After landing one of the best wins in program history against Notre Dame last weekend, the Blue Devils played like they did in early-season losses again Saturday, losing 34-20 to Virginia at Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke led 10-6 early in the second quarter, but the Cavaliers capitalized on numerous mistakes to respond with a 21-3 run to take control. The Blue Devils fell to 2-3 and 0-2 in the ACC.
Offense: C-
Pass: After lighting up the Fighting Irish defense en route to a 38-point offensive outburst, Duke and quarterback Daniel Jones had an afternoon to forget Saturday. The redshirt freshman threw five interceptions and coughed up a fumble in the end zone that iced the game in the fourth quarter. Jones threw for 324 yards with a relatively inefficient 33 completions despite throwing the ball a career-high 54 times. He was able to move the ball down the field with relative ease, but miscues kept the passing game in check. With the Blue Devils relying primarily on short throws, the Cavaliers' defense stepped up to the line and forced Jones to make tough throws into small windows.
Rush: Without leading rusher and captain Jela Duncan, the Blue Devils relied on a running back tandem of Shaun Wilson and Joseph Ajeigbe throughout the game. But Wilson and Ajeigbe did not have as much success as Duncan did against Notre Dame, with the duo combining for 82 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. The dynamic Wilson could not get to the second line of the Cavaliers' defense as Virginia’s front seven—led by All-ACC linebacker Micah Kiser’s 18 tackles—swallowed up Duke’s running backs, limiting their longest run to only 12 yards.
X’s and O’s: A much-maligned Cavalier defense found ways to get off the field despite allowing the Blue Devils to pick up 25 first downs by stopping Duke twice on fourth down and forcing Jones into six total turnovers. The Virginia defensive line did not give the Blue Devils' starting quarterback much time in the pocket in the second half, with the high point for the Cavaliers coming on a key sack and fumble recovery for a touchdown for Virginia’s final score of the afternoon.
Defense: B
Pass: Duke’s defense could not stop the Cavaliers' high-octane passing offense led by starting quarterback Kurt Benkert, as the East Carolina transfer threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns in another impressive performance. In its first game without star safety DeVon Edwards, the Blue Devil secondary struggled at times, allowing an 84-yard catch by wide receiver David Eldridge that set up Virginia's second touchdown.
But the Duke defense also made several key stops late in the game to give the Blue Devils plenty of chances to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Ben Humphreys had a late interception to give the offense its best field position of the game, and Benkert made some tough throws for his three touchdown passes.
Rush: Although Benkert had his way with Duke’s secondary, the Blue Devil front seven held up against star running back Taquan Mizzell, who ran for only 60 yards on 14 carries. Mizzell never got going or broke free all game, as linebackers Humphreys and Joe Giles-Harris combined for 25 tackles on the afternoon. Senior running back Albert Reid also contributed 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
X’s and O’s: Forced to return to the field at unexpected times due to Jones’ five interceptions, Duke's defense held up relatively well against a strong Virginia offense. It kept Mizzell in check, and though Benkert did have his way for the most part with the secondary, the Blue Devils held strong when their offense needed it the most in the last period of the contest.
Special Teams: B-
Although kicker A.J. Reed was perfect on the afternoon—hitting field goals from 38 and 21 yards, Duke got surprisingly little out of its return game after Wilson ran a kickoff back for a touchdown last week in South Bend, Ind. Virginia punter Nicholas Conte perfectly placed two punts that landed inside the Blue Devil two-yard line, the second of which set up a defensive score for the Cavaliers. Conte outplayed Duke redshirt freshman punter Austin Parker, who averaged 32 yards on three punts with a long of only 37 yards.
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