Duke Falls at Georgia Tech, 28-25

Saturday, October 10

Atlanta, Ga.

3:30 p.m.

Duke University

4-1 , 1-1

Georgia Tech

2-3 , 1-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Duke	0	10	8	7	25
Georgia Tech	7	7	7	7	28

Duke traveled to Georgia Tech for its first ACC road test October 10, 2026.

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Falls at Georgia Tech, 28-25

10/10/2026 7:43:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)Coach Diaz: Postgame Press Conference Nate Sheppard: Postgame Press Conference Walker Eget: Postgame Press Conference Nick Morris Jr.: Postgame Press Conference Photo Gallery

ATLANTA – Duke football picked up a loss for the first time this season, falling 28-25 at Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Blue Devils (4-1, 1-1 ACC) had their eight-game winning streak snapped after the Yellow Jackets (2-3, 1-1 ACC) scored a go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the contest.

In a wild final three minutes, Duke took a 25-21 lead with 2:40 to play, Georgia Tech regained the lead at 28-25 with 54 seconds remaining and the Blue Devils missed a field goal with eight seconds left.

Nate Sheppard scored twice for Duke and finished the contest with 190 all-purpose yards after tallying 99 yards on the ground and 90 receiving yards. Walker Eget was 26-of-41 through the air, totaling 259 passing yards and a touchdown, connecting with Jared Richardson in the third quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Georgia Tech received the opening kickoff and went 78 yards on 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead as Alberto Mendoza hit Jordan Allen on a five-yard pass to begin the scoring.
After stopping the Yellow Jackets on fourth down on their second drive, Duke took over and went 64 yards on seven plays, capped by a Nate Sheppard five-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 7-7 with 14:20 left in the half. Sheppard aided the drive two plays prior to the TD with a 24-yard snag to make it first-and-goal from the 10-yard line to start the second quarter.
After trading punts, Georgia Tech regained the lead at 14-7 with a five-yard touchdown run by Trelain Maddox to end a 92-yard drive at the 7:37 mark of the second quarter.
Duke cut the deficit to 14-10 with 3:47 left in the opening half on a 35-yard field goal from true freshman Gavin Strange. The field goal was the first make of Strange's career.
Georgia Tech stopped the Blue Devils on their opening drive of the second half and forced a punt. The Yellow Jackets pushed the lead back to 21-10 with a 60-yard Maddox touchdown run with 10:29 left in the third.
Duke responded with a 7:11 drive that ended in an eight-yard touchdown grab by Jared Richardson to make it 21-16 with 3:18 to play in the third quarter. Walker Eget then connected with Jonah Burton on the two-point conversion to make it a three-point game heading to the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils' defense forced a Georgia Tech punt and took possession with 9:14 remaining in the contest. Duke went on to take the lead, 25-21, with just under three minutes remaining. Duke's 70-yard, 12-play scoring drive, was capped by a five-yard scoring rush from Sheppard.
The hosts responded with a touchdown drive of their own, finding the end zone with 54 seconds on the clock with a quarterback sneak by Maddox. Duke was able to work its way inside Georgia Tech's 20-yard line, but a kick to tie the contest went wide with eight seconds remaining.