Duke got exactly the kind of Saturday Manny Diaz wanted.
There was no drama, no major injuries, and plenty of chances for the deeper parts of the roster to show what they can do as the Blue Devils crushed William & Mary 62-7. The win pushed Duke to 4-0 and closed out the non-ACC portion of the schedule with one final tune-up before the lone bye week of the 2026 season.
More importantly, Duke heads into that break looking like a real ACC contender.
The passing game was the clearest sign of progress. Duke wanted this matchup to help jump-start that part of the offense, and Walker Eget and Dan Mahan delivered.
Together, they went 22-of-29 for 308 yards and five touchdowns. Eget was sharp and steady, finishing 16-of-22 for 182 yards and two scores.
Mahan made an even louder case for himself, hitting on 6-of-7 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns after getting early chances. He opened by throwing touchdowns on his first two attempts.
That kind of showing only adds to the sense that Duke has a real quarterback battle on its hands. Eget has the lead right now, but Mahan made it obvious he belongs in the conversation. If Eget doesn’t keep finding his rhythm against the tougher stretch ahead, the sophomore could end up getting a much bigger look.
Duke also didn’t need much from Nate Sheppard to keep rolling, but he still left his mark. On just nine carries, he ripped off 116 yards and a touchdown.
He added one catch for eight yards, bringing his season totals to 644 rushing yards and six touchdowns through four games. Even in a game where the Blue Devils had no reason to lean on him heavily, Sheppard still looked like the engine of the offense.
And he isn’t carrying the backfield by himself. Freshmen Jayvian Tanelus and CJ Givers both scored and combined for 110 yards, part of a bigger day for Duke’s run game. Along with CJ Campbell, the Blue Devils have enough depth behind Sheppard to take some pressure off their star back.
The wide receiver room gave Duke another reason to feel good. Jonah Burton continued to lead the group with five catches for 63 yards, while Penn transfer Jared Richardson finally made his presence felt in Week 4. The younger receivers made noise too: redshirt freshman Jaivon Solomon scored for the first time, sophomore Jayden Moore got into the end zone, and true freshman Brody Keefe did the same on his first career catch.
That mix of veterans and rising talent gives Duke a lot to work with, and Diaz has to feel good about how the room looked against William & Mary. He brought in three veterans this offseason, and the young players may be making it hard to think about another portal search after the season.
On defense, Duke handled business the way a team should against an overmatched opponent. William & Mary connected on a 63-yard pass in the first quarter, but that was the Tribe’s one real spark.
After that, the Blue Devils shut everything down. In the other 37 plays, William & Mary managed only 101 total yards and got nowhere on the ground or through the air.
Bradley Gompers led the pass rush with two of Duke’s four sacks, and the unit as a whole swarmed all afternoon.
For Duke, it was the ideal way to finish the setup work before the real test begins.
In Other News...
Duke Just Made An ACC Statement At No. 3 Wake Forest
Dukes field hockey team picked up a noteworthy ACC road win at No. 3 Wake Forest, rallying late to come away with a 3-2 overtime victory. The Blue Devils moved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play, a strong early marker in a league where every result tends to carry extra weight.
The comeback made the result feel even bigger, with Duke erasing a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter before eventually cashing in in overtime. Juliette Schulten delivered the finish on a penalty corner, giving Duke a win that should travel well as the ACC schedule gets deeper and the margin for error gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Opens ACC Play With The Response Blue Devils Fans Needed
A five-set win over Wake Forest gave Duke volleyball exactly the kind of reset it wanted to open ACC play, and it came with plenty of signs that the Blue Devils were finding their footing again. Ashby Zubchevich paced the offense with 19 kills, while multiple Duke players delivered double-doubles in a match that had the kind of back-and-forth feel conference play often brings.
Breonna Goss also made her presence felt at the net, helping Duke put together a defensive effort that matched the moment. The Blue Devils finished with a season-high 16 blocks, a strong response after a three-match skid against Wake Forest and a result that should give them some much-needed confidence heading deeper into the league schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Duke's ACC Push Just Got A Lift From An Unexpected Place
Duke went into its bye week with plenty to feel good about after a 62-7 win over William & Mary pushed the Blue Devils to 4-0. The offense made a point of leaning on the passing game, and the game also offered a look at the depth that can matter over the long haul, with several younger players contributing on both sides of the ball.
The larger picture is still what makes this stretch matter for Duke. The Blue Devils remain in the mix in the ACC championship race, but the defense is still searching for a cleaner performance after giving up a few explosive plays, a reminder that the margin will shrink once league play tightens up and the competition gets sharper. [Read more 🡒]