Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Pittsburgh

DURHAM – Duke football head coach Mike Elko met with members of the media on Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference.

The Blue Devils hit the road for a contest at Pittsburgh on Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network with Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, and Lericia Harris on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com

Mike Elko Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Our university, our program and everyone around here is completely devastated by the tragic events that happened at the University of Virginia. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tony [Elliott], his staff and that entire community. All the families, all the people affected by this tragic event. These things run so deep. It affects the entire UVA community, it affects the entire ACC community, a lot of high school communities, just so many people impacted by this tragedy. As a program and as a university, prayers to everybody involved and anything that we can do in the healing processes we are certainly going to be there to support. It is just really really hard times right now.

"On the game, I am proud of our guys and how we came out and played. I thought we played our best defensive effort. After the start, which wasn't what we hoped it would be, we responded and rebounded really well and probably played our best four quarters of football. We controlled the line of scrimmage and really controlled the momentum of that game. Offensively, we knew we had to get the throw game going and we were able to. Had a bit of a rough start on the opening play, just missing, but I think we were able to throw the ball better than we had in recent weeks. A lot of guys stepped up on the outside and made some big plays. Jalon Calhoun made a bunch plays. Jontavis Robertson stepped up and made a bunch of plays and obviously Jordan Moore had a couple critical conversion catches that really kept the flow of that game going. Proud of our guys and proud of the way we continue to battle and the way that we continue to work. We did a really nice job this week.

"Player of the week offensively was Jontavis Robertson. Just a credit to him and his work ethic that he was ready to go and was able to go out there and perform like he did. Defensively, our player of the week was Brandon Johnson, who just continues to impact the game for us not only on first and second down, but also starting to show up and make huge plays on third down. Our special team's player of the week was Evan Deckers. We talked to the group about it, between him and Porter [Wilson] you just kind of assume that they are going to do their job. At some point it is nice to reward the guy that consistently does his job. Both those guys were very consistent for us all week and so happy for those guys."

(Ref.: On the job of the offensive line stepping up against a loaded box)
"I thought we did a good job. We still ran for 164 yards and still outrushed them. I think maybe sometimes expectations get high quick. I don't know if it is fair to assume that we are going to be able to run for 200 yards every week. We knew that was going to be challenging. It is one thing to play a loaded box that is stationary. It's another thing to play a loaded box that is constantly moving on you. I think that is why we felt like we had to throw the ball coming out. We felt like we had to try to loosen them up. Even though we weren't able to hit some of those deep plays early, I still think it put a little bit into their mind that we weren't just going to rely on the run game. All in all, I'm just happy with how the guys played."

(Ref.: On the ability to play clean in the secondary with no penalties)
"We continue to make strides. We would like to have the big touchdown back, but those guys continue to get more and more comfortable in what we are doing. I think we did a really good job limiting Kaleb Smith's catches and I thought that was critical. It is an evolving process, and we are still completely a work in progress as a program and as a defense. We know that and our kids know that. Proud of the way we played, and we need to just keep pushing because we have a big challenge in front of us this week."

(Ref.: On if there was a lot of progress from the Boston College week to Virginia Tech in the secondary)
"I think they were tested a little different and maybe played it a little different, but yeah there certainly was progress. Again, you go back to the Boston College week, every week the margins are so small. It looked like we played bad defense at Boston College, but we were probably this close to playing a better more complete game. Sometimes you play great defense, and you are this close to not playing quite as well. That is just the nature of football. I didn't think we were quite as far off as the score indicated at Boston College, but definitely happy we played better."

(Ref.: On if the strength of Pittsburgh's running game elevates the want to succeed in the rush game offensively)
"Yeah, I think so. I think when you play championship football in November, controlling the line of scrimmage is where it starts. The team that can impose their will on the line of scrimmage, always has the upper hand. It forces you to do things coverage wise, forces you to isolate people, so controlling the line of scrimmage is critical. They are the team that is labeled the most physical team in this league for years. They have certainly had our number from a physicality standpoint, and they play hard upfront and stop the run. Last year that got them in the ACC championship game. They are very talented and very physical, and it is certainly a challenge we have to rise up to."

(Ref.: On if this weekend is the biggest physicality challenge the team has had)
"Yeah. By far this is the most complete team we have played all year both sides of the ball. They are extremely physical and have very experienced big offensive linemen. They are really good at running the football and have a really really talented defensive line and front seven. They are really good at stopping the run, so they are physically the best complete unit both sides of the ball that we have seen this year."

(Ref.: On keeping the outside noise away and continuing to build on success)
"I don't know how else to say it. It is just who we are. It is who I am and is who we are. We talked about this a lot last week. A lot of people think that success is this plateau and there is this level of success that you can actually get up on. We talk about success as a mountain top with no peak. You are either going up or going down. The second you stop fighting to go up, is the second that you start going down. That is just the reality of success in life and in football. I don't think we will get complacent. What we have to do is continue to execute. That's the key. Everybody wants it to be on, oh did they relax, oh did they focus, but really the bottom line is do they go out on Saturday's and execute. If we execute the way, we are capable of we will have a chance. If we don't, we won't."

(Ref.: On if he is shocked at some of the plays the guys are making)
"No. I think their confidence is growing. I think they are comfortable going out and expressing themselves. They believe in who they are and that goes back to the preparation. We always draw back to that, but the way you prepare going into the season is what allows you to have confidence to go out and play the game the way you are comfortable playing it. I think our kids feel very confident in their ability to go out and play the game right now and are comfortable with what we are doing scheme wise. They are just having fun going out there and we just have to keep doing it that way."

(Ref.: On the success of next man up mentality)
"Yeah, I think so. I think the one thing that we try to make sure we do, and I don't know how other people handle this, but we talk about rep counts and we are very evenly distributed throughout spring ball and fall camp and in practice weeks in terms of rep count. The other thing we do is try to point out those examples. Whether it is a guy on special teams or a guy who is filling in for a starter. Whatever it is you just try to always point out how impactful those situations are. It is those examples that create urgency for the guys to stay ready. There has been so many examples this year of either a guy who wasn't getting the role he wanted but impacted a football game or a guy that was a backup who had to become a starter and impacted a game. I just think there have been so many examples of it that the kids have just bought into it from a culture standpoint and taken pride in."

(Ref.: On if he expected everything to work as perfectly as it has this season)
"I don't really ever have expectations. Everyone has always asked me that over the years like, did you expect to be here or did you expect it to go this way. I guess I am confident in our kid's ability for sure and I am confident in our ability as a staff to try to blend it all together, but it is never really about expectations. It's just about continuing to solve the problem and continuing to find ways to allow them to become successful. It starts with them and it is the biggest thing that I keep drawing back to. They had to make a decision that they wanted to do this. I think every man in that locker room decided that they didn't want it to be the same and because of that, they have allowed themselves to grow and through that growth we have been able to find success."

(Ref.: On Jack Burns' development throughout the season)
"I think he is growing in confidence. We knew when we recruited him that he was a really tough kid who loved football. That was the one thing that we knew. You never know how the translation is going to work when you move up levels and how is it going to translate, but we knew he was a really tough kid who loved to compete and play football. Now that he's been out there and able to block some of the best defensive linemen in the ACC, he is growing in confidence in his ability to go out there and do it. He is still that same tough-minded kid who competes, and he just continues to get more comfortable with what we are asking of him to do. I think he is having some really good production because of it."

(Ref.: On how players can change their game in a week)
"Headspace plays a big role in performance. How you approach your day from a mental standpoint, impacts how you are going to perform. We spend a lot of time with that part of it. I just think there is a part of this season, where Jontavis [Robertson] was just not having the role he was hoping to have and it was not allowing him to express himself. We continue to help educate, promote and push kids to get out of that part of their life and get back to playing the way they are capable of, and I think in the last two weeks he has done that. He was starting to play the game at a better level and because of that he has been able to make more plays in practice which gives us more confidence to give him opportunities in the game, which then allows him to go out like he did on Saturday and do the things he is capable of doing."

(Ref.: On if the weather forecast will change preparations this week)
"You prepare a little bit, but I don't know how much you can prepare for it. It is nice that we go out in the mornings. This morning it was brisk, and it was maybe about seven or eight degrees warmer this morning then I think it will be when we kickoff on Saturday. We do get some cold mornings being a morning practice team. We will probably emphasize putting the offense outside a little bit more this week, just so Riley [Leonard] can throw the ball around and the receivers can catch it out there. I talked to them this morning and talked about it very matter of fact. It is going to be cold deal with it. If you want to play championship football in November, this is what it looks like. So, we are going to get on a plane, go up to Pittsburgh and that is what we are going to do."

(Ref.: On Brandon Johnson's ability to rush the passer as of late)
"He has been such an impactful player for us this year. He was one of the kids, him and Jaylen Stinson, who really jumped out to us during spring ball as kids that didn't have a huge role last year, who we felt like we could try to find ways to help us. We spent a lot of time finding the right way to position those guys. When we got Darius [Joiner] in here it all came together. Brandon is very smart, so he is able to play a ton of different positions for us, so we are able to utilize him in a lot of different ways. I think we have gotten a really good pulse on how he can handle those things. I think he is starting to become more confident in the way that he can make plays, so I think it has all come together really well. He can mentally handle different things really well, so we are able to do some different things with him to put him in the best positions. He is starting to figure out how to go out there and execute at a higher level. He is impacting games every single week now. He is a major force for us in the stats sheet and in the production standpoint."

(Ref.: On how the running back room is and how Jaylen Coleman played in his return)
"Good and probably a little rusty. I think it was good for him to get out there and get hit again. One of the hard things at running back when you miss games is, it is hard to simulate the contact. When you are playing week in and week out you get used to rolling through the contact and making the cuts at the speed of the game. When you miss, essentially four weeks when you include the bye week, it is hard to jump back in fully at game speed. I thought he did well and got better as the game went on. He became a productive back and made some critical runs for us down the stretch. The best part was he came out healthy. He's got a game under his belt now and he proved to himself that he can do it now. He should have a good week of practice and I expect a lot from him this week."

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Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Pittsburgh

Players Mentioned

Jack Burns

Jalon Calhoun

Jaylen Coleman

Evan Deckers

Brandon Johnson

Jordan Moore

Jontavis Robertson

Jaylen Stinson

Duke information

Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Pittsburgh

Players Mentioned

Jack Burns

Jalon Calhoun

Jaylen Coleman

Evan Deckers

Brandon Johnson

Jordan Moore

Jontavis Robertson

Jaylen Stinson

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Duke information