3 Biggest Takeaways from Duke's Stunning Loss at UConn

Non-conference or not, this is a loss that will sting. Duke fell to 5-4 on the season after they couldn't win another shootout, falling to UConn, 37-34.

The Huskies remain undefeated at home in East Hartford. The Blue Devils had plenty of chances to win this game and times to even pull away with a lead, but they couldn't capitalize late.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) and teammates run onto the field for warm up before the start of the game against the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Nearing field goal range, Darian Mensah was sacked by UConn linebacker Bryun Parham and lost the ball. The Blue Devils couldn't fall on it, and the Huskies sealed the win, prompting fans to take the field.

While the loss does not hurt Duke's hopes to make it to the ACC title game, it further exposed the glaring holes in the Blue Devils defense and curbed all momentum headed into a huge matchup with Virginia next week.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils have some things to figure out if they want to get back on track next weekend. Here are three takeaways from Duke's fourth loss.

Duke's Ground Game Has A Pulse

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) scores against the UConn Huskies in the first quarter at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

It wasn't all doom and gloom in East Hartford for the Blue Devils. For the first time in weeks, Duke made a concerted effort to establish the running game early on, and it worked.

Nate Sheppard led the backfield with 16 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns. The Blue Devils were able to run the ball efficiently with Sheppard all night long, picking up small chunks to keep the clock moving and take some pressure off of Mensah.

Nate Sheppard making it look easy 😈 pic.twitter.com/O6s73IFW5c
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 8, 2025

On Duke's first drive of the second half, offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer leaned into the run, staying on the ground for eight consecutive plays. Sheppard had a burst for 26 yards while Mensah tucked the ball and scrambled for 12 more yards later in the drive. Sheppard sealed the drive with a 3-yard score.

Sheppard wasn't the only one finding success. Anderson Castle carried the ball eight times for 43 yards, while Mensah had a couple of big scrambles. Jaquez Moore, who hasn't appeared in a game since the team's trip to Cal, had five carries for 22 yards.

Sep 10, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; A Duke Blue Devils helmet sits on an equipment chest during the third quarter of the game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

As a team, Duke ran for 168 yards and picked up 4.8 yards per carry. The last time a Duke ballcarrier rushed for 100 yards or more was Sept. 27, when Sheppard had a breakthrough performance with 168 yards against Syracuse.

Obviously, Brewer wants to lean into Mensah and the passing game as much as possible, but having a ground game is important to keep teams off balance. Hopefully, Sheppard and the rest of the backfield can carry over their success this week to next weekend against the Cavaliers.

Darian Mensah Is Human After All

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) throws a pass against the UConn Huskies in the second half at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Mensah had been on cruise control for weeks now. The sophomore quarterback had not thrown an interception since Week 3 against his former team, Tulane, and had only tossed two interceptions all season heading into this week.

In the first quarter, Mensah's pass over the middle was tipped at the line and picked off by Parham. Then, just before the half, Mensah was late, and his throw was behind his receiver and picked off along the sideline by UConn's Devin Pringle. The Huskies turned both turnovers into field goals, which turned out to be costly given the narrow final score.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) warms up before the start of the game against the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Things fell apart this week. Mensah tossed two interceptions for the first time in his career and lost a fumble at the end of the game. The transfer quarterback also only threw for 222 yards this season. He had topped at least 250 yards in every other game this season.

Andrel Anthony finds the end zone in back-to-back games! pic.twitter.com/zhR6F7rzvf
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 8, 2025

The game changed hands several times, and Mensah tossed three touchdown passes and completed 71% of his passes. He kept bringing the lead back to the Blue Devils with three touchdown drives in the second half that were all longer than four and a half minutes.

The problem was that Mensah didn't have great protection and wasn't in sync with his receivers as much as he typically is. The Duke signal caller was sacked twice and took six other hits while dropping back.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) throws a pass against the UConn Huskies in the first quarter at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Two weeks in a row, throwing for more than 360 yards and multiple touchdowns, Mensah had his worst performance as a Blue Devil. You can't depend on him to be Superman every week, but the three turnovers really hurt Duke.

Blue Devils Scathed in the Secondary Again

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies quarterback Joe Fagnano (2) runs the ball against the Duke Blue Devils in the second quarter at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

It's become a recurring theme on Saturdays, but the Duke secondary struggled to keep up with UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano and his receiving core.

Fagnano threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns, while scrambling for 51 yards. His top target, Skyler Bell, continued his dominance on the field, catching 11 passes, giving him 85 catches on the season (which leads all of FBS), for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell (1) makes the touchdown against Duke Blue Devils cornerback Landan Callahan (21) in the second half at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Huskies also got help from receiver Reymello Murphy, who made five catches for 110 yards in the game and always seemed to be open when time was running out for Fagnano.

Last week against Clemson, the Duke secondary allowed 385 yards through the air and received help from their pass rush. This week, they did. The Blue Devils sacked Fagnano twice and hit him three other times, making him run and make throws under pressure.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies wide receiver Terrence Smith (15) runs the ball against the Duke Blue Devils in the first quarter at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

However, the secondary had a tough time defending the quick throws at the numbers and deep in the middle of the field. Fagnano ripped the seam up the middle of the field a few times to flip the field.

They face another team unafraid to throw downfield, next week with Virginia. Duke can't afford to get into shootouts like this every week, especially against better competition.

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