Duke gets its first real test of the Manny Diaz era Saturday afternoon, and the opener comes with a familiar edge. Tulane beat the Blue Devils 34-27 in New Orleans in 2025, so Duke walks into Year 3 under Diaz with a shot at payback at Wallace Wade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm ET on ACC Network.
The biggest variable in the game may be under center, where both teams are breaking in new starters. Duke has already settled on San Jose State transfer Walker Eget after a fall camp battle with redshirt freshman Dan Mahan.
The choice was expected, but now Eget has to show he can translate what he did in the Mountain West to the Power Conference. Over two seasons as San Jose State’s starter, he threw for more than 5,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, but he also had 19 interceptions.
With so many new faces around him in the passing game, how quickly he settles in should tell the story early.
Tulane is going with redshirt senior Zeon Chriss-Gremillion, who arrived from Houston after the 2025 season. His passing sample last year was tiny - 108 yards, one touchdown, one interception on 21 attempts across four games - but his legs are where he can change a game.
He rushed for 492 yards in 2023 at Louisiana and added 388 more in 11 games in 2024 with the Cougars. Duke’s answer won’t be running its quarterback nearly as much, so the Blue Devils will need to keep Chriss-Gremillion from escaping the pocket and creating problems on the move.
Tulane’s backfield took a hit Friday when lead returning running back Jamauri McClure was ruled out with a foot injury. McClure ran for 540 yards last season at 6.5 yards per carry.
That shifts more of the load to Maurice Turner, along with transfers Johnnie Daniels from Mississippi State and Jaylin Lucas from Florida State. Turner had 127 yards on 28 carries a year ago, while Daniels posted 44 rushing yards and Lucas finished with 160.
Up front, Duke’s revamped defensive line is another group worth watching. The Blue Devils will lean on Bryce Davis, Tyshon Reed, Preston Watson and David Anderson, with transfers Owen Wafle from Penn State and Dakota Quinonez from Dartmouth adding depth. Duke also had to replace both 2025 starting tackles, Brian Parker II and Bruno Fina, and brought in Nick Del Grande from Coastal Carolina and Braden Miller from California to fill those spots.
Tulane’s front brings real resistance. In 2025, the Green Wave led the American Conference with 36 sacks and allowed just 122.6 rushing yards per game, the second-fewest in the league. They also return two of their three leading linebacker tacklers, Chris Rodgers and Makai Williams.
That puts the spotlight on Duke’s run game, which may need to set the tone early. Nate Sheppard, CJ Campbell and possibly 3-star freshman Jayvian Tanelus could all factor in, but the Blue Devils’ offensive line has to get rolling first. If that group finds its footing quickly, Duke has a much better chance of getting the offense into a rhythm.
In Other News...
Kyrie Irving Just Put More Heat On A Huge Cooper Flagg Debate
Kyrie Irvings return to the floor is already shaping the conversation around Dallas next chapter, and it is doing so before he even plays a meaningful game for the Mavericks again. After missing last season because of injury, Irving is expected to open the upcoming year back in the lineup, with new coach Dusty May praising both his work ethic and his talent after offseason workouts. For Duke fans following Cooper Flaggs transition into the NBA, the setup matters because Dallas is clearly trying to build its early-season identity around star power.
The larger question is how long that picture stays intact. Dallas plans to begin the season with Irving and Flagg together, but Irvings name has also come up in trade chatter around the league, which adds another layer to a decision the Mavericks appear ready to make. For now, the team seems committed to seeing what the pairing looks like, and that keeps the Cooper Flagg debate very much alive as camp approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Opened With A Win But One Problem Stood Out
A long weather delay made the opener feel even more like a season reset, but Duke handled the night well enough to leave with a 17-3 win over Tulane and a few encouraging signs on both sides of the ball. Nate Sheppard set the tone on the ground, the defense kept Tulane from finding much rhythm, and the Blue Devils looked comfortable leaning on multiple tight ends while getting steady help from punter Kate Reynoldson in the special-teams game.
Still, the kind of opener that reveals a teams identity also tends to expose the loose ends. Even with Duke in control for much of the game, the passing attack never fully matched the rest of the operation, and that stood out in a way the final score couldnt quite hide. For a team that wanted to start clean and leave with answers, the next step may be figuring out how to make the downfield game fit the rest of what looked so solid. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Opening Win Brought One Early Offensive Concern Into Focus
The Duke Blue Devils opened the season with a 17-3 win over Tulane, and the result came with the kind of early-season balance coaches usually welcome. The defense set a hard tone, with Bryce Davis finishing with two sacks and three tackles for loss, while the ground game gave Duke a reliable way to control the night and keep the Green Wave from settling in.
Even so, the opener also put one offensive issue in plain view. The passing game never really found its rhythm, and Duke will spend the next stretch trying to make sure the offense is not too dependent on one side of the ledger. The Blue Devils have the win they wanted, but they also have a clear area to clean up before the schedule gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]