Stanford’s first trip away from home this season went sideways fast, and Duke made sure it stayed that way.
The Cardinal fell 35-7 to the reigning ACC champions on Saturday, dropping to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play while extending a program-high road losing streak to 12 straight games. Duke, now 3-0 and 1-0 in the ACC, leaned on a punishing ground attack that gashed Stanford for 268 rushing yards, the most the Cardinal have allowed since the 2024 28-59 loss to NC State.
It started with a jolt. Duke opened the game with a successful onside kick, a move that immediately put Stanford on its heels.
“I thought that was a big shift of momentum, obviously, for us to not get that opening kick,” head coach Tavita Pritchard said in the postgame conference.
Stanford’s defense did answer in the opening minutes. Duke drove all the way to the Cardinal 2-yard line, but junior cornerback Darrius Davis came away with his first career interception in the back of the end zone. That kept the first quarter scoreless, but it didn’t slow the Blue Devils for long.
Duke broke through in the second quarter with back-to-back scoring drives to take a 14-0 lead, including a 32-yard sideline burst from sophomore running back Nate Sheppard. Stanford finally found some rhythm before halftime, putting together a seven-play, 55-yard drive in under two minutes. The possession ended with a 5-yard touchdown from sixth-year quarterback Davis Warren to senior wide receiver Caden High.
At the break, Stanford had managed to stay within reach despite Duke controlling the game in several key areas. The Blue Devils had the edge in total offense and held the ball for more than five extra minutes, but the Cardinal’s lone penalty helped keep things from slipping even further out of hand.
That window slammed shut almost immediately in the second half.
Duke opened the third quarter with two more rushing touchdowns, and Stanford’s only score of the day was already in the books. From there, the Blue Devils kept hammering away on the ground, with Sheppard driving the attack and sophomore running back CJ Campbell Jr. adding to the pressure.
“There’s two good backs on that side, and they do a great job of breaking tackles,” Pritchard said about Duke’s two-headed monster of Sheppard and sixth-year running back CJ Campbell Jr.
Sheppard finished with more than 150 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, and four of Duke’s five scores came on the ground.
Stanford’s offense never found much traction. Warren completed 18 of 32 passes for 151 yards, a 56% clip, while the Cardinal receivers were charged with seven drops. Junior running back Micah Ford was efficient when given the ball, averaging 6.9 yards per carry and finishing with 76 yards, but Stanford did not lean on him much once the deficit grew.
“We did not play a good game. We missed the mark, and that starts with me,” said Pritchard.
The Cardinal will try to reset next weekend when Georgia Tech visits Stanford Stadium. The Yellow Jackets, now 1-2 and 0-0 in the ACC, are led by national champion and redshirt junior quarterback Alberto Mendoza.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.