What other superlative can you use to describe Mike Elko’s first season at Duke? After a 9-4 season that included a bowl win was it astonishing, stunning, or shocking? How about all of the above and more?
Before Elko’s arrival, Duke went 1-17 in the ACC, and 0-8 last year. They won only 5 total games. They had 6 straight losing seasons in the ACC.
If they had won a couple of ACC games, the season would have been a success. A bowl game would have made Elko an ACC COY of the candidate. Anything more and Elko would just be resetting the possibilities of what coaches can do in just one year.
Good luck if you are a new coach, and you are trying to convince a fanbase you need 4 or 5 years to rebuild a program. Between good coaching, the transfer portal, and using what you have available you better be able to show significant improvement in a couple of years, and in the worst cases three years. Elko did it in just one.
Duke dominated UCF 30-13 in the Military Bowl with an efficient offensive performance under QB Riley Leonard and an opportunistic defense. Duke finished the year winning 5 of their last 6 games and was 2 points from winning all 6.
The Blue Devils don’t have the ceiling of a Clemson or a Florida State, but Wake Forest’s run of seven straight bowl seasons and an 11-win 2021 are attainable goals of the Duke. Even the success of David Cutcliffe from 2013-2015 winning 27 games showed what is possible in Durham.
With Leonard back next year Duke won’t fly under the radar. They are here under Elko and they will be dangerous.
Duke’s win continues the ACC’s strong bowl performance as the conference moves to 3-0 and could be headed towards its best bowl season in several years. There’s still a lot of football to be played.
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