Duke Blue Devils Improve to 2–0 with Upset Win Over Illinois

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The Duke Blue Devils came in as the underdog, but upset the Illinois Fighting Illini with a 31-27 victory. Duke now moves to 2-0 and will be a contender to repeat as ACC Champions.

Quarterback Walker Eget had a strong performance, as he completed 15 of 21 passes for 206 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Eget did exit the game late in the fourth quarter, which will be something to monitor moving forward.

While Eget played well, it was running back Nate Sheppard who stole the show on offense. Sheppard rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He also hauled in five receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns.

He is emerging as one of the best running backs in college football, as he rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries in Week 1. Sheppard will continue to lead the Blue Devils' offense in the 2026 season. 

Jonah Burton was the leading receiver for Duke's offense with four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. It was an efficient day for the Blue Devils offense, and they will look to replicate it for the remainder of the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Evan Smith came away with an interception in the fourth quarter. Illinois quarterback Katin Houser finished the day by completing 24 of 35 passes for 271 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.

Duke did a solid job in defending the run, as the Fighting Illini rushed for 111 yards on 32 carries (3.5 yards per carry) and did not find the end zone.

Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils can still get better, as they weren't able to record a sack in the win.

They will need to generate more pressure the rest of the season if they want to win a second straight ACC Title with teams like the Miami Hurricanes to compete against.

Despite losing quarterback Darian Mensah in the transfer portal, Diaz and Duke have remained a strong program and will look to improve to 3-0 in their matchup against Stanford.

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