DURHAM, N.C. — Every game is personal for Duke football.
That’s what tight end Jeremiah Hasley said after the Blue Devils defeated Stanford 35-7 on Sept. 19 to open ACC play 1-0.
That same mindset will carry into Duke‘s Week 4 matchup against William & Mary on Sept. 26.
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“It doesn’t matter who the opponent is,” Hasley said. “We know we have to approach each and every day, regardless of who the opponent is. We didn’t play our best (against Stanford) on offense or defense, and the chip on our shoulder is we need to do better, and it starts with William and Mary.”
The reigning ACC champions have carried that chip through their first three games. Against the Tribe, they’ll have another opportunity to prove it.
Third-year head coach Manny Diaz pointed to a familiar example: Duke’s last two games against an FCS opponent in Elon. In 2024, Duke led the Phoenix 10-0 at halftime. In 2025, the teams were tied at 10 entering the break.
Duke combined to outscore Elon 51-10 in the second half of those two games.
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“As I mentioned, we’ve not played very well against Elon in the first half of the last two years,” Diaz said on Sept. 21. “So, again, as a team, we keep trying to build that chip on their shoulder of trying to do things that we have not done great, not done with excellence over the last couple of years.”
The lesson for Diaz isn’t about William & Mary. It’s about Duke.
“I think we’ll really just put our focus on us,” Diaz said. “We’ll learn what they do best and how to try to neutralize that … What we’re looking for as coaches is our process slipping anywhere. Is there any type of body language, any type of effort issues on the catapult that show us that somehow our best is not required. Championship programs adjust their standard, and we’re trying to get to the same standard week in and week out.”
The Blue Devils are 3-0 for the second time since Diaz took over in 2024. Two of their wins – against Tulane and Illinois – came against opponents they lost to a year ago. They now have a chance to be 4-0 for the second time in Diaz’s tenure.
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“Pleased to get (Stanford) under our belt, but now the process begins again,” Diaz said. “There’s a lot we have to improve upon. We need to continue to get more guys stepping up in the program like we had this past week and just find a way to be a better version of ourselves in week four than we were in week three.”
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra.
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: ‘Every game is personal’: How Duke football is approaching William & Mary
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
