Recent matchups with Duke in basketball have been rough for Syracuse basketball. However, the 2025 football season includes a matchup of these two basketball schools that are heading in the right direction on the gridiron. Both teams made huge strides with a first-year coach in 2024, with the Blue Devils arguably stealing a spot in the Gator Bowl from Syracuse football, which should lead to a fascinating game in late September.
Duke’s head coach: Manny Diaz
Diaz should be a familiar name for most Syracuse fans because he’s been in the ACC for a long time. He’s a Florida State alum, although he came of age as a coach at Miami, serving as the defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018 and then head coach from 2019 to 2021. The Hurricanes were up and down during his three-year tenure as head coach, going 21-15 before getting fired prior to Miami’s bowl game in 2021.
Diaz quickly landed on his feet at Penn State as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In 2023, he orchestrated one of the best defenses in the country, which led to him getting another chance as a head coach with Duke. As mentioned, it was a promising first season with the Blue Devils for Diaz, leading to similar expectations for 2025.
Last meeting with Syracuse: Duke 38, Syracuse 24 (2020)
The last time the Orange and Blue Devils met on the gridiron was amidst the COVID season in 2020. You may remember this was a disastrous season for Dino Babers and Syracuse. On the heels of what would turn out to be its only win of the season, Syracuse hosted Duke in an empty Dome. A defensive touchdown put the Orange ahead 14-10 early in the second quarter. But the Blue Devils seized control after that. Despite making it a one-score game midway through the fourth quarter, the Syracuse defense couldn’t get enough stops to threaten the Blue Devils.
Series history
One year before the Blue Devils won in the Dome, the Orange laid a beatdown on the Blue Devils in Durham, winning 49-6. That remains Syracuse’s only win against Duke in five all-time meetings between the two programs. It’s worth noting that two of those games came in the late 1930s. The only other modern-day meeting between the Orange and Devils was in 2014 when Syracuse was down to its third and fourth-string quarterbacks, losing 27-10.
Duke’s 2024 season
Mike Elko left Duke for Texas A&M after a 7-5 season in 2023, and Manny Diaz was able to build on that last year. The Blue Devils opened the year 5-0, thanks to a double-overtime win over Northwestern and a 21-20 victory over UNC. That was followed by a stretch of three losses in four games. In Duke’s defense, one of those losses was a road game against Miami. The Blue Devils also lost to SMU during that stretch. However, Duke had a potential game-winning field goal blocked in the final seconds. The Blue Devils also missed a two-point conversion try in overtime, losing 28-27.
Following the Miami loss, Diaz was able to rally the troops for three straight November wins over NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest to finish the regular season at 9-3. That record was enough to earn an invitation to the Gator Bowl despite the fact that there was another 9-3 ACC team with a win over Miami on its resume that also would have been a good choice. In the Gator Bowl, Duke’s defense was no match for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, as the Blue Devils got blown out 52-20, settling for a 9-4 record.
Duke’s key returning players
The Blue Devils lost star running back Star Thomas to Tennessee in the transfer portal, although backups Peyton Jones and Jaquez Moore return. However, those two combined for just 403 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season. Duke also lost its top two leading receivers from last year’s team, although Que’Sean Brown is back after 41 catches and 445 receiving yards as a freshman.
Defensively, Duke returns a notable pass-rushing tandem in Wesley Williams and Anthony Vincent Jr., who had eight and five sacks, respectively, in 2024. At linebacker, Tre Freeman returns for his fifth season with the Blue Devils, playing a key role on the Duke defense for each of the last two seasons. In the secondary, senior cornerback Chandler Rivers has been a key part of the defense for the past three years, totaling 21 defended passes and five interceptions in his career. Likewise, Terry Moore is an experienced safety who will play alongside sophomore DaShawn Stone, who is a rising star for the Blue Devils after a promising freshman season.
Duke’s notable additions
For the second straight offseason, Duke’s starting quarterback hit the transfer portal. Diaz responded by finding Darian Mensah in the portal. Mensah was a freshman at Tulane last season, completing nearly 66% of his passes with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the Green Wave to a 9-4 season, including a loss to Army in the AAC Championship Game.
Darian Mensah was the #1 G5 QB last year by the meaningful metrics...and some of his stats were just silly.
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) June 30, 2025
14.4 Yards/Comp (behind only Jaxson Dart)
0.54 EPA/Play (28% above any other G5)
8.23 Yards/Play (half-yard above any other G5)
Duke might be really good this year. pic.twitter.com/esg0XSbmgf
The Blue Devils also used the transfer portal to find reinforcements at wide receiver. Former Michigan and Oklahoma wide receiver Andrel Anthony and Harvard transfer Cooper Barkate are expected to step into the starting lineup right away. Freshmen Jamien Little and Jaivon Solomon also have a chance to see the field early in their careers.
On the defensive side of the ball, Duke’s front seven got better with the addition of defensive tackle Josiah Green, a former standout at Dartmouth. Meanwhile, an already solid secondary got better with the addition of cornerback Jaiden Francois, a Utah State transfer. Sam Houston transfer Caleb Weaver also adds more depth at safety.
Duke’s 2025 season outlook
Coming off a nine-win season in Diaz’s first season in Durham, the Blue Devils have every reason to think they’ll be in the top half of the ACC standings when all is said and done. Defensively, the Blue Devils look to be in good shape, which should give them a chance to win most of their games. However, they are relying on a sophomore quarterback who’s making the leap from a smaller conference and a lot of unproven players and transfers at the offensive skill positions, so that side of the ball could have some growing pains.
Duke’s schedule also has some tricky spots. There is an early-season game against an Illinois team that won 10 games last year. Mensah and the Blue Devils also make a trip to New Orleans to face his former Tulane teammates. Road games with Syracuse, Cal, Clemson, and North Carolina also figure to be challenging. The Blue Devils should find a way to at least become bowl-eligible. They might even win eight or nine games if things click. However, there aren’t going to be a lot of easy games on Duke’s schedule, so it’s possible that the program takes a step back in Diaz’s second season.
When and where Duke plays Syracuse in 2025
Syracuse and Duke will play on Saturday, September 27, in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Learn more about Duke: https://balldurham.com/
Prediction: Syracuse 30, Duke 24
Both teams will hope to have found their way with a new quarterback by late September. Likewise, both could be looking for a signature ACC win at this point in the season. That should result in a competitive game that’s close for 60 minutes. In a close game, the Dome crowd has a chance to be the difference. Look for the Syracuse defense to come up with a key stop that allows the Orange to survive with a win.