Three Virginia Players To Watch On Saturday vs Duke

Game day is quickly approaching, and the Virginia Cavaliers will look to get back on track. In order for that to happen, some key players will have to step up in a major way and have an impact on the game. Let’s take a look at players to watch on Saturday.

1. DB Devin Neal

latest — Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers safety Devin Neal (27) reacts in overtime at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Neal has been a wrecking ball this year and one of the best defensive players for the Cavaliers outside of Kam Robinson. He is second on the team with 60 tackles. He has two games this season with 10 or more tackles. Where he has continued to improve is in coverage, and he is second on the team with four passes defensed. Neal has been getting it done on the defensive side of the ball and has the second-highest defensive grade, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), with an 82.4 defensive grade. He ranked in the top five in rush defense grade (79.5), tackling (83.5), pass rush (82.4), and coverage (78.4). An area to watch in this game is how often the Hoos will send him on blitzes. Neal is a rare top defensive back who can play anywhere on the field and affect the game. He has six pressures and five quarterback hurries on the season, per PFF. Neal is a defender who will need a big game for the Cavaliers to come out on top. With how he has been playing this season, he should be able to have an impact on the game against Duke.

2. RB J’mari Taylor

How does Taylor rebound after a fumble in a critical juncture in the game? Now he ran the ball well against Wake Forest and was just two yards shy of back-to-back 100-yard games. However, the Hoos need to hold onto the ball, and it starts with Taylor, who is a big part of their rushing attack. One reason why Virginia has been a good team this year is because of Taylor and his ability to run the ball. He is the second-leading rusher in the ACC with 784 rushing yards and is on pace to have a 1,000-yard season. He is also second in the ACC with 11 touchdowns. In order to take advantage of a porous Duke defense, the Hoos need to be well-balanced, and they need Taylor to have a big game against the Blue Devils.

3. DL Daniel Rickert

It’s pretty simple. Virginia is going to have to create pressure on the quarterback and make quarterback Darian Mensah feel uncomfortable. They can’t stand pat and let him cook them in the pocket. Rickert leads the team in sacks this season with 5.5. He also has 27 tackles. He had one of his better defensive performances last week against Wake Forest, recording five tackles. This season, he had four consecutive games with a half-sack or more, dating back to September 13th. Those sacks came against William & Mary, Stanford, Florida State, and Louisville. Rickert had his best game against Stanford, finishing with five tackles and two sacks. Virginia is going to need him to get it going against the Duke offensive line if they want to slow down an explosive offense and limit Mensah from putting up eye-popping numbers.

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