Manny Diaz is getting exactly the kind of November he probably imagined when he took over at Duke: a team peaking, a defense squeezing the life out of opponents, and an offense that suddenly looks dangerous in every phase.
That was the story again Saturday in Raleigh, where Duke rolled past NC State 41-3 and stretched its last two ACC outings to an absurd 88-5 margin. The Blue Devils haven’t allowed a touchdown in two weeks, and with the way they’re playing, they’ll head to Coral Gables next week with more than a shot at pulling off an upset.
The biggest reason Duke keeps flattening people is Nate Sheppard, who keeps making the Heisman conversation look sillier by the week. Against NC State, he ripped off 217 rushing yards on 18 carries and scored three touchdowns. His first touch went 69 yards to the end zone, and he never slowed down after that.
He now leads the nation in scrimmage yards and has piled up 1189 yards and 17 touchdowns as a runner this season. At this point, the only real question is how long it takes for everyone else to catch up.
Walker Eget also did his part in keeping the offense on schedule and on balance. Duke’s passing game has taken a clear step forward, and Jonathan Brewer has shown more trust in letting Eget push the ball down the field. The Blue Devils opened the game with three straight passing plays, and that set up the 69-yard touchdown that helped ignite the rout.
Eget finished 22-of-31 for 208 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t need to be flashy; he just needed to be steady, protect the ball, and let the rest of the roster do the heavy lifting. With an elite back and a defense this suffocating, that’s exactly the formula Duke wants.
Then there was Andrew Pellicciotta, who produced the kind of moment that can define a game all by itself. Back after missing two games with an injury, the sophomore safety delivered the wildest play of the afternoon: a 109-yard kick-six.
It came late in the first half with Duke up 24-3. NC State lined up for a 50-yard field goal try, hoping to steal a little momentum before the break.
The kick looked good enough to fool the play-by-play call, but it fell short, and Pellicciotta caught it near the back of the end zone before turning the whole thing into a highlight reel. He made multiple defenders miss, reversed field twice, and took it all the way back for a touchdown.
Duke’s defensive line deserves its own spotlight, too. The pass rush only produced two sacks, but the bigger damage came on the ground.
NC State managed just 32 rushing yards on 25 carries, which forced everything onto CJ Bailey and the passing game. That didn’t work out much better, because Duke’s secondary kept the Wolfpack receivers under wraps as well.
If there was a loser in all this, it was the national media’s preseason read on Duke after Darian Mensah left Durham for Coral Gables. The Blue Devils were picked by some to land in the middle of the ACC pack or worse, and a few projections didn’t even have them reaching bowl eligibility.
That looks pretty off now. Duke is 7-2, should be in the AP Top 25 this week, and should move into the CFP rankings on Tuesday.
The final stretch is loaded: at Miami, vs. Clemson, at Wake Forest.
Win one, and 8-4 becomes a very strong finish. Win two, and it starts looking like one of the best regular seasons in program history.
Win all three, and Duke is headed to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game with a College Football Playoff bid on the line.
In Other News...
Duke Just Turned One Rival Rout Into A Massive Miami Test
Dukes lopsided win over NC State did more than pad the record, it reinforced just how complete this team can look when the defense sets the tone and the run game takes over. Nate Sheppard was the centerpiece of that performance, piling up 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a statement outing that put him squarely in the conversation for bigger individual honors while giving the Blue Devils another weapon to lean on as the schedule tightens.
Now the challenge gets sharper with Miami coming next, and that matchup will say plenty about whether Dukes recent surge is built to travel against a higher-end opponent. The Blue Devils have shown enough on both sides of the ball to make the ACC race interesting, but this is the kind of test that can clarify whether they are merely rolling through a good stretch or truly positioning themselves for a run at the championship picture. [Read more 🡒]
Nate Sheppard Is Turning Dukes Miami Test Into Something Bigger
Dukes 41-3 win over NC State did more than pad the record. It pushed the Blue Devils to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in ACC play, and it came with one of the most complete performances they have put together this season. Nate Sheppard was at the center of it, leading the way with 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns while the defense kept NC State off the board in the end zone and held the Wolfpack to 217 total yards.
For a Duke team trying to keep building momentum, the timing matters as much as the margin. The Blue Devils have found a rhythm on both sides of the ball, and Sheppards breakout night gave the offense a clear identity while the defense backed it up with a suffocating effort. The bigger question now is how much of this can carry over as the schedule tightens and the stakes keep rising. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Sends Encouraging Early Message On Duke Freshman Joaquim Boumtje
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is already drawing attention in Durham, and not just because he arrived at Duke as the youngest player in program history. The 17-year-old freshman has flashed real promise early in the season, even if the adjustment has come with the usual bumps, including a modest outing against Coastal Carolina. For a team that is always under a microscope, his early minutes have become one of the more interesting development stories on the roster.
Jon Scheyer has been encouraged by what he has seen so far, pointing to Boumtje Boumtjes coachability and the progress he has made in a short time. The Duke coach said the freshman is ahead of schedule in his development and already providing impactful minutes, which matters for a player still learning the pace and physical demands of college basketball. The next step is the one every young player faces: turning that early promise into consistency as the season keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]