Duke head coach Mike Elko, defensive style no stranger to FSU football staff
Duke head coach Mike Elko is no stranger to the Florida State football coaching staff.
Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller worked with Elko back in 2005 as the pair spent time at Richmond. Fuller was a defensive backs coach while Elko coached the linebackers.
The next year Elko moved to Hofstra while Fuller was promoted to special teams/linebackers coach at Richmond. Their time on staff together was short, but both became friends and Fuller holds an appreciation for his coaching style.
"It was back in 2005 and Dave Clawson was the head coach at Richmond. Me and Mike [Elko] were on the same defensive staff," Fuller said. "We've kept in touch and, he's always been somebody that I've connected well with. He's smart, takes a lot of pride in his work, and works hard at it. I'm glad for his success.”
In a similar sense, when asked about his experience coaching with Fuller, Elko complimented the defense that Fuller has assembled at FSU.
“I've known Adam Fuller, the defensive coordinator, probably as long as I've known most coaches in this profession,” Elko said. “He does a really good job. He's a really good football coach. He's got that defense playing at a really high level. I think it's the best front we've seen in our time here at Duke.”
Four years later, Fuller made the move to Chattanooga, where he met current FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, who was an offensive line coach at the time. Later on, when both joined FSU's coaching staff and recently watched film on Duke, Atkins noticed Fuller's defense at FSU was very similar to Elko's at Duke.
"I was with Coach Fuller at Chattanooga, who actually was a descendant of that Elko type of defense, that 4-2-5, very sound," Atkins said. "This is what we expect college football defenses to look like to play, it gets good DCs and good players who tackle, will run to the ball and know how to leverage the ball and understand contain and things of that sort."
"That's what it should look like. Duke gets a lot of credit for that because of the head coach and the coordinators and the position coaches and on the defense."
Elko's defensive mindset has changed the culture at Duke the season, propelling the Blue Devils to a 5-1 record and No. 16/17 ranking, with a win over Clemson and a near loss to Notre Dame. Multiple facets of the defense rank in the top 50 nationally.
Breaking it down, Duke's punt return defense ranks 21st, red zone defense ranks second, scoring defense ranks fourth, passing defense ranks second and total defense ranks 16th. The Blue Devils don't give up much to their opponent's offense and take even more away.
FSU has no issue getting on the scoreboard, ranked eighth in red zone offense and 24th in total offense, but is aware of the challenge that Duke presents and facing one of the top defenses in the country.
"It's a really good football team in general. You watch them, they're well-coached. They play fast," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. "They're confident with what they're being asked to do...They just play good. I mean, they're fitting where they're supposed to fit."
"They tackle when they're supposed to tackle. You can see the confidence in how they play often with each other through the course of a game. We definitely have our hands full this week and our preparation."
3 keys to the game
1. Maximize the offense
FSU is facing debatably the best defense it has seen so far this season. The Blue Devils' defense ranks as a top-20 team nationally in just about every defensive category. The unit introduced itself in Week 1, defeating Clemson for the first time since 2004 and later nearly upsetting Notre Dame.
The Seminoles know that Duke's defense is going to be a major agitator in the game and are preparing for one of the biggest challenges they've seen this season. In order to get around that, FSU will need to make a complete effort on offense.
The rushing effort has been picking up since the Virginia Tech game and the passing game has been FSU's bread and butter, but any weak point in the Seminoles offense gives the Blue Devils defense an opportunity. Play up front will be huge as Duke has one of the top pass defenses in the country.
2. Win the battle for field positioning
In addition to one of the top offenses in the country going up against one of the top defenses in the country, Saturday's game will showcase two of the best special teams units, specifically in punting, in the ACC.
Alex Mastromanno has owned his position, punting for 1,094 yards and averaging 47.57 yards per kick. That stat line has ranked him as the No. 8 punter in the country. His kicking abilities have pinned teams back and allowed FSU to have an edge in special teams nearly every game.
Duke on the other hand is one of the best punt defenses in the country as opponents average only 2.44 yards per punt return. It also averages 12.78 yards per punt return. Whoever wins on special teams could win the game as both these teams match up well.
If the Seminoles can get a performance out of Keon Coleman as they did against Syracuse and Mastromanno continues to execute, FSU should dominate this part of the game.
3. Execute in the red zone
The Seminoles have had little to no problems executing in the end zone as they've scored on 23 of 24 trips, 18 of which were touchdowns. There were a few blips against Syracuse last week when FSU got inside the 20 but still managed to convert.
It'll need to lockdown in the red zone against Duke as the Blue Devils' defense ranks second nationally in red zone defense. In 14 red zone trips by Duke's opponents, only seven times did the drives end in scores. While FSU has one of the best red zone offenses in the country, it's going to be put to the test deep in Duke territory.
FSU can't risk fourth-down situations inside the red zone, considering Norvell chooses to go for it on fourth in most situations, as the Seminoles risk coming up empty-handed. Once they get inside the 20, it'll need to execute and do it quickly.
Duke players to watch
Offense: Riley Leonard, Jr., Quarterback
It's still unknown if Leonard will play against FSU as his ankle injury suffered against Notre Dame is still "day to day". However, if he plays, he will be a difference-maker. In five games he's thrown for 912 yards, completing 79 of 126 passes and three touchdowns. He's only been picked off once.
He's also proven to be a dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 326 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 65.2 rushing yards per game. While the Seminoles eliminated the mobile threat of Syracuse's Garrett Shrader last weekend, Leonard and his offense are a whole different story.
If Leonard plays, the FSU defense needs to be prepared for anything.
Defense: Aeneas Peebles, Sr., Defensive tackle
One of the biggest disrupters on Duke's defense has been Peebles on the defensive line. He's recorded 20 tackles, 5.5 for a loss of yardage and three sacks. Peebles has also been a pain for opposing quarterbacks, recording three quarterback hurries and one pass breakup.
At 6-foot-1-inch and 285 pounds, he'll be a handful for the FSU offensive line and couldn't create some cracks up front. In six games, he has been the Blue Devils statistical leader on the defensive line.
History
Duke is one of the few teams that the Seminoles have had a perfect record against. Dating back to 1992, FSU is a perfect 19-0 against the Blue Devils. Their most recent meeting was in 2020 in a high-scoring 56-35 finish in Tallahassee.
Two wins over Duke were vacated in 2006 (51-24 FSU) and 2007(25-6 FSU) after an academic fraud scandal in 2006-07, which involved 61 FSU student-athletes. The Seminoles' largest win over the Blue Devils was in 1998, 62-13.
The closest that Duke has come to snapping the streak was in 2017 when FSU escaped Durham with a 17-10 win. That was the same season then head coach Jimbo Fisher resigned with two games left.
GAME INFORMATION
Who: No. 4 FSU (6-0, 4-0 ACC) vs. No. 17 Duke (5-1, 2-0)
When/where: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Doak Campbell Stadium
TV/Radio: ABC/94.9 FM
Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @Ehsan_Kassim, @jackgwilliams and @JimHenryTALLY on X, formerly Twitter
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football preparing for familiar Mike Elko defense from Duke
