Duke is traditionally known as a basketball school, and how could it not be? Coach K is the winningest coach in history and made college basketball cool in North Carolina. So football has been an afterthought in Durham.

When David Cutcliffe came onto the scene, the team was exciting with Jamison Crowder and Daniel Jones. When Mike Elko took over, he got the program over .500 in his two lone seasons and left this year for Texas A&M. This left Duke without a head coach and in comes Manny Diaz, the former head coach of the Miami Hurricanes and most recently the defensive coordinator for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Manny Diaz comes in and immediately has to hit the transfer portal to get his quarterback because Riley Leonard left for Notre Dame. Diaz ends up recruiting Maalik Murphy to transfer from the Texas Longhorns to come to Duke and play for the Blue Devils.

This is a great pairing for Duke and proves they’re moving in the right direction.

The Blue Devils won their opening week matchup against Elon, which is no big deal to ride home about. But the atmosphere and support the team received from the fans and the Duke’s men’s basketball team was awesome to see. It set the tone for the new Manny Diaz era, who was 21-15 in his 3-year stint in Miami as their head coach (2019-2021).

They carried this into the Northwestern game Friday night, where the Blue Devils won 26-20 on the road in overtime. Murphy came alive in overtime, leading the team to two touchdowns before the defense showed up with a big stop.

Murphy has 63.3% completion percentage, 533 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in his first two games in the new uniform with a 135.8 passer rating. With Quinn Ewers leading the #3 team in the nation, Texas Longhorns, it was evident Murphy needed a change of scenery with a chance to start and play the game he loves.

Duke’s team will go far with Maalik Murphy and Manny Diaz, but two unsung heroes to start the year: wide receiver Jordan Moore and the Blue Devils defense.

Moore has combined for 18 catches, 231 yards, and a touchdown in these first two games. These catches are also coming at big moments in the game, especially in overtime against Northwestern. He’s clearly made himself the #1 option for the new quarterback Murphy.

And this defense! It’s combined for 27 tackles for loss across two games. If you’re constantly wreaking havoc in the backfield and pushing the opponent backward, you’re going to create 3rd-and-long situations that are hard to overcome consistently in a game.

If you haven’t watched Duke football yet, I implore you to do so. In the ACC, Duke could make a run with what they’re putting on the field right now.