DURHAM – Manny Diaz is going to win a lot of games as Duke’s football coach if his first-team defense never gives up a point.

Of course, the previous coaching staff started its tenure with a shutout, too.

The Blue Devils opened the season with a 26-3 win over visiting Elon on Friday night at Wallace Wade Stadium, a final-minute field goal being the only blemish on the scoreboard.

It has only been two seasons since Mike Elko’s tenure started with a 30-0 win over Temple.

This was a slow burn of a win over an FCS team, and it was a 3-0 game for most of the first half. Duke got a field goal on the opening drive of the second half to make it 13-0, and then finally found some cushion with a quick-strike, three-play drive that ended with Maalik Murphy’s first touchdown pass as a Blue Devil, a 1-yard flip to Jeremiah Hasley.

That came after a 47-yard pass to Jordan Moore, who led Duke with seven catches for 112 yards.

Murphy fired a 7-yard touchdown to Eli Pancol — playing his first game since the 2022 season — with about four minutes left to put the game on ice.

Duke led 10-0 at halftime thanks to an attacking defense that lived up to its billing — while also giving up a few big plays — in seeking penetration and negative plays. The Blue Devils’ top four defensive ends — Wesley Williams, Ryan Smith, Michael Reese and Vincent Anthony Jr. — each had one sack on Elon’s first three possessions.

The Blue Devils finished with eight sacks, one shy of the program record; Duke had nine against Miami in 2019

Duke’s spread, up-tempo offense only sort of lived up to its billing.

The Blue Devils’ first drive went 68 yards on 14 plays, swallowing up 5:28 of the clock, but ending with a Todd Pelino field goal. That was a little fortunate, given Murphy’s third-down throw was into double coverage and batted into the air.

Otherwise, Duke’s offense struggled to find its footing. The Blue Devils had 25 rushing yards on 13 carries in the first half; they failed to score on a possession that started at Elon’s 45, with Murphy throwing off his back foot to the end zone and incomplete on fourth-and-6; the reconstructed offensive line failed to establish much authority.

Elon’s Jack Berkowitz missed a 49-yard field goal, hitting the crossbar, with 1:44 left until halftime. That would’ve tied the game at 3-3.

Three plays later, Duke was in the end zone for a two-score lead. Murphy hit Pancol in stride for a 55-yard catch and run down the middle, and Jaquez Moore scored the first touchdown of Duke’s season with a 7-yard run.