Duke is hitting its stride at the right time. The Blue Devils dominated NC State 41-3 on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, moving to 7-2 on the season and earning their third consecutive victory. It was the second straight blowout in ACC play, coming a week after a 47-2 win over Boston College.
Duke has now given up a grand total of five points in the last two weeks. They've outscored their last two opponents 88-5.
Duke has morphed into a team that looks like a legitimate ACC contender. Anyone not giving this team a shot next week in Coral Gables for the matchup against Darian Mensah and Miami is kidding themselves. The Blue Devils are for real.
Here are the biggest observations from the Duke win:
1. Nate Sheppard belongs at the forefront of the Heisman conversation
Another week, another Nate Sheppard masterclass. He took his first touch of the game 69 yards for a touchdown and never looked back from there:
THERE. GOES. NATE. SHEPPARD.#NateTrain 🚂 x @HeismanTrophy pic.twitter.com/r8sciVCGyt
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 7, 2026
He put up his second 200+ rushing performance of the season, finishing with 217 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns. After a record-breaking performance last week against Boston College, he's now the all-time single-season rushing touchdown record holder for the Blue Devils, too.
This guy should be at the forefront of the Heisman conversation. Full stop. Nobody in college football is having a better individual season than Sheppard. Get this man to New York. Give this man the Heisman Trophy.
2. Andrew Pellicciotta had one of the best plays of the entire college football season
After missing the last two games with an injury, sophomore safety Andrew Pellicciotta made a loud statement in his return. Not on defense, but as a return man. And not on a kick-off or punt, but on a field goal attempt.
Trailing 24-3, NC State was looking for a little momentum at the end of the half and attempted a 50-yard field goal. It came up short. Pellicciotta fielded it and returned it 109 yards for a touchdown that put the finishing touches on the Wolfpack:
WHAT A WAY TO END THE HALF! ANDREW PELLICCIOTTA 109 YARDS!!! pic.twitter.com/ObchjXtY7C
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 7, 2026
You just won't see many better plays than that on a football field.
3. Walker Eget's continued improvement has Duke's offense clicking on all cylinders
Eget is getting better and more comfortable every single week. Against NC State, he completed 22-of-31 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. He was efficient, providing the balance that Duke has needed on offense. It's no wonder the offense has looked as good as it has the last two games.
You can't key too much on Sheppard now. If you do, Eget is picking opponents apart. But if you don't key on Sheppard, then you give up a big play like the 69-yard touchdown in the first quarter. That came right after Eget attempted three consecutive passes to start the game.
Eget's improvement has Duke playing complimentary football, and they look real dangerous heading into the stretch run.
4. Duke's offensive line continues to dominate
In the fourth quarter, with the game out of reach and backups in for both teams, NC State sacked Duke backup QB Dan Mahan. It was the fourth sack of the entire season that the Blue Devils' offensive line has given up. Fourth. That's it.
Teams routinely give up that many sacks in single games.
The line also paved the way for Sheppard and the ground game to rack up 236 yards.
Don't forget about the big guys up front. They've had an outstanding season.
5. Duke's defensive imporvement remains as big a story as anything
Duke's defense was legitimately bad last season. But you had to know that Diaz would get that fixed. He made his bones as an elite defensive mind, and he wasn't going to stand for poor defensive performances for a second straight season.
They have bounced back in a big way on that side of the ball. They held NC State to under 200 yards of offense on Saturday up until the final garbage-time drive, completely swallowing up the Wolfpack and taking away everything they wanted to do on that side of the ball.
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