The Duke football program missed out on a huge opportunity to pick up a marquee win over No. 9 Illinois, but turnovers and sloppy execution in the second half kept the Blue Devils out of it, resulting in a 45-19 loss. Duke head coach Manny Diaz leaned into the positives and negatives that he saw offensively throughout the game and believes the offense is on the right track. In the first half, the Blue Devils were in control. However, second half turnovers and miscommunication limited the program from giving itself a fighting chance. Now, the team looks for a bounce-back win this weekend against unranked Tulane.
Manny Diaz says the offense was what he wants to see as season progresses
In his media availability on September 8th, Diaz spoke to reporters about what he thought worked well with the offense and what didn't. He seems confident it will only continue to grow as the 2025 campaign moves forward.
"I think we learned a lot about ourselves on Saturday," Diaz said. "Starting offensively, really, one poor drive, the second drive of the game, was really the only time we went three and out. And, to move the ball against a defense we had a ton of respect for, one of the most experienced defenses in the country, a very, very difficult scheme to go against. It was the type of offense we want to see. We were over nine yards a pass attempt...But again, the stats and context, the turnovers, both are true."
Duke looked clean offensively early on. Darian Mensah was making some fantastic throws, some dropped by receivers, and the run game was established early and was working like a charm. However, as the Blue Devils were starting to feel the momentum move their way midway through the first half, a fumble in the red zone by Mensah completely stripped it away.
The Blue Devils committed five turnovers against the Illini, three by Mensah, that ultimately led to 21 Illinois points. In terms of scheme and execution, Duke had its moments of looking like a true threat in the ACC. But, similar to the 2024 squad, inconsistencies made it extremely difficult for the team to ever truly take the momentum back in the game.
Defensive issues in the secondary were present as well, but there's no doubt the offense needs work before the program looks to bounce back against Tulane this Saturday.