Duke’s offense found an unlikely finishing touch Friday night in Charlottesville, and Manny Diaz made it clear the call had been in the works before the moment arrived.
With quarterback Walker Eget briefly sidelined by what looked like a hand injury against Virginia, the Blue Devils went to running back Nate Sheppard for a trick-play dagger. Sheppard connected with Brody Keefe on a 28-yard touchdown that pushed Duke in front for good, 19-16, at Scott Stadium.
Speaking on the ESPN broadcast after the game, Diaz said he and offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer had been laying that play up a couple snaps earlier.
"We said we want to play that, throw that for the win," Diaz said. "We threw it for the win."
That throw capped a night in which Duke used three different players to attempt passes. Dan Mahan stepped in for Eget in the first half while the quarterback was being checked out, and he finished 2 of 5 for 17 yards. Eget later returned and ended the night 14 of 25 for 211 yards with one interception.
Sheppard did plenty of work beyond the throw, too. He finished with 55 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, including a long run of 55 yards.
The defense made sure the comeback stood up. After Sheppard’s touchdown pass, Patrick Smith-Young intercepted Beau Pribula to slam the door on Virginia. Duke also limited the Cavaliers to just three second-half points and forced Pribula into a fumble as well.
Virginia did still move the ball on the ground, piling up 195 rushing yards on 53 carries. Jekail Middlebrook led that effort with 117 yards and a touchdown on 24 attempts.
For Duke, the win was especially important after back-to-back ACC losses to Georgia Tech and rival North Carolina. The Blue Devils improved to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play, moving within one game of bowl eligibility.
That’s a significant checkpoint for a team that entered the season with questions after Darian Mensah transferred to Miami in the offseason. Duke may not be in the ACC championship picture, but it has continued to beat expectations under Diaz.
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