Extra Point: Duke football vs. Virginia

The Blue Devils are within just one win of bowl eligibility after beating Virginia 35-22 this afternoon at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, VA. Although Duke trailed 22-0 in the second quarter, a strong second half effort on both sides of the football resulted in 35 unanswered points. Redshirt junior quarterback Anthony Boone led the offense, completing 21-of-39 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Ride the Momentum from the Navy Game—Duke’s momentum was stopped for the first 29:14 of the game. But when Boone found wide receiver Jamison Crowder for a touchdown with 46 seconds left to play in the second quarter, the Blue Devils were back in business. Although Duke got off to a slow start in the second half, both the offense and defense put on an impressive show. The Blue Devils scored 28 second half points, while the defensive unit held Virginia to 83 total yards in the second half and forced a late fourth quarter interception. One of the key components of the momentum swing was the play of Boone, who after only completing 9-of-22 passes in the first half, turned his play around and went 12-for-17 in the second half.

• Attack the Middle on Offense and Protect the Middle on Defense—Duke looked to get the ball to its offensive weapon, Crowder, early and often. But in the first half, Boone had trouble throwing the ball to Crowder, who was often double covered. After halftime, the Blue Devils focused on short passes and runs that exploited Virginia’s inexperience on defense. Boone had a number of short throws to sophomore wide receiver Max McCaffrey and Crowder and offensive line dominated the physical Cavalier front seven. On the ground, Duke’s steady, four-headed, rushing attack gained 180 yards in the game. Defensively, the Blue Devils spent much of the first half focusing on Virginia running back Kevin Parks, who had three total touchdowns in the game. Overall, the defensive unit did a good job against the run, only giving up 50 yards rushing to Parks and 100 yards total. Parks did torch the Duke with his six receptions which accounted for 88 yards and a touchdown.

• Continue to Get Production in Unexpected Places—The play Duke’s tight ends were a major factor in today’s victory. Braxton Deaver, who only had two touchdowns this season prior to today’s matchup, caught three passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns. His catch and run on fourth-and-one from the Cavalier 47-yard line propelled the Blue Devils to a comeback victory. Redshirt sophomore tight end David Reeves also came up with a big catch following Deaver’s first touchdown, as he hauled in a lob pass from Boone for the two-point conversion. In the secondary, true freshman defensive back Breon Borders was pressed into action after sophomore safety Dwayne Norman went down with an injury. Borders came up with an interception late in the fourth quarter that eliminated a hopes of a Virginia miracle comeback.

• On a fourth-and-one from the Virginia 47-yard line with 11:44 to play in the game, wildcat quarterback Brandon Connette flips the ball to tight end Braxton Deaver who sprints past the Cavalier secondary for the go-ahead touchdown. Following the score, Boone found tight end David Reeves for the two-point conversion, giving the Blue Devils a 25-22 lead.

• Duke pads its three point lead when Boone fakes the handoff and throws down the left sideline to Deaver for a 24-yard touchdown pass. Deaver’s second touchdown of the day would gave the Blue Devils a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

Three key stats:

• Duke goes 4-for-4 on fourth down. The Blue Devils went 4-for-16 on third down, but made up for it by converting on four fourth downs. Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper turned to Connette three times in the second half to push the ball past the markers, and Connette flawlessly executed the plays. He lunged forward on two fourth-and-short downs and then made us reminisce on his games at quarterback earlier in the season when he a 47-yard touchdown to Deaver on fourth-and-one.

• Duke holds Virginia to 100 yards rushing. The Cavaliers came into the game with the nation’s 48th best rushing offense, averaging 188.8 yards on the ground per game. The Blue Devils shut down the Virginia attack, with linebackers David Helton and Kelby Brown combining for 15 total tackles. Sixth-year senior Kenny Anunike also clogged up the running lanes, registering seven tackles and a sack.

• The Blue Devils commit eight penalties accounting for 70 yards. Duke’s undisciplined play was a concern in this game and will be going forward. The Blue Devils cannot afford to be giving opposing teams free yardage on mistakes. Running back Josh Snead was called for a block below the waist early in game, which stalled Duke’s first drive. Look for David Cutcliffe’s team to correct these mistakes as the Blue Devils move further into ACC play.

And the Duke game ball goes to...Braxton Deaver

Enter Duke’s newest weapon. The redshirt junior from Charlotte logged career highs, with 96 yards receiving and two touchdowns, which both came at critical times in the second half. Although Deaver only caught three passes this afternoon, his breakout game earns him this week’s game ball.

And the Virginia game ball goes to…Kevin Parks

The junior running back had 138 total yards and three touchdowns this afternoon, despite a loosing effort. One of his three scores was a one-handed grab, followed by a backflip over Blue Devil defenders in the second quarter.