Duke Rolls Past Stanford for First ACC Win of Season

The Duke Blue Devils continued their hot start to the 2026 college football season on Saturday afternoon in Durham.

In their Atlantic Coast Conference opener, the Blue Devils left no doubt in their 35-7 win over Stanford. The Blue Devils have now won five straight ACC openers for the first time in program history as Manny Diaz continues to get this team on the right track.

While the scoring had to wait until the second quarter, Duke took a 14-7 lead on the back of running back Nate Sheppard. The running back scored two of his three touchdowns in the second quarter as Duke jumped out to the 14-0 lead.

Sheppard got the scoring started with a 32-yard touchdown run. Shortly after that, he caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Walker Eget to extend the lead.

Stanford cut into that lead as Davis Warren threw a five-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to keep the Cardinal within striking distance. But after that? It was all Blue Devils.

Sheppard once again found the end zone, but this time it was a one-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. Duke then added a 16-yard touchdown run from Kavon Simmons to move the lead to 28-7. Jayvian Tanelus capped off the scoring in the fourth quarter, finding the end zone from five yards out. 

As a team, Duke had 470 total yards of offense compared to just 237 for Stanford. They also held the advantage in first downs at 22-15 in the game and Blue Devils really controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock throughout the game.

Sheppard finished the game with 154 rushing yards. Eget went 14-of-24 for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception. This is the second-straight game he has played well following the Week 1 struggles he had against Tulane. 

For Duke, they could find themselves ranked in the upcoming polls now that they are off to a 3-0 start on the year. They are also 1-0 in the ACC as they are looking to repeat as champions.

Duke is set to host William & Mary next week in a non-conference battle.