Duke At Virginia Gameday Open Thread
Pregame
Duke and Virginia will kick off from Charlottesville’s Scott Stadium at 3:30 PM with at least a share of the ACC Coastal Division at stake.
The Blue Devils and Cavaliers are part of a four-team cluster at the top of the division, all with 2-1 conference records. North Carolina, who plays across the state at Virginia Tech, kicking off at the same time, is also part of that logjam, as is Pitt.
The Panthers won at Syracuse Friday night and are in the clubhouse for the week at 2-1. Of course, that means they’ll be a half-game back by this evening, with the Duke-Virginia winner either alone or tied with UNC at the top.
A win would also get Duke within a game of bowl eligibility, and two bowls have scouts in the press box to watch today’s game.
Duke has been averaging 185 yards on the ground this season, while the Cavaliers are allowing 100 yards fewer than that, good enough to rank second in the conference in run defense.
Of course, the key factor to mention when discussing UVa’s defense is Bryce Hall. The All-ACC corner had surgery on Sunday and is lost for the season. Virginia has shuffled its secondary in response and will be starting a former backup free safety at Hall’s corner spot.
Duke’s defense has turned up the heat on its pass rush in recent weeks and will be tested by mobile Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins.
It will be a contrast in styles as the Blue Devils and Wahoos square off for a leg up in the Coastal.
2:45 PM: As mentioned above, scouts from two bowls are in attendance--The Military Bowl and Camping World Bowl.
As we told you earlier this week, those two bowls are among the ones national outlets have Duke slotted for in their bowl projections. ESPN has the Blue Devils playing Iowa State in Orlando for Camping World, while 247 Sports has Duke in Annapolis for the Military Bowl against Navy.
Two pro teams have scouts seated in the press box: The Carolina Panthers and CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Former Duke DB Ross Cockrell is a current member of the Panthers. Prior to that, LB Jeremy Cash spent time with the team. The last Blue Devil to play for the Blue Bombers was LB Abraham Kromah, in 2014.
3:00 PM: Some weirdness for the fashion report. Duke is wearing white jerseys, black pants, white shoes, black helmets. UVA has orange jerseys, white pants, black shoes, white helmets.
Here's where it gets strange: Instead of school logos on the helmets, there is a 150, in celebration of college football's sesquicentennial (look it up).
3:10 PM: Duke won't get to talk to them, but the Blue Devils can make a positive on-field impression on two of its recruiting targets, who are expected to be at Scott Stadium today on unofficial visits to Virginia.
Class of 2020 3-star running back Braydon Bennett has offers from Duke, Virginia and Penn State. Class of 2021 4-star receiver Koby Paysour has offers from Georgia, Tennessee, NC State, UNC and South Carolina, among others.
Good news/bad news for Duke on the injury front. The Blue Devils get back DL Tre Hornbuckle, who missed last week, but lose DL Derrick Tangelo.
3:32 PM: Coin toss. Duke wins again and defers again. They'll be kicking and defending the closed end of the stadium.
12:46 1st Q: Koby Quansah helped off the field. Looked like he was favoring his left foot/ankle.
11:49 1st: Bryce Perkins keeps it on fourth and 1 to give UVa a first down at Duke's 34.
8:55 1st: Duke missing tackles to prolong the drive. Coach David Cutcliffe mentioned that as an issue last week. Quansah is back on the field.
8:26 1st: Leonard Johnson with an interception in the end zone. Perkins had time but couldn't find anyone, then scrambled before throwing into traffic.
5:13 1st: Johnson juuust misses a second pick, jumping in front of a Perkins pass. Couldn't hold it, though and settles for a PBU.
1:46 1st: Very short punt by UVa. Virginia players adamant that it hit a Duke up-man and was a fumble. Returner Josh Blackwell was signaling for everyone to get out of the way. Refs say Duke ball.
Replay looked like it might have hit a Virginia guy (hence no fumble), but even that's not clear. By the time TV has that resolved, Duke is already punting again. The Blue Devil offense is in one of those quarter-long lulls that have cropped up this season.
End first: Scoreless in Charlottesville as a rock fight has broken out. Duke has 27 yards of offense and one first down. Virginia has 56 yards and three first downs. We've had a combined five punts and a pick.
Second quarter
11:10 2nd: Four straight completions moves Virginia 73 yards. Perkins runs it in from the one. Cavs up 7-0. Duke will need to do something to open up the offense.
10:42 2nd: Duke moves the ball on the ground with a four-yard gain. Immediately wiped out by a personal foul flag on Jake Bobo downfield. Harris throws a pick on the next play. This is looking like a replay of the first half against Pitt.
8:01 2nd: Virginia turns the pick into points, kicking a field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Duke has been intercepted 10 times by UVa since 2016
Duke goes for it fourth and 1 from its own 34. Not even close. Game is teetering on the brink for Blue Devils.
5:08 2nd: Duke defense has been on the field 14 of the first 20 minutes of the game. Extended this UVa drive with bad tackling (Carter fell down in coverage) and penalties (offsides on Rumph). Fatigue is showing and stands to get worse in second half.
3:37 2nd: Nice one-handed catch at the one by Dubois as Leonard Johnson interferes with him. Duke on the verge of going down 17-0
Nice goal line stand by Duke, recovers fumble in end zone on third and one. Assuming replay upholds it, this would be Duke's second takeaway in the end zone. But it looks like it might end up being a UVa score...
Replay overturns it. Virginia touchdown. Now up 17-0. Duke needs another miracle comeback, which seems as unlikely as it did against Pitt.
1:42 2nd: Duke just got its second first down of the game.
0:56 2nd: Mataeo Durant, who had a drop earlier in the drive, fumbles after catching a pass. Virginia ball in Duke territory again. UVa has already had the ball for 21:28 of the first half. Can add another minute to that.
Josh Blackwell in the injury tent after colliding with a teammate. Redshirt freshman Jeremiah Lewis in at corner.
Halftime
It's Pitt all over again for Duke as the offense can't move and turns it over, while the defense wears down. UVa up 17-0, and Duke is lucky to be that close.
Duke is 0-2 when it loses time of possession, 4-0 when it wins it. Currently 21:54 to 8:06 in favor of Virginia.
Duke is 0-2 when Harris throws an interception. He's thrown four in 65 passes in the losses, none in 116 passes in the wins.
Third quarter
First offensive snap of the second half is a Duke fumble. Virginia recovers at Duke's 21.
13:55 UVa turns the turnover into points with a field goal. Now up 20-0.
Can't find Josh Blackwell on the sideline for Duke. Looks like he might be out. In addition to being down a corner, that would likely move Scott Bracey to punt return.
Maurice McIntyre in at LG for Duke. Zach Baker is standing on the sideline. Not sure if its due to performance or just a change of pace.
Harris has thrown the ball five times on third down. The only one that was past the sticks was the one that got intercepted.
8:13 3rd: Taulapapa bounces off of two tacklers to take it in. 27-0 Virginia.
Duke needs to go to the triple option to kill clock and keep its defense healthy at this point.
McIntyre still in at LG for Duke. Third down and 10, Harris throws 7. Punting it away.
Austin Parker drops the ball before he can punt it. Runs for his life and gets the first down.
LB Brandon Hill, who left the field injured after the last TD now being led to the locker room. Meanwhile, Austin Parker again runs for a first down from punt position. He's now Duke's second-leading rusher. And that's the first time today Duke has crossed midfield.
Scott Bracey gets a step past his defender for second time this drive (first was an overthrow). Harris hits him for a 36-yard TD and Duke is on the board. 27-7.
Last time Blue Devils were shut out was 10-4-2008, 27-0 vs. Georgia Tech in Cutcliffe's first year.
4:43 3rd: Joe Reed runs back the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, putting UVa up 34-7.
First kick-six Duke has allowed since 9-19-15 (Northwestern's Solomon Vault)
Harris hit while rearing back to pass. Fumble, recovered by UVa at Duke's 21.
Most of Virginia's pass pressure has come around left end. Cutcliffe has already replaced the guard on that side, but LT Casey Holman is not getting out to stop guys and not getting help from a TE or back.
2:13 3rd: Perkins takes it in after a pass interference on Jeremiah Lewis (the freshman replacing Blackwell) sets up Virginia first-and-goal. It's 41-7.
