Duke accomplished one goal earlier this month and would like to add another achievement in the Sun Bowl.
The Blue Devils will take on Arizona State on Wednesday in El Paso, Texas.
Both teams have created late-season momentum that they would like to expand on.
Arizona State (8-4) had a three-game winning streak until losing 23-7 to rival Arizona in the regular-season finale.
While bowl season brings a cloud of uncertainty, it’s about adjusting, according to Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.
“I’m going to support whatever our players do, whatever they deem is best,” he said.
Duke (8-5) is the Atlantic Coast Conference champion after upsetting Virginia in the title game. But the Blue Devils had too many hiccups during the regular season, including three nonconference losses, so they were left out of the College Football Playoff.
The consolation prize was a spot in the Sun Bowl. The teams met in the same stadium in the 2014 Sun Bowl, with Arizona State winning 36-31.
“I’m excited at the way our team has worked,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said in the lead-up to the bowl. “As we’ve seen this year, when we play well we’re pretty hard to beat. … We’re learning how to build a big-time program here. And this season has been a remarkable teacher for us.”
The Sun Devils have relied on Jeff Sims (seven TD passes, five interceptions, 466 rushing yards, three TDs) across the past four games after an injury to Sam Leavitt, who informed Arizona State earlier this month that he’s entering the transfer portal. Sims has yet to throw for 210 yards in a game.
Dillingham said speculation about him leaving for another coaching job didn’t create a distraction in the big picture.
“Just another day doing what I do and operating,” he said.
Duke had a sour bowl experience last season when a largely depleted roster was a blowout victim to Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl.
This could look different for the Blue Devils, with quarterback Darian Mensah announcing earlier this month that he’ll play another season for Duke and thus will take snaps in this week’s game.
Mensah has thrown for 30 touchdowns with five interceptions, racking up an ACC-leading 3,646 passing yards.
There will be no bowl for Duke offensive lineman Brian Parker II, defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. and cornerback Chandler Rivers. They all opted out in pursuit of prepping for the draft after receiving some level of All-ACC recognition.
With the exception of that trio, Diaz says he expects the rest of Duke’s roster which won the ACC championship to play in the bowl game.
Arizona State could be a bit more depleted, with 11 players declaring for the draft. But some of those, including linebacker Jordan Crook and defensive lineman Justin Wodtly, are expected to be in uniform on New Year’s Eve.
“They’re a team that immediately grabs your attention,” Diaz said. “They certainly have enough good players to beat anybody.”
Diaz said generating a rushing attack against Arizona State will be a major task. Duke freshman running back Nate Sheppared is at 962 rushing yards this season with 10 touchdown runs.
The Sun Bowl is Arizona State’s most frequent postseason destination. The Sun Devils are 4-2-1 in the bowl, with the most recent appearance coming when they defeated Florida State in 2019.
–Field Level Media
