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Duke Football Fans Erupt Following Nate Sheppard's Unreal Opener

Nate Sheppard was unstoppable in Duke's opener.
Hugh Straine|
Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) runs the ball against the Tulane Green Wave during the second quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) runs the ball against the Tulane Green Wave during the second quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Duke Blue Devils

The Duke Blue Devils walked away from Week 1 with a lot to take away.

All things considered, Duke did not look great in some facets in its regular-season opener against Tulane on Saturday. Nonetheless, the Blue Devils walked away with a 17-3 victory. Head coach Manny Diaz is now 3-0 in season openers at the helm in Durham.

As a whole, the offense was kind of a disaster. However, what we did find out tonight is that Nate Sheppard might legitimately become one of the best running backs in all of college football in 2026.

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Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz reacts during the second half against the Tulane Green Wave at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke Fans Go Nuts Following Elite Nate Sheppard 2026 Debut

Heading into the game, it felt pretty obvious that Duke would run its offense through its star sophomore running back. However, I'm not sure it could have been expected just how much Diaz and Co. ran through Sheppard.

Right from the jump, he was the focal point. Sheppard notched 11 carries on Duke's first offensive possession of the outing, which was 17 total plays. He had 19 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown heading into halftime.

Against Tulane, Sheppard notched a massive 35 carries for 227 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per rush. It's pretty clear who the best player on this team is, and Duke's success as a whole might only go as far as Sheppard can take them.

However, one reason why the Blue Devils were so heavily reliant on Sheppard is that they literally could not get anything else going on offense. Duke fans were well aware of how the unit looked as a whole.

Duke Fans Underwhelmed With Offense Following Opening Win

San Jose State transfer Walker Eget won the starting quarterback job over redshirt freshman Dan Mahan, and he did not look good in his Duke debut. The sixth-year transfer went 13-of-26 (50%) passing for 131 yards. He looked very uncomfortable in the pocket, especially in the first half, missing at least two or three open receivers for scores.

Penn transfer Jared Richardson seemed poised to be the Blue Devils' leading receiver, but he didn't even log a catch against the Green Wave. As a whole, Duke tallied 13 catches for 131 yards.

Outside of Sheppard, the offense looked fairly lackluster. The Blue Devils could've won that game by much more than 14 points had it gotten any sort of momentum going on that side of the ball. Diaz and Co. have a lot to figure out offensively going forward.

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Hugh Straine
HUGH STRAINE

Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.

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