The Duke football program has ended its historic 2025 campaign on a four-game win streak after taking down Arizona State in the 2025 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, 42-39. After so many ups and downs for head coach Manny Diaz and his group throughout the campaign, there's no better way for the program to cap off the season than with a thrilling bowl game victory. The win over the Sun Devils was the Blue Devils' first win of the year against a non-ACC power conference opponent.
Duke scored in every quarter of the game and had answers offensively for every punch that the Sun Devils threw. The Blue Devils were the highest-scoring squad in the ACC this season, averaging 34 points scored per game, and it showed in the finale.
Beyond the win itself, Duke star quarterback Darian Mensah made program history in the bowl game, and now there is a legitimate argument to be made that Mensah just put together the best season from a QB in Duke football history.
QB Darian Mensah sets program record as Duke football takes down Arizona State in Sun Bowl
In the Sun Bowl, Mensah became the all-time Duke football single-season passing yards leader. The redshirt sophomore will end his first campaign in Durham with 3,646 yards in the air, which is also fifth in the entire nation.
Mensah was arguably the best signal caller in the entire ACC in his first year in the conference. The San Luis Obispo, CA native ended the year leading the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns (30), and average passing yards per game (280.5), while finishing fourth in completion percentage (67.9). He also finished with an ACC-low five interceptions.
Duke fans were scared for a few days, as it was reported that Mensah would consider entering the 2026 NFL Draft, as his redshirt year made him three years removed from high school, thus deeming him eligible. However, Mensah ultimately elected to return to Durham and will enter the 2026 season as one of the top QBs in the entire country.
Diaz and his staff made a huge investment in Mensah out of the Transfer Portal last offseason, and it has assuredly paid off.