Duke routed UCF 30-13 in the Military Bowl on Wednesday afternoon.

It was a dominant performance for a Blue Devils team that has been one of the biggest surprises in the country in 2022. Duke won 9 games this season, its most since 2014.

Riley Leonard put a nice cap on his excellent season with 173 passing yards, 63 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. His final score of the game with 2:29 remaining put the game out of reach for UCF.

UCF padded its offensive stats with a late final drive, but the Blue Devils’ defense was dominant for the first 3 quarters. The Golden Knights accounted for just 4 yards per play over that span. They also converted only 3-of-9 3rd down attempts.

Duke’s defense also forced two turnovers, including a red zone interception in the game’s final seconds.

It’s a significant win for Mike Elko and Duke as the program looks ahead to 2023. The Blue Devils won just 10 total games over the course of 3 seasons from 2019-21. Elko nearly matched that output in his first season at the helm.