5 critical observations from Duke's blowout win over William & Mary

Saturday's matchup against William & Mary went exactly as Manny Diaz hoped. There was no anxiety, no major injuries, and a lot of players down the depth chart got an opportunity to play and impress.

Duke rolled over William & Mary 62-7 to improve to 4-0 on the season. It was the final tune-up game for the Blue Devils with nothing but ACC opponents left on the regular-season schedule.

Duke now goes into their lone bye week of the 2026 season looking like a legitimate contender in the ACC race.

1. Duke has two talented quarterbacks capable of leading this team

We talked about it a lot leading into this game: Duke was going to use this matchup as an opportunity to try to get its passing offense going. Mission accomplished. Walker Eget and Dan Mahan combined to complete 22-of-29 passes for 308 yards and five touchdowns.

Eget was efficient, going 16-of-22 for 182 and two scores. Mahan was even better. The sophomore got some early opportunities, throwing touchdowns on his first two pass attempts. He finished 6-of-7 for 126 yards and three scores.

It's obvious why this competition was considered so tight throughout fall camp. Mahan can play, and if Eget can't continue getting comfortable in the coming weeks against the tougher opponents coming up, it won't be shocking to see the sophomore get a real opportunity.

2. Nate Sheppard didn't need many touches to put his stamp on the game

The best RB in the country resides in either Durham or Gainesville. The only player with an argument alongside Sheppard is Florida's Jadan Baugh, but we'll take our guy over anyone.

This was never going to be a game where Sheppard saw many touches. There just wasn't any need for it. But he still found a way to put his stamp on the game. He turned nine rushing attempts into 116 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a pass for eight yards. He's up to an obscene 644 yards and six touchdowns on the ground through four games.

3. It's not just Nate Sheppard at RB for Duke, either

Sheppard is elite, but he doesn't have to do it alone. Duke has other capable backs who combined to get nearly 300 yards on the ground against William & Mary.

Freshmen Jayvian Tanelus and CJ Givers both found the end zone and combined for 110 yards, showing the future is bright beyond Sheppard in Durham.

Along with CJ Campbell, Duke has some backs who can take some of the workload off Sheppard.

4. Duke's WRs have a lot of talent

Duke has some real talent at WR. The veterans are playing well, with Penn transfer Jared Richardson finally making an impact in Week 4. Jonah Burton caught five passes for 63 yards as he continues to be the team's leading receiver.

But perhaps the most exciting thing about the WR room is the talented youngsters. Redshirt freshman Jaivon Solomon found the end zone for the first time. Ditto for sophomore Jayden Moore and true freshman Brody Keefe.

Look at this snag by Keefe for his first career catch and touchdown all in one:

Diaz was smart to grab three veterans this offseason, but he may not have a need to look at the portal again after this season. The youngsters look ready.

5. Duke's defense did what you would expect against an overmatched opponent

William & Mary hit one 63-yard pass play in the first quarter. Outside of that, Duke's stingy defense allowed nothing. The Tribe could find zero success on the ground or through the air. In 37 other plays, William & Mary mustered just 101 total yards.

Duke's defense swarmed all over the place. Bradley Gompers picked up two of the Blue Devils' four sacks. It was an all-around effort.

This type of performance won't tell you much on its own, but over the course of four games, it's obvious that Diaz and DC Jonathan Patke have this defense wildly improved from where it was a season ago.

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