DURHAM, N.C. — Nate Sheppard gave Duke a first on Saturday: five rushing touchdowns by one player in a single game, something no Blue Devil had done before. His Halloween record carried Duke past Boston College 47-2 at Wallace Wade Stadium and locked up a bowl berth.
The Blue Devils climbed to 6-2, with a 3-2 mark in league games. Boston College, which came in on a two-game winning streak after running for 399 yards in a rout at Georgia Tech, dropped to 4-4 and 2-3 and managed only 78 yards on 33 carries.
Sheppard carried 20 times for 97 yards. His scoring runs went for 1, 2, 54, 4 and 1 yards, and the 54-yarder was the longest of his career, coming on a three-play, 81-yard drive that took less than a minute. The day pushed him to 972 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns from scrimmage, a single-season school record, and his 14 rushing scores tie the program mark. He now leads all FBS players in total touchdowns.
The only Eagles points came in an unusual way. After Sheppard’s second touchdown, Boston College blocked the extra point and ran it back for a defensive two-point conversion, cutting the margin to 13-2 in the first quarter. Duke scored the next 34 points.
Walker Eget threw a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Jeremiah Hasley before halftime for a 27-2 lead, and Gavin Strange closed the scoring in the fourth quarter with two field goals, including a 41-yarder that was the longest of his career. A 44-yard catch by Javen Nicholas on third down kept Duke’s first scoring drive alive.
Next up is a short trip down the road: Duke visits NC State next Saturday, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m.
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