The coach and quarterback are gone, but Duke football is still bowling
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – NOVEMBER 18: Duke Blue Devils kicker Khylan Walker (21) catches the ball during a college football game between the Duke Blue Devils and Virginia Cavaliers on November 18, 2023, at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Photo by Lee Coleman/Sportswire Icon via Getty Images
date 12/23 || time Back || place Protection Stadium || video ABC/ESBN+
Duke returns to the bowl game for the second straight year, this time in the Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Blue Devils will face Troy on Saturday and the Trojans will win 11-2. Troy plays in the Sun Belt Conference which isn't too bad. Among the teams: James Madison, Appalachian, and Marshall, whose Thundering Herd team was down this year but have a huge fan base. Think of it as a kind of BBN Junior. It's an amazingly loyal fan base.
Duke, of course, comes into this game without coach Mike Elko, who couldn't leave for Texas A&M fast enough, and Riley Leonard, who was injured in the latter part of the season and who also transferred to Notre Dame.
So it might seem a little disappointing or a little letdown or what have you, but still: Duke is in a bowl game and that's pretty cool.
Whatever happens here, things will change with Manny Diaz in charge. But we saw a strong era with both David Cutcliffe and Elko. There's no particular reason why the Blue Devils can't maintain this success, especially with a renewed commitment to the game.
And it wouldn't hurt either: Duke did that Received a commitment from Texas QB Maalik Murphy. He was a four-star recruit in 2022 and has three years of eligibility remaining.
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