Cooper Barkate Breaks Down Connection with Darian Mensah

Saturday's loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was certainly a disappointing result for the Duke Blue Devils, who thoroughly outplayed their opponent for large portions of the game.

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils fans during the first half of the game against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Wide receiver Cooper Barkate was far from the problem, as he produced 172 yards on 13 receptions. His connection with Darian Mensah has evolved throughout the season, and that was apparent on Saturday.

While speaking with the media during his post-game press conference, the former Harvard receiver went into depth about his chemistry with his quarterback.

Oct 4, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) throws a pass against the California Golden Bears during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Barkate's Thoughts

"I think we were just trying to take what the defense was giving us, and they were playing a pretty soft zone the whole day," Barkate said. "When [Mensah] is scrambling, I try to mirror what he does. So, if he is sprinting out, I have to sprint out and find a zone, but if he's just rolling around with his eyes up trying to throw a pass, I'll just try to sit down in a zone and make it easy for him."

As mentioned, Barkate was the main contributor in the passing game, but he feels that Duke has a multitude of weapons who can step up and produce how he did on Saturday.

Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Cooper Barkate (18) celebrates a touchdown during the third quarter against the NC State Wolfpack at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

"That could have really been any of our other receivers. We have a room full of weapons," Barkate said. "It just happened to roll my way this week. Like I said, that could have easily been a plethora of our other receivers. Really all that matters is a win."

With Mensah under center, Duke's offense will have more opportunities to produce numbers and win meaningful games.

As Barkate mentioned during his presser, the ball did not bounce the Blue Devils' direction on Saturday, but it was evident that the wrong team lost. Duke was outright dominant in the first half, but left at least 10 points off the board with a costly fumble and botched snap on a manageable field goal attempt.

Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Cooper Barkate (18) misses a pass against North Carolina State Wolfpack cornerback Devon Marshall (6) during the third quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

The Harvard transfer wide receiver's demeanor and resolve illustrates the mindset of this team, and what they believe that they can still accomplish this season.

Following Duke's bye this week, the Blue Devils will turn their focus to a pivotal road matchup against the Clemson Tigers, who are also coming off a disappointing loss over the weekend. The Tigers fell to 3-4 after their 35-24 loss to the SMU Mustangs. The result was just another reminder of how disappointing Clemson's 2025 campaign has been.

Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke helmet of Duke Blue Devils cornerback Chandler Rivers (0) with its slogan during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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