The first half for Duke football against No. 11 Illinois wasn't the prettiest, but it was solid enough to get the Blue Devils to the locker room down 14-13 at halftime. Duke controlled the tempo early, but self-imposed errors sent the momentum straight to the Fighting Illini. Que'Sean Brown muffed a punt return for the second game in a row, and Duke fumbled the ball in the red zone, also like it did last week. However, the Blue Devils ended the half strong, and this spectacular catch by wide receiver Andrel Anthony ended the half for Duke on a perfect note.
Andrel Anthony ends half with unbelievable catch
Coming down to the final seconds of the half, Darian Mensah was leading one of the few dominant offensive drives of the day for the Blue Devils. Then, with 10 seconds to go, Mensah connected with Anthony for an early "catch of the year" candidate.
WHAT A CATCH BY ANDREL ANTHONY.... pic.twitter.com/dSWoaaVVyx
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 6, 2025
The touchdown allowed the Blue Devils to cut the deficit to one, entering the locker room down 14-13 at half. Fans around the country are going nuts.
Yo what an insane catch by Andrel Anthony pic.twitter.com/retlmfSvzW
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 6, 2025
ANDREL ANTHONY OMG!!!!!!!!! Duke has a SQUADDDD
— Buffed Prime T-Cal (@BuffedInPrime) September 6, 2025
UNREAL TOE TAP BY ANDREL ANTHONY pic.twitter.com/VDAoN0RR6e
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) September 6, 2025
That is an INCREDIBLE catch by Andrel Anthony if it stands
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) September 6, 2025
Sloppy plays offensively are keeping Duke behind, but the defense has been fantastic, keeping Illini QB Luke Altmyer uncomfortable in the pocket. One of the biggest concerns for Duke heading into the contest against Illinois was limiting the run, and the Blue Devils couldn't have done it any better through the first 30 minutes. Illinois has tallied -5 rushing yards on 18 carries, while Duke has leaned on the rush itself, totaling 53 yards on 15 carries. Jaquez Moore leads the backfield with 30 yards on the ground on five carries.
The front seven was absolutely dominant for Manny Diaz, notching four sacks and four tackles for loss on the Fighting Illini. Vincent Anthony Jr. has 2.5 sacks of his own already.
That ridiculous TD grab was Anthony's fourth catch of the day. He leads Duke with four catches for 52 yards to go along with his end zone find.
Duke is in position to add a monumental victory to its resume with some cleaner play in the second half on the offensive side of the ball.