Duke will head to Charlottesville, Va. this Saturday for a must-win matchup against Virginia. With only three games left in the regular season, the Blue Devils have to win out if they want to be eligible for a bowl game.
Last year the Blue Devils (3-6, 1-4 in the ACC) racked up 55 points in a thrilling shootout victory over the Cavaliers, but this year’s Virginia team looks nothing like last year’s squad, which won only four games all season.
“We’re playing a really talented and hot Virginia team,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “The thing that Virginia is doing is playing really original-recipe football. They’re running the ball, playing really good defense and playing in the kicking game.”
The Blue Devils will have to find a way to stop the Cavaliers (6-3, 3-2) on the ground. Virginia averages 190 rushing yards per game, utilizing a stable of talented running backs. Leading rusher Perry Jones has racked up almost 800 yards this season, averaging over five yards per carry. Backups Kevin Parks and Clifton Richardson have also combined for over 800 yards and nine touchdowns. The Cavaliers’ potent rushing attack is complemented by the quarterback play of Michael Rocco, who has completed over 60 percent of his passes this season, thanks in part to the outstanding play of the Virginia offensive line.
Duke’s aerial attack, led by Conner Vernon and Donovan Varner, will test a Cavalier secondary that gives up 205 yards per game. The pair of wideouts are approaching Clarkston Hines’ all-time Blue Devil reception record of 189. Varner is just two catches away, while Vernon needs five to tie the mark. The receivers have helped quarterback Sean Renfree throw for almost 2,200 yards so far this season.
Virginia head coach Mike London expressed concern about Cutcliffe’s crafty play-calling and Renfree’s high level of execution on offense.
“What [Cutcliffe] has been known to really do is make quarterbacks successful and find ways to attack coverages,” London said. “He does a great job of creating situations or throws—formations or run plays off play-action pass fakes—that complement each other.”
Coming off last week’s 49-14 loss at Miami, the Blue Devils have to regroup if they want a shot at playing postseason football this year.
“Physically, in a lot of facets of the game, we got dominated,” Renfree said. “We have a challenge this week to be more physical and more aggressive. Virginia is a physical team as well, so it’s going to be who wants it more.”
For the Cavaliers, especially the team’s seniors, this Saturday’s game is perhaps more significant than matchups against the Blue Devils in past years. Not only is this year’s Virginia team poised to play in a major bowl game and maybe even compete for an ACC championship, but the Cavaliers have also lost to Duke three years in a row.
“It’s written about, it’s talked about, so they understand that,” London said. “The third-years have been here during those games, and so they know its 0-for-3 right now. The only thing you can do is play the game on Saturday.”
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