The Duke Blue Devils walked out of Charlottesville with a victory to regain momentum.
Manny Diaz and his program found themselves in a familiar spot late in the game: down a few points with a chance to win it. The Blue Devils fell short in the previous two contests against Georgia Tech and North Carolina, but flipped the script against Virginia. Some late-game trickery helped earn Duke a 19-16 win.
It wasn't the prettiest game in the world for either team, but those are the types of games Duke thrives in. Let's grade every position group after the road victory.
Quarterback: C
Both Walker Eget and Dan Mahan saw extended time in this one. After Duke charged down the field on its opening drive to go up 7-0, Eget headed to the medical tent with what appeared to be a finger injury. Mahan took over as the quarterback for the rest of the first half, and the Blue Devils couldn't get much going.
Duke punted on all of its remaining offensive drives after the opening score, but Eget returned in the second half to steady the ship. The San Jose State transfer finished 14-of-25 passing for 211 yards and an interception. Mahan went 2-of-5 for 17 yards. Overall, it was an up-and-down day for the QBs, but Eget made some nice throws late to keep the Blue Devils moving offensively.
Running Back: C
Relative to the rest of Duke's opponents this season, Virginia did a phenomenal job limiting star Nate Sheppard's impact. The sophomore finished with 55 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, with two catches for 11 yards. In the second half, Duke seemed to increase the number of pass plays, which was a bit interesting. Sheppard's 15 attempts were his lowest total this season against a Power Conference opponent.
Rutgers transfer CJ Campbell only had one carry for 12 yards.
Wide Receiver: C
Duke had a few costly drops throughout this game, but the receiving game found a bit more momentum than it had over the past few weeks. Some new faces got involved, such as true freshman Brody Keefe and redshirt freshman Jaivon Solomon.
The Blue Devils' leading receiver was Jonah Burton with four catches for 59 yards, and both Keefe and Solomon notched three catches for 48 yards. Keefe added a touchdown on the go-ahead trick play late in the game.
Tight End: D
Jeremiah Hasley was minimally involved in this one, and Jake Taylor caught one pass for 43 yards. All in all, the tight ends didn't have a huge impact on the outing.
Offensive Line: C-
With Matt Craycraft out for the second straight week, Duke's offensive line was clearly missing him, especially in the first half. The Cavaliers only tallied one sack, but Eget and Mahan were dealing with heavy pressure for most of the afternoon.
Defensive Line: B-
Virginia entered this game having allowed the most sacks (21) of any team in the ACC. Similar to last weekend's home bout with North Carolina, this felt like a game where Duke's defensive line could make a big impact. The Blue Devils didn't defend the run well, but it got home several times.
The Blue Devils tallied five sacks and eight tackles for loss. Che Ojarikre led the way with two sacks.
Linebackers: B-
Nick Morris Jr. remains one of Duke's most consistent impact defenders, leading the team in tackles with 11 to go along with a tackle for loss. The Blue Devils stepped up in a big way in the second half, holding the Cavaliers to three total points across the third and fourth quarters. Again, it wasn't the prettiest outing in the world, but Duke's defense did its job down the stretch.
Secondary: B+
The safety position stood out for Duke on Saturday. In Andrew Pellicciotta's absence, DaShawn Stone and Patrick Smith-Young were both very productive and made a few big plays. Ojarikre also had some big moments in an extended role.
Kicker: C
Freshman Gavin Strange knocked down both of his field goal attempts, but after Duke scored to go up 19-16, he missed the extra point, keeping the door open for Virginia to extend the game. The Blue Devils held the Hoos, but that miss was almost incredibly costly.
Punter: A
Kade Reynoldson hobbled onto the field and used his boot when needed. Reynoldson averaged 42.2 yards on his season-high six punts.
Kick Returner: N/A
CJ Campbell took Duke's lone kick return for 33 yards.
Punt Returner: A
Safety KD Cotton filled in as the Blue Devils' punt returner without Pellicciotta and averaged 24.5 yards on his two returns.
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