CHARLOTTE – At the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday, Duke head coach Mike Elko spoke about playing the defending conference champions, Clemson, to open the 2023 season.

The Tigers and Blue Devils will battle in Durham in primetime on Labor Day night (Monday, Sept. 4).

“I think being on that national stage is what we want Duke football to be,” Elko said. “Obviously Clemson has been the gold standard in this conference. We’ve not shied away from that this entire offseason, that they have done so many things to kind of carry the ACC and be our representative for so long.”

Clemson (11-3, 9-0 ACC in 2022) is coming off its seventh ACC title in the last eight years, while Duke finished 9-4 (5-3 ACC) last season and won the Military Bowl vs. UCF in its first season under Elko. It marked Duke’s first nine-win season since 2014.

Elko has a ton of respect for the Tigers and what they’ve been able to accomplish, but…

“But, if we want to get our seat at the table and we want to get talked about in that light, those are the games that we’re going to have to play,” Elko said.

“So, to be able to play that game in Durham in front of a packed house on Monday night with everybody watching, that’s what you want. I think that’s what our players want, that’s what our kids want, and that’s our program wants. It’s not to say that we don’t have a ton of respect for who they are and what they do. But, that’s an opportunity that we’re really looking forward to.”

This will be Clemson’s first trip to Duke since 2012 and the second straight year that the Tigers are opening a season on Labor Day. The game is set to kick off at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

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