FEELING BLUE
Duke slips past Delaware on late blocked field goal
Saturday December 19, 2026 | Wallace Wade Stadium – Durham, North Carolina | 4:00 PM
Durham, North Carolina – In a game that featured long, methodical drives, back-breaking big plays, and a dramatic finish, the Delaware vs Duke first round playoff game came down to a single kick, and a single block.
Duke’s special teams unit got just enough of Skyler Sholder’s 26-yard field goal attempt with four seconds left to seal a stunning 24–23 win over previously undefeated Delaware. The blocked kick sent the Blue Devils pouring onto the field and left the Blue Hens heartbroken, their Cinderella run ending earlier than any of them had hoped.
Duke struck first, marching 75 yards in 10 plays on their opening possession and capping the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Darian Mensah to Chase Tyler. The Blue Hens answered right back, as Darrion Dupree powered into the end zone on a five-yard run to cap an eight-play drive of their own.
Delaware took its first lead midway through the second quarter when Dupree struck again, this time from three yards out, to make it 14–7. After a 47-yard field goal by Duke’s Brayden Moore made it 14–10, both quarterbacks traded interceptions in the final two minutes of the half. Delaware would tack on three more points as time expired, with Sholder knocking through a 22-yard field goal to send the Hens into the locker room up 17–10.
Duke opened the second half with another strong possession, tying the game at 17–17 on Mensah’s second touchdown pass of the night, this one to Que’Sean Brown from four yards out.
On the following drive, Delaware quarterback Mason Kelsay tried to hit Dupree on a wheel route under pressure, but the pass floated and was intercepted by standout linebacker Bradley Gompers.
“Just got to throw that one away,” Kelsay said postgame. Offensive coordinator DJ Porter echoed the sentiment: “We had what we wanted early, but pressure forced our hand.”
Still, Delaware’s defense stood tall, forcing a punt to keep the game tied entering the fourth quarter.
Sholder gave the Hens a 20–17 lead with a 31-yard field goal on the first play of the final frame, then extended it to 23–17 with another kick, again from 31 yards, with just 3:16 remaining.
Duke wasted no time. On the second play of their next drive, Mensah hit Cooper Barkate on a short curl, and the speedy receiver slipped a tackle and turned on the jets. Barkate galloped 67 yards for the go-ahead score, stunning the Delaware sideline and giving Duke its first lead since the first quarter, 24–23.
But the Blue Hens weren’t done.
Starting from their own 23, Kelsay led a poised, efficient two-minute drill. He connected with Thomas Amankwaa, Ja’Carree Kelly, and Yannick Smith on a series of intermediate gains. A pair of runs from Dupree pushed the ball to the Duke nine with seconds remaining.
After using their final timeout to center the ball, Porter sent out Sholder for what would have been his fourth make of the day. Duke, with two timeouts remaining, tried the freeze, calling one right before the snap. On the retry, the Blue Devils’ right edge surged through and blocked the kick, sealing the game.
Despite dominating most key stats including first downs (28–9), total offense (401–290), and third-down efficiency (7/9) Delaware simply couldn’t overcome two turnovers and Duke’s explosive plays.
Kelsay finished 23-of-35 for 241 yards but threw two interceptions. Dupree led the ground attack with 97 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, while receiver Yannick Smith hauled in six catches for 75 yards.
Mensah threw for 214 yards on 11 completions, but three went for touchdowns. Barkate’s three catches for 106 yards proved the difference. Duke linebacker Malcolm Wright led all defenders with 11 tackles.
“It hurts. There’s no sugarcoating it,” said Porter. “But I told the guys, we didn’t lose because of one play. We left points out there. We made mistakes. But we fought like hell. And I’m proud of them for that.”
Delaware finishes their stellar season 13–1, they'll head for a long offseason thinking about the cost of a play or two.
The ending stings, but the legacy of this Blue Hens team is far from defined by one kick.
Porter and defensive coordinator Manny Rojas, both thought to be favorites for head coach or power conference coordinator positions, quickly dismissed any questions related to the matter.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
DUKE – Chase Tyler 12 yd pass from Darian Mensah (Brayden Moore kick), 5:47
DEL – Darrion Dupree 5 yd run (Skyler Sholder kick), 2:16
Second Quarter
DEL – Darrion Dupree 3 yd run (Skyler Sholder kick), 5:23
DUKE – Brayden Moore 47 yd FG, 3:11
DEL – Skyler Sholder 22 yd FG, 0:00
Third Quarter
DUKE – Que’Sean Brown 4 yd pass from Darian Mensah (Brayden Moore kick), 5:45
Fourth Quarter
DEL – Skyler Sholder 31 yd FG, 8:57
DEL – Skyler Sholder 31 yd FG, 3:16
DUKE – Cooper Barkate 67 yd pass from Darian Mensah (Brayden Moore kick), 2:31
Delaware Stat Leaders
Passing
M. Kelsay – 23/35 241 Yds 65% 2 Int
Rushing
D. Dupree – 19 Car 97 Yds 5.1 Avg 2 TD
L. Brown – 6 Car 54 Yds 9.0 Avg
Receiving
Y. Smith – 6 Rec 75 Yds 12.5 Avg
J. Kelly – 5 Rec 55 Yds 11.0 Avg
T. Amankwaa – 5 Rec 44 Yds 8.8 Avg
Defense
C. Gill – 5 Tkl 1 Int
J. Puryear – 5 Tkl
DukeStat Leaders
Passing
D. Mensah – 11/19 57% 214 Yds 3 TD 1 Int
Rushing
Z. Kaiser – 15 Car 53 Yds 3.5 Avg
D. Mensah – 9 Car 21 Yds 2.3 Avg
Receiving
C. Barkate – 3 Rec 106 Yds 35.3 Avg 1 TD
J. Gibson – 3 Rec 45 Yds 15.0 Avg
O. Brown – 2 Rec 26 Yds 13.0 Avg 1 TD
C. Tyler – 1 Rec 13 Yds 13.0 Avg 1 TD
Defense
M. Wright – 11 Tkl
K. Robinson – 9 Tkl
K. Abney II – 9 Tkl 1 TFL 1 Int
B. Gompers – 6 Tkl 1 TFL 1 Int
K. Smith – 4 Tkl 2 TFL 0.5 Sck
B. Davis – 3 Tkl 1 TFL 0.5 Sck
Team Stats Comparison
| Category | Delaware | Duke |
|---|
| Score | 23 | 24 |
| First Downs | 28 | 9 |
| Total Offense | 401 | 290 |
| Total Plays | 65 | 44 |
| Yards Per Play | 6.2 | 6.6 |
| Rush|Yards|TD | 30|160|2 | 25|76|0 |
| Yards Per Rush | 5.3 | 3.0 |
| Comp|Att|TD | 23|35|0 | 11|19|3 |
| Yards Per Pass | 6.9 | 11.3 |
| Passing Yards | 241 | 214 |
| 3rd Down Conv. | 7|9 (77%) | 8|12 (66%) |
| 4th Down Conv. | 0|0 (0%) | 0|0 (0%) |
| 2 Pt Conv. | 0|0 (0%) | 0|0 (0%) |
| Red Zone TD|FG|% | 2|3|83% | 2|1|66% |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 |
| PR Yards | 7 | 0 |
| KR Yards | 38 | 56 |
| Total Yards | 446 | 346 |
| Punts (Avg) | 0.0 | 42.7 |
| Penalties | 1|15 | 2|10 |
Delaware by 15
