Duke football’s defense made a statement in Week 1. PFF grades agree

Pro Football Focus has released its Week 1 grades for Duke football .

The Blue Devils opened the season with a 17-3 win over Tulane at Wallace Wade Stadium on Sept. 5. Nate Sheppard rushed for a career-high 227 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. Duke 's defense kept Tulane out of the end zone for the first time since 2019.

Duke received an overall grade of 74.5 from PFF, with the offense grading at 64.3 and the defense at 80.9. The defensive grade was higher than any of Duke's defensive grades from last season.

Here's how Duke graded out per PFF against Tulane, along with a look at some of the Blue Devils' highest-graded players:

Passing: 52.6 | Pass block: 70.4 | Receiving: 57.2

Run defense: 83.6 | Pass rush: 79.2 | Coverage: 71.1

Duke football's highest graders on offense vs Tulane

Stats: 79 snaps, zero pressures allowed, 100 efficiency

Pass: 53.6 | Pass block: 74.9 | Run: 70.5 | Run block: 60

Stats: 54 snaps, 35 carries, 227 rushing yards, two rushing TDs, three receptions, 19 receiving yards

Pass: 63 | Pass block: 71.4 | Run block: 70

Stats: 75 snaps, two receptions, 36 yards receiving

Check out our Duke football vs Tulane photo gallery, top images

Duke football's highest graders on defense vs Tulane

Run defense: 62.1 | Tackling: 75.2 | Pass Rush: 84.9 | Coverage: 65.3

Stats: 34 snaps, two tackles, one QB hurry, one PBU, 0.5 TFL

Run defense: 69.9 | Tackling: 71.1 | Pass Rush: 80.5 | Coverage: 60

Run defense: 79 | Tackling: 61.2| Pass Rush: 77.7 | Coverage: 54.6

Stats: 34 snaps, six tackles, three TFL (19 yards), two sacks (16 yards)

Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.