Fansided · Sep 8, 2025
Concerns arising? Grading Duke QB Darian Mensah's performance against No. 11 Illinois
Illinois v Duke | Lance King/GettyImagesThe Duke football program missed out on a major opportunity to collect a big-time win this past weekend, as the Blue Devils fell handily to No. 11 Illinois at home, 45-19. It was a sloppy first half on the offensive side of the ball for Duke, but a four-sack performance from the Blue Devil defense kept the team in it. Duke entered the halftime locker room down 14-13 with the victory within reach. However, an extremely disappointing second half from Duke on both sides of the ball let the game get completely out of hand. The Blue Devils were outscored by the Fighting Illini 31-6 across the final 30 minutes, leading to an embarrassing 26-point defeat at home. At the center of the lackluster play is Duke QB Darian Mensah, and now the question arises if he was worth the $7.5-million payday.