Cooper Barkate Remains Upbeat Despite Offensive Missteps

Cooper Barkate shared his thoughts about Duke's offensive performance in the Blue Devils' tough loss to Georgia Tech.

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

The Duke Blue Devils' offense did whatever it wanted on Saturday, but self-inflicted wounds marred what was otherwise a really productive day for the offense.

Wide receiver Cooper Barkate spoke with the media following Saturday's game, sharing his thoughts on the offense's performance.

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

Barkate's Thoughts

• "[There] is definitely some frustration, but I also think you have to look at the positives. We were pretty dominant on offense all game," Barkate said. "We definitely have to execute when it matters in those critical situations. I think that's obviously the difference in the game."

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

• "When you watch the game in its entirety, you see how well we played. It's going to sting this week for sure with the bye week, but we will get it corrected."

The mistakes started to pile up right away, as the Blue Devils fumbled away a scoring opportunity on the first drive of the game. Barkate continued to explain why this team should not keep its head down after this result.

Nov 19, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils helmets on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

• "I think that's a hard play to pull that ball and that defense crashing like that, but I think we did a great job of responding back and continuing on the rest of the game," Barkate explained. "The ball didn't fall our way tonight."

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) runs with the ball 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

To Barkate's point, the Blue Devils' offense did not fade away in this game and was productive all afternoon. The downfall of the offense was sputtering out in the red zone with miscues and failing to convert on much-needed third downs.

The fumble that Barkate was alluding to was an exchange between Darian Mensah and Anderson Castle. The former Harvard receiver's confidence in Mensah and this offense was not deterred despite that costly turnover.

Aug 28, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz looks on before the game against the Elon Phoenix at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

• "We have full trust behind our quarterback and our offense. Stuff like that happens, and we just regrouped, got some water and went back onto the field."

Oct 18, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Cooper Barkate (18) celebrates a down 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

That type of confidence and trust in a team's quarterback, especially when things are not going well, shows how much Mensah's teammates and coaches believe in his talent and intangibles.

On Saturday, Barkate was Mensah's go-to option, as the two players connected 13 times for 172 yards, including four times for 71 yards on Duke's first offensive possession of the game.

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) runs out of the pocket in the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Barkate will continue to be a focal point of the offense and will have to replicate this type of performance when the Blue Devils face the Clemson Tigers on the road in two weeks.

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