Duke went into Big Ten territory on Saturday and walked away with a massive 31-27 victory over Illinois as Nate Sheppard scored three touchdowns and Walker Eget responded from a “not very good” debut to throw three scores.
And while Duke’s defense looked down in the first half, the Blue Devils rose up and kept the Fighting Illini to three points in the second half, stopping them on two fourth-down attempts and intercepting a Katin Houser pass to help Duke to the win.
Some votersin the US LBM Coaches Poll took notice of the win, with the Blue Devils earning 19 votes, 15 more than they did last week, in this week’s rankings.
The last time the Blue Devils found themselves in the top 25 of the coaches poll was in October during the 2023 season. Miami
(No. 5) and Virginia (No. 25) are the only two opponents on the rest of Duke’s schedule that are ranked.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 25 Florida;
Others Receiving Votes
Florida 183; Louisville 160; Boise State 44; Kansas State 24; South Carolina 23; Mississippi State 20; Vanderbilt 19; Duke 19; Nebraska 18; Pittsburgh 16; Oklahoma State 16; Auburn 15; Western Michigan 10; Virginia Tech 9; UCLA 8; Tulsa 7; North Dakota State 5; New Mexico 4; Clemson 3; Wake Forest 1; Arizona 1;
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This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Duke continues to rise closer to top 25 in latest US LBM Coaches Poll
