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College Football
Preview
Duke at Virginia
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 18, 2023
Where: Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Virginia

Virginia will conclude an emotional week in Charlottesville on Saturday by facing a Duke team desperately seeking a win.

The visiting Blue Devils (6-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) have dropped three of their last four games after a 5-1 start, including 47-45 in double overtime last Saturday at rival North Carolina.

The Cavaliers (2-8, 1-5) marked the one-year anniversary of the campus shooting deaths of three football players on Monday and also are dealing with last week's serious injury to running back Perris Jones.

Jones underwent spinal surgery after being immobilized and carted off the field in the third quarter of Virginia's 31-24 loss at Louisville last Thursday. He regained movement in all his extremities and was briefly able to walk, but his long-term prognosis is unclear.

The Cavaliers led 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter but couldn't hold off the Cardinals, who scored two big-play touchdowns in the final 6:20: a 52-yard pass and a 73-yard run.

The Cavaliers have lost five games by seven points or less this season.

"We talk about finishing, being situationally aware and being great communicators," Virginia defensive coordinator John Rudzinski said after the game. "Those are three life skills that our guys are going to take with them for the rest of their life, and tonight, we didn't finish."

The Blue Devils snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series with a 38-17 triumph over Virginia last season in Durham, N.C. Duke quarterback Riley Leonard rushed for two touchdowns and threw a TD pass.

Leonard missed his second straight game last Saturday against the Tar Heels due to an injured left toe. His status for the rest of the season remains uncertain.

Freshman Grayson Loftis passed for 189 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score at North Carolina. A wild game ended when he was unable to connect with Jalon Calhoun in the back of the end zone on Duke's two-point conversion attempt.

"We still have a chance to compete to get into a really exciting bowl game, and those are things that are really important to us," Blue Devils coach Mike Elko said Monday. "We've got to bounce back and respond, and I believe we will."

Duke hasn't won at Virginia since 2013.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Duke 6-4 L1 27.6 18.8 5-1 1-3 6-3 0-0 3-3
Virginia 2-8 L3 23.2 32.3 1-3 1-5 2-5 0-0 1-5
Last Meeting
Duke Virginia
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
10/1/22 UVA 17 DUKE 38 391 262 129 295 93 202
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Duke R. Leonard 75.0 129 1 0
Virginia B. Armstrong 51.4 202 1 1
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Duke J. Coleman 19 96 5.1 0
Virginia P. Jones 8 41 5.1 0
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Duke J. Calhoun 6 65 10.8 1
Virginia K. Thompson 6 61 10.2 0
Touchdowns Player TD
Duke R. Leonard 2
Virginia B. Armstrong 1
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Duke R. Leonard 57.6 1102 3 3
Virginia A. Colandrea 61.2 1437 8 8
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Duke J. Waters 121 677 5.6 12
Virginia P. Jones 76 393 5.2 2
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Duke J. Moore 42 571 13.6 7
Virginia M. Washington 88 1199 13.6 7
Touchdowns Player TD
Duke J. Waters 12
Virginia M. Hollins 8
Quickchart Matchup
Duke Duke Off vs  Virginia Virginia Def
Duke 344.3 yards
Virginia 398.2 yards
Duke 5.1 yards/rush
Virginia 4.9 yards/rush
Duke 6.7 yards/attempt
Virginia 7 yards/attempt
Virginia Virginia Off vs  Duke Duke Def
Virginia 369.1 yards
Duke 349.9 yards
Virginia 3.1 yards/rush
Duke 4.1 yards/rush
Virginia 7.8 yards/attempt
Duke 6.2 yards/attempt