Duke's Castle Reflects on Clemson, Looks Ahead to UConn Showdown

It's been an up-and-down four-week stretch for the Duke Blue Devils, who have had two bye weeks, two monumental games, and now a random out-of-conference game against Connecticut this upcoming week.

It goes without saying how important that win over the Clemson Tigers was this past weekend, but not it is time for the players and coaching staff to move onto Week 11.

Duke Blue Devils celebrates after the final play Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While speaking with the media on Tuesday, veteran running back Anderson Castle explained how the team resets and refocuses after a win like that against Clemson.

Castle's Thoughts

Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Sahmir Hagans (2) returns a kickoff for a touchdown Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Especially with this being our first real turnaround we've had because we had those two bye weeks, so we really had to lock in on that," Castle said. "We came in Sunday and put the Clemson film to rest, and moved on as a team. This is a mature team, so I think we've done a good job of that."

This upcoming game against Connecticut has the feel of the trap game based on the fact that it does not count towards the ACC race for the top two seeds. Castle shared why the team is not viewing the game from this perspective.

Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Andrel Anthony (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I think just through our preparation, [Head] Coach [Manny] Diaz has done a really good job of explaining to us what this game is and how good [Connecticut] is," Castle said. "We're definitely not taking them for granted. They could very easily be 9-0 right now. You could look at it as a trap game, but we're treating it as just another game, whether it's ACC, non-ACC, it doesn't matter to us."

Castle circled back to the Clemson game, going into depth of how the Blue Devils' offense was able to find so much success against a defense littered with NFL talent at all three levels.

Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Peter Woods (11) celebrates after sacking Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We were just clicking, and it really comes down to our preparation," Castle said. "Just knowing what they were going to do, seeing what kind of blitzes they would be running; I think we had a really good plan. The [offensive line] did a really good job protecting Darian [Mensah], and the receivers made plays, and that's what it came down to."

"We talked all week, we knew they had really good players [with] NFL talent, but our [offensive line] has plenty of NFL talent as well," Castle continued. "That's what we got across to them, and they showed it. They're just a really good group."

Sep 3, 2021; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils helmet during pregame activities before the start against the Charlotte 49ers at Jerry Richardson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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