At the end of the day, Manny Diaz and Duke got the start to the season they hoped for. They earned a 17-3 win over Tulane at home, avenging last season's loss in New Orleans.
There were plenty of positive takeaways. The defense looked worlds better than last season. This isn't the same Green Wave as a year ago, but anytime you can hold an opponent to just three points, it's difficult to complain.
The offensive line was as good as advertised. Nate Sheppard didn't miss a beat, and scarier than that for opponents, looks to have leveled up from his tremendous freshman campaign. Diaz said they were going to run the football this year, and that proved prophetic.
Sheppard gashed Tulane from the opening whistle, picking up a career-high 227 yards on a career-high 35 carries. That kind of workload might be commonplace for Sheppard in the future. Duke wants to run the ball, but Saturday's season-opener showed that they also don't have much of a choice.
Because San Jose State transfer QB Walker Eget simply wasn't good enough. Duke was rarely a threat to move the ball through the air. He missed open receivers consistently and generally looked uncomfortable. Whether he's fully healthy or not is debatable, but his first performance was full of inconsistencies.
He finished just 13-of-26 for 131 yards in his debut. When Duke sent out redshirt freshman Dan Mahan in the fourth quarter for a few running plays, he was met with raucous cheers. When Eget returned, he was met with boos.
Eget won the job in fall camp, but Diaz may be forced to make an uncomfortable decision.
Manny Diaz may have no choice but to turn the offensive over to Dan Mahan
Mahan would certainly have his growing pains as a second-year player, but he brings a running dynamic to the position that would alleviate some pressure from Sheppard and the other backs. He looked spry and athletic on his two carries against Tulane on Saturday.
Duke has to get more out of the QB spot to be a real contender in the ACC. Sheppard is an elite back, and it certainly looks like the defense has taken a significant step forward, but when the Blue Devils face the better teams on their schedule, they're going to have to be able to throw the football better.
Teams will stack the box to take Sheppard away. He's good enough to still get his, but even against Tulane and even as prolific a day as the sophomore standout had, Duke still managed a meager 17 points offensively. Duke took its opening scripted drive 75 yards in 12 plays for a touchdown, but then managed just a field goal over its next eight possessions before Sheppard put the game to bed with his second touchdown run of the night.
So while there are some legitimate reasons for optimism moving forward for Duke in 2026, there's a firm ceiling on this season if it can't get better play from the QB spot. Perhaps Eget will get more comfortable and play better moving forward, but Diaz has to already be wondering if he made the wrong choice in the competition.
It's not too late to correct that mistake. The competition takes a step up next week at Illinois.
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