Coming into the season, the Duke football program was on a high. Last year in his first season as head coach, Mike Elko led the Blue Devils to nine-win season and a victory in the Military Bowl over UCF. It was only Duke's fourth bowl win in the last, wait let me check my math here… sixty years. The Blue Devils upset the Clemson Tigers in the 2023 season opener, and the hype train was rolling down the tracks. The main catalyst of the excitement in Durham was quarterback Riley Leonard, a possible 1st round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and an All-ACC caliber player.
The problem?
Riley Leonard was injured in Duke's loss to Notre Dame back in the last week of September. The ankle injury kept Leonard sidelined last week in Duke's win over North Carolina State, and will likely keep him sidelined tonight when the Blue Devils visit the 4th ranked Florida State Seminoles. However, coach Mike Elko did leave the door open a crack for Leonard to potentially return in this big-time ACC clash, according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel, via Twitter.
The return of Riley Leonard would be a huge boost to a Duke football team that has their sights set on competing for the ACC Championship this season, but likely has no chance against the upper echelon teams in the ACC without their star quarterback. The Blue Devils didn't look like they were able to move the ball through the air without Leonard under center. Sophomore Henry Belvin IV filled in for Leonard last week, and went 4-12 for 107 yards.
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