Duke–William & Mary preview: A mismatch up front, an opportunity beyond 4-0
- Before Duke's 2026 William & Mary game, Jonathan Patke described an existing rotation of five or six defensive tackles and four or five linebackers, citing Stanford contributions from Kaleb Lanier, Asher Wasserman and Elliott Schaper. Reed started over O'Connor, who then became the staff's player of the game. These are current participation details, not a fixed future depth chart.
- Duke coach Manny Diaz said tight-end versatility lets the offense present different formations each week. The William & Mary preview connects that flexibility to changing blocking surfaces while retaining the offense's basic intentions. It identifies an existing 2026 personnel advantage, not a newly announced package, specific Saturday play or guaranteed rushing result.
- Duke quarterback Walker Eget completed 29 of 45 passes for 408 yards, four touchdowns and one interception across the 2026 Illinois and Stanford games. The preview describes improvement after Tulane but cautions against forcing throws into William & Mary's turnover-producing secondary. That is a two-game performance trend and writer's assessment, not a quarterback or play-calling change.
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