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by WILL FOLKS
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Following a thrilling touchdown drive that covered nearly the entire length of the field, quarterback Darian Mensah connected with wide receiver Sahmir Hagins for a two-point conversion with just forty seconds left on the clock to give Duke its first win over Clemson in Death Valley since 1980.
Blue Devils’ head coach Manny Diaz opted to go for the win instead of the tie after his team pulled within a point following an 11-play, 94-yard drive that appeared to have stalled just inside the Tigers’ red zone. Following an incompletion on fourth down, a controversial pass interference penalty on star defensive back Avieon Terrell set Duke up with first and goal from the Clemson three-yard line.
Freshman tailback Nate Sheppard made quick work of that down and distance, scoring on the very next play from scrimmage.
That score set up the two-point conversation that would ultimately give Duke its first road win over the Tigers in forty-five years…
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IT'S GOOD! pic.twitter.com/xC0WbubUX7
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 1, 2025
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“Going extra innings at Death Valley isn’t really a good plan,” Diaz said of his decision to roll the dice and go for two points.
The Blue Devils’ thrilling 46-45 win was the latest crushing defeat for head coach Dabo Swinney‘s squad – which started the season with a No. 4 national ranking and seemingly legitimate national championship aspirations.
Clemson (3-5, 2-4 ACC) has now dropped as many games this year as it did during its entire five-year run from 2015 to 2019. During that stretch, the Tigers won two national titles and made four appearances in the national championship game.
“I feel like I’m in 2010 all over again,” Swinney said after the game, referencing his second full season in Tigertown, which saw Clemson post a 6-7 record (its last losing season).
Swinney blasted the controversial pass interference call, saying he initially thought the flag had been thrown as a result of an offensive penalty on Duke wide receiver Qu’Sean Brown.
“I don’t know what to say about the last call,” he said. “It shouldn’t come down to that. That’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in a game ever, in my entire coaching career.”
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While Tiger fans are no doubt uninterested in moral victories, Clemson’s much-maligned offense had one of its best games of the season, with quarterback Cade Klubnik – a preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy – completing 27 of 35 passes (75%) for a career-high 385 yards and two touchdowns.
The problem? Duke’s Mensah hit on 27 of 41 passes for 361 yards and a career-high four touchdown strikes in leading the Blue Devils to victory.
Converted tailback Adam Randall accounted for a pair of touchdowns on the ground for Clemson en route to amassing 89 yards on sixteen carries. Meanwhile, preseason All-American wide receiver Antonio Williams caught ten passes for 142 yards and a touchdown – and ran for 22 yards and another score.
All told, embattled coordinator Garrett Riley‘s unit racked up a season-high 560 yards and a season-high 45 points.
That should have been enough to secure a much-needed victory, but defensive errors – including a blown coverage allowing Duke wideout Cooper Barkate to waltz into the end zone on a 77-yard scoring strike – doomed the Tigers. So did special teams failings, including a 100-yard kickoff return by Hagins that tied the game midway through the third quarter.
Clemson still leads the overall series with Duke by a healthy margin (37-18-1), but the Blue Devils have now won back-to-back contests – the first time they’ve done that since the 1970 season. Prior to its two consecutive victories, Duke had gone 1-10 against Clemson dating back to 1998. As fate would have it, that’s the last time the Tigers lost four games at Death Valley – an ignominious mark they attained with this latest defeat.
“I’ve just gotta fix it,” Swinney said of the careening trajectory of his once-proud program. “I’ve gotta do whatever I can to fix it.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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11 comments
First 15-0 champions… Poor widdle puddy tats.
Colonel, after what I witnessed tonight… Gamecock fans have no right to make fun of Clemson until notice. It’s just a matter of time to see which team’s fans break out the paper bags to wear in the stands first. Hell we may end up seeing players wearing them on the sidelines.
Oh, we know, the difference is that no one at USC has delusions of grandeur.
How is the Beamer Ball thing doing these days? Just asking for a friend. Is Shula still calling the shots? Looks like the same thing going on with the Gimpy Birds. Beamer ball Beamer ball wait till next year.
The only thing Shula is calling this morning is the unemployment office…
These coaches make more money than they are worth. On top of that, they also have the contract buy outs. I wish I was fired and got the payouts they get. You would not have to worry about seeing me on the field again.
These coaches make more money than they are worth. On top of that, they also have the contract buy outs. I wish I was fired and got the payouts they get. You would not have to worry about seeing me on the field again.
I wish I could get fired and paid $2.3 million in monthly payments. I am sure he is going to the unemployment office first thing in the morning. Thats the least of his worries.
At least Dumbo didn’t blame this one on God
Clemson having a bad season isn’t a big deal, but Dabo being taken down 6 or 7 pegs sure is. The players deserve better. Hopefully he can be better, or they can find better
This year’s Palmetto Bowl is going to be the ugliest in decades…each side desperate to somehow put a cherry on a turd pie of a season and somehow save face with their fans by at least defeating their rival.