# 2023 Duke Blue Devils football team

The 2023 Duke Blue Devils football team represented Duke University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Blue Devils were led by head coach Mike Elko, in his second year, and played their home games at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Duke Blue Devils football team drew an average home attendance of 25,111 in 2023.

## Schedule

Duke and the ACC announced the 2023 football schedule on January 30, 2023. The 2023 season will be the conference's first season since 2004, that its scheduling format just includes one division. The new format sets Duke with three set conference opponents, while playing the remaining ten teams twice (home and away) in a four–year cycle. The Blue Devils three set conference opponents for the next four years are: NC State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. As such, this is the first season since 1932 that the Blue Devils didn't play rival Georgia Tech.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 9 Clemson | | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ESPN | W 28–7 | 31,638 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Lafayette* | No. 21 | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ACCNX/ESPN+ | W 42–7 | 17,481 |
| September 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Northwestern* | No. 21 | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ACCN | W 38–14 | 18,141 |
| September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | at UConn* | No. 18 | Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT | CBSSN | W 41–7 | 29,033 |
| September 30 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 11 Notre Dame* | No. 17 | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC (College GameDay) | ABC | L 14–21 | 40,768 |
| October 14 | 8:00 p.m. | NC State | No. 17 | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC (rivalry) | ACCN | W 24–3 | 31,833 |
| October 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 4 Florida State | No. 16 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ABC | L 20–38 | 79,560 |
| October 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 18 Louisville | No. 20 | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN | L 0–23 | 52,319 |
| November 2 | 7:30 p.m. | Wake Forest | | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC (rivalry) | ESPN | W 24–21 | 18,277 |
| November 11 | 8:00 pm | at No. 24 North Carolina | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell) | ACCN | L 45–47 $^{2OT}$ | 50,500 |
| November 18 | 3:00 p.m. | at Virginia | | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | The CW | L 27–30 | 36,400 |
| November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | Pittsburgh | | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ACCN | W 30–19 | 17,639 |
| December 23 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Troy | | Protective StadiumBirmingham, AL (Birmingham Bowl) | ABC | W 17–10 | 20,023 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### vs. No. 9 Clemson

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CLEM -12.5 | 54 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 Clemson | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Duke | 3 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 28 |
at Wallace Wade Stadium
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: 5 mph SE
* Game attendance: 31,638
* Referee: Marcus Woods
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), and Tom Luginbill (sideline)
| Statistics | No. 9 Clemson | Duke |
| First downs | 29 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 83–422 | 64–374 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–213 | 30–199 |
| Passing yards | 209 | 175 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 27–43–1 | 17–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:33 | 26:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| No. 9 Clemson | Passing | Cade Klubnik | 27/43, 209 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| No. 9 Clemson | Rushing | Will Shipley | 17 carries, 114 yards |
| No. 9 Clemson | Receiving | Antonio Williams | 7 receptions, 56 yards |
| Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 17/33, 175 yards |
| Duke | Rushing | Riley Leonard | 8 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD |
| Duke | Receiving | Jordan Waters | 3 receptions, 46 yards |

### vs. Lafayette

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| DUKE -42.5 | 49 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lafayette | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 21 Duke | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Wallace Wade Stadium
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: 5 mph NW
* Game attendance: 17,481
* Referee: Mike Roche
* TV announcers (ACC Network): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
| Statistics | Lafayette | No. 21 Duke |
| First downs | 14 | 28 |
| Plays–yards | 51–213 | 66–515 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–126 | 45–261 |
| Passing yards | 87 | 254 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 9–18–2 | 20–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:19 | 32:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lafayette | Passing | Dean DeNobile | 9/17, 87 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Lafayette | Rushing | Jamar Curtis | 10 carries, 40 yards |
| Lafayette | Receiving | Elijah Steward | 4 receptions, 37 yards |
| No. 21 Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 12/12, 136 yards, 1 TD |
| No. 21 Duke | Rushing | Jordan Waters | 11 carries, 112 yards, 2 TD |
| No. 21 Duke | Receiving | Jordan Moore | 4 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. Northwestern

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| DUKE -17.0 | 48 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Northwestern | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 21 Duke | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Wallace Wade Stadium
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: 3 mph NE
* Game attendance: 18,141
* Referee: Mark Kluczynski
* TV announcers (ACC Network): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), and Sherree Burruss (sideline)
| Statistics | Northwestern | No. 21 Duke |
| First downs | 19 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 70–267 | 60–487 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–104 | 40–268 |
| Passing yards | 163 | 219 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–40–1 | 15–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:54 | 31:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 17/34, 123 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 10 carries, 49 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Cam Johnson | 5 receptions, 45 yards |
| No. 21 Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 15/20, 219 yards |
| No. 21 Duke | Rushing | Riley Leonard | 13 carries, 97 yards, 2 TD |
| No. 21 Duke | Receiving | Jalon Calhoun | 5 receptions, 112 yards |

### at UConn

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| DUKE -22.0 | 45 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Duke | 7 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
| UConn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Pratt & Whitney Stadium
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Rainy • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: 12 mph NE
* Game attendance: 29,038
* Referee: Jerry Magalanes
* TV announcers (CBS): Chris Lewis (play-by-play), Robert Turbin (analyst), and Keiana Martin (sideline)
| Statistics | No. 18 Duke | UConn |
| First downs | 20 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 61–328 | 66–203 |
| Rushes–yards | 27–80 | 38–89 |
| Passing yards | 248 | 114 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23–34–0 | 13–28–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:50 | 30:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| No. 18 Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 23/34, 248 yards, 1 TD |
| No. 18 Duke | Rushing | Riley Leonard | 4 carries, 30 yards, 1 TD |
| No. 18 Duke | Receiving | Jordan Moore | 8 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD |
| UConn | Passing | Ta'Quan Roberson | 13/28, 114 yards |
| UConn | Rushing | Victor Rosa | 14 carries, 68 yards |
| UConn | Receiving | Brett Buckman | 2 receptions, 31 yards |

### vs. No. 11 Notre Dame

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND -5.5 | 52.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 11 Notre Dame | 7 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 21 |
| No. 17 Duke | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Wallace Wade Stadium
* Date: September 30
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 40,768
* Referee: Riley Johnson
* TV announcers (ABC): Rece Davis (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline)
| Statistics | No. 11 Notre Dame | No. 17 Duke |
| First downs | 16 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 63–381 | 67–323 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–159 | 40–189 |
| Passing yards | 222 | 134 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–31–0 | 12–27–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:15 | 31:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| No. 11 Notre Dame | Passing | Sam Hartman | 15/30, 222 yards |
| No. 11 Notre Dame | Rushing | Audric Estimé | 18 carries, 81 yards, 2 TD |
| No. 11 Notre Dame | Receiving | Mitchell Evans | 6 receptions, 134 yards |
| No. 17 Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 12/27, 134 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| No. 17 Duke | Rushing | Riley Leonard | 18 carries, 88 yards |
| No. 17 Duke | Receiving | Jordan Moore | 4 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. NC State

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| DUKE –4 | 42.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolfpack | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 17 Blue Devils | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC
* Date: October 14, 2023
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 31,833
* Referee: Mike Roche
* TV announcers (ACCN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), and Taylor Tannebaum (sideline)
| Statistics | NCSU | DUKE |
| First downs | 18 | 12 |
| Total yards | 305 | 301 |
| Rushing yards | 112 | 194 |
| Passing yards | 193 | 107 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 36:56 | 23:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| NC State | Passing | MJ Morris | 24–40, 193 yards, 1 INT |
| NC State | Rushing | MJ Morris | 14 rushes, 38 yards |
| NC State | Receiving | KC Concepcion | 6 receptions, 63 yards |
| Duke | Passing | Henry Belin IV | 4–12, 107 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Duke | Rushing | Jordan Waters | 13 rushes, 123 yards, 1 TD |
| Duke | Receiving | Jalon Calhoun | 1 reception, 69 yards, 1 TD |

### at No. 18 Louisville

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −4.5 | 46.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Duke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 18 Louisville | 14 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: October 28
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind: 4 mph N
* Game attendance: 52,319
* Referee: Jerry Magallanes
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline)
| Statistics | DUKE | LOU |
| First downs | 9 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 49–202 | 64–351 |
| Rushes–yards | 21–51 | 48–234 |
| Passing yards | 151 | 117 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 12–28–1 | 11–16–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:09 | 36:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 9/23, 121 yards, 1 INT |
| Duke | Rushing | Jordan Waters | 5 carries, 23 yards |
| Duke | Receiving | Jordan Moore | 6 receptions, 92 yards |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 11/16, 117 yards |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 21 carries, 163 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 7 receptions, 73 yards |

### vs. Troy
## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | 21 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 20 | — | RV | — | — | — | — | RV |
| Coaches | RV | 24 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 21 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | RV |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Title |
| Mike Elko | Head coach |
| Tyler Santucci | Co-defensive coordinator |
| Lyle Hemphill | Co-defensive coordinator/Safeties coach |
| Harland Bower | Defensive ends coach |
| Adam Cushing | Run Game coordinator/offensive line coach |
| Zohn Burden | Pass game coordinator/wide receivers coach |
| Kevin Johns | Offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach |
| Patrick Dougherty | Special teams coordinator/tight ends coach |
| Trooper Taylor | Associate head coach/running backs coach |
| Ishmael Aristide | Cornerbacks coach |
| Jess Simpson | Associate head coach/defensive line coach |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 1 | 26 | Graham Barton | C | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 3 | 95 | DeWayne Carter | DT | Buffalo Bills |
| 5 | 163 | Jacob Monk | C | Green Bay Packers |