DALLAS (FWAA) – Duke is the winner of the Cheez-It Crunch Time Play of the Week for Week 10 as Sahmir Hagans followed a late touchdown run with a two-point conversion catch to give the Blue Devils a 46-45 win at Clemson, as selected by the All-America Commitee of the Football Writers Association of America.
In a game the Blue Devils led by 14 points in the second quarter, it took an 11-play, 94-yard drive that started with a 7-point deficit to set up the winning play.
On the epic drive quarterback Darian Mensah converted two third or fourth downs, including a 56-yard strike to Jeremiah Hasley that pushed Duke past midfield. With the clock ticking under a minute, running back Nate Sheppard bulldozed in from 3 yards out to make it 45–44 with 40 seconds left in regulation.
Then came the game-winning play as head coach Manny Diaz didn’t blink. He kept the offense on the field.
Mensah rolled right and found Hagans – the same guy who housed a 100-yard kickoff return earlier – wide open in the flat. Hagans dove across the goal line untouched. Two-point conversion good. Duke 46, Clemson 45.
The Blue Devils snapped a 15-game losing streak at Clemson and stayed alive in the ACC title race behind Mensah's 371-yard, 4-touchdown pass performance. Duke had not won at Clemson since 1980.
The win keeps Duke's hopes for an ACC title alive as it improved to 4-1 in the conference, 5-3 overall.
The 2025 season marks the first year the FWAA has presented the award under its new name, the Cheez-It Crunch Time Play of the Week, spotlighting the single most decisive play from the weekend’s games. Each winning team receives a custom Cheez-It care package delivered to its campus.
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FCS is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic, the Camping World Kickoff and the FC Series. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.