Three Duke Players To Watch On Saturday vs No. 12 Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech will have to account for these standout players from Duke

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) warms up before a game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The common theme this week has been Duke's explosive offense and the plethora of weapons they have, and rightfully so. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference and a strong defensive front that has helped them finish games. Let's take a look at some key Duke players to watch on Saturday in Durham.

1. Darian Mensah

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

Darian Mensah has been a key bright spot in the turnaround for the Blue Devils under head coach Manny Diaz. Mensah is having an All-ACC caliber season. He’s thrown for 1,838 yards and 15 touchdowns and has a quarterback rating of 167.3. He is also completing 69.8% of his passes and has two interceptions this season. To put his stats in perspective, Mensah is tied for seventh most touchdowns this season, and ranks sixth in passing yards. To say he has been elite this season would be an understatement and wouldn’t tell the full story. Let’s take a deeper look at his Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade. Mensah is ranked as the fourth-best quarterback in the country with a 90.8 passing grade. Anything in the 90 range for a player is considered elite according to their grading system. He also has a 91.0 offensive grade for the season, which also ranks fourth, per PFF. It will be a challenge to slow him down, and Georgia Tech will have to account for him. Georgia Tech veteran safety Clayton Powell Lee talked about defending Mensah 

“He's overall just knows how to make those throws, honestly. He's a very talented person. I know he's, I heard he's kind of young, I believe so, not a hundred percent sure, but he can make every throw on the field. So I got to give him his props, but it's a game that we just got to dive into the details a little bit more honestly, since knowing that he can make those throws across the field, in front of him, wherever the case may be,” said Powell-Lee. “He even takes the check down. That's how you know you have a good quarterback, honestly. He's willing to gain a profit.  So it's just good to know that, and we're willing for the challenge, honestly. We're up for it. We live for moments like this. We are going to keep working and just grinding.” 

2. Nate Sheppard

Sep 27, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) tries to run past Syracuse Orange defensive back Braheem Long Jr. (0) in the third quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

As a true freshman, Sheppard has been a key piece in the offense for the Blue Devils. He is their leading rusher this season with 447 yards and four touchdowns. He is an explosive back that is hard to bring down in the open field, and you have to bring multiple bodies to get him on the ground. Syracuse is a team that had to learn that the hard way a few weeks ago in their matchup when he put up career-highs. Sheppard has a career-high 15 carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He also had his longest run of the season, which went for 49 yards. After losing Star Thomas to the transfer portal (Tennessee), Duke had to replace a highly productive back. Sheppard has stepped in nicely and has carried the workload this season for the Blue Devils. Powell-Lee talked about what makes him difficult to defend. 

“He's a very talented back. I have to give it to him. He's been playing some good, solid ball. He's not one of those backs that just go down off of arm tackles or anything. You actually have to get your body on him. So I love a back that's like that,” said Powell-Lee. “It's a good challenge for me, and really all of us. To stop the run, it takes 11 guys to the ball. So just focusing on those things because if you're not tackling alone, you can't go anywhere, honestly.” 

Oct 4, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. (7) celebrates his sack of California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

3. Vincent Anthony Jr

Anthony Jr is having a career year with the Blue Devils. The senior defensive lineman has already set career-highs in sacks and forced fumbles. He is on pace to surpass his career-high in total tackles back in 2022, where he finished with 28. Anthony Jr is tied-6th in the country in the NCAA with 6.5 sacks and has been unblockable this season. His 6.5 sacks ranked first in the ACC. The next highest person in the ACC is Daniel Rickert, who has 4.5 sacks. He had one of his best games against Illinois, where he finished with three sacks.  He will be a player the Yellow Jackets have to account for and make sure they block against. Star quarterback Haynes King talked about Anthony Jr and Duke’s strong defensive front. 

​​“I mean, they're very explosive. They play hard. They have almost a kind of like energy bug, they're not going to quit. They play through the whistle. Like I said before, they try to cause a lot of havoc, whether it's stunts or just playing really, really hard. So like I said, we're going to have our hands full for four quarters. They're really well coached up front. If we handle our business, then we'll see what happens,” said King.