Duke spent Saturday in full control and left Wallace Wade with a 62-7 win over William & Mary, a result that sends the Blue Devils into their bye week at 4-0.
The bigger story wasn’t just the score. Duke used the matchup to open up the passing game, giving both of its top quarterbacks a real workload after weeks of leaning heavily on Nate Sheppard. Walker Eget finished 16-of-22 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while Dan Mahan was even sharper on a per-attempt basis, going 6-of-7 for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
That kind of production matters for Duke’s ceiling. Eget looks like the present, showing off clear arm talent, while Mahan looks like the future and should have Blue Devils fans excited about 2026, assuming Sheppard stays put. On a day when the offense clearly wanted answers beyond the run game, Duke got them.
The game also offered another reminder of what still needs cleaning up on defense. Duke gave up explosive plays again, including a 63-yard catch-and-run to William & Mary freshman wide receiver Khylil Johnson and a one-handed downfield grab later in the first half.
That has been a recurring issue, and it’s one the Blue Devils can’t afford to keep brushing aside, especially with more explosive offenses waiting later on the schedule. They’ve survived it in recent weeks, and it nearly burned them against Illinois.
The timing of the bye week may be working in Duke’s favor in another way, too. With Cal losing to Clemson and Louisville falling to Wake Forest, the Blue Devils are right back in the mix for the ACC Championship picture with Miami, SMU, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and Virginia among the teams still in the conversation. The conference, outside of Miami, looks wide open, and Duke is very much part of that mess.
That puts some real intrigue around what comes next. After the break, Duke has a shot to be 6-0 when it travels to Charlottesville late next month, and by then the program could be sitting comfortably inside the AP Top 25.
There was plenty to like about the young talent on display as well. Mahan was one of several underclassmen who made a mark, but he wasn’t alone. Redshirt freshmen receivers Kavon Simmons and Jaivon Solomon each caught a touchdown, true freshman Brody Keefe added a one-handed scoring grab from Mahan, and rookie running back CJ Givers broke loose for his first career touchdown on a 28-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
On defense, former 4-star linebacker Bradley Gompers led Duke with four solo tackles and two sacks. Safety Andrew Pellicciotta added a pass breakup and flashed on punt returns, giving another look at the kind of depth Manny Diaz has built through the 2025 recruiting class. Several of those newcomers already look like they belong, and Saturday was another glimpse of how much of Duke’s future is already on the field.
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 Got Exactly What It Needed Before ACC Play Intensifies
Duke spent Saturday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium getting the kind of clean, confidence-building win a coach wants before ACC play tightens up. The Blue Devils rolled past William & Mary 62-7 to move to 4-0 under Manny Diaz, with starting quarterback Walker Eget helping set the tone and the offense finding plenty of rhythm while the game remained in hand.
The deeper takeaway came from the way Duke finished. Redshirt freshman Dan Mahan handled extended work and turned it into a productive showing, while the defense locked in after halftime and never let the Tribe find a foothold. The Blue Devils head into their Oct. 10 matchup with Georgia Tech carrying both momentum and a reminder that the competition is about to look a lot different. [Read more 🡒]