Walker Eget spent a week answering questions, and he answered them the right way in Duke’s 31-27 road win over Illinois.
After a shaky debut in the season opener against Tulane, the San Jose State transfer looked far more settled in his first road start for the Blue Devils. Duke still leaned on Nate Sheppard and the ground game, but Eget gave Manny Diaz the kind of support the offense needed against a good Illinois team.
He finished 15-of-21 for 206 yards and three touchdowns, and Duke’s offense did just enough to keep pace before pulling away to the 31-point mark. That mattered because 17 points was never going to be enough in this matchup.
Illinois struck first with a touchdown drive to go up 7-0, but Duke answered immediately. After Sheppard ripped off a 30-yard run, Eget found Jonah Burton for his first Duke touchdown pass to tie the game.
JONAH. BURTON. TOUCHDOWN. pic.twitter.com/lbtWnzXoEy
- Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 12, 2026
The Blue Devils’ defense had its own say in the outcome, too. After a rough opening stretch, it settled down and gave up only three second-half points. Between that and a more efficient offense, Duke finally looked like the balanced team Diaz has been searching for.
Eget also had to work through a scare late in the game. In the fourth quarter, he was helped off the field while favoring his surgically repaired knee, but he later returned and helped Duke close things out.
That’s the version of Eget Duke can live with. He doesn’t need to be the whole show with this defense and a running back like Sheppard carrying the load. He just needs to be steady, and against Illinois, that’s exactly what he was.
It was a big step forward from Tulane, where Eget never looked comfortable. But that was his first start for Duke, and he was still working his way back from a major injury. Diaz stuck with him, even if plenty of people were ready to move on after one game.
Against Illinois, that patience paid off. Eget looked like a different quarterback, and Duke looked like a different team.
The Blue Devils are 2-0 now, with wins over two teams they lost to a year ago. That’s hard to argue with.
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Dukes 31-27 road win at Illinois gave the Blue Devils a valuable early-season rsum piece, and it came with a lot to like on both sides of the ball. Walker Eget managed the offense well, Jonah Burton provided the top receiving spark, and Evan Smith delivered the kind of defensive play that can swing a game away from home.
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Nate Sheppard has been the centerpiece of that response, giving Duke a much-needed spark as both a runner and a receiver while the Blue Devils leaned on him to steady the offense. Both teams also made their share of fourth-down gambles, underscoring how little separation there has been, and Duke heads into the second half still with a chance to turn an uneven opening 30 minutes into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]