Coming off a disappointing loss against No. 9 Illinois, the Duke football program is looking for a huge bounce-back victory this Saturday, as the Blue Devils will hit the road to face Tulane in New Orleans. Ahead of the matchup, Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall gave high praise to new Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, who was formerly at Tulane. The betting markets have shifted quite a bit for this matchup, as Duke entered the week as a 2.5-point underdog, then was the favorite, and is now the underdog once again, according to FanDuel. As it stands right now, the Green Wave are a 1.5-point favorite. One of the top non-power conference programs in the country, the Blue Devils are desperate for a signature win to add to the resume.
Jon Sumrall gives high praise to former Tulane QB Darian Mensah
ESPN released a quote from Sumrall ahead of the matchup between Duke and Tulane, and the Green Wave head man had nothing but positive things to say about his former signal caller.
"I love Darian to death," Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said. "I've said this publicly: if you play one snap, 100 snaps, 1,000 snaps for me, I'll love you for the rest of my life. I care about him, wish him well, saw him this summer -- I've got nothing but love for Darian."
Mensah didn't get to Tulane as a highly-touted recruit. Coming out of San Luis Obispo, CA, Mensah's only other Division I offer was from Idaho State. He redshirted his freshman season in 2023 as the team's scout team QB and was listed at the bottom of the depth chart to begin his redshirt freshman campaign in 2024. Then, Mensah climbed all the way up the depth chart through camp and eventually earned the starting role. Mensah threw for 2,723 yards to go along with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions, leading the Green Wave to a 9-win season and an AAC Championship Game berth.
Now making close to $8 million with Duke over the next two years, Mensah will return home for the first time. Duke likely needs to win out for any sort of hope at a College Football Playoff spot, and that starts with picking up a big road victory this Saturday.