Duke Beat Boston College 47-2 as Nate Sheppard Ran for a School Record Five Touchdowns

Duke beat Boston College 47-2 at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday, as running back Nate Sheppard ran for five touchdowns and set a school single game record. The Blue Devils led 27-2 at halftime and outscored the Eagles 20-0 in the second half.

Boston College's only points came in the first quarter, on a two point return of a blocked extra point. Duke's defense held the Eagles out of the end zone for the first time this season. The quarter scores tell the shape of the day: Boston College 2, 0, 0, 0; Duke 13, 14, 14, 6.

A record day for Sheppard

Sheppard carried 20 times for 97 yards and 5 touchdowns, and caught 1 pass for 32 yards, for a team leading 129 all purpose yards. One of the five scores was a career long 54 yard touchdown run.

His fifth touchdown came with 6:44 left in the third quarter. It gave him 18 total touchdowns this season, also a Duke program record, and he marked the moment with a Heisman pose in the end zone. The Fayetteville Observer's postgame report card named him the game's most valuable player.

Eget keeps the offense moving

Duke quarterback Walker Eget completed 11 of 18 passes for 201 yards. Jeremiah Hasley added his first touchdown reception of the year. Duke finished with 386 total yards and scored on all 7 of its trips into the red zone.

The defense did the rest. Boston College managed 213 total yards and 78 rushing yards. Duke recorded six sacks, 11 tackles for loss and two turnovers, and the Eagles never reached the end zone.

Bowl eligible at 6-2

The win was Duke's second straight. The Blue Devils improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the ACC, and they are bowl eligible. Boston College fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC.

For Boston College, the 47-2 line is a hard one: two points from a special teams return, no offensive score, and a defense asked to hold up against a running back who found the end zone five times. For Duke, it was a complete home performance, built on Sheppard's record day and a defense that gave up nothing after the first quarter fluke.

How the score built

Duke scored in every quarter: 13 points in the first, 14 in the second, 14 in the third and 6 in the fourth. Boston College scored in none of them after the first quarter return. The Fayetteville Observer's live report closed the game with a final entry at 3:27 p.m. Eastern, and Sportradar recorded the same winner and the same 47-2 score.