Walker Eget didn’t just bounce back for Duke in Week 2 - he changed the conversation.
After a shaky opener against Tulane, the Blue Devils’ sixth-year quarterback answered in a big way on the road at Illinois, helping Duke pull out a 31-27 win in Champaign last weekend. For a program that spent the offseason dealing with departures and questions, it was the kind of early result that makes people look twice at Manny Diaz’s group.
Eget was under the microscope heading into the game. The San Jose State transfer had beaten out redshirt freshman Dan Mahan for the starting job in fall camp, but his first outing left plenty to be desired.
Against Tulane, he went 13-of-26 for 131 yards, and the offense never really found a clean rhythm. He missed some chances for bigger plays, looked rusty, and didn’t give Duke much consistency through the air.
That made Week 2 feel like a real test. Eget had offseason surgery and missed the entire spring, so the adjustment period was always going to take time. Still, there was pressure for him to show clear progress against Illinois, especially in a true road setting after such an uneven debut.
He delivered.
Eget completed 15 of 21 passes for 206 yards, threw three touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over. More importantly, he kept the offense on schedule and gave Duke the steadiness it needed to win a tough game away from home.
Blue Devils offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer pointed to both the buildup and the execution when explaining the turnaround.
"Fall camp was a little bit tricky, you know, having to build his reps slowly as fall camp went because he wasn't cleared all the way," Brewer said. "I think what you're seeing is a guy, the first week of the season, where he went with the ball to the right spots, execution wasn't great, but he did go to the right spots. Whereas in the game, Week 2, our execution was at a high level."
That’s the heart of it. Eget wasn’t just better because the stat line improved. He looked settled, and Duke looked like an offense that could actually build something around him.
For a quarterback who had plenty to prove after Week 1, the response was sharp and decisive. He handled the spotlight, survived the road pressure, and gave Duke a much-needed statement win.
Now the challenge shifts again. Duke has raised expectations for the 2026 campaign after the offense’s showing against Illinois, and league play starts this weekend against Stanford. The Blue Devils will have to keep their footing at home and avoid letting the moment get too big.
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