Duke’s two-game slide has knocked the Blue Devils off their perch near the top of the ACC conversation, but the last two losses also revealed something encouraging: this team is still fighting until the final whistle.
Not long ago, Duke was sitting at 4-0 and standing as one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s three unbeaten teams. The Blue Devils had put themselves in the mix as a possible dark-horse contender for the second spot in the ACC Championship game, and there was a believable argument that they belonged in the AP Top 25. Two defeats later, the mood around the program looks very different.
The losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina came by a combined seven points, and both had the same frustrating finish. Duke was in position to win each game in the final minute, but couldn’t close the deal on either last drive.
The Georgia Tech game ended with the Yellow Jackets going ahead with less than a minute remaining, only for Duke to push the ball down the field and set up a 33-yard attempt to tie it and force overtime. Freshman kicker Gavin Strange missed the kick.
A week later against North Carolina, the Blue Devils were staring at a 17-0 hole early in the second quarter. Then they flipped the script, ripping off 20 unanswered points to take the lead. The Tar Heels answered with less than two minutes left, and Duke’s final possession never really came together, but the Blue Devils still had a chance to steal the game back.
That ability to respond to adversity is the biggest bright spot from the skid. Against Georgia Tech, Duke battled back from an 11-point second-half deficit and nearly pushed the game into overtime.
Against North Carolina, it dug out of a 17-point deficit and briefly went in front. The results didn’t change, but the way Duke stayed in both games did.
Afterward, Diaz pointed to that effort while also making clear there’s still work to do before this team can finish those moments the right way.
"We've got great fight, we've got great spirit, again to be able to rip off the 20-0 run over the middle part of the game was terrific," Diaz said. "But we've got to prepare ourselves, we're not where we need to be yet to be able to finish in these games...It can look suddenly different quickly, because I think there's enough in that locker room that's worth fighting for."
Now Duke heads to Charlottesville for a Friday night matchup with Virginia, a road game the Blue Devils badly need as they try to reset and find some traction again. The talent is there.
The evidence from this season is there too. What remains is turning those flashes into a finish.
In Other News...
Duke Suddenly Has A Nate Sheppard Concern It Can't Ignore
Duke got a heavy dose of Nate Sheppard in the loss to North Carolina, and it came with a reminder that the Blue Devils may have more to monitor than just the final score. Even while not fully healthy, Sheppard was still a major factor, finishing with 77 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards and a touchdown as Duke slipped to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in ACC play.
The bigger concern is what that workload means going forward, especially with Virginia next on the schedule. Sheppards impact was obvious enough to draw praise from North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick, who called him the best running back in college football after the game, but Duke now has to balance how much it can lean on him against how well he can hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Let The Victory Bell Slip Away In Brutal Fashion
Duke turned a rivalry game that looked to be slipping away into a real live-wire finish, clawing back from a 17-point hole and finally seizing the lead late against North Carolina. Nate Sheppard was at the center of it, giving the Blue Devils a lift with 77 rushing yards and 98 receiving yards, capped by a late touchdown catch that put Duke in front and sent the sideline into celebration.
The defense had enough chances to make that lead stand, but the final minutes belonged to North Carolina, which answered with the winning touchdown under two minutes remaining in a 24-20 escape. For Duke, the frustration is not just the loss itself but how close it came after such a hard-earned rally, with a chance to own the Victory Bell slipping away in the harshest possible fashion. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Young Blue Devils Face A Huge Early Test Vs Tennessee
The young Blue Devils are getting a revealing early look at themselves before the games start to count, with an exhibition against Tennessee at Cameron Indoor Stadium set to be one of the biggest pieces of Dukes 2026-27 preseason. For a roster leaning on youth, the matchup offers an immediate measuring stick, and the recent scrimmage against Belmont gave an early glimpse of the freshmen and redshirt freshman who could shape the tone of the season.
Among the names worth watching are Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Deron Rippey Jr. and Wilkins, who are all expected to have notable roles in the game and beyond. Tennessee brings the kind of top-10 challenge that can expose inexperience fast, so this meeting should tell Duke plenty about how ready those younger pieces are to handle a higher level of pressure before the schedule turns real. [Read more 🡒]