Mike Elko took over a Duke program that had lost 23 of its previous 29 games, including a 2-9 mark in a COVID-ridden 2020 season and a 3-9 season in 2021
A lot of things needed fixing. Perhaps none was important than Duke’s psyche.
Duke lost competitive games in 2020, lost blow-out games in 2021 and many pundits expected Elko’s rebuild to take years.
That’s not the way it’s played out so far. Quite the contrary. Duke’s 13-game ACC losing streak is history. Duke’s seven-game losing streak to Virginia is history. At 4-1 Duke is in the bowl mix and is going to Atlanta a slight favorite over Georgia Tech.
Which means Duke has figured out ways to handle adversity.
Now, can they figure out how to handle success? It’s not like they’ve had much practice at it.
Elko told the media Monday that he and his staff are very aware of the risk and have tackled the subject head-on.
“I think it is just constant conversation. We told them this morning and it was a real simple response. I said people who have success do one of two things. They get addicted to success, and they continue to work as hard as they need to work and continue to understand how small the margins are to be successful and they find ways to work harder and up their game, or they get lazy. They relax and you see it all over the country. If you relax for a second in this game, you are going to get humbled in a heartbeat. We made it very clear, and I think we have been able to do it. We have had some early success. We had the win at Northwestern, and we were able to bounce right back and have a great week of practice. We have a mature group and great leadership, so I anticipate they handle it the right way, but it is something we address and talk about for sure.”
Elko has told the media that his personality is to not get too high after a win or too low after a loss. It’s in his DNA.
Only minutes after Duke’s win over Virginia Elko already was moving on.
“It makes us 1 and 0 and it means we have a target on our back going down to Atlanta next week. It’s just who I am. We’re not going to be a highs-and-lows type of program. We’re going to celebrate success and we’re going to learn from failure and it’s just part of the challenge of coaching to get your kids to understand that wins just opportunities and targets.
Wide receiver Eli Pancol says Duke has channeled that message.
“Our coaches are really good about keeping our heads in the same place. They congratulated us on our win but then they told us it was time to get back to work. The reason we got where we are is hard work and we want to sustain that.”
Pancol is a senior and his voice is respected in the locker room.
“Just make sure everybody is on the same page as the head coach.”
So, expect Duke to be on an even keel Saturday.
But that doesn’t guarantee a win. Georgia Tech is a hard team to figure out. Faced with a brutal early schedule Tech struggled out of the gate and replaced Geoff Collins after four games. Assistant Brent Key became interim head coach.
This is the sort of thing that can energize a team. Remember 2003 when Duke replaced Carl Franks with Ted Roof, after a game in which Duke trailed Wake Forest 42-0 at the half? At home.
Duke lost its first two games under Roof, but both were competitive losses, NC State and Tennessee. Then Duke beat Georgia Tech, ending a 30-game ACC losing streak. After a loss to Clemson, Duke ended its season with a 30-22 win over North Carolina, Duke’s first win over the Tar Heels since Steve Spurrier’s last season at Duke, 1989.
Which brings us to Key. Tech rallied around its interim by going north and knocking off nationally ranked Pittsburgh.
So, what’s the key--see what I did there-to bringing the Yellow Jackets back to earth?
Well, here’s one. Duke leads the ACC in turnover differential. But Georgia Tech is second.
“Win the turnover battle and execute,” Elko said. “That is just what it is. I know you want these big grand answers, but it is going to be an interesting battle, because I think we [Duke and Tech] are one and two in the ACC this year in turnover margin. They are doing a really good job of protecting the football and taking it away. We are doing a really good job of protecting the football and taking it away. That will obviously be critical.”
There are other boxes to check, of course. Duke’s defense needs to do a better job on third down. Virginia was 8-14. Duke needs to keep protecting Riley Leonard.
And Duke needs to control Tech’s ground game. Duke stuffed Virginia’s running game, holding them to 93 yards on 25 carries.
But Tech ran the ball for 232 yards against Pitt . Hassan Hall picked up 157 of those, 63 on one play. Quarterback Jeff Sims struggled passing but popped a 42-yard run.
Duke needs its defensive backs to limit those big gains.
“I feel like we’re well-prepared,” safety Jaylen Stinson said Tuesday. “I feel like our defense as a whole does a great job tackling. I feel like we get the ball on the ground.”
Lots of talk about execution in all of its variants and that’s valid. But Saturday’s Atlanta showdown could come down to intangibles. Can Duke block out the noise and reinforce success? Was Tech’s interim-coach turnaround a one-off or a sustainable trend?
Answers to come.
Money quote: “Can Duke block out the noise and reinforce success?”
Keep it Simple.
I like that this is the question being asked at this point of the season. Each game has been a big one — with increasing stakes. Can Duke go from being competitive but losing to Kansas to beating GT on the road? Can’t wait to see.