Nate Sheppard sets Duke rushing record, leads nation in touchdowns

Nate Sheppard ran for five touchdowns in Duke's 47-2 victory over Boston College on Saturday. The school record performance capped a 30-point offensive day that left the Blue Devils at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. The win secured bowl eligibility for the fifth straight season.

Sheppard now leads all of college football in total touchdowns with 19. He also tops the country in scoring. The running back has 972 rushing yards and 31 receptions for 302 yards on the season. His average of 159.3 all-purpose yards per game leads all Power Four players. He ranks second among Power Four running backs in rushing yards per game at 121.5.

The surge followed a chaotic offseason for Duke. In January, quarterback Darian Mensah left for Miami on the final day of the transfer portal window. He departed despite a reported $8 million, two-year contract. Mensah had led Duke to its first outright ACC title since 1962. His top target, Cooper Barkate, followed him to the Hurricanes.

Mensah finished last season with 3,973 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Barkate caught 72 passes for 1,106 yards. Sheppard, a second-team All-ACC freshman from Mandeville, Louisiana, heard from other schools but committed to staying at Duke days before his teammates left. He described the exits as frustrating but said the program was not about one person.

Head coach Manny Diaz called the January day chaotic. He defended Sheppard's value, saying the position of running back had become devalued. Diaz stated that Sheppard has the ability to affect winning, which is what the Heisman Trophy should recognize. Duke replaced Mensah with San Jose State transfer Walker Eget at quarterback. The team was picked 10th in the ACC by media in July.

Sheppard gained 10 pounds in the offseason to become a goal-line threat. He expanded his skill set by throwing a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brody Keefe in a 19-16 win over Virginia. That was his first career pass, installed 48 hours before kickoff. Against Boston College, four of his five scores came from within four yards. One came from the Wildcat formation. Another was a 54-yard run, his longest ever.

Sheppard is one of only four players in the playoff era with at least 1,250 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns through eight games. He joins Melvin Gordon, Ameer Abdullah, and Ashton Jeanty in that statistical group. He is tied with Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith for the FBS lead with 42 plays of 10 yards or more. Miami's Mensah moved atop the Heisman betting board after the Hurricanes remained undefeated and ranked No. 1.

Duke hosts NC State on Saturday. Sheppard needs 28 yards to become the first Duke player with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. A week later, the Blue Devils travel to No. 1 Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. Sheppard's brother Will is on the Dolphins practice squad. The family lived near the stadium when Nate was born. Sheppard said he speaks to Mensah about once a month.

Duke coach Manny Diaz is in the coaching rumor mill after Florida State fired Mike Norvell on Sunday. Diaz is 24-11 at Duke with back-to-back nine-win seasons. Sheppard said he stayed for his teammates and the coach he originally committed to. Willie Sheppard, Nate's father, said the family will wait until after the season to decide on future suitors. He noted that Nate is currently a Duke Blue Devil deep in his veins.