The Elko Era of Duke Football Is Now 2 - 0 and Continues To Blaze A Path Forward
Duke Football got a big win this past Saturday on the road at Northwestern when Jaylen Stinson forced a fumble that Duke recovered on the 1-yard line to stop a potential Northwestern comeback for a tie (had they scored and got the 2-point conversion.)
Duke started the game strong jumping out to a 21-0 lead but then Northwestern was able to chip away at the lead to get the score to 21-10 going into the half. Duke kept the lead in the second half but not without some excitement as Northwestern was able to cut the lead by Duke down to 28-23 with 5:49 remaining. We then saw Duke have to punt on the next drive only to then get an interception from Johnson on Northwestern quarterback Ryan Hilinski. Charlie Ham would then convert on a 18-yard field goal to give Duke an eight point lead of 31-23. With only 1:18 left on the clock, Northwestern drove back down the field with six plays on a 58 yard drive as Duke fans couldn't help but think the momentum had shifted and Northwestern was going to do anything to try and tie the game up. That last drive by Northwestern I know I and other Duke fans were on the edge of our seats. As Evan Hull of Northwestern rushed up the middle he was met by Jaylen Stinson who forced the fumble and Brandon Johnson recovered the ball to help Duke hold onto a 31-23 lead.
Many of us that watched ESPN College GameDay that Saturday morning noticed that the crew all picked Northwestern to beat Duke. Well.. a couple of friends of mine as well as myself had to remind them of their wrong picks. See my tweet below.
Fun was had with this image as even Duke Football's Twitter account also joined in on the fun. See their tweet below.
If they weren't already, the national media is starting to take notice of Duke Football and the Elko era.
Kirk Herbstreit has had coach Mike Elko in his top performing coaches for both Week 1 and Week 2 of the college football season so far. See his tweets below.
This is the first time since 2018 that Duke Football has started off the season 2 - 0. Up next on the schedule is a home game against North Carolina A&T at Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday September 17th at 6:00 PM. If you have been paying attention to Duke Football's Twitter account you already know that this game is sold out. See Duke Football's tweet below.
Duke and coach Mike Elko have delivered on promises to the class of '23, '24, and '25 Duke students for jerseys. See coach Mike Elko's tweet below.
Duke has also expanded the student section and now Elko is asking the students to show up in full force this coming Saturday night. See coach Mike Elko's tweet below.
As you can see with only two games into the season the culture around Duke Football continues to shift in a positive way. Duke Football fans have a lot to be excited about as we head into another evening/night game at Wallace Wade this Saturday. I hope to see many of you out this weekend at Wallace Wade Stadium as the Elko era of Duke Football continues to blaze its path forward.