In one of the wildest offensive shootouts of the season, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah led a 94-yard game-winning drive, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Nate Sheppard and a successful 2-point conversion with 40 seconds left, allowing the Blue Devils to escape with a stunning 46-45 victory over Clemson on Saturday.
The game was a chaotic, back-and-forth affair that saw both offenses trade explosive plays for 60 minutes. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah was brilliant, throwing for 361 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the first quarter alone to build a shocking 21-7 lead. Mensah connected with Cooper Barkate for a 77-yard score and Que'Sean Brown for two touchdowns, silencing the Memorial Stadium crowd.
But Clemson stormed back in the second quarter, ripping off 21 unanswered points to take a 28-21 lead, powered by two short touchdown runs from Adam Randall. Duke refused to fold, with Mensah finding Brown for a 43-yard touchdown just 11 seconds before halftime to tie the game at 28-28.
The fireworks continued in the third quarter. Clemson took a 35-28 lead, only to see Duke's Sahmir Hagans take the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, tying the game instantly.
After a Clemson field goal and a subsequent Duke field goal tied the game at 38-38 with 10:40 left to play, the stage was set for a dramatic finish. It seemed to last just one play.
On the very next play from scrimmage, Klubnik, who finished with 370 yards and two touchdowns, dropped back and launched a perfect strike to T.J. Moore, who raced to the end zone to give Clemson a 45-38 lead just 12 seconds after they had lost it.
But Mensah and the Blue Devils had one more answer. Starting from their own 6-yard line with 5:19 to play, Duke marched 94 yards for the game-winning score. The drive was kept alive by a critical, and controversial, pass interference penalty on Clemson's Avieon Terrell on a 4th-and-10 from the 18-yard line. The penalty gave Duke a 1st-and-goal at the 3-yard line.
On the next play, running back Nate Sheppard plunged into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. Duke, disdaining a tie, successfully converted the 2-point attempt on a pass to Sahmir Hagans, sealing a shocking 46-45 victory with just 40 seconds remaining.
Clemson's Antonio Williams was arguably the star of the day in a losing effort, putting up a remarkable 171 all-purpose yards (149 receiving, 22 rushing) and finding the end zone for both a receiving and a rushing touchdown.
The stunning win moves Duke to 5-3, while the heartbreaking loss drops Clemson to 3-5.
Key Performers
- Cade Klubnik (CLEM): 26/35, 370 YDS, 2 TD
- Darian Mensah (DUKE): 27/41, 361 YDS, 4 TD
- Antonio Williams (CLEM): 10 REC, 149 YDS, 1 TD; 3 RUSH, 22 YDS, 1 TD
- Cooper Barkate (DUKE): 6 REC, 127 YDS, 1 TD
- Adam Randall (CLEM): 16 RUSH, 89 YDS, 2 TD
- Nate Sheppard (DUKE): 13 RUSH, 60 YDS, 1 TD
- Sahmir Hagans (DUKE): 100-YD KICKOFF RETURN TD, Game-winning 2-PT conversion