Duke's final scrimmage of fall camp is later today, and Manny Diaz could get the final clarity he needs to make a decision on who starts at QB for the Blue Devils.
San Jose State transfer Walker Eget and rising sophomore Dan Mahan have been locked in a heated battle with little to no separation in the competition so far. While many have assumed that it was always Eget's job to lose thanks to his significant edge in experience, Mahan has been neck-and-neck with him throughout.
In today's scrimmage, the battle could be won or lost by either signal-caller, and as Diaz recently said, it might come down to which QB makes the fewest mistakes. Duke needs more of a caretaker than a playmaker at the quarterback spot this season, someone who isn't going to lose them games with boneheaded miscues.
The Blue Devils should have a highly effective ground game, which will be the identity of the offense. They can't afford to have a QB who can't take care of the football.
Sunday's scrimmage could bring an end to the Walker Eget/Dan Mahan QB competition at Duke
Diaz is going to have to make a decision pretty soon. Whether or not he makes it public remains to be seen. But one of the quarterbacks needs to start taking the majority of the first-team reps with less than two weeks to go before Duke opens the season at home against Tulane.
The Blue Devils don't have the luxury of a warm-up game. The Green Wave are a quality football team, one that defeated Duke in New Orleans last season. Alternating reps in that game doesn't make sense. Diaz has to pick a starter and let that player take the bulk of the reps now.
Eget's experience gives him an expected edge, but Mahan has been impressive in camp and is a player the coaching staff is high on. It speaks to how well he has played that he is right in the thick of the race with a player like Eget, who has made 18 starts over the last two seasons.
The second scrimmage is another data point for Diaz and OC Jonathan Brewer to consider. It's not the be-all, end-all, but it could further confirm what the coaching staff believes heading in.
The best news for Diaz on Sunday would be one of the quarterbacks stepping up and snatching the job. Right now, the decision is difficult. One of them has the chance to make it an easy choice.
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