Duke Sustained 34-27 Loss On The Road At Tulane Saturday Night Because Duke Defensively Let Tulane Quarterback Jake Retzlaff Score Four Touchdowns

Duke sustained 34-27 loss on the road at Tulane Saturday night.

As Duke sustained 34-27 loss to Tulane Todd Pelino missed 44 yard field following penalties, fumbled snap.

Duke’s defense let Tulane starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff score four touchdowns!

Jake Retzlaff first touchdown was a 19 yard rushing touchdown, Patrick Durkin kicked, made extra point giving Tulane a 7-0 lead in 1st quarter before Jake Retzlaff ran for 6 yard touchdown , Patrick Durkin kicked, made extra point extending Tulane’s lead 14-0 in 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter Jake Retzlaff ran for 20 yard run , Patrick Durkin kicked, made extra point extending Tulane’s lead over Duke 21-3. In the 3rd quarter Jake Retzlaff ran for 11 yard run , Patrick Durkin kicked, made extra point extending Tulane’s over Duke 31-16.

Though,

The final score would end up being 34-27 because Nate Sheppard would catch 4 yard pass from Darian Mensah , Nate Sheppard would convert two point conversion trimming Duke’s deficit, Tulane’s lead 34-24 before Todd Pelino would kick 47 yard field goal to get Duke within 34-27 though it wouldn’t be enough.

Following Duke’s 34-27 loss to Tulane Duke Head Coach Manny Diaz had this to say about Darian Mensah who was opposing his former team about his team opposing Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff

That was difficult for him,it about him but that’s a really, really difficult thing to do. “I thought Darian battled. I thought he played hard. It was difficult but I think he’ll learn a lot from this experience today.”

We let the quarterback dictate the game with his legs,”They had us on our heels early in the game, and then any response that we made they were able to counter or match

According to Chip Alexander News & Observer article https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article312019204.html

Duke is now going to prepare to play host to NC State on Saturday in Durham!

Unlike Duke NC State won their previous game on Thursday defeating Wake Forest 34-24 on Thursday September 11, 2025 Though,

NC State, Wake Forest were tied at 24 in 3rd quarter Thursday night in Winston- Salem NC State went on to win 34-24 because Kanoah Vinesett kicked, made 38 yard field goal in 4th quarter. Before Kanoah Vinesett kicked, made 38 yard field goal in 4th quarter. Keenan Jackson who is wide receiver caught 12 yard pass from quarterback CJ Bailey , Kanoah Vinesett kicked, made extra point to give NC State 31-24 lead.

According to ESPN App

Following NC State’s 34-24 win over Wake Forest in Winston Salem Head Coach Dave Doeren had this to say about NC State’s chemistry!

We knew we needed to come together, and that was the thing last year’s team didn’t do,”

It was a major part of what I wanted in the off season; to create that chemistry on the team.”

I’ve been saying this for a long time to you guys, and you can see why, they’re just a bunch of good kids that work hard,”

Following NC State’s 34-24 win over Wake Forest in Winston Salem running back Hollywood Smothers had this to say about NC State!

We’re family here,”We believe in each other. We’re going to fight. We might bend, but we ain’t never going to break. We believe in the man next to each other. We knew the game wasn’t over.

We know what it takes to make plays. We’ve got a lot of grit and belief on this team. We’re family. We came back and got the job done.”

“They take coaching, they’re talented, and they’re bought in, you know? For me, it’s refreshing. It’s really refreshing. The whole team has a great vibe.”

According to Jadyn Watson Fisher News & Observer article https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article311999436.html

Kickoff for Duke, NC State Saturday is set for 4:00pm from Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium!

The game is going to be televised on ESPN 2 ! Though, who is commentating is to be determined!