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The Duke Blue Devils might have lost coach Mike Elko after he accepted an offer to join Texas A&M. Still, interim coach Trooper Taylor was successful in leading the team to a postseason bowl victory to close out 2023. The Blue Devils locked horns with the 2023 Sun Belt Conference champions, the Troy Trojans, in the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday.
But apart from the team winning the bowl game 17-10, the trophy itself is also going viral on social media because of its design. Fans could not help but notice the hilarious bareback of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge. The Vulcan statue is a famous landmark in Birmingham, Alabama, and serves as a city symbol. It is largest cast iron statue in the world.
He sits on top of the Birmingham Bowl trophy as well. But if you look at it from the rear, then you can catch a glimpse of Vulcan's bare butt sticking out of his blacksmith's apron.
One fan commented:
"Double cheeked up."
Here are a few more reactions to the Birmingham Bowl trophy that the Blue Devils secured by defeating Troy:
Details of the Duke vs. Troy Birmingham Bowl game
Trooper Taylor ensured that Duke performed to the best of its capabilities in the bowl game, even in the absence of Elko, who joined the Aggies on Monday. Taylor did the job as the Blue Devils won the game without much hassle. They secured an early lead in the first half thanks to a touchdown by Jaylen Coleman and two field goals by Todd Pelino to make the score 14-0.
But Scott Taylor Renfroe put Troy on the scoreboard after a field goal in the fourth quarter. Duke replied with another field goal by Pelino, which was countered by a Derrick Graham touchdown. But in the end, it proved futile as the final score read 17-10 in favor of the Bule Devils.
The Duke Blue Devils broke Troy's 10-game winning streak with this win. They finished the 2023 season with an 8-5 overall record, marking their first back-to-back eight-plus win seasons since 2014-15. With Manny Diaz taking over the reign as head coach next year, it will be interesting to see what the Blue Devils can pull off in 2024.
