Duke is back home this week looking to keep its momentum going after a needed rebound win over Virginia.
The Blue Devils snapped a two-game skid with a road victory over the Cavaliers last weekend. It wasn’t clean, but it got the job done, and now Duke gets a chance to build on it in front of its own crowd against Boston College.
Both teams come in at 5-2 and 2-2 in ACC play, which gives this matchup a little extra weight for Duke. The Blue Devils can’t afford another slip that leaves a blemish on the résumé, and they’ll need to treat Boston College like the threat it can be. The Eagles arrive after a blowout win over Georgia Tech, so this isn’t a warm-up game by any stretch.
Even so, Duke is viewed as the favorite. The ESPN matchup predictor gives the Blue Devils a 77.6 percent chance to beat Boston College this weekend.
If Duke is going to make that number hold, Nate Sheppard figures to be right at the center of it. Against Virginia, he ran for 55 yards and a touchdown, and the Blue Devils have leaned on him all year.
He’s been the engine of the offense, and Duke needs him to get back to the level he showed early in the season. Through seven games, Sheppard has rushed for 875 yards and nine touchdowns.
Kickoff is set for 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.
In Other News...
Dukes Overachieving Start Is Being Driven By An Unexpected Group
Dukes strong start has not just been about a few returning faces settling into bigger roles. A surprising core of transfer additions has helped shape the Blue Devils identity on both sides of the ball, with wideout Jonah Burton emerging as the teams leading receiver after stops at Baylor and Idaho State. He has given the passing game a reliable target, while Rutgers transfer CJ Campbell has added balance as a complementary back.
The impact has been just as noticeable in the secondary, where cornerbacks Kyon Loud and Dylan Flowers have become key pieces after arriving from Montana and Western Kentucky. Their presence has helped stabilize a defense that looks more comfortable and more competitive than it did a year ago. For Duke, the story of this fast start keeps circling back to a group that did not arrive together, but has quickly become central to what the team is building. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Allen Fieldhouse Win Made Two Early Difference-Makers Hard To Ignore
The most encouraging part of Dukes early preseason run is not just that it handled Belmont and Tennessee before outlasting Kansas in the toughest test yet, but that the Blue Devils are already getting meaningful production from a couple of players who were not expected to carry the entire load. Junior center Patrick Ngongba looked far more imposing inside, finishing with 28 points and 10 rebounds while showing the kind of physicality and passing that can make him more than just a paint presence. Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell also made his mark, scoring 23 points with a style that fit the moment because he did not try to force much of anything.
Against Kansas, that balance mattered. Duke also cleaned up one area that had the potential to tilt a close game the other way, shooting 81.8% from the line in a victory that turned into a useful early measuring stick. The longer this preseason stretch goes on, the more these two stand out as players who can change the look of the rotation, which makes the next test worth watching closely for a team still sorting out how its pieces fit. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Just Got Two Weekend Wins Fans Should Feel Good About
Duke picked up a pair of morale-boosting weekend wins, and both came in ways that should leave the fan base feeling encouraged about where things are headed. On the football side, the Blue Devils survived a close one against Virginia by leaning on a late trick play, with Walker Eget finding Nate Sheppard on a double pass before Sheppard hit Brody Keefe for a touchdown that swung the game.
Patrick Smith-Young then finished it off with an interception on Virginias final possession, giving Duke a hard-earned finish in a game that could have gone either way. On the hardwood, the Blue Devils kept the momentum rolling by going on the road and beating Kansas 90-84 in an exhibition, with Patrick Ngongba and John Blackwell leading the way as preseason play wrapped up and the regular season drew near. [Read more 🡒]