You’ve heard it before: Duke is a basketball school.
Overall, such a sentiment may still be true, but head coach Mike Elko, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator in 2017, has the Blue Devil’s flogging opponents.
Duke is 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 28.5 points per game, which includes a 28-7 home victory over then-No. 9 Clemson to open the season. Such dominant early-season success has earned the Blue Devils its highest ranking in the AP poll since 1994.
With a win, Duke could crack the top 15 for the first time in 63 years with a win.
“We have to get back to work to prepare for a really good Duke team,” Freeman said. “Coach Elko has done a great job in terms of where this team is right now. We gotta prepare the right way and get ready to go into a hostile environment down in North Carolina with College Game Day being there.”
No chance for Irish offense “to take a breath”
Duke gives up 4.1 yards per play (5th out of 133 FBS teams) and 8.8 points per game (T-4th), relying on the nation’s fourth-ranked pass-efficiency defense.
Through a quarter of the season, the Blue Devils have forced opposing quarterbacks to complete 55% of passes for 4.4 yards per attempt (1st) and a 3-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
“They’re not exotic,” Freeman said. “They don’t do crazy things on defense, but they play fast and they play hard and they tackle well. I have a lot of respect for (Elko) as a football coach and the defenses he’s been a part of. It will be a great challenge for our offense on Saturday.”
It’ll be the second straight top-five pass defense the Irish and quarterback Sam Hartman have faced in as many weeks.
“Now this one this week with no time to rest and take a breath,” Irish offensive coordinator Gerad Parker said. “They do a great job. Elko is familiar with this place.”
There’s a good chance the Irish could find success on the ground. The Blue Devils allow 3.8 yards per carry (T-65th). Clemson running backs Will Shipley and Phil Mafah combined to run for 179 yards for 6.4 yards per carry, doing so behind a much worse offensive line.
A First-Round Pick at Quarterback?
The offense isn’t quite as strong, but there’s more top-end talent on the other side of the ball.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projects quarterback Riley Leonard as a first-round pick ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft and the No. 5 overall quarterback prospect.
“Leonard's dual-threat ability is intriguing,” Kiper wrote. “Check out his breakaway speed on this 74-yard score against North Carolina from last season. He's a tough runner who can make defenders miss. As a passer, he has projectionable traits in an NFL frame.”
He’s also a winner. Since Elko arrived, he’s 13-4 as a starter.
“We have to just mix things up on them and play really good, sound football and not beat ourselves,” Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “But there's a reason why they're winning the way they're winning.”
Thus far, the offense hasn’t required him to do much with his arm. He’s completing 67.7% of passes for 194.5 yards per game (83rd) with two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Leonard is the team’s second-leading rusher with 238 yards (8.2 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. Most of his production on the ground came against Clemson and Northwestern, running for 195 yards (9.3 YPC) and three scores in those two contests.
“He is a talented individual,” Freeman said. “All offenses go through the quarterback, but the things he presents in the run game: He’s a big, physical tough runner, too. He’s accurate in the pass game for what they need him to do. It’s a huge challenge for our team, the biggest one yet.”
He’s a big reason why the Blue Devils run for 5.7 yards per carry (15th) and have scored 15 touchdowns on the ground (2nd).
The other primary reason is Duke left tackle Graham Barton, the second-best center (the position he played as a freshman) prospect ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, according to Kiper Jr.
He’s beatable in pass projection, where he’s allowed three hurries and a sack on 53 pass attempts against the two power five opponents the Blue Devils have faced.
At the end of the day, the Irish should match up well against a well-coached Duke team.
The biggest question remains how well Notre Dame bounces back from another emotional loss to Ohio State last weekend. If the Irish have truly moved on this week, they should be able to take care of business on the road.
“This thing’s going to be about us,” Freeman said. “We have to continue to remind ourselves that. We game plan for an opponent, but Notre Dame has to execute at the level that we need Notre Dame to. That’s our focus. That’s my focus. That’s gotta be what our team is focused on.”
