All-22 Review: Darian Mensah vs. Illinois (2025)

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 6: Darian Mensah #10 of the Duke Blue Devils stiff-arms against Malachi Hood #45 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Moving along in the All-22 Review series on new Miami quarterback Darian****Mensah, we’re now taking a peek at his time as the QB of the Duke Blue Devils. Mensah was lured away from Tulane to Durham by former ‘Canes head coach Manny****Diaz.

The Illinois Fighting Illini beat up the Duke Blue Devils 45-19 in September of 2025. Mensah turned the ball over three times include one interception and two fumbles (two of which were in desperation time).

Even on a bad day Mensah averaged 9.8 yards per pass attempt with 300+ passing yards and two TD’s. Mensah hit eight receivers for double-digit yards per catch numbers, including Miami WR Cooper****Barkate for 22 yards per grab.

All-22 Review: Darian Mensah at Duke in 2025 vs. Illinois for @TheStateOfTheU. Mensah has an inside zone read option here and when the DE squeezes down hard he pulls and slides after positive yardage. It's a nice set up play for a TD later in the game. pic.twitter.com/Hid4KeqHye

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Above– We lead off this piece with a Mensah read****option call. It’s rare to see him involved as a runner in any capacity and here with the Illinois DE squeezing so hard Mensah pulls and runs with a smart slide down. There’s no need to take unnecessary hits when you’re a passing QB.

Mensah peeks at the WR to the side of the cat blitz and really should fire that in. Replace the pressure with the football. But he boots away for a completion anyway so win-win. pic.twitter.com/8MrTKQ7zZx

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Above– Mensah peeks at the cat****blitz side of the field, to the boundary. Honestly I’ve always been taught to “replace” the blitzer with the football but he may have felt the CB would get a PBU on his throw at that angle. The safety was clearly playing off. He comes to the field side on a half boot and it works anyway.

Mensah ran RPO's at Duke. Here he has a hitch RPO tag off of split zone (my favorite zone run concept). He fires it in to the far shoulder away from the safety. pic.twitter.com/8RmkeVdPAt

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Above– Tagging RPO’s is a great way to make sure you’re always in the right call. Here Duke tags a hitch off of split zone which Mensah throws a dart on for a nice pickup. He throws to the shoulder away from the DB which is a bonus point for me.

Later in the game Mensah throws an INT during desperation time. Sometimes you have to press when it's 'too late' in the game. Here he needs to just throw the ball through the uprights and live to fight another game. Instead it's a strip sack and the beginning of the end for Duke pic.twitter.com/n4rW6huP0q

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Above– Mensah fumbles this one on a very Cam Ward type play going the other way. Ward was prone to holding the ball too long and being strip****sacked and Mensah here does the same. They have a lot of similar qualities both talent-wise and in their playing style. These are the things Miami OC Shannon****Dawson has to clean up in his game, especially if he’s in Coral Gables for two seasons.

After a few deep fades that went no where but incomplete, Mensah and his WR get on the same page for this back shoulder throw. These are more and more common in college ball as the CB's are faster than the WR's but your advantage is knowing where the ball will be as as WR pic.twitter.com/H8gipBQDtk

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Above– A beautiful back****shoulder throw which was the type that burned Miami against the Indiana Hoosiers in the CFB PO National Championship Game. Mensah has this in his arsenal where Carson****Beck did not.

That earlier IZR? Now it's a deep shot post-snap RPO for Mensah that is a pretty explosive play that would make Nick Marshall Era Gus Malzahn blush. pic.twitter.com/QHbKnjZFvy

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Above– The Devils now use the earlier IZR where Mensah pulled and kept to their advantage. They use a stalk-and-go release outside from the WR and as Mensah pulls and boots the WR comes free. I like how sneaky with the ball Mensah is, his play–action and fake game is up there with a former Miami great named Ken Dorsey.

'Canes fans be prepared for it- a successful mesh route to Cooper Barkate for a 1st down. Shannon Dawson loves mesh and Mensah has ran it under his two previous OC's as a starting QB. pic.twitter.com/P0jYt83PwW

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Above- The Air Raid Mesh concept is ran here by the Blue Devils with Mensah at QB. Guess who he finds… Barkate on a sick picky-mesh route for an explosive play.

The Wrap

Even in a losing effort Mensah makes a ton of plays. He had some great drives busted up by drops and fumbles. He didn’t start turning the ball over until the Devils got desperate. Did he have a perfect day? No. But hitting eight receivers for 10+ yards per catch, averaging almost 10ypa and throwing two TD’s was a solid day.

Hang with us as I cover four more games of Mensah’s run as the Duke QB and his run to being crowned the ACC Champs.