Assessing Darian Mensah's Performance Against Connecticut

The Duke Blue Devils suffered a gut-wrenching 37-34 loss to the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday night. Overall, it was a mixed bag performance on both sides of the ball for Duke, which was disappointing, as each unit proved how good it can be during large portions of this game.

There were stretches where the offense did whatever it wanted, and there were times the defense imposed its will on the Huskies' offensive line.

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies quarterback Joe Fagnano (2) throws a pass 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, there were a handful of plays that turned the tide in this matchup, and Duke fell on the short end of the stick on most of those.

One player who really went through ebbs and flows throughout the game was quarterback Darian Mensah. Here is an assessment of his performance.

Mensah's Stat line

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

In the 37-34 loss to Connecticut, the sophomore quarterback completed 22-of-31 pass attempts for 222 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Mensah also fumbled the ball as he attempted to escape a sack on Duke's final drive.

As mentioned earlier, it was a mixed-bag performance by the entire Blue Devils team. However, that is especially the case when evaluating Mensah's performance. There were times, specifically in the second half, where he was dominant, but his three turnovers were uncharacteristic.

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

Mensah's first interception was unlucky, as his pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and floated to a nearby defender. Meanwhile, his second interception appeared to be a hesitant throw, as Mensah seemed uncertain whether to throw the ball away or force it into a tight window. He short-armed the pass, which led to three points for the Huskies right before halftime.

Who Helped Mensah the Most

Nov 8, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Cooper Barkate (18) makes the catch 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

The statistical output by the pass catchers in this contest was not as outlandish and explosive as it was against Clemson in Week 10. However, once again, the passing production was not overly reliant on one player, which is a recipe for a more dangerous offense.

Jeremiah Hasley: four receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown

Que'Sean Brown: five receptions for 61 yards

Cooper Barkate: five receptions for 50 yards

Andrel Anthony: four receptions for 21 yards and one touchdown

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

Barkate was kept under wraps for the majority of this contest, as he sprinkled in chunk-yardage plays here and there, but for the most part, was not overly involved in the offense.

Brown was involved from the first play of the game, showing off his yards-after-catch ability on most of his reception.

Hasley came to life in the second half, which reminded fans of how he came to the Blue Devils' rescue in the fourth quarter against Clemson.

Once again, it was a complete group effort, and multiple pass-catching options were consistent contributors in the passing game.

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE