4 Winners, 1 Loser From Duke Football's Inspiring Win Over Boston College

Well, that was inspiring.

Duke made it two wins in a row with a dominant 47-2 win over Boston College on Saturday. Let's break down the biggest winners and losers from the action.

Winners

Nate Sheppard

Where do we start with the best running back in college football? Nate Sheppard, relative to his standards, has been slowed down some over the past two weeks, tallying a season-low 55 rushing yards on 15 carries, a season-low against Power Conference competition, against Virginia last Friday night. This weekend, he found his groove.

Sheppard was dominant all day long and reminded fans around the country why he was in the Heisman Trophy discussion for the first several weeks of the 2026 season. After his fifth rushing touchdown (yes, FIFTH) of the afternoon, the superstar sophomore hit the Heisman pose in the end zone.

Duke's offense is at its best when it runs through its star running back, and Boston College had no answers on Saturday.

Jeremiah Hasley

Jeremiah Hasley is probably the Blue Devils' best all-around pass-catching threat, but he hasn't been as much of a factor over the last couple of weeks. He didn't notch a single catch against the Cavaliers and only had two catches for 16 yards against North Carolina the week prior.

Against Boston College, Hasley's volume wasn't necessarily through the roof, but he made a few big chunk plays to help get the offense moving when needed. Hasley is a future NFL player and has to be involved in this offense every weekend.

Penalties

There have been several games this season where Duke was the team severely hurt by penalties. Today, it was the Eagles, and Duke reaped the benefits. Things got chippy early in the contest, and a couple of mental errors for Boston College turned into Duke points. The Blue Devils improved with penalties of their own, and they weren't the team that let it define the game this time.

Oct 17, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Kevin O'Connor (15) and defensive end Bryce Davis (12) celebrate during the fourth quarter against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All-Around Defense

We've been waiting for a sort of breakout game for Duke on the defensive line, but the defense across the board did a fantastic job against Boston College. The Eagles scored two points the entire way, and those points came from a blocked PAT returned to the end zone.

Boston College had been riding momentum, heading into this one on a two-game win streak, and Duke shut that down fast.

Losers

Oct 31, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarter back Walker Eget (2) drops back to pass under pressure from Boston College Eagles defensive back KP Price (2) during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Deep-Ball Attack

The Blue Devils got some solid contributions from the passing game, but the deep ball was fairly inconsistent. Manny Diaz and Co. tried a few deep shots early, but a combination of drops and inaccurate throws kept some of those plays from being real difference-makers. Still, Duke looked solid offensively throughout the afternoon.

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