Tulane Green WavevsDuke Blue Devils
TULN 3/DUKE 17
Things to say
Duke beat Tulane 17-3 at Wallace Wade Stadium.
01
opener
Duke handled Tulane 17-3, and it was smashmouth from the jump. They just ran it down their throats. Tulane never really moved the ball.
02
key player
Nate Sheppard was the whole offense — 227 yards and two scores on 35 carries. That's a workhorse day.
03
hot take
Duke's QB threw for 131 and they still won by two touchdowns. When you run for 200-plus, you don't need to throw it.
04
deep cut
Tulane's only points came on a field goal — Duke's defense had two sacks from Bryce Davis and just lived in the backfield.
05
exit
Both open 1-0 and 0-1 now. Curious if Duke's ground game travels — we'll see next week.
The recap
Duke leaned on Nate Sheppard and never looked back, riding a 227-yard, two-touchdown night to a 17-3 grind over Tulane. This one was smashmouth from the jump — neither quarterback cracked 150 yards through the air, so it came down to who could run it, and Sheppard's 35 carries settled that.
Tulane couldn't move the ball when it mattered, mustering just a lone field goal while Duke's defense got two sacks from Bryce Davis and bailed out an offense that mostly punted. Sheppard's 14-yard touchdown run early in the fourth put it away and Duke opens the season 1-0.