Blue Devil Brief: Nate Sheppard's Heisman Case Only Getting Louder

Duke football is absolutely rolling.

The Blue Devils improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in ACC play after taking down NC State (4-5, 2-4 ACC) 41-3 in Raleigh on Saturday. It was an outing for Duke that looked pretty similar to the week prior against Boston College at Wallace Wade Stadium: utter domination.

This has been an extremely impressive bounce-back for Manny Diaz's club. Just a few weeks ago, Duke was depleted of any momentum after losing back-to-back games against Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Now, the Blue Devils will head to Coral Gables to meet No. 1 Miami on a three-game win streak, having won their last two games by a combined score of 88-5.

Duke has a legitimate chance to be ranked in the AP Top 25 after another one-sided victory, and its hopes of climbing to the top of the ACC are renewed. Let's go over what stood out in Duke's trouncing of the Wolfpack.

Nov 7, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of the game against NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What Else Can We Say About Nate Sheppard?

It's getting a bit boring to keep talking about how unbelievable Duke star running back Nate Sheppard is. This Saturday was yet another outing where Sheppard was clearly the best player on the field and looked legitimately unstoppable.

The sophomore didn't take much time to get going, scoring on a 69-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the game. Sheppard finished with 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns...at halftime. The Louisiana native ended the afternoon with 217 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, averaging a ridiculous 12.1 yards per attempt.

Offensively, Duke looks like its vintage form we saw early in the season. Sheppard is leading the way, and Walker Eget and the receiving corps are getting their jobs done to keep the unit in rhythm. Sheppard has eight rushing touchdowns over the last two games. He put himself back in Heisman Trophy talks last weekend with a five-touchdown performance against Boston College, and his case is only getting stronger as Duke keeps winning games in lopsided fashion.

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

Another Stellar Day for the Defense

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Duke hasn't allowed a single point in six of its last eight quarters. The Blue Devils have taken a tremendous step forward on the defensive side of the ball in 2026, and it's only getting better as the season progresses. This is also the second straight week when Duke hasn't allowed a single touchdown to its opponent.

Winning on the road in conference play is hard, and Duke just walked into Carter-Finley Stadium and completely took it over. NC State totaled 217 yards of offense, managed just 32 rushing yards on 25 carries (1.3 yards per attempt), 12 first downs, and went just 3-of-14 on third down.

Duke notched two sacks and five tackles for loss, and actually didn't force a single Wolfpack turnover. However, it completely took away any sort of rhythm for NC State, and the offense did its job by increasing the lead.

Nov 7, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Walker Eget (2) during the first half of the game against NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Share the Love in the Passing Game

Eget threw the ball a ton in the first half, relative to what we've seen from him this year, but the San Jose State transfer put together another consistent outing. The former Spartan completed 22 of 31 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. Nothing overly flashy, nothing eye-dropping, but exactly what Duke needs to complement its superstar running back.

10 different pass-catchers caught a ball today, and redshirt freshman Jaivon Solomon led the way with five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. We talked about Solomon a good bit in the preseason, and it seems he's starting to carve out a consistent role with this offense.

What Lies Ahead for Blue Devils

Duke football will head to Coral Gables to take on No. 1 Miami having won its previous two games by a combined score of 88-5.

Yes, 88-5.
— Hugh Straine (@HughStraine) November 7, 2026

Duke is riding one heck of a momentum wave heading into the final stretch of the regular season, but its final three games look like the toughest stretch of the year. The Blue Devils face No. 1 Miami in Coral Gables, Clemson at home, then No. 16 Wake Forest on the road.

Diaz and Co. are climbing back toward the top of the conference standings, but with two league losses, it probably has to win out to have any shot at repeating as ACC champs. Hey, given the way they look right now, who's to say the Blue Devils can't come into South Beach and shock the college football world?

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