Clemson Opponents’ Preview

CLEMSON – Clemson kicks off the month of November with a home game against the Duke Blue Devils this season.

The last time the Tigers faced off against Duke, they were handily defeated on the road in the first game of the 2023 season.

Despite that loss in 2023, Clemson leads the all-time series 37-17-1 over Duke. The Tigers have won 15 straight at home over the Blue Devils, including a 35-6 win at Memorial Stadium in 2018.

Duke has not won at Death Valley since 1980.

OFFENSE

After being the man at quarterback for Duke last year, Maalik Murphy is off to Oregon State. In his place, the Blue Devils added Tulane transfer Darian Mensah, who passed for 2,723 yards and 22 scores with only six picks last year. At the No. 2 spot, Henry Belin IV is a good player to have on standby.

Wide receiver Andrel Anthony is a huge pickup from Oklahoma, and Cooper Barkate caught 63 passes for over 1,000 yards last year for Harvard. They will both be skilled pieces alongside returning receivers Que’Sean Brown and Sahmir Hagans, who combined for 88 receptions and 858 yards in 2024. The pickup of Landen King from Utah will be great for the tight end room.

Last season’s second-leading rusher, Peyton Jones, gets the reins of the running back room alongside Jaquez Moore, who led the team in rushing in 2023 and dealt with injury last season.

The offensive line is made up of mostly returning players. Brian Parker II and Bruno Fina are expected to lead at both tackles, while Matt Craycraft returns at center. At guard, Justin Pickett will have one spot while South Dakota transfer Jordan Larsen is expected to have the other under wraps.

DEFENSE

Wesley Williams and Vincent Anthony Jr., both return from last year, where they combined for 13 sacks. They will be very powerful on both ends of the line, while senior and All-ACC Aaron Hall returns at tackle to play alongside Dartmouth transfer Josiah Green.

Top ACC safety Terry Moore will look to recover and be back to full speed after sustaining an injury in their bowl game against Ole Miss, while DaShawn Stone joins him alongside Sam Houston transfer Caleb Weaver, who earned 69 tackles and four interceptions in 2024. Chandler Rivers will be the leader of the cornerback room, which consists of developing sophomores and freshmen.

Utah State transfer Jaiden Francois will be a star amongst the linebackers, where he joins returning seniors Tre Freeman, who earned 67 tackles last year, and Nick Morris Jr., who gets his first taste at a potential starting role.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Senior kicker Todd Pelino returns after going 15-for-20 on field goals and 94.6 percent on extra point attempts. At punter, Kade Reynoldson takes the lead of the position for the second year in a row at Duke, where in his freshman year he averaged 43.8 yards per punt on 75 total punts.

OVERVIEW

The Blue Devils, led by second-year head coach Manny Diaz, have the talent and opportunity to greatly improve from 2024.

After coming up short against ranked Miami and SMU in the regular season and ranked Ole Miss in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl, Duke earned a 9-4 record on the season, which was an improvement from 8-5 in the previous year. This year, they have the chance to improve yet again.

If they can start off the season well against Elon, Illinois, and Tulane, the Blue Devils can pick up a few wins before heading into full ACC play. If it could earn wins over Georgia Tech, UNC, and Clemson, Duke could play its way into the title game.

The Blue Devils will get a chance against Clemson on Nov. 1 at Death Valley, as they try to snap a 15-game losing streak to the Tigers at Memorial Stadium.

–photo by  Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images