Illinois Dominates Duke 45-19 in Week 2 Matchup
Illinois dominated Duke 45-19 in Week 2, with the Illini's defense proving decisive throughout the contest. Illinois covered the 2.5-point spread and pushed the game over the 49-point total.
Duke struck first with a field goal in the first quarter, but Illinois answered with a touchdown. The teams traded scores through the first half, with Illinois taking a 14-13 lead into halftime. A key play came in the second quarter when Duke's Darian Mensah connected with Chase Tyler for a 62-yard completion to the Illinois 13-yard line, though the drive stalled.
Illinois seized control in the second half, outscoring Duke 31-6 over the final two quarters. The Illini scored touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters to pull away decisively. Duke's offense struggled down the stretch, culminating in an interception by Tanner Heckel in the fourth quarter.
Duke's Mensah led all passers with 334 yards, while Cooper Barkate led receivers with 88 yards. Illinois' defense delivered the game's defining plays, holding Duke scoreless in the fourth quarter.
AI-generated recap · Aug 21, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Illinois | 7 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 45 |
 Duke | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Illinois | Duke |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 22-31 | 25-39 |
| Pass Yards | 296 | 356 |
| Rush Yards | 123 | 82 |
| Total Yards | 419 | 438 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
| 3rd Down | 5-13 | 4-10 |
| Penalties | 7-51 | 6-69 |
| Possession | 36:12 | 23:48 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Jaquez Moore run for 8 yds to the DUKE 33
Moore, Jaquez rush for loss of 2 yards to the DUKE31, PENALTY ILL face mask 15 yards to the DUKE48, NO PLAY, 1ST DOWN DUKE.
Jaquez Moore run for 5 yds to the ILL 47
Jaquez Moore run for 6 yds to the ILL 41 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jeremiah Hasley for 6 yds to the ILL 35
Darian Mensah run for 6 yds to the ILL 29 for a 1ST down
Anderson Castle run for 4 yds to the ILL 25
Darian Mensah run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 26
Darian Mensah run for 3 yds to the ILL 23
Todd Pelino 40 yd FG GOOD
Aidan Laughery run for 5 yds to the ILL 30
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 21 yds to the DUKE 49 for a 1ST down
Aidan Laughery run for a loss of 3 yards to the ILL 48
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Collin Dixon
Luke Altmyer sacked by Vincent Anthony Jr. for a loss of 8 yards to the ILL 40
Keelan Crimmins punt for 60 yds for a touchback
Jaquez Moore run for no gain to the DUKE 20
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jaquez Moore for 8 yds to the DUKE 28
Darian Mensah pass incomplete
Kade Reynoldson punt for 45 yds, downed at the ILL 27
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Collin Dixon
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Ca'Lil Valentine for 2 yds to the ILL 29
Altmyer, Luke pass incomplete to Dixon, Collin (Robinson, Kimari), PENALTY DUKE pass interference 14 yards to the ILL43, NO PLAY, 1ST DOWN ILL.
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Malik Elzy, broken up by Caleb Weaver
Kaden Feagin run for 3 yds to the ILL 46
Luke Altmyer sacked by Vincent Anthony Jr. for a loss of 3 yards to the ILL 43
Illinois Penalty, False Start (-5 Yards) to the ILL 38
Keelan Crimmins punt for 48 yds , Que'Sean Brown returns for 4 yds to the DUKE 18 Que'Sean Brown fumbled, recovered by ILL Tyler Strain
Kaden Feagin run for a loss of 1 yard to the DUKE 19
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 5 yds to the DUKE 14
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Justin Bowick for 13 yds to the DUKE 1 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for no gain to the DUKE 1
Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 10 yds to the DUKE 35 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Nate Sheppard for 2 yds to the DUKE 37
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jayden Moore for 13 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Nate Sheppard run for 9 yds to the ILL 41
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 10 yds to the ILL 31 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Cooper Barkate
Illinois Penalty, Substitution Infraction (5 Yards) to the ILL 26
Nate Sheppard run for 3 yds to the ILL 23
Anderson Castle run for 3 yds to the ILL 20 for a 1ST down
Anderson Castle run for 1 yd to the ILL 19
Jaquez Moore run for 11 yds to the ILL 8 for a 1ST down
Mensah, Darian pass incomplete to King, Landen, PENALTY DUKE pass interference (Hasley, Jeremiah) 15 yards to the ILL23, NO PLAY.
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 5 yds to the ILL 18
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Que'Sean Brown
Duke Penalty, Delay of Game (-5 Yards) to the ILL 23
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Cooper Barkate
Todd Pelino 40 yd FG GOOD
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hudson Clement
Illinois Penalty, False Start (Tanner Arkin) to the ILL 20
Luke Altmyer sacked by Vincent Anthony Jr. and Tre Freeman for a loss of 6 yards to the ILL 14
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 27 yds to the ILL 41 for a 1ST down
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 11 yds to the DUKE 48 for a 1ST down
Aidan Laughery run for a loss of 3 yards to the ILL 49
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Justin Bowick, broken up by Chandler Rivers
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Justin Bowick for 12 yds to the DUKE 39
Jordan Anderson run for 1 yd to the DUKE 38 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 33 yds to the DUKE 5 for a 1ST down
Altmyer, Luke pass incomplete, PENALTY ILL holding (Priestly, Melvin) 10 yards to the DUKE15, NO PLAY.
Aidan Laughery run for 6 yds to the DUKE 9
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 1 yd to the DUKE 8
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Cole Rusk for 8 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Darian Mensah pass complete to Chase Tyler for 62 yds to the ILL 13 for a 1ST down
Peyton Jones run for no gain to the ILL 13
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Jeremiah Hasley
Darian Mensah sacked by Gabe Jacas for a loss of 5 yards to the ILL 18 Darian Mensah fumbled, forced by Gabe Jacas, recovered by ILL Matthew Bailey , return for 0 yards
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hank Beatty
Altmyer, Luke pass incomplete to Dixon, Collin, PENALTY DUKE roughing passer (Rivers, Chandler) 15 yards to the ILL33, NO PLAY, 1ST DOWN ILL.
Ca'Lil Valentine run for a loss of 2 yards to the ILL 31
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 15 yds to the ILL 46 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 7 yds to the DUKE 47
Kaden Feagin run for no gain to the DUKE 47
Luke Altmyer sacked by Kendall Johnson for a loss of 12 yards to the ILL 41
Keelan Crimmins punt for 36 yds, fair catch by Que'Sean Brown at the DUKE 23
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Jeremiah Hasley
Darian Mensah pass complete to Anderson Castle for 13 yds to the DUKE 36 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Que'Sean Brown
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Cooper Barkate
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jayden Moore for 12 yds to the DUKE 48 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 35 yds to the ILL 17 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 2 yds to the ILL 15
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 4 yds to the ILL 11
Mensah, Darian pass incomplete to Anthony, Andrel, PENALTY ILL roughing passer (Brown, Daniel) 6 yards to the ILL5, NO PLAY, 1ST DOWN DUKE.
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 5 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
TEAM run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 24
End of 2nd Quarter
Aidan Laughery run for 3 yds to the ILL 28
Aidan Laughery run for a loss of 3 yards to the ILL 25
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 5 yds to the ILL 30
Duke Penalty, Illegal Participation (5 Yards) to the ILL 35 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 36 yds to the DUKE 29 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hudson Clement, broken up by Chandler Rivers
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hudson Clement for 12 yds to the DUKE 17 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd to the DUKE 16
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Collin Dixon
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 8 yds to the DUKE 8
Kaden Feagin run for 4 yds to the DUKE 4 for a 1ST down
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Justin Bowick for 4 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Que'Sean Brown
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jaquez Moore for 7 yds to the DUKE 32
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jaquez Moore for 5 yds to the DUKE 37 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 24 yds Sahmir Hagans fumbled, forced by Matthew Bailey, recovered by ILL Kaleb Patterson
Luke Altmyer run for 3 yds to the ILL 42
Luke Altmyer pass incomplete to Hudson Clement, broken up by Luke Mergott
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 18 yds to the DUKE 40 for a 1ST down Duke Penalty, Roughing Passer (Wesley Williams) to the DUKE 25 for a 1ST down
Hank Beatty run for 25 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jaquez Moore for 24 yds to the DUKE 49 for a 1ST down
Jaquez Moore run for no gain to the DUKE 49
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 41 yds to the ILL 10 for a 1ST down
Nate Sheppard run for 6 yds to the ILL 4
Nate Sheppard run for no gain to the ILL 4
Darian Mensah run for a loss of 2 yards to the ILL 6
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 6 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Todd Pelino kickoff for 64 yds , Ca'Lil Valentine return for 25 yds to the ILL 26 Ca'Lil Valentine fumbled, recovered by ILL Ca'Lil Valentine , return for no gain to the ILL 26
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Hank Beatty for 20 yds to the ILL 46 for a 1ST down
Ca'Lil Valentine run for a loss of 2 yards to the ILL 44
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Ca'Lil Valentine for 12 yds to the DUKE 44 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 3 yds to the DUKE 41
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Justin Bowick for 21 yds to the DUKE 20 for a 1ST down
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 3 yds to the DUKE 17
Luke Altmyer run for 5 yds to the DUKE 12
Kaden Feagin run for no gain to the DUKE 12
Illinois Penalty, False Start (Melvin Priestly) to the DUKE 17
David Olano 35 yd FG GOOD
Anderson Castle run for 3 yds to the DUKE 28
Darian Mensah pass complete to Landen King for 3 yds to the DUKE 31
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 17 yds to the DUKE 48 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah run for 3 yds to the ILL 49
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 20 yds to the ILL 29 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Jayden Moore, broken up by Torrie Cox Jr.
Darian Mensah pass intercepted Tanner Heckel return for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 11
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Malik Elzy for 11 yds to the ILL 22 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 7 yds to the ILL 29
Kaden Feagin run for 11 yds to the ILL 40 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd to the ILL 41
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Malik Elzy for 10 yds to the DUKE 49 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 3 yds to the DUKE 46
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 11 yds to the DUKE 35 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 1 yd to the DUKE 34
Luke Altmyer run for 25 yds to the DUKE 9 for a 1ST down
Kaden Feagin run for 7 yds to the DUKE 2
Kaden Feagin run for no gain to the DUKE 2
Luke Altmyer pass complete to Collin Dixon for 2 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Darian Mensah sacked by Tanner Heckel for a loss of 2 yards to the DUKE 23 Darian Mensah fumbled, forced by Tanner Heckel, recovered by ILL Malachi Hood , return for 0 yards
Ca'Lil Valentine run for 23 yds for a TD (David Olano KICK)
Henry Belin IV run for 15 yds to the DUKE 40 for a 1ST down
Nate Sheppard run for 6 yds to the DUKE 46
Henry Belin IV pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 17 yds to the ILL 37 for a 1ST down
Henry Belin IV pass incomplete to Andrel Anthony
Henry Belin IV pass complete to Peyton Jones for 5 yds to the ILL 32
Henry Belin IV pass incomplete to Jayden Moore
Henry Belin IV pass incomplete to Chase Tyler
TEAM run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 31
TEAM run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 30
TEAM run for a loss of 1 yard to the ILL 29