‘Expectations around here are changing.’ What we learned from Duke’s win over Virginia
.JPG "Duke’s Jaquez Moore (20) carries the ball for a touchdown past Virginia’s Langston Long, left, and Darrius Bratton (8) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)")
A year after an embarrassing performance against the same team, Duke had already shoved Virginia around the field for most of the first three quarters of Saturday night’s ACC game.
Leading by 18 points, the Blue Devils wanted more, aching to show Virginia and the rest of the ACC they aren’t the same pushover they’d been the last two seasons.
So Duke embarked on a drive that burned seven minutes and 25 seconds off the fourth quarter clock. Starting from its own 30, Duke used nothing but running plays to drive inside the Virginia 20 and add a field goal.
“I thought that seven-minute drive in the fourth quarter was an attitude drive for our program,” Duke coach Mike Elko said. “And that was great to see.”
That drive capped Duke’s scoring in a dominant 38-17 win over Virginia at Wallace Wade Stadium.
It ended the 13-game ACC losing streak Duke carried into the season and it was sweet revenge for the Blue Devils, who suffered a 48-0 loss at Virginia during last season’s 3-9 campaign.
Happy as he was to break that league losing streak while coaching his first ACC game with the Blue Devils, Elko stressed the long game.
“Proud of our guys, proud to get ACC win number one,” Elko said. “But, you know, I just told them that, you know, the expectations around here are changing.”
Now Duke (4-1, 1-0 in ACC) has a real shot at winning six games to become bowl eligible.
Here’s what we learned about the Blue Devils in their win over Virginia:
Duke CAN play physical
After rarely being competitive last season, the Blue Devils were the better team along the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense against Virginia.
The running game that produced a season-best 248 rushing yards and four touchdowns was fueled by an offensive line that played exceptionally well.
Duke had all that success even though Virginia’s alignment was designed to stop the run. The Cavaliers had allowed 133 yards per game (3.6 yards per carry).
“That’s a statement that we’re coming to everybody that we play in the ACC and as well as this game,” Duke quarterback Riley Leonard said. “We’re really excited to get things rolling and the offensive line did a good job.”
On defense, Duke’s linemen batted down five Virginia passes at the line of scrimmage. Ja’Mion Franklin had two of them while also sacking Brennan Armstrong on another passing play.
“Our message at the beginning of the week was if we’re going to win this football game we have to dominate up front,” Franklin said.
Virginia gained 93 rushing yards on 25 attempts (3.7 yards per carry).
Winning the turnover game
Duke played its second turnover-free game in a row while beating Virginia.
The Blue Devils have just two turnovers this season — both interceptions thrown by Leonard. They’ve not lost a fumble.
Meanwhile, Duke’s opponents have turned the ball over 10 times.
It’s a dramatic difference from the last two seasons, when Duke combined for 60 turnovers while going 5-18 overall.
The Blue Devils have not finished with fewer turnovers than their opponents since 2014. It’s a big emphasis for the new coaching staff and that work has certainly shown results.
“We emphasize it,” Elko said. “We preach it. We live it every day. It’s not something we just talk about because we need to talk about it. We literally teach it every single rep, every single day. I think the kids understand how important that is for our success.”
Injuries are piling up
The only downer to Duke’s strong start this season is the injuries it avoided in preseason practices are starting to appear.
The Blue Devils played without starting linebacker Dorian Mausi (lower body injury) against Virginia. It’s the second game in the last three Mausi has missed.
Freshman Tre Freeman, from Durham, started in Mausi’s place but was also injured and knocked out of the game.
Reserve defensive end Anthony Nelson, who transferred to Duke from Harvard this season, was helped off the field with a leg injury in the first half against Virginia. He was later carted out of the stadium
Jaylen Coleman, who led the Blue Devils in rushing with 97 yards on 19 carries against Virginia, received treatment in the medical tent on a lower body injury during the fourth quarter.
Jordan Moore, the sophomore wide receiver who has caught 22 passes this season, was held out of the starting lineup against Virginia. But he did see playing time, catching two passes for 19 yards.
This story was originally published October 2, 2022 at 7:40 AM with the headline "‘Expectations around here are changing.’ What we learned from Duke’s win over Virginia."