Coming off an emotional win against Illinois on the road that allowed Duke to start the 2026 season with back-to-back wins over opponents it lost to last season, the Blue Devils will now shift their focus to the beginning of their ACC schedule.
Duke will face Stanford at home this weekend as they look to move to 3-0 for the second time in three years.
One of the biggest takeaways from Duke's win over Illinois last week was the emergence of Walker Eget. The San Jose State transfer struggled mightily in his debut in Week 1 against Tulane. Nate Sheppard had to shoulder the full offensive burden, and Duke's stifling defense helped Manny Diaz's team earn a 17-3 win.
That recipe wasn't going to be enough in Week 2. They needed more from Eget, and he delivered. He finished an efficient 15-of-21 for 206 yards and three touchdowns as Duke notched the 31-27 win in Champaign.
If Duke can continue to build off that kind of passing performance, this team has a chance to be really good. The defense is obviously better than a year ago, and Sheppard is one of the nation's best running backs.
The good news is that Eget's next opportunity to build off the Illinois game is against a team he has lit up in two previous opportunities.
Walker Eget has put up huge numbers against Stanford in his career
Eget played Stanford twice while he was at San Jose State. He went 1-1 in those two games, but he put up huge numbers statistically in both meetings:
2024: 33-of-49, 385 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
2025: 36-of-58, 473 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT
So, 831 yards and seven touchdowns to just one interception in the two meetings. Not bad!
Stanford hasn't exactly fixed their secondary so far this season. The Cardinal gave up 272 yards through the air against Hawaii in the opener before Darian Mensah and Miami carved them up for over 400 yards in their second game.
Stanford had an extra week to prepare for this game with a bye in Week 2, but that's a defense that Eget is familiar with and should be able to light up.
Duke still isn't getting any respect despite beating two quality opponents this season. A Week 3 win at home over a Stanford team projected to finish at the bottom of the ACC standings won't move the needle much, either. But it would be further proof that this team has moved past some of the inconsistencies that plagued them a season ago.
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