The Duke football program picked up its second straight victory after throttling Syracuse on the road by a score of 38-3. The Blue Devils scored at least seven points in all four quarters for the second straight contest, after not doing so in any of the team's first three games. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah is continuing to shine as his confidence and poise get better and better. The Duke offense as a whole looks much more fluid, with the Blue Devils' rushing attack getting more involved with each week that passes. With how the offense has looked mixed with how wide open the ACC is, bringing the first ACC title to Durham since 1989 looks like a real possibility.
Grading Darian Mensah's performance against Syracuse
Grade: A
The redshirt sophomore gets an "A" grade for the second consecutive game, and deservedly so. In the 38-3 victory, Mensah completed 22-of-28 (78.6%) passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. This was Mensah's second consecutive turnover-free contest, and after turnovers were a bit of an issue early for him this season, this is a great sign to see from the Blue Devils' $7.5-million QB.
Following the win over the Orange, Mensah now ranks third nationally in passing yards with 1,573 and fourth nationally in passing touchdowns with 13. Mensah also leads the ACC in passing touchdowns and quarterback rating, while ranking second in the conference in passing yards. He's starting to legitimately look like the best player in the conference.
Mensah had his struggles in the pocket to begin his first season with the Blue Devils, but Duke's star quarterback is blossoming into one of the top signal callers the nation has to offer. With all the momentum the Blue Devils are currently riding, there's no doubt Mensah can break into the Heisman Trophy conversation if his stellar play continues. He isn't currently in the mix, with +20000 odds to win the award according to FanDuel, but few QBs in the country have been putting up the raw numbers that Mensah has.
The Blue Devils now look to improve to 3-0 in ACC play as they will host California next.