What to know about Duke’s Sun Bowl matchup against Arizona State
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke enters Sun Bowl after winning 2025 ACC title, seeks complete performance.
- Quarterback Darian Mensah returns; Duke loses draft-eligible starters on defense.
- Arizona State counters with mobile QB Jeff Sims; Sun Devils lack lead rusher.
Duke coach Manny Diaz said it often during the 2025 football season and said it again Tuesday, the day before the Sun Bowl matchup against Arizona State.
“We don’t know that we’ve played our best game,” Diaz said. “That’s the exciting part. We’ve got one more opportunity to really try and put it all together.”
Some would argue that the Blue Devils were at their best in the ACC championship game against Virginia. Facing a team that had handled the Devils relatively easily in the regular season, Duke put together a complete-game effort Dec. 6 in taking a 27-20 overtime win over the Cavaliers in Charlotte.
Diaz and the Blue Devils hoped the ACC champion would be included in the College Football Playoff, but at 8-5 were realistic enough to know their chances. The CFP folks, as expected, took a pass and took Miami as an ACC representative, leaving the Blue Devils to accept the Sun Bowl berth against Arizona State (8-4) in El Paso, Texas.
The Blue Devils will go into the bowl game missing a few weapons. Cornerback Chandler Rivers and top edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr, along with standout offensive lineman Brian Pickett II, are preparing for the NFL draft and will not play.
But quarterback Darian Mensah, the ACC’s top passer, will be ready to test an ASU defense that has a veteran front but youthful secondary. Mensah, a redshirt sophomore, talked with Diaz and the staff about entering the NFL draft, but made the decision to stay another season with the Blue Devils.
“I’m looking forward to Darian really establishing himself as the leader of our program,” Diaz said Tuesday. “From a program standpoint, it’s having that stability at that position for back-to-back years. We’re really looking forward to it.
“I think he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the country. What I love about Darian, and why he fits so well at Duke, is because of his preparation. At Duke, we want to prepare like we’ve never won and play like we’ve never lost. And that’s what Darian has. He has great confidence.”
First bowl game for Mensah
Mensah was at Tulane a year ago and opted out of the Gasparilla Bowl game against Florida. Transferring to Duke, he had 3,646 yards passing and 30 touchdowns, with five interceptions. He has won a conference championship and now will play in his first bowl game.
Mensah threw for 196 yards, going 19-of-25, against Virginia in the ACC title game. His last pass was a 1-yard completion to tight end Jeremiah Hasley for a touchdown to begin the overtime.
When linebacker Luke Mergott picked off a Chandler Morris pass on the first play of the Cavaliers’ OT possession, the game was over and Duke had its first sole ACC title since 1962.
Mergott latched onto the football as if he would never let it go, carrying it around the Bank of America Stadium after the game like a personal prize.
“He took that ball home and it’s in his bed used as a pillow,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke joked Monday. “I’ve told our guys if they have a big-time game, hand me the ball and I’ll take it for you.”
Duke must stop Jeff Sims
ASU quarterback Jeff Sims, a 6-4, 220-pound senior, will be the focus of the Duke defense, especially with his ability to motor. Sims set a school record for a QB with his 228 yards rushing at Iowa State this season, breaking off an 88-yard TD run in a 24-19 win.
“They’re one of the top rushing offenses in the Big 12, so you know that’s in their DNA,” Patke said. “They want to run the football and they have a quarterback who can run. He’s very talented and has played a lot of football.”
Sims, a former four-star recruit out of Jacksonville, Florida, began his college career at Georgia Tech before moving on to Nebraska and then transferring to ASU.
The Sun Devils will play without running back Raleek Brown, who rushed for 1,141 yards but opted out of the bowl and will enter the 2026 NFL draft.
The Sun Devils, coached by Kenny Dillingham, are a year removed from winning the Big 12 championship and gaining a spot in the 2024 College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils lost to Texas in a double-overtime thriller to finish an 11-3 season.
This season ASU beat Texas Tech, then ranked No. 7, and TCU when it was No. 25.
Diaz said the Devils would like to add a Sun Bowl trophy to their new ACC football trophy.
“There’s plenty of room in our trophy case for more,” he quipped.
92nd Sun Bowl
Duke (8-5) vs Arizona State (8-4)
When: Wednesday, 2 p.m.
Where: Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas.
TV: CBS. Streaming: Paramount Plus, fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Sling TV.
Series history: The Blue Devils and Sun Devils have played just once, in the 2014 Sun Bowl. ASU won 36-31. Duke, the 2025 ACC champions, will be the first conference championship team to play in the Sun Bowl.
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "What to know about Duke’s Sun Bowl matchup against Arizona State."
