Five instant reactions to 2025 Duke football schedule reveal
It'll be hard for Duke football coach Manny Diaz to follow up his first campaign with the Blue Devils, winning nine games and sweeping all three in-state rivals to reach the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
With Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah on the way, however, there's no reason to think the arrow's pointing anywhere other than up. The Blue Devils will lose some key veterans like wide receivers Eli Pancol and Jordan Moore, but All-ACC cornerback Chandler Rivers announced he'd come back for one more year.
The 2025 ACC football schedule was released on Monday night, officially putting Duke's path through the conference on paper. Funnily enough, it starts on the exact same day against the exact same team with an August 30 battle against the Elon Phoenix. From there, however, there's a lot of interesting threads to pull against conference and non-conference opponents alike.
Here are our immediate reactions to the 2025 Duke football schedule.
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USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
'The Cobra' Dave Parker prayed to live one more month. MLB legend's legacy lives on.
Dave Parker, his mind still sharp but his body failing, kept pleading. One more month, he prayed. Please, let him be healthy enough to get to Cooperstown, New York, to be inducted July 27 into Baseball's Hall of Fame. If not, at least keep him alive so he could hear his son present his speech. He fought so courageously since hearing the news in December that he was elected to the Hall of Fame. He was in and out of physical rehab centers these past six months, losing part of his leg battling this dreadful Parkinson's disease, leaving him confined to a wheelchair. DAVE PARKER: Social media reacts to MLB, Pirates legend's death Two weeks ago, when he left his last rehab center, he was informed nothing more could be done. Hospice intervened. And on Saturday morning, the man they called "The Cobra," was gone. Parker was 74. 'Man, I am crushed," former Oakland Athletics teammate Dave Stewart, one of Parker's closest friends, told USA TODAY Sports. 'He's one of the greatest teammates I've ever had. He had such a presence when he walked into the room. 'He was always the biggest in the room with his size (6-foot-3, 230 pounds)," Stewart said, 'but when you add in his personality, he's suddenly 7 feet tall. Just an unbelievable human being and was so charismatic. Everyone loved him." Barry Meister, Parker's long-time agent, called him one of the greatest personalities in baseball history. 'There was no player in baseball with more magnetism than Dave Parker," Meister said. 'The hair on your arms would stand up when he walked into that room. Everyone was aware that The Man had arrived." Parker, the former MVP, seven-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion and two-time World Series champion, was nearly as well-known for his swagger and friendly braggadocio as his accomplishments. He created the phrase: 'When the leaves turn brown, I'll be wearing the batting crown." And he would drop: "The sun is going to shine, the wind is going to blow, and Dave is going to go 4-for-4.' He once wore a Star of David necklace, and when asked about it since he wasn't Jewish, he said, 'I'm a David. And I'm a star" When notified in December that he and Dick Allen were voted in by the Classic Baseball Era Committee into the Hall of Fame, his initial reaction was, 'Why did it take so long?" Few in the game of baseball had Parker's personality. He was one of the first professional athletes to wear an earring, a two-carat diamond earring. He was the first baseball player to earn $1 million per season. And he was among the first who was unafraid to bring a powerful personality into a clubhouse. 'He probably had more impact on young players," former Cincinnati Reds teammate Eric Davis said in a statement, 'than any player I've ever been around.' Davis was too distraught to talk, heartbroken that his close friend wouldn't be in Cooperstown. So many friends and family members already planned trips, but even without Parker's presence, most plan to still go, making sure everyone is aware of the impact he had on their lives. Kellye, Parker's wife, expressed to many of them Saturday how terribly difficult life has been for Parker these past few months. They're comforted knowing he is now in a better place. No more pain. No more doctors. No more Parkinson's. 'He was having such a hard time," Stewart said. 'He had the ability to stand up, but not stand up for long periods of time. I remember when I talked to him after he got elected, I told him how happy I was for him, that it was long overdue, and how it should have happened long ago. 'All he could really say is, 'Thank you Stew. I appreciate it. I love you brother.' 'I knew he was happy, but when you have Parkinson's, you can't really tell the emotion in people." Parker was diagnosed in 2012, and his family chooses to remember the good times: the healthy Parker, the vibrant Parker, and, oh, the hysterical Parker. 'He was always so funny," Stewart said. 'He had you laughing all day. Parker had all of the leadership qualities, but he knew how to keep a clubhouse loose. In the worst of times, he always found something inspiring to say. In your personal worst of times, he would always make you laugh at yourself." Said Meister: 'He was the funniest guy who ever played the game. He always had insults." The last time Parker saw Stewart, he noticed that Stewart was wearing a black shirt, black pants and a black jacket, blending in with his skin color, and blurted out: 'Man, go put some clothes on! Why you walking around here naked?" Oh, and he had nicknames for everyone. Pitcher Greg Cadaret: 'Dippy," for his big chin. Catcher Terry Steinbach: 'Home plate face." Pitcher Dennis Eckersley: 'Pretty Pony." 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'Yes," says Stewart, 'but we're all better for having known him, and being such good friends with him. 'He will never be forgotten." Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
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Colorado Defense Preview 2025: Coach Prime's Best Buffaloes D Yet
The defense improved in a big Buffaloes were 130th in the nation in total defense in 2023. The run defense was bad, and the pass D worse, but the pass rush wasn't awful. Last year, under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, the pressure ramped up and the big plays led the Big 12 in sacks and tackles for loss, and so did the takeaways, finishing seventh in the nation in forced mistakes and eighth in turnover margin. 2025 Colorado PreviewColorado Offense Breakdown Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season - Top pass rusher BJ Green is gone from the line, but overall the front three should be stronger thanks to the addition of 6-5, 323-pound Jaheim Oatis (Alabama), one of the top defensive tackles in the portal. He'll combine with veteran Anquin Barnes in the middle, and Tawfiq Thomas and Amari McNeill are talented tackles used like defensive ends. The Buffs are big up front and … - The pressure will come from the outside linebackers. Samuel Okunlola and Arden Walker both have All-Big 12 talent - Walker was a monster at pressuring the quarterback, finishing with 4.5 sacks - and there's good depth starting with speedy junior Quency Wiggins playing a big French is about to be a Big 12 star. The UTSA transfer made 163 tackles in his three seasons with 17 tackles for loss last year. - No, the Buffaloes don't have another Travis Hunter at corner, but DJ McKinney is talented enough to be a lockdown No. 1 on one side. He's great, and RJ McKinney will be more than fine on the other safeties are solid, too. All-Big 12 Preston Hodge was banged up for a while, but still finished with 33 tackles and seven broken up passes with two picks. Carter Stoutmire is back after a 43-tackle season, and coming in is Tawfiq Byard (USF), an all-around hitter who can get into the Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season2025 Colorado PreviewColorado Offense Breakdown © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Shohei Ohtani throws fastest pitch of his MLB career in third ramp-up start of season
Shohei Ohtani brought out the heat on Saturday. Ohtani, 30, lit up the radar gun during his third start of the 2025 season, reaching 101.7 mph on the 14th pitch of his outing against the Royals — good for the fastest pitch of his MLB career. Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was able to make contact with the heater, but ultimately grounded into a double play to close out the first inning. Advertisement Ohtani's previous fastest MLB pitch came back in 2022 when he threw a 101.4 mph fastball to then-Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker. The team said that Ohtani's pitch Saturday was the hardest thrown by any Dodgers hurler so far this season. Advertisement Ohtani also hit triple digits earlier in the at-bat against Pasquantino, dotting a 100.2 mph fastball on the inside corner. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Ohtani did reach 102 mph during the 2023 World Baseball Classic — and it came against Pasquantino. The three-time MVP wound up throwing two innings on Saturday, giving up one hit while notching a strikeout and a walk in his third start since the 2023 season. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani throws a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images Advertisement Through his three appearances this year, Ohtani has allowed one run and struck out three through four innings pitched. Ohtani's return to the mound comes after the four-time All-Star underwent his second elbow surgery in 2023 as a member of the Angels. Ohtani had a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts through 132 innings pitched before ultimately being sidelined from the mound for the remainder of the 2023 season with the elbow issue. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani throws a pitch in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Advertisement Both Ohtani and Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts have described the two-way star's pitching buildup as 'gradual.' The right-hander told reporters following his start against the Nationals on Sunday, 'I want to see improvements with the quality of the pitches that I'm throwing, and then also increasing the amount of pitches.' 'I think that it's more of just trying to get the foundation, the building blocks as he's [pitching and] taking at-bats,' Roberts added. '[We are] erring on the side of caution … There's no sense in rushing it right now.'
