off at 8 p.m. It should be an excellent contest.

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Duke awards head football coach Mike Elko with extension ahead of second season

Duke head coach Mike Elko has been rewarded for leading the Blue Devils last season to one of the best single-season turnarounds in ACC history.

Duke has awarded head football coach Mike Elko with a lengthy contract extension after leading the Blue Devils to a 9-4 season last year, including a 5-3 record in conference play. The university announced the extension on Monday.

The extension for Elko will extend his contract through the 2029 season but also bring in a new “escalating model” when it comes to paying for assistant coaches and Elko’s support staff.

Before Elko took over, the Blue Devils had achieved just two nine-win seasons or better since 2000. Those two seasons came in 2013 and 2014 under then-head coach David Cutcliffe.

The Blue Devils’ defense under Elko improved drastically from allowing 39.8 points per game in 2021 to allowing just 22.1 points per game last season. With Elko’s defensive background, the turnaround was expected defensively, though that drastic of a turnaround was unpredictable.

The program also improved significantly on offense, averaging 32.8 points per game last season, after scoring just 22.8 points per game in 2021, which ranked 102 out of 130 nationally. Thanks to the single-season turnaround, Elko was named the 2022 ACC Coach of the Year.

“Over the last 18 months, Coach Elko has cultivated and executed a plan to push Duke Football forward with tremendous attention to detail, energy, and a persistent commitment to excellence,” Duke athletic director Nina King said in the press release. “His passionate dedication to the Duke experience sets the standard, and we are fortunate to have him and the entire staff developing the young men in our program into elite student-athletes and future community leaders,” she added.

Before taking the Duke head coaching job, Elko had spent the last 16 years as a defensive coordinator across college football with stops at Hofstra, Bowling Green, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M.

Elko and the Blue Devils will start their 2023 season on Labor Day, Monday, September 4, against the Clemson Tigers with an 8:00 p.m. kickoff.

Several Texas targets, former players react to Texas A&M losing DC Mike Elko

Former Texas players and current commits have certainly been doing their part recently.

With the early signing period less than a week away, coaching changes typically have a major impact on whether recruits choose to sign in December, or instead wait until February to re-examine their options. Continue reading “Several Texas targets, former players react to Texas A&M losing DC Mike Elko”

Five potential names to consider for defensive coordinator

Could one of these coordinators get the call from Brian Kelly?

The clock is ticking on Brian Kelly to finalize his staff and get to work on the 2022 recruiting class and beyond.

The names we heard for both offensive and defensive coordinators both decided to stay in South Bend with the Fighting Irish. This isn’t unheard of, when Nick Saban left for LSU none of his coordinators followed him to Baton Rouge. I think he did alright for himself.

The names outside of Marcus Freeman that will be discussed at defensive coordinator include current Texas A&M DC Mike Elko. He has a history with Brian Kelly from his time at Notre Dame. It might be a long shot to see him leave the Aggies but as we know, money talks.

Here are five names to consider.

Former Notre Dame assistant a Florida possibility?

Will this former Notre Dame assistant soon be a head coach?

In a shocking turn of events from the end of September when Florida was 3-1 with their only blemish being a two-point loss against mighty Alabama, the Gators went just 2-5 since and fired Dan Mullen before their regular season finale against Florida State this week.

Where does Florida now turn for their next head coach?

Adam Dubbin of Gators Wire has put together a list of candidates for Florida to pursue and on it is a recent Notre Dame assistant and current Texas A&M defensive coordinator, Mike Elko.

Says Dubbin of Elko:

Jimbo Fisher made a big splash when he got Elko, the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, to follow him to College Station in 2018. Elko, 44, is considered one of the up-and-coming coaches in college football, and given the fact that he is leading his best defense, which ranks in the top 10, expect his name to come up quite a bit during the coaching carousel this offseason.

Elko is a good coach and could be a candidate for jobs like TCU, but given the importance of this hire for UF, it seems unlikely it chooses to go with a first-time head coach.

I’m with Adam in that line of thinking.  I also remember the last time Florida hired a defensive coordinator from a Texas program who didn’t have any head coach experience and I can’t imagine doing that again would go over too well in Gator country.

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See the latest on all FBS college football coaching hirings and firings in our 2021 coaching tracker