This is the Depth Dossier: the Duke Blue Devils, Week 9.

Nate Sheppard put together a record night, running for five touchdowns, but the only thing that kept Duke's defense from a shutout was a blocked extra point that Boston College ran back for two, and that's how you get a final score of Duke 47, Boston College 2.

Sheppard carried this game from the opening snap, piling up five touchdowns on 20 carries, a Duke single-game record, including a 54-yard scamper mixed in with three short scores. Quarterback Walker Eget was efficient too, going 11 of 18 for 201 yards and not taking a single sack. The defense put the clamps on Boston College with six sacks and two fumble recoveries. The one blemish came after Sheppard's second touchdown, when a blocked kick got scooped up by Carter Davis and taken back 100 yards for two points, the first defensive extra point Duke has allowed since 1999. Head coach Manny Diaz called it maybe as complete a performance as he's had at Duke, shutout aside.

Now, the box score says blowout, but the underlying numbers tell a tighter story. Success rate was close, 44 percent for Duke to 41 for Boston College. What really separated the teams was finishing drives. Duke scored well over four points per scoring chance, while Boston College got nothing at all despite reaching Duke's 40-yard line six times. They were two for 13 on third down and couldn't convert a single fourth down. A fourth and two stop at the Duke 12 to end the first quarter set that tone early.

Duke's pass rush created plenty of chaos too. Defensive lineman Bradley Gompers had two and a half tackles for loss and his fourth sack of the year. Linebacker Kobe Smith added a sack and a fumble recovery that led to a touchdown, and defensive end Owen Wafle picked up his first career sack. A strip sack from Bryce Davis to open the fourth quarter, recovered by Nick Morris Junior, set up a field goal from kicker Gavin Strange.

The run game got the job done without blowing anyone away. Duke ran for 149 yards on 41 carries with no sacks allowed, but the blocking wasn't doing much of the heavy lifting. Sheppard and freshman running back Jayvian Tanelus were creating a lot of that yardage on their own, including a 26-yard Tanelus run on fourth and one that was one of the highlights of the night.

The game got sloppy with penalties, Duke with 10 for 90 yards and Boston College with 15 for 129, and that botched hold on the extra point is the only reason this wasn't a shutout. Diaz summed it up well, saying his heart is broke that the scoreboard doesn't say zero.

On the injury front, there's nothing new to worry about beyond wide receiver Jeremiah Hasley, who re-aggravated something on the opening play and was questionable coming into the week. He still finished with three catches for 55 yards and his first touchdown of the season, so it's more a workload situation to watch than a real setback.

As for the depth chart, nothing's really shifting there so much as the workload is getting more interesting. Sheppard's 14 rushing touchdowns tie the Duke season record, and his 18 total touchdowns lead the entire country. There's still no sign of a committee forming behind him, but Tanelus keeps flashing, with 46 yards on just five carries this week, giving Duke a change of pace option if Sheppard's workload ever needs trimming. Freshman KD Cotton also continues to make a case in the return game, setting up a score with an 18-yard punt return.

Up front, Gompers and Smith are becoming the names to watch in the pass rush, with Wafle's first career sack adding depth behind them. And heading into next week, the biggest question mark is on special teams. After that blocked kick and the long return, the extra point operation needs fixing, and holder Ashton Zamani's job could be the one actually in question.

This was the depth dossier. For everything college football, be it depth charts, data or dossiers, head over to C F B Depth dot com. We will be back next week. This was an AI-generated podcast from content developed by real human beings passionate about college football.