Duke left Illinois with more than a 31-27 road upset on Saturday. It also left with the kind of social media jab that makes a win feel just a little sweeter.
After beating the Illini on their home field, Duke’s official football account posted a clip of the highlights displayed on Illinois’ new videoboard, along with the line: “The videoboard looks better showing Duke highlights 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/PzvfcZpnr2”
That came after Illinois had unveiled the scoreboard in its season-opener against UAB a week earlier, billing it as the largest in college football. Fans got a fresh look at it on Saturday, but Duke made sure the best visuals belonged to the visitors.
The post landed because the Blue Devils earned the right to make noise. This was not just a road win. It was a win over a team that beat Duke a season ago, and it pushed the Blue Devils to 2-0 with both victories coming against opponents they had lost to last year.
Manny Diaz pointed to that after the game, saying, "The fact that we've already beaten two programs who last year's team couldn't beat, I think that means a lot to the guys in the locker room, even the guys who were on that team," Diaz said. "What it shows them is the program is still developing, still elevating."
Duke opened the season with little outside buzz, and even after the 2-0 start, it still isn’t drawing much national attention. Diaz may like it that way. The lack of hype gives him plenty to work with inside the locker room, where the message can stay simple: nobody believes in this team.
That was the mood around Duke in the offseason, when plenty of people wrote this group off after last year’s squad won the program’s first outright ACC Championship since 1962. Two weeks in, though, the Blue Devils have a case to make. Maybe Walker Eget isn’t what Darian Mensah was, but the ground game has been better, the defense has been better, and the team has played with more edge.
For now, Duke is doing plenty of winning on the field. The social media account is handling the rest.
In Other News...
Walker Eget Can Answer Dukes Biggest Early Season Question
Dukes 2026 start has been encouraging enough to make the next question feel a little bigger: whether Walker Eget has settled in as the answer at quarterback. The transfer from San Jose State bounced back from a rough Week 1 debut against Tulane by delivering a strong showing in the win at Illinois, giving the Blue Devils a second straight victory and some real momentum heading into their next test.
Stanford comes in with a defense that has struggled this season, which gives Duke a chance to keep the streak rolling and keep building around Egets early comfort in the offense. He has already shown he can handle this opponent well, and for a team that is still sorting out its identity in September, that kind of history matters even before the next snap is taken. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Pate Just Gave Auburn Fans A New Rankings Argument
College football rankings debates always get loud in September, and Josh Pate just added another one by calling out the Associated Press poll for leaving three unbeaten teams on the outside looking in. Mississippi State, Duke and Auburn all entered the week at 2-0, yet none made the Week 3 AP poll, a snub that stood out even in a crowded early-season slate.
For Duke, the case starts with a steady opening stretch that has included a win over Tulane and a road victory at Illinois, the kind of resume that usually earns at least a little attention from voters this time of year. Auburn fans will surely latch onto the same argument, but the bigger point for the Blue Devils is simple: after two wins, they are still waiting for the pollsters to notice. [Read more 🡒]
Duke's 2027 Recruiting Push Is Starting To Raise One Big Question
Jon Scheyer and his staff are already laying serious groundwork for Dukes future, extending offers and lining up official visits with targets in the 2027 and 2028 classes. The Blue Devils have also been active on the road, recently checking in on 2027 center Lewis Uvwo and 2029 prospect Draydne McDaniel as the program keeps building out the next wave of possibilities.
The early push has naturally created a familiar question around Durham: which of these elite targets will actually move from interest to a visit, and which ones will stay on the wish list for now? Duke still has plenty of time to sort through that, but the board is already taking shape, with 5-star wing AJ Williams among the national names keeping the Blue Devils in the mix. [Read more 🡒]