Duke Football Showing Progress Cleaning Up Key Issue

The Duke football program has a lot going for it right now.

Head coach Manny Diaz has the program off to a 4-0 start for the second time in his three-year tenure after the Blue Devils took down FCS William & Mary at home this Saturday, 62-7.

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

With each game, Duke keeps improving. This feels like a perfect time to head into the bye week with a ton of momentum before conference play really gets rolling.

This team hasn't had many glaring issues over its first four games, but its most glaring problem was probably penalties. Duke did a good job addressing those this weekend.

Sep 12, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Tyshon Reed Jr. (10) and linebacker Nick Morris Jr. (7) celebrate a 31-27 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

How Duke Football Cleaned Up Penalty Woes

Heading into Week 4, the Blue Devils ranked 128th nationally in penalty yards per game (81.67) and had accumulated 28 total penalties. Now, it hadn't felt like a detrimental issue because it hadn't really hindered Duke in any of its first three games this season. However, if not addressed, it could quickly become a key concern late in winnable league outings.

Granted, it was against an FCS opponent, but Duke cleaned up the penalties for the most part against William & Mary, tallying six total for 60 yards. Four of them were holding calls. The Blue Devils must monitor their penalty woes once conference play gets underway; although it hasn't been a major issue so far, it could be in the future.

Sep 12, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Ca'Lil Valentine (5) runs past Duke Blue Devils linebacker Nick Morris Jr. (7) during the second half at Gies Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Duke accumulated nine penalties for 80 yards against Stanford and 11 penalties for 112 yards against Illinois on the road. The Blue Devils have been dominant in the second half of games so far this season, outscoring opponents 62-6 in the second half over four games, but it's a key issue that could become an Achilles' heel down the line.

In his postgame press conference after the win over William & Mary, Diaz explained how the team cleaned up the flags.

"Yeah, it's better. The holds are still you know, costly more than they should. But we're showing signs of improvement...But we are getting better," Diaz said.

Simple Fix, but a Crucial One

In the grand scheme of things, penalties can really only be cleaned up by stopping committing them. It sounds simple, but Diaz and Co. must keep a close eye on it as ACC play gets underway.

Duke is one of four ACC squads to begin the year at 4-0, along with Miami, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech. Heading into two straight winnable outings after the bye week, Duke is in a very good spot.

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