FINAL: Duke 35, Stanford 7 – The reigning ACC champs are still unbeaten in 2026. Nate Sheppard accounted for three touchdowns, and Duke began its ACC title defense with a 35-7 romp over Stanford. The Blue Devils have now won seven straight games dating back to last November. Sheppard finished with 154 rushing yards on the day.
Duke has won six consecutive games, captured its first conference championship since 1989 and opened the 2026 campaign with two impressive victories. Now the Blue Devils begin their ACC title defense in earnest.
Stanford visits Durham on Saturday for Duke’s ACC opener, bringing an 11-game losing streak away from home but a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Cardinal are coming off a bye following a 45-6 loss to Miami, while the Blue Devils return home after rallying past Illinois 31-27.
The matchup also pits Duke’s prolific rushing attack, led by FBS rushing leader Nate Sheppard, against a Stanford defense that held Miami to 121 rushing yards. And Duke’s new starting quarterback, Walker Eget, knows a few things already about facing – and beating – the Cardinal.
🔄 Last Updated: September 19, 2026 8:47 pm
🏟️ How to Watch Stanford at Duke Football
Matchup: Stanford (1-1, 0-1 ACC) at Duke (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium (Durham, NC)
TV/Stream: The CW
Announcers: Rick Allen (play-by-play), Jason Cabinda (analyst), Wes Bryant (sideline)
Duke Audio: WRAL News 96.5 FM (Durham), 99.3 FM (Raleigh), 620 AM The Buzz (Triangle) or the Blue Devil Sports Network on the Varsity Network App.
Duke Announcers: David Shumate (play-by-play), Dave Harding (analyst), John Roth (sideline)
📊 Latest Lines
Spread: Duke -10
Over/Under Total: 51.5 points
Moneyline: Stanford +310 | Duke -395
Lines via DraftKings Sportsbook. Updated Sept. 19, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.
⏪ Last Time Out
Miami 45, Stanford 6 (Sept. 4) – Former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah threw five touchdown passes, Malachi Toney had 234 receiving yards, and Miami rolled to victory at Stanford. The Cardinal failed to get into the end zone, scoring its only points on a pair of field goals.
Duke 31, Illinois 27 (Sept. 12) – The Blue Devils won for the sixth time in a row, rallying past the Fighting Illini on the road. Nate Sheppard scored three times, including twice on receptions, and finished with 147 rushing yards.
📚 Series History
- Stanford leads the all-time series 3-1
- Last Meeting: Stanford 50, Duke 13 (Sept. 8, 2012)
- First Meeting: Duke 9, Stanford 3 (Oct. 2, 1971)
- Stanford was ranked No. 5 in the nation when they last played in Durham in 2011. Andrew Luck quarterbacked the Cardinal to a 44-14 win. Luck is now the GM of the Stanford program.
🔍 What to Know About Stanford at Duke
- Duke will begin its ACC title defense against a team that just joined the conference in 2024. It will be homecoming for the Blue Devils on Saturday.
- Stanford is coming off a bye and will be making its first road trip of 2026. The Cardinal is currently in the midst of an 11-game losing streak in games away from home, the longest skid in program history. Stanford last won on the road in September 2024 when it beat Syracuse.
- The Blue Devils have the fourth-longest active winning streak in FBS football at six games, trailing only national champion Indiana (18), Notre Dame (12) and Utah (8). Duke’s last loss came against Virginia, 34-17 on Nov. 15, 2025. Since then, the Devils have beaten UNC, Wake Forest, Virginia (ACC title game), Arizona State (Sun Bowl), Tulane and Illinois.
- A familiar foe for Walker Eget: Duke’s quarterback faced Stanford twice while playing for San Jose State, leading the Spartans to a 34-31 victory in 2024 before falling 30-29 last season. Across those two games, Eget completed 69 of 107 passes for 858 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.
- Duke running back Nate Sheppard leads the nation in rushing yards per game (187.0). He followed up his career-high 227-yard effort against Tulane by gaining 147 at Illinois. He is tied for fourth nationally in total touchdowns with five.
- The Blue Devils have had four ACC Player of the Week selections already this season – Sheppard twice, defensive lineman Bryce Davis and offensive lineman Nick Del Grande.
- Stanford is +2 in turnover margin thus far and has yet to commit a turnover.
- Linebacker Matt Rose leads Stanford and is second in the ACC in tackles with 21. He made 12 stops against Miami in his most recent outing. Safety Charlie Eckhardt is the only player in FBS so far this season to block a punt and record an interception.
- The ACC announced its 2027 conference matchups earlier this week, and Duke is set to make its first trip to The Farm for an ACC game. The game date is still TBD.
- Player availability: Stanford enters Saturday with 13 players listed as out, including five defensive backs and three offensive linemen. Offensive lineman Niki Prongos, who started all 12 games last season, is doubtful, while linebacker Jahsiah Galvan is questionable. Duke lists five players as out, including three offensive linemen, while cornerback Kimari Robinson is doubtful. Wide receiver Javen Nicholas is probable.
🔗 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
- Duke Football Schedule
- ACC Standings
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
