Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Virginia

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 to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium for its first ACC contest of the year. The game will be broadcast on RSN with Tom Werme, James Bates and Lyndsay Rowley 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)
"Thanks to everyone for coming today. Just to recap the game, we are certainly disappointed in the result, but I do think there were some positives to take away from it. Offensively I thought that Riley [Leonard] played exceptionally well. They had a really talented quarterback, but Riley certainly did his part to try to match it all the way through to the end. I thought we made some plays out at wide receiver as well. We want to continue to create explosive plays in the passing game and it is something we need to continue to do to be successful. Defensively, amidst a day that saw a lot of struggles and not see us play our best football, to make the stand at the end of the game after the failed onside kick, to give the ball back to a powerful offense, to give the ball back to our offense with a chance to score. We have to mention our kicking game. We certainly had our early struggles, but Porter Wilson did a really nice job punting the ball and Charlie [Ham] has been exceptional kicking off and has made all his kicks the last two weeks now and I am happy for him. What it came down to really was we didn't execute well enough as a program, certainly on defense. We have to communicate better, and we have to put our kids in better positions to be successful. Offensively, I thought we had a few critical breakdowns. The two penalties, the one in the red zone and the one on the fourth-and-one hurt us. Not converting the fourth-and-one was a big play, and we knew Saturday was going to be a day where we were going to have to try to match them score for score. I am proud of our fight and proud of the way we continued to battle, but like I said after the game we are not here for moral victories. I'm disappointed that we came out on the wrong side, but credit to Kansas. That is one heck of a football team, and they played a really good game and they certainly beat us.

"On to the next. We are excited for ACC play to start. We have Virginia coming in here this weekend and I have a lot of respect for Tony Elliott. We have crossed paths a lot over the years. I think out of the six years that I was at Wake Forest; he was the offensive coordinator at Clemson when we played them. I have been able to get to know Tony really well and his family over the years. He is a great guy and a great coach, so respect for what they are doing. When you look at them offensively, they are an exceptionally talented offense. I know it hasn't completely clicked for them like they would like yet, but they have a lot weapons. Brennan Armstrong is an exceptional quarterback. He has a lot of arm strength and throws the ball really well. He is able to do things with his feet and is a really gritty, tough football player. He is a kid we have to pay attention to. They have Billy Kemp back this year and he is an exceptional slot receiver in the ACC. The Dontayvion Wicks kid at wide receiver is talented as well as Keytaon Thompson who is having a heck of a year for them as well. They've got weapons on offense and have our attention for what they do. Defensively I think they are one of the most improved defenses in the country. They are doing a really good job with their scheme, and they know what they want to do. They are very comfortable with running it and the kids are playing really fast and physical. Chico Bennett up front has been a handful for people. He has been extremely disruptive. They have some really big athletic bodies up front which will certainly present a challenge for our kids. Nick Jackson, I know he won't play the first half, but he is one of the best linebackers not only in the ACC, but in the country. They have a lot of length in the secondary. They are long and really athletic, so these guys are extremely talented. They have our full attention. We have lost seven straight games against them and so we know what they are capable of. We are certainly expecting to get their best on Saturday night."

(Ref.: On what the main teaching points of the defense were this week)
"Yeah, sure you have two hours? No, the biggest thing is communication. The first thing is Kansas stresses you. They put you in a ton of different sets and motion a lot. The quarterback being a run threat adds even more stress to the whole situation, but we just didn't communicate well enough. It starts there. I think that was the biggest thing. From a tackling perspective I just think the skill level picked up a bit and we have to do a better job of trusting our technique. We have to understand when it is okay to strip the football and when it's more important to just tackle. That is something that reared its head on the long touchdown run. We just have to do a better job wrapping and finishing. They spread you thin and that creates tackling issues. When you play an extremely athletic offensive that goes sideline to sideline, it puts your kids in more stress tackling. We didn't handle it the way we wanted to, but we will go back to work and be better."

(Ref.: On what the problems were defensively against Kansas)
"We are playing this thing together for the first time, so every game we are getting put in situations that we haven't seen before as a unit. These kids in the secondary, a lot of them are first time starters. The ones that transferred in that are experienced starters, have never played with the guys they are playing with. I think what he [Darius Joiner] meant by 'keeping secrets' is not verbalizing with each other. If you and I have to get on the same page and I just assume we are on the same page and don't talk to you, then there is a chance we aren't on the same page. You might think one thing and I might think another, and we don't get it right. That was where the defensive breakdowns came from. Offensively, it was loud. We knew it was going to be loud. We practiced for it to be loud, but again it was the first time our group has played in a loud environment like that. It is the first time we have gone on the road and played a really competitive football game in a while with a full stadium that was trying to affect the game. That is the first time our kids have had to deal with that. Although we practiced for it, at times we got out there and didn't executive it as well as we wanted to."

(Ref.: On how you prepare for a team with a new scheme, but familiar athletes)
"I think you do both parts of that. I think you are looking more schematically at what they have been this year, what Tony has been and what Des Kitchings has been. I think from a skill standpoint it is still the same kids. That group that was terrifying the ACC last year, scoring all those points is the same group of skill kids. Not many of them have left. We certainly have a lot of respect for what they are capable of being. They are not off by much and you still see it on the majority of the plays. I think there has just been a handful of things that has dropped them behind the chains, which is probably why they aren't scoring to the degree they want to. They are not far off from getting back to where they have been."

(Ref.: On if there is a different approach when it comes to ACC play considering the program hasn't won a game in the league since 2020)
"No. We understand the value of winning ACC football games and we know how much that means to our program. We understand the importance from a recruiting standpoint, the fan base and all those things, we certainly understand the importance of winning these football games. At the end of the day, the recipe for success is the same. We have to go out and prepare really well. We have to trust the process and put in the work during the week to give ourselves the opportunity. We have to go out and be able to execute for a full four quarters. The only thing that we try to press on our kids, and it really started last week with the Kansas game was just, when we play teams where the skill level is identical or is close one way or the other, execution is more important. That is where the little things that you don't do right can cause you more problems than when the talent is a little bit more lopsided in your favor. That, I think is the challenge and it is the same challenge that presented itself last week."

(Ref.: On what makes Brennan Armstrong so good behind center)
"I don't know if he is a ton different. (Jalon) Daniels is maybe a little bit faster and a little bit more of a runner, but certainly when Brennan pulls the ball down, he scares you. He has long touchdown runs on film already this year. He throws the ball really well and that is what translates. He has a really elite wrist, and the ball comes out of his hands with a really tight spiral. When you see kids do that that is what projects to the NFL level. What do we have to do? We have to disrupt him. We have to do a much better job up front disrupting the quarterback. We need to make sure we get into throw windows and pressure him. We can't let him get comfortable back there. We have to be able to change the looks up a little bit as well so that he is not getting the same picture he wants to see every play."

(Ref.: On if the offensive line will been challenged again with how powerful the UVA defense is)
"I think we challenge our offensive line every week. This one is a little bit of a different challenge. These guys are physical, but they are really athletic. This is an explosive, twitchy, athletic front. Kansas presented a little bit of that to us, but this is the first time we are going to see that type of front. While it is a challenge similar that our offensive line is going to have to step up and protect Riley [Leonard]. They blitz a little bit more and they are more exotic on third down. That is where some of those stats are coming from too. I think this one is unique and certainly protecting our quarterback and running the football will always be essential to us to have success."

(Ref.: On if Riley Leonard is fiery behind the scenes, then what is seen in the public eye)
"Yeah. I think kids who play the game of football have a little bit of an edge behind them and certainly kids who play quarterback do. He is a great kid and is well respected in our community. He does great in school, but when he gets on the football field, he is a competitor. No competitor wants to be told where he stacks up in that level. He has a chip on his shoulder, but we have a ton of confidence in him, and we have since we named him the starter. We are really happy with the way he is playing, and he is doing a good job for us, so I think he is just going to continue to grow and develop."

(Ref.: On the team's keys to continuing to growth and development)
"I just think every game our execution has to continue to get better and crisper, because the level of difficulty is going to continue to go up as we go through the season. We have to continue to develop our game so that our best can match the talent as it increases on the other side."

(Ref.: On Riley's confidence throwing the football and smart decision making)
"I think the one thing that he would say I coached him on really well is, every time he throws one of those bad balls, I am standing right behind him in practice, and he hears about it. We talk about valuing the football and that is something that is essential to our success. You are starting to see that our program understands that. We won the turnover battle, and we didn't get the result we wanted, but we did go on the road in that environment and play turnover free football. We did create another fumble, so that part of the game has been really good to this point. For us to have any success during ACC play it is going to have to continue. I think our guys understand that and see the value of an incompletion over forcing a pass for eight yards but could turn into an interception. I think Kevin [Johns] has done a good job of calling the game as well. It is all encompassing when it comes to turnovers. It is easy to get in front of people and say that we can't turn the ball over, but how you call the game, how the kids understand what that means and situational football, those things are all part of things that help you win the turnover battle. We are doing that well right now and we have to continue it. If we aren't doing it well, we need to get better with it."

(Ref.: On what the next step is when winning the turnover battle is not enough)
"We looked at the Kansas game and we thought from an execution standpoint we made a lot of critical mistakes. We felt like there were a lot of things that we wish we would have executed a lot better. Coverage, communication, fitting some of the runs early in the game, there were a lot of things that we wish we could have done better. Then at the end of the game we have the football with a chance to tie it. I think that is because we won the turnover battle. We won the special teams game changers. We won the fourth quarter. We did some of those critical elements of our plan to win, which is what allowed us to stay in a game that we didn't play particularly well. When you really break down the film we didn't play as well as we should have on defense and that is what it came down to. That is on everybody. It is not just on our kids, it's on coaches, it's on me, its everybody, but at the end of the game here we are with a chance to win it, so I think that is what it gets you."

(Ref.: On the moxie of the guys scoring late and then getting a stop to give themselves a chance to tie)
"I appreciate you asking that because this is a good one to talk about. For 10 months I have watched the competitive spirit of this team grow. I have watched them compete and have watched how they have come together as a group. I have watched how they have learned how to care about each other, and I know how they want to represent Duke. A lot of people were very complimentary of the fact that we fought until the end. I am proud of the fact that we fought until the end, but that didn't surprise me. I didn't anticipate it turning out any other way. These kids are very passionate about playing this game at Duke and passionate about each other. They are passionate about representing this program the right way, so at the end of the day we are always going to fight until the end. It is always what the mantra of this team will be and unfortunately, we didn't get it done."

(Ref.: On the concerns for the week's weather and the approach of Hurricane Ian)
"I think you have to do both. Obviously with a hurricane you never know what course it is going to take. As we sit here on Monday it could be dry or it could be a tropical storm. You don't know exactly what the weather is going to look like on Saturday night. We certainly will take preparations for the worst-case scenario. Yes, wet ball work will be something that gets incorporated into practice this week, making sure we are able to handle it and have a plan if the weather doesn't allow us to execute how we want. We need to make sure we are able to handle whatever is thrown our way."

(Ref.: On what continues to impress him in the receiver room)
"I think the consistency is getting better. You are seeing plays being made consistently week in and week out and that is something we wanted to do and are happy about. In and out of every route and every rep there is still some development we want to make getting open. You mentioned those three (Eli Pancol, Jalon Calhoun, Jordan Moore), but we need to mention Jontavis Robertson, who had a huge catch and two big kick returns. Two weeks ago, Sahmir Hagans had a big explosive play and the first game he had a big touchdown. I think it is more of a five-headed monster we have in the receiver room, and we have five kids that are playing really well, and we have confidence in."

(Ref.: On starting fast against Virginia on Saturday)
"Getting out fast is always important and certainly it's important in a league game. It's important in a home game and against Virginia. I don't mean to undersell what you are asking, but when you get out fast and get out in front of people, it changes how you dictate the game. When you have to play catch up, it puts more pressure and stress on your guys. The other team can be more diligent about how they go about their plan. We always want to start fast and get out in front. I think not counting the drive that started on the one-yard line, I think we are 4-for-4 on first drive touchdowns. If we want to keep doing that, I think it will be a recipe for success."

#GoDuke

Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Virginia

Players Mentioned

Jalon Calhoun

Sahmir Hagans

Darius Joiner

Riley Leonard

Jordan Moore

Eli Pancol

Jontavis Robertson

Porter Wilson

Duke information

Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Virginia

Related News

Players Mentioned

Jalon Calhoun

Sahmir Hagans

Darius Joiner

Riley Leonard

Jordan Moore

Eli Pancol

Jontavis Robertson

Porter Wilson

Related Videos

Duke information