DURHAM (Interstat) — Duke remained unbeaten and handed visiting Stanford another difficult road result Saturday, defeating the Cardinal 35-7 at Wallace Wade Stadium in an NCAA Football Bowl Division game. The Blue Devils improved to 3-0, while the Cardinal fell to 1-2. Duke controlled the game with a balanced offense and a defense that limited Stanford after an early score. Walker Eget, a quarterback from Santa Clarita, California, led Duke by completing 14 of 24 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown, and he added three rushes for 8 yards. Duke scored 14 points in the first quarter, 14 in the second and seven in the third. Stanford scored seven points in the first quarter and never found the end zone again.

The Blue Devils built a 14-7 lead after the first quarter, stretched it to 28-7 by halftime and carried a 35-7 advantage into the fourth. Nate Sheppard powered Duke’s ground game with a 32-yard touchdown run, a 1-yard touchdown run and a 2-yard touchdown catch from Eget. Kavon Simmons added a 16-yard touchdown run, and J. Tanelus scored on a 5-yard run. Cosme Salas made all five extra-point attempts. Eget’s touchdown pass to Sheppard came after he moved the offense with short and intermediate throws. Duke’s offense finished with enough balance to keep Stanford’s defense off balance and converted in short-yardage and red-zone situations.

Duke’s defense made several key stops and pressured Stanford’s quarterbacks throughout the afternoon. Tyshon Reed recorded four tackles, two sacks and one quarterback hurry. Kevin O’Connor added two tackles and two sacks. Nick Morris Jr. made five tackles. DaShawn Stone had three tackles. Landan Callahan had two tackles. Andrew Pellicciotta contributed five tackles and a 5-yard punt return. Jonah Burton caught one pass for 10 yards. The Blue Devils also received contributions from their secondary and linebackers, who combined to limit Stanford’s passing game and force the Cardinal into third-and-long situations. Duke’s defensive front generated consistent pressure and prevented Stanford from sustaining drives.

Stanford’s offense moved the ball at times but struggled to finish. Davis Warren, a quarterback from Los Angeles, completed 18 of 32 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. Caden High was the Cardinal’s most productive receiver, catching five passes for 43 yards and the team’s only touchdown. Micah Ford led the rushing attack with 11 carries for 76 yards and caught four passes for 34 yards. Benji Blackburn had two catches for 28 yards. JonAnthony Hall had two catches for 21 yards. Zion Robinson had two catches for 11 yards. Nico Brown had one catch for 8 yards. Chico Holt had one catch for 10 yards. Champ Hampton ran once for 7 yards and caught one pass for 5 yards. Sedrick Irvin carried four times for 18 yards and caught one pass for 1 yard. Atticus Joseph caught one pass for 3 yards. Michael Mitchell Jr. completed two of four passes for 13 yards and ran once for 2 yards.

Aidan Flintoft punted seven times for 273 yards, giving Stanford some help in field position. Liam Thorpe returned three punts for 30 yards. Jacob Butler returned one punt for 8 yards. Chris Davis Jr. returned two kickoffs for 44 yards. Emmet Kenney made the extra point after High’s touchdown. The Cardinal’s special teams did not produce a scoring play, and the offense could not turn its opportunities into points after the opening quarter. Stanford’s longest offensive plays came through Ford’s running and High’s receiving, but the Cardinal could not sustain drives.

Stanford’s defense produced several notable individual efforts. Sam Mattingly led the Cardinal with nine tackles. Tevarua Tafiti added eight tackles. Scotty Edwards and Darrius Davis each finished with seven tackles. Davis also intercepted a pass. Matt Rose made six tackles. Jay Green and Omar Staples each had five tackles. Zach Johnson had four tackles. Dre Pollard, Brandon Nicholson, Tre Williams, Zach Rowell and Cam Richardson each recorded three tackles. Ernest Cooper had three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Kole Briehler and Braden Marceau-Olayinka each had two tackles and one quarterback hurry. Lonnie McAllister III had two tackles. Leroy Bryant, Sarrel Howard, Bo Tate, Adam Shovlin, Benedict Umeh, Tyler Kuo and Drew Cunningham each made one tackle. Despite those efforts, Duke’s scoring drives and Sheppard’s three touchdowns proved decisive.

Duke’s win followed a 31-27 road victory at Illinois on Sept. 12 and a 17-3 home win over Tulane on Sept. 5. The Blue Devils will host William & Mary on Sept. 26 before playing at Georgia Tech on Oct. 10. Duke will host North Carolina on Oct. 17, travel to Virginia on Oct. 23, host Boston College on Oct. 31, visit North Carolina State on Nov. 7, play at Miami on Nov. 14, host Clemson on Nov. 20 and visit Wake Forest on Nov. 28. Stanford opened the season with a 37-27 home win over Hawaii on Aug. 29 before losing 45-6 at home to Miami on Sept. 4. The Cardinal will host Georgia Tech on Sept. 26, travel to Wake Forest on Oct. 3 and Notre Dame on Oct. 10, host Elon on Oct. 17, host North Carolina State on Oct. 23, visit Louisville on Oct. 31, visit Virginia Tech on Nov. 14, visit California on Nov. 21 and host SMU on Nov. 28. Stanford’s schedule remains challenging, with road trips to Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Louisville, Virginia Tech and California.

The result came after Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Duke 30, Stanford 27. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Duke with a 94.8 percent probability to win. Stanford had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +10. The total score of 42 went over the over/under line of 50.5.