While everyone's focus in fall camp for Duke is on sorting out the quarterback battle between San Jose State transfer Walker Eget and sophomore Dan Mahan, Manny Diaz knows there are even bigger fish to fry that will determine whether the Blue Devils remain competitive at the top of the ACC food chain.
Duke has to improve on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the back end, after fielding one of the worst pass defenses in college football a season ago. They have to improve overall despite losing bookends Vincent Anthony Jr. and Wesley Williams up front.
Duke should be able to get solid QB play out of either Eget or Mahan. They are transitioning into more of a power-run team led by a veteran offensive line and star RB Nate Sheppard, and will need whoever wins the QB job to be more of a caretaker than a playmaker.
Therein lies the negative, and a positive on the other side, from Duke's scrimmage on Sunday.
Per Duke's official website, the defense forced five takeaways during the game-like scrimmage: three fumbles and two interceptions. It doesn't note who was responsible for the takeaways on either side of the ball, but that's a concerning number for the offense while at the same time being a real positive for Diaz's defense.
5 turnovers during Sunday's scrimmage is both good and bad news for Manny Diaz, Duke
When you are playing against yourself, it's hard to get too high or too low regardless of what happens. If a good play happens, that's a positive, but as a coach or fan, you immediately see the negative of allowing that play to happen in the first place.
So while Diaz is undoubtedly fired up that his defense made some plays during the scrimmage, the five turnovers are really concerning for an offense with a major question mark at quarterback.
It's hard to be too overly critical about it, however, as the information provided is completely devoid of context. How did the turnovers happen? Were they in the span of scrimmage reps or during other periods?
The scrimmage notes also pointed out that Duke's pass rush was "particularly active," which is music to the ears of Duke fans. In particular, sophomore Bryce Davis, the highest-rated recruit in program history, recorded two sacks, per the release. Davis living up to his significant recruiting promise would be massive for the Blue Devils in 2026.
Duke will have at least one more scrimmage between now and the season-opener against Tulane. We're less than three weeks away from kickoff, and the Blue Devils, like every team in the country, still have plenty to get cleaned up.
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