Duke 62, William & Mary 7: Five Key Plays

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 05: Quarterback Walker Eget #2 of the Duke Blue Devils attempts a pass whilst being defended by defensive back Dorion Jackson #26 of the Tulane Green Wave during the third quarter of the game at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Alex Halloway/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Duke amassed 638 yards of total offense and scored eight touchdowns in a 62-7 rout of William & Mary, extending their winning streak to eight games and improving to 4-0 in the 2026 season. Two Duke quarterbacks tossed five touchdown passes to five different receivers while three different running backs rushed for touchdowns.

Starting quarterback Walker Eget completed 16 of 22 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown passes went to wide receivers Jayden Moore and Jared Richardson. Backup quarterback Dan Mahan completed 6 of 7 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Mahan's touchdown passes went to Kavon Simmons, Jaivon Solomon and Brody Keefe. Yes Duke fans, Dan Mahan can throw the ball.

True freshman quarterback Terry Walker III also saw action completing 2 of 4 passes for 44 yards, while rushing two times for four yards. Walker suffered a knee injury during his senior season of high school so it was good news to see him back on the field competing.

Star running back Nate Sheppard rushed nine times for 116 yards and one touchdown. Freshmen running backs Jayvian Tanelus and C.J. Givers rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown, and 36 yards and a touchdown respectively. C.J. Campbell added 41 rushing yards on nine carries. Overall, Duke rushed 37 times for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

Before getting to the five key plays an honorable mention goes to Safety Andrew Pellicciotta who returned two punts for 60 yards providing Duke good field position.

Play One: With Duke leading 7-0 in the 1st quarter, William & Mary lined up for a 53-yard field goal attempt but linebacker Luke Mergott blocked the kick.

Play Two: In the 2nd quarter, backup quarterback Dan Mahan entered the game and tossed two touchdown passes on back-to-back possessions. With 10:42 remaining in the 1st half, Mahan connected with Kavon Simmons for a 29-yard touchdown to expand Duke's lead to 24-7. At the 7:58 mark, Mahan executed an RPO and hit Jaivon Solomon down the left sideline for a 29-yard touchdown and a 31-7 Duke lead.

Play Three: Duke turned William & Mary over on downs and took possession of the ball with 1:56 remaining before halftime. Starting quarterback Walker Eget re-entered the game to execute the two-minute offense. With 26 seconds remaining on the clock, Eget tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jared Richardson to give Duke a 38-7 halftime lead.

Play Four: On their second possession in the 3rd quarter, Duke executed a nine-play, 71-yard touchdown drive to expand the lead to 48-7. The final play was a 27-yard touchdown pass from Dan Mahan to Brody Keefe down the right sideline.

Play Five: On back-to-back possessions in the 4th quarter, freshmen running backs rushed for a Duke touchdown. Jayvian Tanelus rushed for a 4-yard touchdown to give Duke a 55-7 lead and C.J. Givers followed up with a 28-yard touchdown for Duke's final score and a 62-7 lead.

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