Duke football head coach Mike Elko (Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports)
Duke Football: Dick Vitale Climbs Aboard Mike Elko Bandwagon
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Legendary ESPN college basketball personality Dick Vitale often tweets about notable happenings throughout the world of sports. But it was somewhat surprising to see the 83-year-old publicly praise first-year Duke football head coach Mike Elko following the Blue Devils' 31-23 win at Northwestern on Saturday.
It appears Vitale has kept an eye on Duke since its 30-0 Week 1 blowout of Temple at home. And it seems he's officially buying stock in the Blue Devils now that they have moved to 2-0, with both victories coming against FBS opponents and the latest as a 10-point underdog (per SI Sportsbook).
In the tweet below, Vitale advised his followers to "Remember the name MIKE ELKO" after suggesting that the Wade Wackos — the nickname of Duke's student section at football games — could rival the enthusiasm they always deliver as the celebrated Cameron Crazies at basketball games:
Vitale isn't alone in noticing Duke's encouraging start under Elko's command.
ESPN's David M. Hale went as far as to dedicate an entire section to the Blue Devils in his Week 2 national recap. He even implied that their leader looks like an early frontrunner for some heavy hardware:
"Is it too soon to start talking about Mike Elko as a coach of the year candidate? After winning just five games in the previous two seasons combined, Elko has Duke at 2-0 after knocking off Northwestern..."
Hale then pointed out that Duke's relatively easy schedule could translate into a bowl invite to snap the program's three-year postseason drought. On the other hand, he warned that the Blue Devils were in a similar position the last few seasons with David Cutcliffe at the helm:
"Since 2017, the Blue Devils are 7-1 in Power 5 nonconference games in August and September — the most such wins by any Power 5 team. Their lone loss came to Alabama in 2019. Five of those wins came as an underdog. After the season's opening month, however, things haven't gone quite as well. Duke is just 8-28 vs. Power 5 teams in October, November, and December in that stretch."
On that note, while optimism remains warranted, the Blue Devils encountered their fair share of struggles against the Wildcats after snagging a 21-0 lead at the beginning of the second quarter.
Suppose junior safety Jaylen Stinson didn't force a closing-seconds fumble at the 1-yard line by Northwestern running back Evan Hull, who amassed a game-high 278 all-purpose yards. If so, Elko's bunch might be reeling from what could have turned into a demoralizing, Duke-like collapse.
That said, Mike Elko and his noticeably inspired Blue Devils should have no trouble continuing to impress Dick Vitale and the likes when they host North Carolina A&T (0-2) at 6:00 p.m. ET Saturday.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke football content.
