The Duke football program dropped its second straight game on Saturday, falling on the road to Tulane 34-27. Not only was it a major bounce-back opportunity for the Blue Devils after falling to No. 9 Illinois, but it was also a homecoming matchup for Duke quarterback Darian Mensah. Mensah transferred to Duke this past offseason after beginning his career with Tulane. There were definitely some booes heard, but Mensah was unable to pick up a victory on his old turf. The redshirt sophomore looked great at times, but self-imposed errors and continued offensive miscues by the team kept the Blue Devils from ever truly having a chance. After the loss, Duke head coach Manny Diaz credited Mensah for how he handled the tough road environment.
Manny Diaz praises his quarterback after second straight loss for Duke football
This wasn't just Duke's first road test of the season. It was also Mensah's first time back at Yulman Stadium after transferring to Duke. Although it surely wasn't a perfect game for Duke by any means, Diaz shed some positive light on how his signal caller handled the tough environment on the road.
"As far as Darian, I'm not going to speak for him. But that was difficult," Diaz said. "We can say what we want to, and Darian tried to do his best all week to not make it about him. But that's a really, really difficult thing to do. I thought Darian battled, I thought he played hard...I think he'll learn a lot from the experience today."
Mensah completed 30-of-51 (58.8%) of his passes for 313 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Turnovers were much improved this week, as Duke gave the ball away five times against Illinois, which turned into 21 points. But inconsistent play from Mensah and the rest of the offense never allowed Duke to have a chance to take the lead.
Tulane's new QB, Jake Retzlaff, dominated with his legs, rushing for four touchdowns on his own.
Now 1-2 on the season, any College Football Playoff hopes for the Blue Devils are likely out the window. Duke returns to Wallace Wade Stadium next weekend to host NC State, and a win to open conference play is absolutely crucial for the Blue Devils to have any hopes of competing atop the ACC.