Duke Needs to Avoid Turnovers Against Virginia

"Last year, we wrapped up gifts and gave it to them"

Duke is preparing to play a Virginia team that blew out the Blue Devils in Charlottesville last year, 48-14. UVA has won five straight over Duke, after the Blue Devils had previously won six of seven.

“They’re really a good defensive systematic team,” David Cutcliffe said. “I think they’re as intricate defensively as anybody we’ve played. They’ve done a good job of recruiting players. Their players are well prepared. I’ve known Bronco (Mendenhall) for a long, long time. They were Coastal Division champions for a reason a year ago, and they have a lot of players back. They’re challenging for a lot of people. Certainly, we haven’t played as well as we would like against them, and Virginia was a team we’d been playing well against. We’ve got to turn that worm and just go out and do the things you do to win football games.”

That includes protecting the ball, something that has plagued the Blue Devils this year, as well as in recent games against UVA.

“First of all, as coach (Bear) Bryant used to say, more games are lost than won. We can’t go out there and lose the game with turnovers. A year ago, we wrapped up gifts and gave it to them.”

Virginia hasn’t played a game this season, putting Duke at a scouting disadvantage. For the third straight week, the Blue Devils face a team with no current film.

“I don’t like openers, period,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s the craziest thing. I doubt this has ever happened in college football, iwhere a team had three openers. We know lot about Virginia, but you’re still not looking at the 2020 version of Virginia, any changes they’ve made, exactly what they’re going to be. It’s been challenging. Our players are a little irritable about it.”