Duke Snaps Decades-Long Road Losing Streak to Clemson With Late Two-Point Conversion

The Blue Devils made history in South Carolina Saturday afternoon.

Andrel Anthony and Duke scored a signature win for coach Manny Diaz Saturday. / Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the last four decades, Duke has seen football success on occasion. Coaches Steve Spurrier and Fred Goldsmith enjoyed productive years; David Cutcliffe won 10 games and a division title; Mike Elko rode success with the Blue Devils to his current post at Texas A&M.

However, none of those coaches were able to beat Clemson on the road. The last boss to do that was Red Wilson, who led an upset of the Tigers in 1980 ...

... until Saturday. Duke, now a win from bowl eligibility, tormented the Tigers' leaky defense in the first half. Quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 361 yards and four touchdowns, and a late two-point conversion gave the Blue Devils a 46–45 win over a now-3–5 Clemson team.

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ACC Network was quick to jump on just how long Duke had to wait to end its streak.

Good news for the Tigers: a year after that '80 loss, Clemson won 38–10 at Duke on the way to its first national championship.

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