It was a nice start for Darian Mensah in Durham, but there could’ve been more.

The sophomore quarterback, who transferred to Duke from Tulane, immediately made his presence felt in Week 1.

It was an exceptional showing, but not without flaws. Mensah completed 79.4% of his passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns, but at halftime against Elon — a program that’s lived in the pits of mediocrity — the score was tied 10-10.

Mensah couldn’t quite get his feet under him early. He missed a few deep shots, misfired on timing routes, and even had a miscommunication with running back Jarquez Moore that led to a costly red-zone fumble.

All he needed was time to settle in. Once the second half began, Duke rolled. Mensah connected on all 11 of his passes, and the Blue Devils cruised to a 45-17 win.

The performance earned him the third-highest quarterback grade among all Power Four programs from PFF: with a 94.0 grade.

Mensah shining isn’t new, but the sluggish start against Elon — especially after Duke shelled out major NIL money to get him — raised eyebrows.

Maybe it was just about adjusting to head coach Manny Diaz’s system. A month of practices and scrimmages can’t replicate live action, and Mensah’s second half looked every bit like the quarterback Duke paid for.

Last year at Tulane, he guided the Green Wave to a 9-5 record and a 7-1 mark in the American Conference. They ultimately fell to Army in the AAC title game and dropped the Gasparilla Bowl to Florida. But Mensah was a bright spot: 66% completions, 2,700 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions, all as a true freshman.

That’s why Tulane fans were stunned when he bolted. Mensah was supposed to be their future, but Duke came calling with a hefty NIL deal that he couldn’t pass up.

Now, all eyes in Durham are on him. On paper, his debut looks fantastic, but Duke needs more consistency if it's going to contend.

And there won’t be much time to iron things out. Up next? A massive showdown with No. 12 Illinois.

So the question becomes: which version of Darian Mensah shows up? Is it the jittery first-half QB, or the second-half surgeon? Against a top-15 squad, there’s no room for in between.