Duke Dominates Elon in Lopsided Week 1 Matchup
Duke overwhelmed Elon 45-17 in Week 1 action, with the Blue Devils pulling away decisively in the second half. Duke scored just 10 points through the first half before exploding for 35 points in the final two quarters, including 21 in the fourth alone.
Elon managed to stay competitive early, with TJ Thomas Jr. recording a 44-yard run in the first quarter. However, Duke's offense took control, particularly in the second quarter when Jaquez Moore scored on a 32-yard touchdown run and Darian Mensah connected with Que'Sean Brown on a 44-yard completion. Mensah led all passers with 389 yards, while Brown paced receivers with 93 yards.
Duke's fourth-quarter surge was highlighted by Anderson Castle's 63-yard run that set up additional scoring. The game exceeded the over-under of 51.5 points, and surprisingly, Elon covered the 36.5-point spread. Daniel Frederick led Elon's ground game with 9 yards rushing as the Phoenix struggled to contain Duke's offensive firepower.
AI-generated recap · Aug 25, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elon | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
 Duke | 3 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 45 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Elon | Duke |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 11-18 | 27-34 |
| Pass Yards | 112 | 389 |
| Rush Yards | 163 | 159 |
| Total Yards | 275 | 548 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 8-17 | 5-9 |
| Penalties | 7-47 | 3-15 |
| Possession | 32:53 | 27:07 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Landen Clark pass incomplete to Dylan Magazu
Landen Clark run for 3 yds to the ELON 22
TJ Thomas Jr. run for a loss of 3 yards to the ELON 19
Jeff Yurk punt for 44 yds , Que'Sean Brown returns for 1 yd to the DUKE 38
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 30 yds to the ELON 32 for a 1ST down
Jaquez Moore run for no gain to the ELON 32
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jeremiah Hasley for 5 yds to the ELON 27
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Cooper Barkate
Todd Pelino 45 yd FG MISSED
TJ Thomas Jr. run for 3 yds to the ELON 30
Landen Clark pass complete to TJ Thomas Jr. for no gain to the ELON 30
Landen Clark sacked by Vincent Anthony Jr. for a loss of 5 yards to the ELON 25
Jeff Yurk punt for 46 yds
Jaquez Moore run for 9 yds to the DUKE 38
PENALTY Duke False Start (Fina,Bruno) 5 yards from Duke38 to Duke33. NO PLAY.
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Cooper Barkate
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 2 yds to the DUKE 35
Kade Reynoldson punt for 46 yds, fair catch by Ben Kirsch at the ELON 19
Landen Clark run for 9 yds to the ELON 28
Landen Clark run for 14 yds to the ELON 42 for a 1ST down
Landen Clark pass incomplete to Zimere Winston
Dan Frederick run for a loss of 2 yards to the ELON 40
Landen Clark sacked for a loss of 2 yards to the ELON 38
Jeff Yurk punt for 57 yds
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 10 yds to the DUKE 15 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Que'Sean Brown
Darian Mensah pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for no gain to the DUKE 15
Darian Mensah pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 25 yds to the DUKE 40 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Cooper Barkate
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 8 yds to the DUKE 48
Anderson Castle run for 4 yds to the ELON 48 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jayden Moore for 8 yds to the ELON 40
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jayden Moore for 15 yds to the ELON 25 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Peyton Jones
Peyton Jones run for 2 yds to the ELON 23
Darian Mensah pass incomplete to Sahmir Hagans
T. Pelino 41 yd FG GOOD
(01:31) No Huddle-Shotgun Thomas Jr.,TJ rush left for 1 yard gain to the Elon26 (Mergott,Luke) PENALTY Elon Personal Foul (Backey,Landyn) 12 yards from Elon25 to Elon13. NO PLAY.
Elon Penalty, Offensive Holding (Yards) declined
Landen Clark pass complete to Kenaz McMillian for 2 yds to the ELON 15
TJ Thomas Jr. run for 44 yds to the DUKE 41 for a 1ST down
Landen Clark run for 3 yds to the DUKE 38
TJ Thomas Jr. run for 2 yds to the DUKE 36
Landen Clark pass complete to TJ Thomas Jr. for 7 yds to the DUKE 29 for a 1ST down
Landen Clark pass complete to Ross Smith for 6 yds to the DUKE 23
Jimmyll Williams run for 2 yds to the DUKE 21
Landen Clark run for 7 yds to the DUKE 14 for a 1ST down
TJ Thomas Jr. run for 5 yds to the DUKE 9
TJ Thomas Jr. run for a loss of 3 yards to the DUKE 12
Landen Clark pass incomplete to Dylan Magazu
PENALTY Elon Delay Of Game (Yurk,Jeff) 5 yards from Duke12 to Duke17. NO PLAY.
Luke Barnes 35 yd FG GOOD
Darian Mensah pass complete to Nate Sheppard for 20 yds to the DUKE 45 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 21 yds to the ELON 34 for a 1ST down
Nate Sheppard run for 2 yds to the ELON 32
Jaquez Moore run for 32 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Jimmyll Williams run for 28 yds to the DUKE 47 for a 1ST down
Landen Clark run for 3 yds to the DUKE 44
Landen Clark pass complete to Zimere Winston for 29 yds to the DUKE 15 for a 1ST down
Landen Clark run for 4 yds to the DUKE 11
Landen Clark run for 2 yds to the DUKE 9
Landen Clark run for 5 yds to the DUKE 4 for a 1ST down
Jimmyll Williams run for 2 yds to the DUKE 2
Landen Clark pass incomplete to Kenaz McMillian
Landen Clark run for 2 yds for a TD (Luke Barnes KICK)
PENALTY Elon Delay Of Game (Barnes,Luke) 5 yards from Duke03 to Duke08. NO PLAY.
Luke Barnes kickoff for 65 yds , Peyton Jones return for 25 yds to the DUKE 25
Darian Mensah pass complete to Anderson Castle for 5 yds to the DUKE 30
Darian Mensah pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 44 yds to the ELON 26 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass incomplete
Darian Mensah pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 14 yds to the ELON 12 for a 1ST down
Jaquez Moore run for a loss of 7 yards to the ELON 19 Jaquez Moore fumbled, recovered by ELON Dillon Pardue
TJ Thomas Jr. run for a loss of 4 yards to the ELON 15
TJ Thomas Jr. run for 1 yd to the ELON 16
TJ Thomas Jr. run for a loss of 1 yard to the ELON 15
Jeff Yurk punt blocked by Nate Sheppard blocked by Nate Sheppard
Darian Mensah sacked by Dillon Pardue for a loss of 8 yards to the ELON 45
Darian Mensah pass complete to Anderson Castle for 3 yds to the ELON 42
Darian Mensah pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 6 yds to the ELON 36
End of 2nd Quarter
Luke Barnes kickoff for 65 yds , Peyton Jones return for 17 yds to the DUKE 17
Jaquez Moore run for 1 yd to the DUKE 18
Darian Mensah sacked by Parris Lowery for a loss of 3 yards to the DUKE 15
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 17 yds to the DUKE 32 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 46 yds to the ELON 22 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 4 yds to the ELON 18
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 10 yds to the ELON 8 for a 1ST down
PENALTY Duke False Start 5 yards from Elon08 to Elon13. NO PLAY.
Darian Mensah run for a loss of 2 yards to the ELON 15
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 15 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Todd Pelino kickoff for 65 yds , TJ Thomas Jr. return for 46 yds to the ELON 46
TJ Thomas Jr. run for a loss of 1 yard to the ELON 45
Landen Clark pass complete to TJ Thomas Jr. for 4 yds to the ELON 41
Landen Clark pass incomplete to Kenaz McMillian
Jeff Yurk punt for 50 yds , Que'Sean Brown returns for 3 yds to the DUKE 12
Darian Mensah pass complete to Jayden Moore for a loss of 1 yard to the DUKE 11
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 16 yds to the DUKE 27 for a 1ST down
Peyton Jones run for 8 yds to the DUKE 35
Peyton Jones run for 4 yds to the DUKE 39 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Landen King for 19 yds to the ELON 42 for a 1ST down
Nate Sheppard run for 1 yd to the ELON 41
Darian Mensah pass complete to Cooper Barkate for 14 yds to the ELON 27 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah pass complete to Andrel Anthony for 27 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Landen Clark pass complete to Dylan Magazu for 27 yds to the DUKE 48 for a 1ST down
(05:15) Shotgun Clark,Landen rush middle for 2 yards gain to the Duke46 (Johnson,Kendall) PENALTY Elon False Start 5 yards from Duke48 to Elon47. NO PLAY.
Landen Clark pass complete to Dylan Magazu for 15 yds to the DUKE 38 for a 1ST down
PENALTY Elon False Start (Safreed,Evan) 5 yards from Duke38 to Duke43. NO PLAY.
Landen Clark run for 4 yds to the DUKE 39
Landen Clark pass incomplete to Jaedon Alford
Landen Clark pass complete to Dylan Magazu for 19 yds to the DUKE 20 for a 1ST down
PENALTY Duke Offside (Anthony Jr.,Vincent) 5 yards from Duke20 to Duke15. NO PLAY.
Landen Clark pass complete to Dan Frederick for no gain to the DUKE 15
Landyn Backey run for 1 yd to the DUKE 14
Landen Clark run for 4 yds to the DUKE 10 for a 1ST down
Dan Frederick run for 1 yd to the DUKE 9
Landen Clark pass incomplete to TJ Thomas Jr.
Landen Clark run for 6 yds to the DUKE 3
Landyn Backey run for 3 yds for a TD (Luke Barnes KICK)
Luke Barnes kickoff for 61 yds , Peyton Jones return for 16 yds to the DUKE 20
Jaquez Moore run for 4 yds to the DUKE 24
Jaquez Moore run for 5 yds to the DUKE 29
Anderson Castle run for 63 yds to the ELON 8 for a 1ST down
Anderson Castle run for 2 yds to the ELON 6
Darian Mensah pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 6 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Landen Clark run for 8 yds to the ELON 33
(11:06) No Huddle-Shotgun Lainez,Marco rush middle for 8 yards gain to the Elon41, End Of Play PENALTY Elon Holding (Walker,Brayden) 10 yards from Elon33 to Elon23. NO PLAY.
TJ Thomas Jr. run for 3 yds to the ELON 26
Marco Lainez run for no gain to the ELON 26
Jeff Yurk punt for 52 yds , Que'Sean Brown returns for 78 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Marco Lainez run for 2 yds to the ELON 27
Marco Lainez pass complete to Jimmyll Williams for 11 yds to the ELON 38 for a 1ST down
Jimmyll Williams run for no gain to the ELON 38
Marco Lainez pass incomplete to Ross Smith
Jimmyll Williams run for 9 yds to the ELON 47
Landyn Backey run for no gain to the ELON 47
Nate Sheppard run for 11 yds to the ELON 36 for a 1ST down
Nate Sheppard run for 10 yds to the ELON 26 for a 1ST down
Darian Mensah run for 3 yds to the ELON 23
Nate Sheppard run for 4 yds to the ELON 19
(03:52) Shotgun Sheppard,Nate rush left for 4 yards loss to the Elon23 (Kirksey,Jared) PENALTY Elon Offside (Kirksey,Jared) 5 yards from Elon19 to Elon14, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Peyton Jones run for 3 yds to the ELON 11
Peyton Jones run for 6 yds to the ELON 5
Peyton Jones run for 5 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Dan Frederick run for 4 yds to the ELON 29
Dan Frederick run for 5 yds to the ELON 34
Dan Frederick run for 1 yd to the ELON 35 for a 1ST down