Duke football quarterback Riley Leonard aggravated his right ankle injury during the second half of the 16th-ranked Blue Devils’ 38-20 loss to the fourth-ranked Seminoles, after returning to the game against Florida State. Read more about the game here.
Leonard had initially injured his ankle against Notre Dame in late September and had just returned after three weeks. Unfortunately, he got hurt again in the third quarter of the game against Florida State when Duke had a narrow lead of 20-17 at Doak Campbell Stadium.
“He wanted to come back in,” Duke coach Mike Elko said after the game. “He was begging me on the sideline to come back in. I didn’t feel comfortable with where he was health-wise to bring him back, and so we didn’t do it.”
With Leonard out and Henry Belin IV taking his place, the Blue Devils (5-2, 2-1 ACC) couldn’t score anymore while Florida State (7-0, 5-0) sealed the victory with 21 points in the fourth quarter, resulting in Duke’s first double-digit loss under the Elko era.
Before this game, Duke’s most significant defeat in Elko’s first 19 games was an eight-point loss to Kansas. Leonard completed 7-of-16 passes for 69 yards with one interception. Belin completed one pass for seven yards.
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“The fourth quarter got away from us and they were obviously able to pull away and create the score that they did,” Elko said.
“I thought for three quarters we battled – our defense against their offense – I thought we held them in check to some degree. … It got away at the end, so now we’ve gotta regroup.”
What’s next for Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, Blue Devils?
Despite the loss, Duke still has a chance to secure a trip to the ACC Championship in Charlotte in December.
Depending on Leonard’s health, Duke could be favored in four of their final five games. Next week, Duke will face nationally-ranked Louisville (6-1, 3-1) in an away game, followed by hosting Wake Forest (4-3, 1-3) on Thursday, Nov. 2, at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Duke will then play against rival North Carolina (6-1, 3-1) in the Battle for the Victory Bell, which could determine which team gets to face the favorite, FSU, at Bank of America Stadium. The Blue Devils will finish the season with games against Virginia (2-5, 1-2) and Pittsburgh (2-5, 1-3).
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at [email protected] or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
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