Darian Mensah throws for 382 yards against his old team as Miami beats Duke 36-25 and nears ACC title game

Darian Mensah threw for 382 yards and a touchdown against the school he led to a conference championship a year ago, freshman Javian Mallory scored three times and Miami beat Duke 36-25 on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The win moved the Hurricanes within one victory of a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Miami (9-1, 7-0 ACC) entered the week No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings and No. 5 in the AP poll. The Hurricanes were coming off their first loss of the season, a 31-24 defeat at Notre Dame on Nov. 7 in a game they played as the No. 1 team in the country. Saturday's result tied a school record with Miami's 11th consecutive ACC victory, according to The Associated Press.

Duke fell to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in league play.

Mensah and Barkate face their former team

Mensah and receiver Cooper Barkate both left Duke after winning the ACC title there last season. ESPN reported that Duke sued Mensah to enforce the multiyear name, image and likeness contract he had signed with the school before the two sides settled, clearing his move to Miami.

Mensah completed 30 of 41 passes and went over 3,000 passing yards for the season. According to ESPN, 300 of his yards came on throws traveling 5 air yards or fewer, as Miami answered Duke's early pressure with a quick passing game. Barkate, playing more with receiver Malachi Toney out with an ankle injury, caught eight passes for 134 yards, his first 100-yard game for Miami.

"If I'm being honest, it definitely did feel different, a little bit weird," Mensah said, according to ESPN. "I couldn't stop smiling for some reason when I first stepped on the field, just because I have a lot of love for those guys."

The opposing sideline carried its own Miami history. Duke coach Manny Diaz was the Hurricanes' head coach from 2019 through 2021 before Mario Cristobal replaced him.

How the game unfolded

The first quarter was scoreless. Jake Weinberg's 39-yard field goal opened the scoring early in the second quarter, and Gavin Strange answered with a 37-yarder for Duke. Mark Fletcher Jr. then scored on a 4-yard run for a 10-3 lead with 5:47 left in the half.

That run was the first touchdown Duke had allowed in 210 defensive snaps, a stretch of 36 possessions over 13 quarters, according to the AP. It was also the 36th rushing touchdown of Fletcher's Miami career, breaking a tie with Stephen McGuire for the school record.

Duke tied the game on the next possession when Nate Sheppard ran 47 yards for a touchdown. Weinberg's 26-yard field goal with 37 seconds left sent Miami to halftime up 13-10.

Weinberg added a 24-yarder midway through the third quarter. Then Mensah flipped a short pass to Mallory, who turned it into a 63-yard touchdown for a 22-10 lead with 2:43 left in the period, Miami's first double-digit lead. The two-point try failed. Sheppard's 5-yard run with 41 seconds left in the quarter pulled Duke within 22-17.

Mallory took over from there. He scored on a 2-yard run with 8:06 remaining for a 29-17 lead. On Duke's next drive, Miami's Xavier Lucas intercepted Walker Eget with 6:54 left, and Mallory broke a 39-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession to make it 36-17 with 4:21 to go. Duke scored on a 1-yard pass from Eget to Jeremiah Hasley and a two-point conversion with 21 seconds left.

Duke never led, but Miami did not pull away until the fourth quarter.

By the numbers

Miami outgained Duke by nearly 200 yards and did not turn the ball over, though the Hurricanes were penalized 10 times.

Mallory finished with 71 rushing yards on 10 carries and three catches for 79 yards. Jordan Lyle ran for 54 yards. Daylyn Upshaw caught six passes for 56 yards. Weinberg made all three of his field goal attempts and all three extra points for 12 points. Mohamed Toure led Miami with 11 tackles.

Fletcher did not get a carry in the second half because of an undisclosed injury, though the AP reported that Cristobal did not sound concerned after the game. Elija Lofton had a would-be touchdown catch wiped out in the third quarter when he stepped out of the end zone before making the grab, a week after his disputed late catch at Notre Dame was ruled incomplete.

Sheppard's record day for Duke

Sheppard accounted for 240 yards: 131 rushing on 16 carries, 93 receiving on 12 catches and 16 passing. He scored twice on the ground and caught the late two-point pass. According to the AP, he was the first player to run for that many yards against Miami since September 2024, and his first 47-yard touchdown pushed him past Mataeo Durant's 2021 total of 1,241 yards for Duke's single-season rushing record. He now has 1,253.

"What an advertisement for one of the best players in the United States," Diaz said of Sheppard, according to the AP. "He was unbelievable."

Eget completed 26 of 42 passes for 195 yards, a touchdown and the interception.

The ACC title picture

The ACC championship game is set for Dec. 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Miami could have clinched a berth Saturday night if North Carolina had beaten Louisville, according to the AP, but Louisville won 16-14. The Hurricanes now need one win in their final two games to secure a spot, which would be only the second ACC title game appearance in school history, according to ESPN.

Wake Forest also improved to 9-1 on Saturday by beating SMU 49-7 in Dallas, setting up a likely rematch with Miami, which beat the Demon Deacons 33-20 in September.

"Our goal is definitely to get to Charlotte, but it's even beyond that," Barkate said, according to ESPN.

What's next

Miami hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday, Nov. 21, and closes the regular season against Boston College on Nov. 28. A win in either game sends the Hurricanes to Charlotte with a strong case for the 12-team College Football Playoff. The next CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night.

Duke hosts Clemson on Friday, Nov. 20.