Duke quarterback Darian Mensah will return to face his former school on Saturday night when the Blue Devils travel to New Orleans to meet Tulane.
Mensah passed for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions to lead the Green Wave to a 9-4 record and a spot in the American Championship in 2024. He was seen as one of the top players in the transfer portal and picked the ACC school before Tulane’s bowl game.
Duke signed him to a reported two-year, $8 million name, image and likeness deal — one of the biggest in college football.
Will going back to play against the program he was a part of for two years so soon be an awkward situation for Mensah? Duke coach Manny Diaz thinks it will all be over in a snap.
“It’s awkward especially before the game but after that first play, it just becomes ball and everyone’s trying to do their job,” Diaz said Monday.
“I suspect it will be that way that goes on Saturday.”
Through two games with Duke (1-1) the redshirt sophomore Mensah is 50 of 68 for 723 yards with five touchdowns and one interception although there were some ball security issues in Saturday’s 45-19 loss to then-No. 11 Illinois.
Mensah threw for 334 yards and two scores but also lost two fumbles and threw an interception as Duke totaled five turnovers and was outscored 31-6 after halftime by their Big Ten opponent.
Despite the loss, Diaz — who led to Duke to a 5-0 start last season — said the Blue Devils are in a better spot now than they were this time last year in his first season in charge in Durham.
“It felt way better to be 2-0 but I asked them honestly do you think we are a better team now then we were 12 months ago and the answer was obvious,” Diaz said.
“We know we are a better team.”
Tulane is off to just its fifth 2-0 start since 1975 after holding on for a 33-31 victory at South Alabama on Saturday. The Green Wave, predicted by Diaz to be fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff, already posted a win over Northwestern in their season opener.
Green Wave coach Jon Sumrall is excited for his team to be back home to host a night game against what he called by ‘far the most challenging opponent’ on Tulane’s schedule. He also addressed facing a former player on Tuesday.
“We know Darian well, he knows us pretty well too,” Sumrall said about his former quarterback.
“It’s a unique matchup. I love Darian to death. There will be a lot made of Darian’s return but it’s Tulane vs. Duke, it’s not Tulane vs. one player.”
Tulane is led by its own transfer quarterback in Jake Retzlaff, formerly of BYU. Retzlaff is 31 of 55 for 277 yards with two touchdowns) and on the ground (23 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns).
Duke leads the all-time series 3-2 and has won each of the past three meetings, most recently in 2015.
