Upcoming Event: Football versus Blue & White Game on April 18, 2026 at 2 p.m.
Football
vs Blue & White Game
Mike Elko Press Conference Quotes: Connecticut
9/18/2023 10:12:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – Duke football head coach Mike Elko met with members of the media on Monday afternoon for his weekly press conference.
Â
The Blue Devils travel to Connecticut on Saturday for a non-conference matchup. The game will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. The contest can also be heard on the Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
Â
Mike Elko Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Thank you guys for coming today. Wrapping up Northwestern – I think watching the film, it played out a little bit like we talked about. We were happy with how we came out and started that game. I thought we set the tone physically running the football all day. That is something we want to take a lot of pride in. I thought we were able to do that. For the most part, we played really well on defense. We had the one drive at the end of the half where we gave up three third down conversions, which was disappointing, but I thought it brought a little bit of life back into the guys. We were able to go out in the third quarter and pitch a shoutout and put some touchdowns on the board to kind of put that thing away. Our players of the week were as follows – from a scout team standpoint, Beau Lilly was our offensive player of the week. Sean Kelly was our defensive player of the week. Leon Griffin III was our special teams player of the week. For the game, our lineman of the week was Jake Hornibrook and Ja'Mion Franklin was our defensive lineman of the week. Our offensive player of the week was Nicky Dalmolin and Jalon Calhoun. I thought Nicky played really well in the run game. I thought that was by far and away his most physical game. He had a couple of huge blocks that really sprung runs and had a big block on Jordan Waters' first touchdown, so that was great to see. He also was able to be a factor in the passing game. Jalon Calhoun, I thought that catch in the third quarter, the one where he laid out for it on our sideline, was the turning point of the day. I think that game was still very much in doubt at that point and that was what got that 94-yard drive going so that was a huge play for us. Defensively, Myles Jones was our defensive player of the week. He came out and covered really well. I thought we put him in a lot of one-on-one situations, and he certainly held up and was able to get the pick at the end of the game. That now is back-to-back weeks for him and so it's good to see him getting back into the form that we hoped he could get into when we brought him here. Hopefully he continues to improve and get better.
Â
"Now it's on to UConn. I think going on to play what is a really talented team. I know the record doesn't say all of that, but if you start by watching the NC State game, they gave the Wolfpack all they could handle in the opener. I think they're very talented on defense. I think their front seven is extremely physical. I think they're athletic. I think those kids have done a really good job of stopping the run the majority of the year. I think they've gotten bitten a couple times by some explosive plays, but I think if you take those explosive plays out, they've played really good defense. I think offensively, obviously losing their starting quarterback in the beginning of week two is a challenge. I think they maybe got out of sync a little bit until about the midway point of last weekend. They started to find a rhythm, put a furious comeback back together and came up just a little bit short at the end and so certainly anticipate them to come out and give us everything that they have. They were a bowl team last year and I'm sure they want to be a bowl team again this year. This is going to be a huge opportunity for them and for us, it's the first time that we're going on the road. We've got to find a way to play consistent football on the road, which we didn't always do at times last year. It's a big challenge for us. It's another great opportunity for us to showcase what we're becoming."
Â
(Ref.: On where he sees the most growth from last year to this year in the running game)
"I thought we ran the ball well last year too, but I think maybe a little bit more efficiently this year. I think we've been able to finish runs explosively a little bit more. I think there's probably a little bit of extra juice in Jordan [Waters] and Jaquez [Moore] right now when they run the football and I think that's been really good to see. Hopefully that continues as we move forward. I think maybe last year some of the games we've had, even back to the Clemson game, some of those runs that broke into the end zone, those were maybe 10- to 12-yard runs last year. This year, I think we're able to finish those in the end zone and I think that's obviously helping the yards per carry right now too."
Â
(Ref.: On how important it is to use the run game early to establish the tone)
"I think anytime you can control the line of scrimmage in football, you have a huge advantage. It is low risk because there's not a lot that can go wrong. At the end of the day, it's about imposing your will on the team you're playing and if we can run the ball for six yards a carry and we can physically move people, there's not a lot that can go wrong. Riley [Leonard] taking the snap and handing it to the running back, it's a very low risk play. Obviously, physicality in this group is going to present a huge challenge with our ability to do that, but certainly limits the risk and how things can go wrong on a play for sure."
Â
(Ref.: On Duke's third down communication and how it needs to improve)
"I just think now, we've talked about this a lot, there's split recognition that creates communication. There are receivers getting close together, there's bunches, there's motions, there's a lot of things that people try to do to us on third down to try to create advantages and our ability to execute what we're trying to get done. It really needs a lot of communication. I think that's just who we are as a defense. I don't think we're a ton different than a lot of people, but we certainly need it. At times it's just not as crisp and clean as it needs to be. It's not like we're busting coverages. It's not like people are wide open, but maybe some of the softness or some of the balls that are getting caught in front of us could get handled a little bit better if we could get some of the communication cleaned up."
Â
(Ref.: On how this group has handled success)
"We were talking about this in our leadership group this week. We were 3-0 to start last season too. We got off to a good start. I'm not sure that anyone in our building feels as though anything that has happened we didn't anticipate happening. I don't feel like we're learning how to handle success. I feel like our challenge, and this is what we laid out going back in January, is what we call the middle. Game four to game eight. That's the middle of your season. Last year, we didn't handle that part of the season really well. We went to Kansas in week four, and we didn't get it done. We had a road game at Georgia Tech in between a home win and a big game at home and we didn't get it done. There are some parallels to some of the areas where we didn't get it done last year that I think we have opportunities to show some growth here this week. That's the big challenge. We don't talk about handling success. That's not really how we think about it. We know what we're here for. We know what we're trying to accomplish. There's a lot of work and a lot of improvement that happens from the beginning of the season to the middle of the season to the end of the season. That's kind of been our focus and I'm just happy with how we're handling that part of the game."
Â
(Ref.: On how Dorian Mausi's play has been elevated this season)
"I think he's getting more comfortable with what we're asking him to do. I think he's become a little bit more physical as a tackler, which is good to see. I think that happened on Saturday. His second year in the system helps. We talked about this a lot schematically. Our defense is heavy on linebacker and safety. Those are the two positions where there's a lot that goes into what we do. So, the second year going through it is always better than the first year because you're a little bit more comfortable with everything that we're asking of you. I think he's taken to that and then I think he's healthy. Last year he was dealing with that foot problem for so long, and it limited him, and he was in and out of the lineup. Trying to play at the level he wanted to play at was hard at times for him and so I think he's just happy that he's healthy and able to move the way he wants to move."
Â
(Ref.: On if watching film from UConn's game against NC State helps scouting)
"I think so. I think it gives you a little bit of a comparative. I think it obviously jumps off the tape how well they played against them [NC State]. So, I think it quickly gets your attention. I think it tells you that they're a lot better team than maybe the record would indicate. Then I think there's a lot of carryovers. We know those kids at NC State, and we know how talented some of them are. When you're watching UConn have success against them at times, I mean, I think that certainly helps as opposed to watching you know, when you watch a team play a bunch of random teams that you don't know much about, it's hard to draw parallels to what you're really looking at. Not so much scheme-wise, but just from a talent comparison standpoint."
Â
(Ref.: On his three keys to victory on Saturday)
"Yeah, I think our three keys are always the same. We really talk about it this way. I don't mean to give the coach speak, but it really is, we have to win the turnover margin and we talk about that every single week. We have to win on special teams. We talk about that every single week and then we talk a lot about situational football, which is winning third downs and finishing drives in the redzone. I think when you put those three things together, the more often you do those three things, the more successful you are as a program. So that's been our recipe and for us like we try to talk a lot about it. That's been our messaging since day one. It's really never been about anything outside of our own building. It's been about us, and we have a plan that we want to go out and execute and if we execute that plan, we feel like we can be successful regardless of opponent. It doesn't change week to week. It doesn't change based on who we're playing. Maybe the way we win the turnover battle does. Maybe with the way we went for it on third down changes based on who you're playing, but the big picture doesn't change."
Â
(Ref.: On the success of Myles Jones this early in the season)
"I'm happy that he's playing the game and having fun playing the game. It's really good to see. He's a great kid and he's worked extremely hard. We talk all the time about these kids that we bring in, do they fit the mold? He's in Fuqua [School of Business] right now and he's getting a master's degree. He came here with a master's degree from Texas A&M. He's a great kid. His career was trending in a really positive direction until he went through some injury stuff. So, it's just great to see him playing the game, and having fun playing the game. I feel like he's getting back to playing the game at the level he's capable of playing it. This is really exciting for him. I'm really happy for him that he's getting to do that."
Â
(Ref.: On the ability of Jeremiah Lewis to play through injury)
"First of all, he's extremely tough. I mean, that jumps off the page. When you deal with something on the second play of the second series of the first game. That's been really cool. I am really impressed with how he's assimilated. All of those guys, we've been really fortunate. We've done a lot of background checks. That's a huge part of our process when taking in transfers, but that doesn't mean you always get it right. We've been very, very happy and lucky in some ways that we've gotten some great kids through the transfer portal and he's one that for sure would fit that bill because he's coming in knowing this is his last year of football. It's an interesting spot in which he comes in so close to the start of training camp and he hasn't really been with the team and spring ball and so there's a certain process to that. How you go about it and how you kind of assimilate into some of the guys you don't know. He's obviously got his group that he knows, but there's also a lot of guys in that secondary room that he doesn't know at all. He's done a really good job of building relationships, connecting with people, obviously plays the game at a really high level. It's been really cool to add such an experienced player back there and I think he's been great for Terry [Moore], who I think continues to get better, every game. Giving Terry, a guy who hasn't played a lot of college football snaps on defense, a guy to talk to and kind of get with on the sideline who has played a ton of college football, I think he's really helpful."
Â
(Ref.: On how important it has been for the defense to set the tone early in games)
"I think it's huge. I think if you look around the country and say okay, who wins championships, right? You want a consistent recipe – be able to run the ball consistently and pound people to control the line of scrimmage and play good defense. If you can do those things, and those are hard, hard things for another team to overcome. We're fortunate because I think we can be diverse on offense. I think when we have to throw it, we can. I think we run a pro-style system. We have the ability to do all of those things. But at the end of the day, if you can just line up and control the line of scrimmage, run the football, pound the football and play great defense, that recipe has stood the test of time in the game of football for a really long time."
Â
#GoDuke
Â
Â
The Blue Devils travel to Connecticut on Saturday for a non-conference matchup. The game will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. The contest can also be heard on the Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
Â
Mike Elko Duke Football Head Coach
(Ref.: Opening Statement)
"Thank you guys for coming today. Wrapping up Northwestern – I think watching the film, it played out a little bit like we talked about. We were happy with how we came out and started that game. I thought we set the tone physically running the football all day. That is something we want to take a lot of pride in. I thought we were able to do that. For the most part, we played really well on defense. We had the one drive at the end of the half where we gave up three third down conversions, which was disappointing, but I thought it brought a little bit of life back into the guys. We were able to go out in the third quarter and pitch a shoutout and put some touchdowns on the board to kind of put that thing away. Our players of the week were as follows – from a scout team standpoint, Beau Lilly was our offensive player of the week. Sean Kelly was our defensive player of the week. Leon Griffin III was our special teams player of the week. For the game, our lineman of the week was Jake Hornibrook and Ja'Mion Franklin was our defensive lineman of the week. Our offensive player of the week was Nicky Dalmolin and Jalon Calhoun. I thought Nicky played really well in the run game. I thought that was by far and away his most physical game. He had a couple of huge blocks that really sprung runs and had a big block on Jordan Waters' first touchdown, so that was great to see. He also was able to be a factor in the passing game. Jalon Calhoun, I thought that catch in the third quarter, the one where he laid out for it on our sideline, was the turning point of the day. I think that game was still very much in doubt at that point and that was what got that 94-yard drive going so that was a huge play for us. Defensively, Myles Jones was our defensive player of the week. He came out and covered really well. I thought we put him in a lot of one-on-one situations, and he certainly held up and was able to get the pick at the end of the game. That now is back-to-back weeks for him and so it's good to see him getting back into the form that we hoped he could get into when we brought him here. Hopefully he continues to improve and get better.
Â
"Now it's on to UConn. I think going on to play what is a really talented team. I know the record doesn't say all of that, but if you start by watching the NC State game, they gave the Wolfpack all they could handle in the opener. I think they're very talented on defense. I think their front seven is extremely physical. I think they're athletic. I think those kids have done a really good job of stopping the run the majority of the year. I think they've gotten bitten a couple times by some explosive plays, but I think if you take those explosive plays out, they've played really good defense. I think offensively, obviously losing their starting quarterback in the beginning of week two is a challenge. I think they maybe got out of sync a little bit until about the midway point of last weekend. They started to find a rhythm, put a furious comeback back together and came up just a little bit short at the end and so certainly anticipate them to come out and give us everything that they have. They were a bowl team last year and I'm sure they want to be a bowl team again this year. This is going to be a huge opportunity for them and for us, it's the first time that we're going on the road. We've got to find a way to play consistent football on the road, which we didn't always do at times last year. It's a big challenge for us. It's another great opportunity for us to showcase what we're becoming."
Â
(Ref.: On where he sees the most growth from last year to this year in the running game)
"I thought we ran the ball well last year too, but I think maybe a little bit more efficiently this year. I think we've been able to finish runs explosively a little bit more. I think there's probably a little bit of extra juice in Jordan [Waters] and Jaquez [Moore] right now when they run the football and I think that's been really good to see. Hopefully that continues as we move forward. I think maybe last year some of the games we've had, even back to the Clemson game, some of those runs that broke into the end zone, those were maybe 10- to 12-yard runs last year. This year, I think we're able to finish those in the end zone and I think that's obviously helping the yards per carry right now too."
Â
(Ref.: On how important it is to use the run game early to establish the tone)
"I think anytime you can control the line of scrimmage in football, you have a huge advantage. It is low risk because there's not a lot that can go wrong. At the end of the day, it's about imposing your will on the team you're playing and if we can run the ball for six yards a carry and we can physically move people, there's not a lot that can go wrong. Riley [Leonard] taking the snap and handing it to the running back, it's a very low risk play. Obviously, physicality in this group is going to present a huge challenge with our ability to do that, but certainly limits the risk and how things can go wrong on a play for sure."
Â
(Ref.: On Duke's third down communication and how it needs to improve)
"I just think now, we've talked about this a lot, there's split recognition that creates communication. There are receivers getting close together, there's bunches, there's motions, there's a lot of things that people try to do to us on third down to try to create advantages and our ability to execute what we're trying to get done. It really needs a lot of communication. I think that's just who we are as a defense. I don't think we're a ton different than a lot of people, but we certainly need it. At times it's just not as crisp and clean as it needs to be. It's not like we're busting coverages. It's not like people are wide open, but maybe some of the softness or some of the balls that are getting caught in front of us could get handled a little bit better if we could get some of the communication cleaned up."
Â
(Ref.: On how this group has handled success)
"We were talking about this in our leadership group this week. We were 3-0 to start last season too. We got off to a good start. I'm not sure that anyone in our building feels as though anything that has happened we didn't anticipate happening. I don't feel like we're learning how to handle success. I feel like our challenge, and this is what we laid out going back in January, is what we call the middle. Game four to game eight. That's the middle of your season. Last year, we didn't handle that part of the season really well. We went to Kansas in week four, and we didn't get it done. We had a road game at Georgia Tech in between a home win and a big game at home and we didn't get it done. There are some parallels to some of the areas where we didn't get it done last year that I think we have opportunities to show some growth here this week. That's the big challenge. We don't talk about handling success. That's not really how we think about it. We know what we're here for. We know what we're trying to accomplish. There's a lot of work and a lot of improvement that happens from the beginning of the season to the middle of the season to the end of the season. That's kind of been our focus and I'm just happy with how we're handling that part of the game."
Â
(Ref.: On how Dorian Mausi's play has been elevated this season)
"I think he's getting more comfortable with what we're asking him to do. I think he's become a little bit more physical as a tackler, which is good to see. I think that happened on Saturday. His second year in the system helps. We talked about this a lot schematically. Our defense is heavy on linebacker and safety. Those are the two positions where there's a lot that goes into what we do. So, the second year going through it is always better than the first year because you're a little bit more comfortable with everything that we're asking of you. I think he's taken to that and then I think he's healthy. Last year he was dealing with that foot problem for so long, and it limited him, and he was in and out of the lineup. Trying to play at the level he wanted to play at was hard at times for him and so I think he's just happy that he's healthy and able to move the way he wants to move."
Â
(Ref.: On if watching film from UConn's game against NC State helps scouting)
"I think so. I think it gives you a little bit of a comparative. I think it obviously jumps off the tape how well they played against them [NC State]. So, I think it quickly gets your attention. I think it tells you that they're a lot better team than maybe the record would indicate. Then I think there's a lot of carryovers. We know those kids at NC State, and we know how talented some of them are. When you're watching UConn have success against them at times, I mean, I think that certainly helps as opposed to watching you know, when you watch a team play a bunch of random teams that you don't know much about, it's hard to draw parallels to what you're really looking at. Not so much scheme-wise, but just from a talent comparison standpoint."
Â
(Ref.: On his three keys to victory on Saturday)
"Yeah, I think our three keys are always the same. We really talk about it this way. I don't mean to give the coach speak, but it really is, we have to win the turnover margin and we talk about that every single week. We have to win on special teams. We talk about that every single week and then we talk a lot about situational football, which is winning third downs and finishing drives in the redzone. I think when you put those three things together, the more often you do those three things, the more successful you are as a program. So that's been our recipe and for us like we try to talk a lot about it. That's been our messaging since day one. It's really never been about anything outside of our own building. It's been about us, and we have a plan that we want to go out and execute and if we execute that plan, we feel like we can be successful regardless of opponent. It doesn't change week to week. It doesn't change based on who we're playing. Maybe the way we win the turnover battle does. Maybe with the way we went for it on third down changes based on who you're playing, but the big picture doesn't change."
Â
(Ref.: On the success of Myles Jones this early in the season)
"I'm happy that he's playing the game and having fun playing the game. It's really good to see. He's a great kid and he's worked extremely hard. We talk all the time about these kids that we bring in, do they fit the mold? He's in Fuqua [School of Business] right now and he's getting a master's degree. He came here with a master's degree from Texas A&M. He's a great kid. His career was trending in a really positive direction until he went through some injury stuff. So, it's just great to see him playing the game, and having fun playing the game. I feel like he's getting back to playing the game at the level he's capable of playing it. This is really exciting for him. I'm really happy for him that he's getting to do that."
Â
(Ref.: On the ability of Jeremiah Lewis to play through injury)
"First of all, he's extremely tough. I mean, that jumps off the page. When you deal with something on the second play of the second series of the first game. That's been really cool. I am really impressed with how he's assimilated. All of those guys, we've been really fortunate. We've done a lot of background checks. That's a huge part of our process when taking in transfers, but that doesn't mean you always get it right. We've been very, very happy and lucky in some ways that we've gotten some great kids through the transfer portal and he's one that for sure would fit that bill because he's coming in knowing this is his last year of football. It's an interesting spot in which he comes in so close to the start of training camp and he hasn't really been with the team and spring ball and so there's a certain process to that. How you go about it and how you kind of assimilate into some of the guys you don't know. He's obviously got his group that he knows, but there's also a lot of guys in that secondary room that he doesn't know at all. He's done a really good job of building relationships, connecting with people, obviously plays the game at a really high level. It's been really cool to add such an experienced player back there and I think he's been great for Terry [Moore], who I think continues to get better, every game. Giving Terry, a guy who hasn't played a lot of college football snaps on defense, a guy to talk to and kind of get with on the sideline who has played a ton of college football, I think he's really helpful."
Â
(Ref.: On how important it has been for the defense to set the tone early in games)
"I think it's huge. I think if you look around the country and say okay, who wins championships, right? You want a consistent recipe – be able to run the ball consistently and pound people to control the line of scrimmage and play good defense. If you can do those things, and those are hard, hard things for another team to overcome. We're fortunate because I think we can be diverse on offense. I think when we have to throw it, we can. I think we run a pro-style system. We have the ability to do all of those things. But at the end of the day, if you can just line up and control the line of scrimmage, run the football, pound the football and play great defense, that recipe has stood the test of time in the game of football for a really long time."
Â
#GoDuke
Â
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DT
/ Football
S
/ Football
OL
/ Football
CB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
S
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballManny Diaz, Darian Mensah and Que'Sean Brown: Postgame Press Conference
Friday, January 02
Game Trailer: Arizona State
Wednesday, December 31
Coach Diaz Press Conference: Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Tuesday, December 30
Coach Brewer and Coach Patke Press Conference: Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Monday, December 29
