Stanford is heading into its ACC opener against Duke with a familiar kind of confidence in its run defense, and that confidence may have done Nate Sheppard another favor.
Cardinal cornerback Brandon Nicholson gave the Blue Devils’ star running back a fresh bit of bulletin-board material this week when he said, “Nobody's going to run against our defense,” via Duke Wire.
That kind of comment has already worked out badly for Duke opponents once this season. Before the opener against Tulane, Green Wave linebacker Dickson Agu offered his own challenge to Sheppard, saying, “If we can stop 20, stop him from going for 200 yards, we'll win the game. I think everyone just do their job and we'll win,” Agu said.
Sheppard answered with a career-best 227 yards in Duke’s 17-3 win, and afterward he made it clear the remark had landed the way you’d expect.
“I think our O-line, our offense kind of took that personal a little bit,” Sheppard said. “It was disrespectful not only to those guys, our wide receivers, our quarterback, our tight end Jerry Hasley, who I think is one of the best in the country,” Sheppard said. “They didn’t mention any of them.
“And then it’s disrespectful to think they can stop me. … So, we kind of took that and ran with it."
The preseason had already given Sheppard plenty of reasons to play with a chip on his shoulder. He was left off several preseason All-American and All-ACC teams, and he was also excluded from the Doak Walker preseason watchlist despite putting up 1100 yards as a freshman. More than 60 running backs were named to that list, but Sheppard wasn’t one of them.
If Stanford was hoping to take a different approach, the early numbers suggest the Cardinal still have work to do. They were blown out 45-6 by Miami in their last game, and while Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah carved them up through the air, Stanford did hold Miami to 121 rushing yards. Mark Fletcher managed only 40 yards on 13 carries.
Still, Sheppard is not the kind of back you can erase just by deciding to crowd the box and hope for the best. Tulane tried it.
Illinois tried it. Neither worked.
After shredding the Green Wave, Sheppard went out and posted 147 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in last week’s four-point road upset over the Illini.
That’s the reality Duke keeps forcing defenses to confront: Sheppard is the center of every game plan, and it usually doesn’t matter.
Even if Stanford manages to slow him down - and that would be a huge if - Duke should still have room to move the ball. The Cardinal have struggled against the pass in both games, and Walker Eget has already done damage against them in two previous meetings during his time at San Jose State.
For now, though, the matchup circles back to the same place it always seems to land with Duke: Sheppard, a challenge from the other side, and a chance for the back to cash in on a little extra motivation.
In Other News...
Stanford Just Gave Duke Extra Edge In A Crucial ACC Opener
Duke heads into its first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season at 2-0, and the Blue Devils have already put enough on film to get opponents talking. Stanford defensive back Brandon Nicholson singled out Dukes ground game, a public acknowledgement of how much the Blue Devils have leaned on a physical offense early, with running back Nate Sheppard and quarterback Walker Eget helping set the tone.
For Duke, that kind of attention can be useful as much as it is revealing. The Blue Devils have shown early-season balance and burst, but this opener will be a first real test of whether that run-first identity travels in league play, especially against a Stanford defense determined to answer the challenge up front. [Read more 🡒]
Duke May Get An Offensive Boost Right As ACC Play Begins
Duke heads into its ACC opener against Stanford with a pretty clean bill of health and a strong enough start to feel good about where things stand. The Blue Devils have avoided the kind of early-season injury pileup that can scramble a September plan, even if a few pieces, including Robinson, still have not appeared on the field yet.
The bigger development for Dukes offense may come from the receiver room, where Nicholas is expected to make his debut after sitting out the first two games. The Charlotte transfer has been part of the conversation since before the season began, and his availability now gives Duke a chance to add another layer just as league play starts to demand more from every part of the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Duke's ACC Opener Will Test What This Team Really Is
Dukes ACC opener arrives with a chance to show whether the early signs from this team can hold up once conference play begins. After a road win over Illinois, the Blue Devils return home with a defense that has been sturdy and a running game powered by Nate Sheppard, giving them a foundation that has looked reliable through the opening stretch.
Stanford brings a different kind of challenge, especially up front, where its defensive line has been built to make life difficult on the ground. For Duke, that turns this into a useful measuring stick for how much its offense can lean on the run when the opposition is built to take it away, and it may reveal plenty about what kind of team Manny Diaz has in hand. [Read more 🡒]