Grading Virginia's Position Groups In Its 19-16 Loss to Duke

Virginia's attention is locked on No. 14 Wake Forest — but before following suit, it is time for one last look at the Duke loss. Here are position grades from the Cavaliers' latest defeat against the rival Blue Devils:

Quarterback: D-

Beau Pribula has not thrown for over 160 yards or multiple touchdowns since September. Virginia's signal-caller has been partially responsible for the decline of a once-potent offense. Pribula was especially unproductive Saturday, as he did not record a single touchdown.

Running backs: B+

It was a slow day for everyone else (12 rushing yards), but Jekail Middlebrook set a new career-best with 117 yards. On his own, Middlebrook deserves a clean A. However, the rest of the unit was pedestrian in pass protection and provided little to nothing in terms of yardage.

Wide receivers: D-

Five catches for 44 yards. Only two catches went for 10-plus yards. This was another awful evening for a group that suffers from drops, poor quarterback play and a broken offense.

Tight ends: A

This was the best performance from Virginia's tight ends all season. In addition to great blocking from John Rogers and Dakota Twitty, that duo tallied eight catches for 106 yards. The tight ends were finally involved in the passing game, and hopefully they can continue to do so.

Offensive line: C

Beau Pribula was sacked five times (plus three tackles for loss), as the pass protection was often overloaded. The run blocking was strong, though. Overall, the offensive line could have performed much better given its talent.

Defensive line: B+/A-

At first glance, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits do not constitute a high-quality outing. However, this unit was integral in the effort to contain superstar running back Nate Sheppard. Virginia held him to just 55 rushing yards. The defensive line deserves a lot of credit for plugging up running lanes.

Linebackers: A

This was the best game of the season for both Kam Robinson and Maddox Marcellus. They dominated in run defense, rushed the passer and also held their own in coverage. Robinson made a highlight play with his first interception of the year. This was an encouraging outing.

Defensive backs: B

The Cavalier cornerbacks and safeties also had a productive evening. Montino Williams, Justin Ross and Christian Ellis were everywhere. Donavon Platt and Jacobie Henderson continued to get burned a few times, but were generally solid.

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