In the end, Duke's matchup against Miami revealed a known truth: the Hurricanes have superior football players because they can spend a whole lot more money than the Blue Devils can to acquire talent.
That's why Darian Mensah is Miami's quarterback this year and not Duke's. And the difference in QB play between the two programs was staggering. A chasm, even.
To that end, credit Duke for its fight. It stayed in the game, dragging the result out in the fourth quarter before Miami could finally deliver the final blows to earn a comfortable win. That's the program Manny Diaz has built in Durham.
Let's examine the biggest winners and losers for Duke following a hard fought 36-25 defeat:
Winners:
Nate Sheppard
All the talk was about Mensah and Miami, but the best player on the football field on Saturday afternoon in Miami Gardens was the same guy who has been the best player in every single Duke game this season, regardless of the opponent:
Nate Sheppard.
The sophomore RB stated a loud Heisman Trophy case that will likely continue to get ignored. He turned 28 touches into 224 total yards. He ran for 131 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns and added 12 receptions for 93 yards.
He put Duke on his back all day long, just as he's done all season. He has put together one of the best years in the history of the program and is already an all-time great after just two years.
Jeremiah Hasley
Hasley is another guy who has had a strong season, and he fought his tail off against Miami.
He blocked hard to help open up running lanes for Sheppard, and then he made an impact as a receiver with six receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Andrew Pellicciotta
No, he didn't have a 109-yard kick-six this week - that would have been helpful! - but Pellicciotta continued his upward trend after missing a couple of weeks with an injury.
He was healthy and flew around for Duke's defense, finishing with 10 tackles.
Duke's defense did what it could to hang in there against a potent Miami offense, but the dam eventually broke.
Losers:
Walker Eget
Duke needed more from Eget and the passing offense to have a chance at pulling the upset over an elite Miami team. Unfortunately, Eget couldn't deliver and managed just 4.64 yards per attempt on 42 passes.
He had just 35 air yards on his 195 passing yards, with the bulk majority coming from runs after catch.
Outside of checking the ball down to Nate Sheppard, Eget had few answers against a stout Miami defense.
Jared Richardson
Penn transfer Jared Richardson was expected to be Duke's leading receiver this year. It's been a struggle instead.
He caught just one pass for -1 yards against Miami on Saturday. Duke's receivers just haven't been difference-makers for the Blue Devils this year. It's hard to have a successful passing offense when your No. 1 receiving option is your RB.
Duke's pass rush
Duke's defense has gotten after quarterbacks all year, but failed to get much pressure on Mensah. They never really made him uncomfortable.
Duke finished with zero sacks and produced a havoc rate of just 8%, which ranks in the 11th percentile in college football this season.
Miami had a smart gameplan to get the ball out quickly, but even when he held the ball for longer, Duke couldn't knock him off his spots, and he ultimately picked the Blue Devils apart.
Add us as a preferred source on Google