Manny Diaz Explains the Importance of Winning on the Road

This past weekend was everything the Duke Blue Devils dreamt of, as they defeated Clemson on the road and received additional help with Miami and Georgia Tech suffering losses in favorable matchups.

With all of that in the rear-view mirror, Duke must turn the page and begin focusing on this week's challenge of going on the road against Connecticut. It is an out-of-conference game, but the Blue Devils should view this game as a momentum builder into the last three weeks of the season.

Duke Blue Devils celebrates after the final play Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While speaking with the media on Monday, head coach Manny Diaz went into detail about how this program can reach its ceiling in the coming weeks.

Diaz's Thoughts

Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz interacts with safety Ma'khi Jones (26) during the first quarter against the NC State Wolfpack at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

"The importance of being able to win away in college football: I think winning at home sets the floor for your program. I think winning away sets the ceiling of your program," Diaz said.

"It's really hard to be an elite college football program without winning away from home. To be 3-0 on the road in the [conference], five straight wins on the road in the [conference], that's not easy to do. There's not a lot of teams in the country that normally do those types of things. Now, it's super important because we have to go away again."

Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Sahmir Hagans (2) returns a kickoff for a touchdown Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coach Diaz alluded to it, but the Blue Devils must travel on the road for a second consecutive week, which can be a challenge in itself.

Despite Duke's upcoming game against Connecticut not counting towards the conference record, that is not how the 51-year-old head coach wants his team to view this matchup.

"The easy thing to think is, you're out of conference now against Connecticut," Diaz said. "You put the film on Connecticut; they jump off the tape. You look at the numbers for Connecticut, and it jumps off the sheet."

"You talk about a team that has turned the ball over one time all season and is undefeated at home. They only have one loss at home over the last two years and are already bowl eligible. They have not lost a game in regulation this year and have beaten an ACC team (Boston College)."

Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Andrel Anthony (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As Diaz states, it can be easy for Duke's players to overlook this game and not take it as seriously as the last couple of weeks, but that should not be the mindset going in. This is an opportunity for the Blue Devils to build up and improve from last week's monumental win over Clemson.

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