The Duke football program went into Saturday with a prime opportunity to pick up a marquee win over No. 11 Illinois at home, and the Blue Devils fell short in a very frustrating game for fans. After a first half where Manny Diaz and his guys were in it, heading into the locker room in a 14-13 deficit, the second half was a completely different story. Turnovers, sloppy plays, and an inconsistent pass defense plagued Duke from finding any sort of offensive rhythm, and the Blue Devils ultimately fell to the Fighting Illini 45-19. The score doesn't show the true story of the game, as Duke let it get away in the fourth quarter. Still, the Blue Devils have lost out on a massive opportunity to pick up a major win at home.
Duke's non-conference woes continue against ranked opponents
Heading into Saturday, Duke hadn't beaten a ranked non-conference opponent since 1971, when the program took down Stanford, which is ironically now in the ACC. Against a feisty Illinois squad and a packed Wallace Wade Stadium, the Blue Devils set the tone in a major way in the first half, mainly on the defensive side of the ball.
Duke's front seven was absolutely dominant across the first 30 minutes, limiting the Illini to -5 rushing yards on 18 carries. With a 14-13 deficit and so many mistakes offensively in the first half, it felt like Duke was in a prime position to control the game in the second half. However, turnovers and a lackluster second half from Mensah plagued the Blue Devils.
Duke committed five turnovers against the Illini, three of those by Mensah. Those turnovers turned into 21 Illinois points.
Illinois outscored Duke 31-6 in the second half to absolutely blow the game open. Mensah looked uncomfortable, and it wasn't a promising sight for Duke fans to see their new $7.5-million QB struggle against his first elite opponent.
After limiting the Illini to -5 rushing yards in the first half, Illinois rushed for over 100 yards in the second.
The Blue Devils lost out on a major opportunity to establish themselves as national contenders, and there are plenty of things Manny Diaz will need to figure out if Duke's going to have any College Football Playoff hopes.