Duke (8-5) heads to El Paso, TX to face Arizona State (8-4) in the 92nd Sun Bowl on Wednesday December 31, 2025 at 2 pm EST. Television coverage is provided by CBS. The Blue Devils are currently favored
by three points. Duke is riding a three game win streak with wins over North Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia with the win over Virginia coming in the ACC Championship Game, while Arizona State lost their last outing 23-7 to Arizona.
The game is a rematch of the 2014 Sun Bowl, which Arizona State won 36-31.
Coach Manny Diaz Comments: In his Sun Bowl press conference, Coach Diaz stated, “Bowl games are like season openers, they’re a lot more about you than your opponent. They are about your preparation, your conditioning because it is a long lay off, it’s about your special teams, tackling, turnovers.” He continued on to say, “As we’ve seen this year when we play well we are pretty hard to beat but when we don’t play well we’re pretty easy to beat so it’s really about us and what we can do and how well we can play.”
Bowl Game Opt Outs: Offensive tackle Brian Parker II, cornerback Chandler Rivers and defensive end Vincent Anthony, Jr. will not participate for Duke. Everyone else is expected to play.
For Arizona State, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (leading receiver), running back Raleek Brown (leading rusher) and linebacker Keyshaun Elliot (leading tackler) highlight the list which also includes cornerback Keith Abney II, tight end Chamon Metayer, defensive end Clayton Smith, right tackle Max Iheanachor, left tackle Josh Atkins, cornerback Javan Robinson and linebacker Tate Romney.
With the number of opt outs for Arizona State it is guaranteed Duke will face players who are motivated to take advantage of the opportunity to play and demonstrate the skills they can bring to the field in the 2026 season.
Offense: Arizona State averages 24.7 points per game which ranks 87 of 134 FBS teams. The Sun Devils average 188.9 yards per game on the ground and 211.1 yards through the air. With running back Raleek Brown not playing, Arizona State’s leading rusher is quarterback Jeff Sims with 466 yards and three touchdowns on 93 carries followed by running back Kanye Udoh with 240 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries. Stopping the Sun Devils rushing attack will be priority one for the Blue Devils defense. This is a game where Duke will look to force Sims to try to win it with his arm.
Speaking of Sims, he is 3-0 as a starting quarterback against Duke. All three wins came when Sims played at Georgia Tech. Sims took over quarterback duties when starter Sam Leavitt went down with a foot injury. Sims has completed 78 of 150 pass attempts for 886 yards and seven touchdowns against five interceptions.
With leading receiver Jordyn Tyson opting out, wide receiver Malik McClain (22 receptions/378 yards/0 TDs) and wide receiver Derek Eusebio (21 receptions/303 yards/2 TDs) will be Sims primary targets.
Defense: Arizona State yields 23 points per game which ranks 52 of 134 FBS teams. Opponents average 225.7 yards per game through the air and 116.7 yards on the ground. The Sun Devils are stingy in the Red Zone allowing only 24 touchdowns on 46 opportunities.
Absent leading tackler Keyshaun Elliot, linebacker Jordan Crook has 92 tackles followed by defensive back Myles Rowser with 79. Linebacker Martell Hughes has two interceptions.
Arizona State likes to pressure the quarterback and has 32 sacks for 232 yards on the season, which ranks 21 of 134 FBS teams. The Duke offensive line must protect quarterback Darian Mensah against the aggressive Sun Devils defense.
Even though the Arizona State defense is tough against the run, look for Duke to come out committed to establishing the run to set up the pass. Achieving balance has been key to Duke’s success this season and Coach Diaz will not go away from what has worked. In the end, Duke wants quarterback Mensah throwing the ball to multiple receivers but success running the ball is a key prerequisite.
Prediction: The Blue Devils harass quarterback Jeff Sims into making mistakes while Mensah and company prove to be too much for the Sun Devils to handle. Duke 31, Arizona State 23.
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