Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Virginia Tech

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

The Blue Devils welcome Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon for a noon kick. The game will be broadcast on RSN with Evan Lepler, Dave Archer, and Rebecca Fiorentino 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)
"First, obviously a big win for our program. For us to get six in year one and as early as we did is certainly a credit to a lot of people. We talked about this in the post-game press conference, but just the commitment from the University and the commitment of our kids and our coaches to get this program reinvested back into football and getting back to Bowl games is critical. Really excited for our guys. Really excited that this season is going to continue and extend and now it's important for us to go and finish it the right way.

"Recapping the Boston College game, I thought offensively we did a really good job being efficient in the red zone. I thought that was critical in the game. I thought we started fast again and that was really important. I think getting up 24-7 in the first half really kind of set the tone and then really kind of sustained it through the third quarter. Just a little disappointed with how we finished. I thought we'd finished games in the fourth quarter a little bit better than that, and we didn't really finish the way I wanted to. So obviously that'll be a challenge for us moving forward to get that cleaned up. I thought defensively, it was an interesting game because there was a lot of hit or miss stuff. We had more three-and-outs in that game than we had in any game prior to that. The drives that weren't three-and-out seem to end up in touchdowns. We've got to figure out still how to clean up some of the lack of execution that we have and some of the mistakes that allowed them to get going. Obviously, credit to Boston College. I do think [Emmett] Morehead played a really good game and made some critical throws at some critical times and their kids certainly made some contested catches and made plays for those guys. Then again, a testament to our defense though, because in the fourth quarter, when we really needed them, we got it. We got three-straight stops and I thought that was critical. I thought the two sacks in the fourth quarter were huge. I thought we were able to put the game on ice and those were critical plays of the game offensively.

"Jack Burns was our offensive player of the game, and I think again, another time we ran for 200 yards and that just continues to be a staple of our offense. That's awesome. Darius Joiner was our defensive player of the game. He's a kid that's really brought a lot of stability to our secondary, continues to be extremely productive for us week in and week out. On special teams, Tre Freeman was our special team's player of the week and Tre played with unbelievable effort, was a difference maker on kickoff, was a difference maker on punt, really did a nice job for us on teams all night and so happy for Tre and happy that he's able to do that.

"As we flip the page and head into this week against Virginia Tech, obviously a historic program and one of the name brands in this conference. It's been a long time since we've beaten this team in Durham, and obviously that'll be a challenge for us. Brent Pry, known him for a long time, spent a lot of time with him talking football back when we were both defensive coordinators. Brent does a really good job. He's got that defense playing at a really good level right now. They've got a lot of seniors. They're very twitchy, they're very athletic, they're very disruptive. They blitz probably more than any defense that we've seen so far this year. So, they're going to create a lot of problems for us that we're going to have to do a really good job handling. Offensively, I think they've started to get into their rhythm a little bit the last three weeks. I think they've really started to kind of form an identity. I thought they've really kind of gotten behind themselves. I think it starts with their offensive line. They've got a really talented group. Kaleb Smith on the outside does a really nice job of making explosive plays. And then Nick Gallo, the tight end really jumps off on film. We know this is going to be a challenge. They've lost their last three games by a combined eight points. They're certainly hungry to get back in the win column. They're a very proud program. Very similar to what we talked about last week, this team is going to come out and they're going to give us their absolute best. We're going to need to be at our best to have a chance."

(Ref.: On if the team is satisfied with six wins and a Bowl appearance)
"We keep wanting to find the time when this group is not going to show up and until they prove me wrong, they keep showing up. There's not a lot of teams in the month of November that have a lot to play for. We're still playing for a nine-win season. We're still playing with an outside chance at the coastal, but certainly a legit chance at the second-place spot in it, a better Bowl opportunity, a better Bowl trip. There's a lot on the line for us and there's not a lot of teams in the country that can say that right now. When you get into that spot where you get into the month of November, I think it's critical that you go out every week and you take advantage of these opportunities. I think our kids are hungry to do that. Like you talked about, we need to improve execution."

(Ref.: On not forcing any turnovers this past weekend and still winning)
"It's funny though, because I think that becomes more of a trend than you think sometimes when they do a really good job of protecting the new starter. I've been through a lot of games as a defensive coordinator where it doesn't turn out like you think it does with the first-time starter because you know, they make it easy, they make it one read, the ball either goes up high out of bounds or it goes up to their guy. They don't put it at risk. They didn't throw very many balls over the middle. They didn't throw very many RPOs. They didn't do a lot of things for him to risk the football. I didn't see it as a game where, we weren't overly disruptive. We didn't play the ball well in the air. There were too many times where there were one on one opportunities that they came down with, and we didn't. I think that's why they were able to have success and more so than we wanted. I don't know that necessarily. I watched the film and saw a lot of opportunities turnover wise that we didn't take advantage of. We talked last week about this team playing meaningful games in November for the first time in a while."

(Ref.: On not finishing the game the way he wanted and building on that)
"Yeah, for sure. You know, again, to not be lost on the development of the program, for us to play a road game in the ACC in the month of November, not really play our best and come away with a victory that was a relatively comfortable victory. That's a credit to how far we've come in a very short period of time for sure. I think the kids are hungry. It might even have been a little bit of tightness, to be honest with you, get into that moment and they know what they were playing for. You try not to talk about it. You try not to make it a big deal. These kids know how important six was and you maybe even felt that a little bit on the sideline at times."

(Ref.: On if the tightness of winning six games is gone)
"It's probably gone now. Hopefully, that's past us and I think our kids are happy to be home. It's great to be back home. It's been four weeks since we've got an opportunity to play here. Hopefully we get the student turnout, we get the fans back out in the stadium and get a great atmosphere Saturday afternoon, and I think they're just excited to come back out and play again."

(Ref.: On how the offensive line continues the next up mentality)
"I think it's critical. Obviously, depth is hugely important for you as you go through your season and you try to put yourself in position and we're going to need it again. I failed to mention at the start, but Jacob Monk experienced a lower leg injury and so he's not going to be available for the rest of the season either. So now we're going to need to get depth again, but that's college football. You can sit here and you can talk about all the things you don't have and all the problems you have, but everybody has them. I mean, guys have injuries. Everyone's got them across the board. We talk about it again. Those things are circumstances and we'll be defined by how we respond to circumstances, not by what happens. It'll be the next guy up."

(Ref.: On how the extra Bowl practices enhance the program for the better)
"I think it's important for all of our young guys. When you get into Bowl prep, you want to be really smart because you want it to be a reward, right? The one thing you don't want to do is you don't want to bury a guy who's played 5,000 snaps over the course of the season with 15 more practices because, you know, he's looking at you like, 'what reward am I actually getting?' But there's a lot of young kids in our program that haven't played a lot but haven't gotten the opportunity. Whether it's the guys that are redshirt and or, the next guys in the game and there's a lot of guys that need to play a lot of football so that when their number is called, whether it's in the Bowl game or next season, they're further along and they're ready to go. I think when you get into that preparation, I think that's the balancing act that you're going to try to play is to make sure you get almost an extra spring ball for the guys who've been on scout team all fall or the guys who haven't really gotten the reps, but also making sure that the guys who have played a lot, don't feel as though, they're getting thrust into a whole other physical battle that they don't really necessarily want to be part of right now."

(Ref.: On where the offensive line stands after Jacob Monk's injury)
"[Justin] Pickett goes in and he becomes a starter which again you know obviously you don't want to lose anybody. Pick has been out there, and he's been playing, and we've been prepping for this. So that part of it will be good and now the next guys up become Brian Foley, Caleb Perez and Addison Penn. I think those three, depending on what the situation is, could be the next guy in the game. So those guys got to get themselves ready to go and they got to get themselves in a position to where if their number gets called, they've got to be ready, you know? That's why we practice the way we do. We run a lot of reps in practice. We run a lot of reps during the practice week. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we split it very evenly between the ones and twos. We're probably a 55 or 45 percentage rotation group, and both groups take good reps against the defense. You have to be ready. You can't put a group on the shelf for six weeks and expect to dust them off when you need them. These kids have all been playing a lot of football behind the scenes. Now we've just got to get them ready to go out on the field and get ready to do it."

(Ref.: On Cam Dillon's growth this season)
"I think each week he's getting more and more comfortable, and I think he's getting more and more in rhythm. I think in the beginning of the year, he was kind of in more of a limited role and then Dorian [Mausi] went down, and Cam had to step up. We felt like he did a really good job when he stepped up. Then they've kind of been splitting a little bit since Dorian's return. I just think Cam just keeps getting better and it's nothing against Dorian because he continues to be a big part of what we're doing. I just think Cam is just continuing to develop and get better every game. So, yeah, happy for him that he went out there and played the way he did. I think it's really two games in a row where he's been an extremely productive linebacker for us."

(Ref.: On the health of the secondary and the younger guys playing)
"Yeah, I think it's a combination. I think, obviously Chandler Rivers is a kid who's continuing to develop. So he's kind of gotten himself solidified at the field corner spot and then, Speedy, he started into the boundary. So, he's been banged up a little bit and we got him back healthy. He went out there into the boundary and then just as the game went on, a little bit of it was rotation, a little bit of it was the height of [Joseph] Griffin. That was one thing that kind of concerned us a little bit as we got into it. He really wasn't a mainstay of what they were doing. That was one thing that kind of got unleashed a little bit during the game, and so it was a little bit of match-up driven. Then I think a little bit as the game went on. So then when we go six DBs, Chandler goes into nickel and then that puts two corners on the field. Then I think he started seeing Speedy a little bit to the field with Tony [Davis] or Josh [Pickett], and then that just kind of expanded how many were out there playing. I think in an ideal world, you rotate a little bit less than we are, but we're just trying to find some answers right now."

(Ref.: On what the Bowl game eligibility means to him)
"Probably a little bit less than it does for the players, to be honest. I mean, it means a lot to me that they believe in what we're doing and that's critical. That's the one thing that I keep drawing back on. All of our success at this point is really for them. They deserve it. They're the ones that have put in the work and they deserve all the accolades and all the credit they're getting. What I get is probably just a little bit of joy in the fact that they're buying into what we're doing and the fact that they believe in what we're doing and the direction that this program is going and where we're headed, that to me is what I take from it, you know, and obviously I'm excited to go to a Bowl. I don't want to say that I'm not. But you want it to be about the players. They're the ones who certainly deserve it. They put the work in."

(Ref.: On how pleased he has been with the clock management this season)
"No, I was happy with it. The thing I wasn't happy was just we couldn't sustain drives in the fourth quarter. That was the biggest thing that we talked to the guys about was, there were a few opportunities where we went out there in the fourth quarter with a lead. You look back to the Virginia game where we went out there and we put together a seven-and-half-minute drive. We weren't able to really put together sequences, and that was probably the thing that was most disappointing. Each play is, when you go back and watch the film, it's always a little bit off. It's not like this glaring problem, but you have a little bit of a bust here, a little bit of a miss here. Next thing you know, you're punting, and you know you're not taking time off the clock. So, I thought we managed it well. We were snapping it under five the whole fourth quarter. I thought we managed the time well. We just couldn't convert first downs and stay on the field and so that's the challenge we laid out to them moving forward."

(Ref.: On controlling the pass rush of Virginia Tech)
"Yeah, probably similar. I think you draw some similarities to it, you know, different personnel, different blitzes, but similarities, yeah. It's probably the last team that we played that blitzes like this is probably Georgia Tech. So, I don't know that you necessarily draw back to the Georgia Tech game, but obviously our kids are aware that we need to handle the blitz game and we're going to have to do it really effectively to have success on Saturday."

(Ref.: On the experience and poise that Darius Joiner plays with)
"Yeah, you know, it's interesting. We've been very lucky. One of the mysteries of the transfer portal is chemistry, right? That's the one thing. Everybody who thinks this is just like, you go to the yard sale, you buy whatever you want, and it just fills in, fits in your house and it's all good. It's not how the transfer portal works. We tried to be very selective with who we took from a character standpoint and a performance standpoint. You do that a lot and you don't always get it right. We got it right. We brought in seven kids and all seven of them have been productive players for sure, but great kids in our locker room. They've brought leadership value, they've brought experience, they fit in like you don't see patches, like, oh, there's our transfers and there's our team, you know, they all fit in together. That part of it has been great and Darius has been a big piece of it. You see him and Jaylen Stinson getting together, and you know, Darius has played a lot more football than Jaylen has. So, it's a guy with a little bit of an older knowledge base and talking about game planning and preparation. Jaylen obviously has had a really good year for us too and is extremely productive in his own right. It's just nice to add a little bit of that experience and depth to the program."

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