On Monday night, the second year of the “Elko Era” will begin, as Duke hosts No. 9 Clemson at Wallace Wade Stadium, and it is going to be a tough one for the Blue Devils to win.
The Tigers are one of the top teams in the ACC and the country, with one of the most terrifying rushing attacks in the nation and a promising dual-threat quarterback who made mincemeat of the North Carolina defense in the conference championship last season. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at what Clemson has in store for Duke in both teams’ season opener.
The place to start with the Tigers is in the backfield, where running back Will Shipley sits. The junior spent much of last year carrying what was a relatively lackluster air attack with a very strong ground game. He put up 1,182 rushing yards on 210 carries in the 2022 campaign, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. That being said, he was not limited to the ground attack. Shipley also posted 242 receiving yards in 38 receptions. Now with a new quarterback in Cade Klubnik and a redesigned offense, look for a revitalized passing game that will open up even more opportunities for Shipley to dominate on the ground.
Duke head coach Mike Elko knows about the threat that Shipley presents, too.
“Will Shipley [has] been around doing it for years,” Elko said. “He can do it in a lot of different ways. [Shipley] can hurt your running, he can hurt you catching, he can hurt you in the return game.”
The other name to know on the Tiger offense is Klubnik, a highly touted sophomore who stepped into a leading role after previous starter DJ Uiagalelei was benched for poor performance. Klubnik started just two games, but played very well in both. His debut as a starter, in the ACC Championship against North Carolina, saw him rack up 279 yards in the air at an impressive 83.3% completion rate. While Clemson did lose in his second game — the Orange Bowl against Tennessee — Klubnik still put on a show. He threw for a total of 320 yards and rushed for another 51.
Now in his first full season as the Tigers’ starter, expectations are high. Klubnik is being touted as one of the best, and will have to play like it. If he can, this Clemson offense is going to be one of the most potent in the country.
“I feel like he's been winning football games and playing quarterback at a really high level for a really long time, even though it hasn't been as much at Clemson yet,” Elko said. “This is his first full time here as a starter, but I have a lot of respect for his talent level and where he's at.”
If Klubnik and the rest of the Tiger attack come out firing on all cylinders, then Clemson will be a handful for the Duke defense. That said, if the Blue Devil defensive line can collapse the pocket and stuff runners up the middle, Duke might have a fighting chance at keeping the Tigers’ point total down.
Clemson is just as much of a nuisance on defense, as well. The main threat there is with linebackers Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter, who form one of the nastiest duos in college ball. Trotter alone was an absolute force, recording a team-leading 92 tackles (including 13.5 for a loss), 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pick-six. Carter was not too bad himself, either. He picked up 77 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. The two incredibly versatile run-stuffers and pass-rushers will be an absolute nightmare for Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and the rest of the offense, likely limiting Leonard’s ability to move in and out of the pocket. The Blue Devils will want to draw up some plays that either allow extra blockers to keep Trotter and Carter out of the pocket or force them to drop back and cover receivers, buying Leonard some valuable time.
There is no doubt that Monday’s clash will be a tough one for Duke to win. Clemson is a formidable foe, and the odds are certainly stacked against the Blue Devils. But if Elko’s squad can make some big plays on both sides of the ball and maybe get a little bit lucky, anything could happen.
“They're certainly not going to cancel the schedule one way or the other, no matter how this game turns out, and we know for us to be successful we've got to play our best version of football,” Elko said. “That's what Duke is focused on. We're focused on ourselves. We're focused on how to go out and execute at a really high level next Monday.”
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