Mensah, Mallory lead No. 5 Miami past Duke 36-25 as Hurricanes close in on ACC title game berth

Darian Mensah, Javian Mallory, and Mark Fletcher Jr. helped No. 5 Miami secure a 36-25 victory over Duke on Saturday, bringing them closer to an Atlantic Coast Conference title game berth. The Hurricanes, led by Miami (9-1, 7-0 ACC) and ranked No. 7 in the CFP, tied a school record with their 11th consecutive ACC win.

Mensah, who transferred to Miami after leading Duke to last season's ACC title, threw for 382 yards and a touchdown. Mallory contributed three scores, and Fletcher rushed for a touchdown. Miami's defense forced 18 punts and stopped six drives on downs while holding Duke scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Cooper Barkate had a 100-yard game with eight catches for 134 yards, becoming the second former Duke star to achieve this milestone for Miami. Nate Sheppard accounted for 240 yards, including 131 rushing, 93 receiving, and 16 passing, plus two scores. Walker Eget completed 26 of 42 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown for Duke. However, Miami's Xavier Lucas intercepted a pass from Eget with 6:54 remaining in the game.

Duke never led in the contest, but the Blue Devils never allowed Miami to build a comfortable lead. Sheppard scored one of his two runs in the second quarter to put Miami up 10-3 and tied the Blue Devils' defense against Duke for 210 consecutive defensive snaps over 36 possessions in 13 quarters.