Blue Devil Brief: Touchdowns Galore As Duke Takes Down Tribe

The Duke Blue Devils are 4-0 for the second time under head coach Manny Diaz, and they are cementing their place at the top of the ACC standings.

The Blue Devils took down FCS William & Mary 62-7 at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday. Heading in, it probably wasn't going to be the kind of contest where we'd learn very much about this team, but it was a valuable win regardless.

Sep 19, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz looks on against the Stanford Cardinal during the first half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Several of the team's marquee players were given extended rest heading into the bye week, as the Blue Devils controlled this one from start to finish, as expected.

Let's go through some of the biggest things we took away from Duke's fourth victory of 2026 in as many games.

Sep 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Jayden Moore's (8) celebrates his touchdown with Brody Keefe (18) Jake Taylor (15) during the first quarter against the William & Mary Tribe at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Spread the Love

Given that the Blue Devils took control of this one fairly early, several young guys toward the bottom of the depth chart were able to see respectable time against the Tribe.

Five Blue Devil receivers scored their first career receiving touchdowns at Duke against William & Mary: Jaivon Solomon, Jayden Moore, Kavon Simmons, Brody Keefe, and Jared Richardson.

Sep 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Jaivon Solomon (4) scores a touchdown against the William & Mary Tribe during the second quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both Moore and Keefe made fantastic catches to haul in their scores, and that was the first reception of Keefe's collegiate career. It was also good to see Richardson finally get more involved, as the Penn transfer has had a fairly quiet start to his Blue Devil career after coming in generally expected to take over the team's top wide receiver duties.

Beyond the new guys creating some memorable career moments, Duke spread the ball around. The Blue Devils tallied eight total touchdowns on the day, but no player scored more than one. Freshman running back CJ Givers also found the end zone for the first time.

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Dan Mahan (12) celebrates defeating the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke Is Set at Quarterback in the Long Term

Starting quarterback Walker Eget didn't play much on Saturday, completing 16-of-22 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Dan Mahan came in to relieve Eget, and he looked fantastic.

Mahan completed 6-of-7 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns, along with two rushes for 13 yards. In the first extended action of his college career, the Burlington, NC, native looked pretty comfortable.

Sep 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarter back Walker Eget (2) looks to pass against the William & Mary Tribe during the second quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, this isn't to say there could be some sort of QB controversy arising in the future. As long as Eget remains healthy, he has earned the starting job. However, Mahan showed that the Blue Devils are set at the quarterback position long term.

Sep 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) runs the ball during the second quarter against the William & Mary Tribe at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nate Sheppard Puts Together Quiet Day

It was a light day in the office for superstar running back Nate Sheppard. The sophomore tallied 116 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Nothing much for his standards.

This was a good opportunity for the elite back to get some extra rest before conference play heats up; it's no secret that Diaz and Co. will need Sheppard ready to go for the Blue Devils to make a real push in the league.

Along with Givers, freshman Jayvian Tanelus also got in the end zone. CJ Campbell notched nine carries for 41 yards in the victory.

Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Bryce Davis (12) and Duke Blue Devils linebacker Bradley Gompers (24) against Tulane Green Wave running back Jaylin Lucas (12) at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Second-Half Defensive Shutdown

Duke has been lethal defensively in the second half, and that continued against the Tribe. Now, the Blue Devils were dominant all-around, but Duke has won the second half comfortably in every game this season.

Through its first four games this year, Duke is outscoring its opponents 62-6 in the second half. It has also held its last two opponents scoreless in the second frame. If the Blue Devils can remain even in contention by the halftime break, they have run away with it every time.

Sep 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils saftey Andrew Pellicciotta (35) breaks away from William & Mary Tribe linebacker Kyle Reviello (44) during a punt return in the second quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke limited William & Mary to 170 yards of total offense and a whopping 17 total rushing yards, while holding the Tribe to 3-of-13 on third down. William & Mary was held scoreless across the final three quarters.

Bradley Gompers led the team in solo tackles (4), sacks (2), and tackles for loss (2). Redshirt freshmen Asher Wasserman and Julius Columbus also notched four tackles apiece.

Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Tulane Green Wave linebacker Chris Rodgers (4) is tackled by Duke Blue Devils linebacker Luke Mergott (34) and Duke Blue Devils defensive end Bryce Davis (12) at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Looking Ahead for the Blue Devils

Duke now heads into its bye week riding a big wave of momentum, and with how wide open the ACC looks, the Blue Devils are in a great position.

Wake Forest taking down Louisville this weekend feels like a big shake-up, as after Miami at the top spot, it's still pretty unclear which team is the second-best in the ACC. Duke is right there in the mix.

After the bye, Duke will take on Georgia Tech in Atlanta (Oct. 10) before returning home to host rival North Carolina (Oct. 17). The Blue Devils are in a fantastic position through four weeks, and a 6-0 start is expected before they head to Charlottesville to meet Virginia.

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