The Duke football program kicked off its 2025 season at Wallace Wade Stadium tonight, August 28th. It was a slow first quarter for the offense as a whole, as Elon limited the Blue Devils to just three points through the first 15 minutes. New Duke quarterback Darian Mensah looks to have some jitters early in his first start with his new program, as we've seen a few inaccurate deep balls that he's connected on in the past more often than not. However, another Blue Devil has reintroduced himself to the offense in a major way.
Jaquez Moore bolts into the endzone for first touchdown of Duke's season
Jaquez Moore was supposed to be the Blue Devils' lead back in 2024, but an injury he suffered in the team's Week Two game against Northwestern sidelined the back for almost the entirety of the remainder of the season. After former Duke RB Star Thomas exited for the transfer portal this offseason, and Moore announced his return, fans immediately got hyped for the potential breakout season Moore could have.
He's now started that season off in a big way, rumbling into the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown run. Moore scored Duke's first touchdown of the 2024 season against the Phoenix and has done it once more in 2025.
TO. THE. HOUSE. 🏠
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) August 29, 2025
Jaquez Moore dashes 32-yards for the TD!
📺 ACCNX x @DukeFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/nwrA8ALmwS
The run game as a whole has been fairly slow for the Blue Devils this far, as the team mustered just 17 rushing yards as a whole before that big run from Moore. The run was arguably the most glaring issue on the team in 2024, and the program will have to improve it drastically this season.
Along with Moore, Duke also brought back Peyton Jones, signed Anderson Castle via the portal, and added three-star rookie Nate Sheppard. It's a deep backfield that Moore will lead, but Duke has the potential and the talent to have a solid run attack in the ACC.
The offense has certainly had its hiccups early on in the team's debut, but the Blue Devils are now officially past the pylons as the 2025 season gets underway, and who better to start the scoring off than Moore?