Virginia gets another shot to steady itself Friday night, and the setting helps: Scott Stadium. The opponent does not. Duke comes in after back-to-back losses, and Virginia On SI’s staff sees this one as close to a toss-up.
The split starts with the bigger picture. Duke opened 4-0, then dropped two straight.
Virginia, meanwhile, took the loss to SMU last week and did enough damage to its ACC standing that the Cavaliers are trying to climb back into the race. Nobody is walking into this matchup with real momentum.
One side of the staff is leaning Virginia because of the home field edge, though not with much confidence. Both teams have looked one-dimensional at times, and the quarterback matchup could end up deciding it between Beau Pribula and Walker Eget. Even with Pribula’s uneven season, that view is that he has shown more than Eget, and that could swing the night.
Another angle points straight at Scott Stadium’s recent track record. Virginia has been tough to beat there, and Duke has had an especially rough time in Charlottesville. The Blue Devils are 2-9 in their past 11 meetings with the Cavaliers, and they have not won at Scott Stadium since 2013.
The most important issue, though, is Duke’s ground game. After the two losses, it has become harder to ignore how dependent the Blue Devils are on Nate Sheppard.
If opponents can slow him down, the path to beating Duke gets a lot clearer. Virginia’s defense believes it can do that, provided it cleans up the self-inflicted mistakes that have hurt it so often.
That is the heart of the game: Virginia’s offense against Duke’s defense. If the Cavaliers stay committed to the run and get favorable field position, they should have enough to win. But “should” is doing a lot of work here.
The warning signs are obvious. Virginia has given up at least one 100-yard rusher in each of its three losses, and two West Virginia players cleared that mark.
Now the Cavaliers, dealing with injuries and tackling issues, have to try to stop the ACC’s leading rusher. Tony Elliott called Sheppard “by far the best back that we've seen all year.”
Containing him will take everyone. If Virginia loads up against the run, Duke may try to punish that with play-action, especially with Virginia’s secondary thin and the pass rush still inconsistent. Duke has allowed only two sacks all season, which makes the challenge even tougher.
In the end, Virginia may need its offense to serve as its best defense. A productive run game could keep Duke off balance and protect a vulnerable defense. The question is whether the Cavaliers can actually commit to that plan and execute it.
That matters because the bowl picture is still in play, and Friday night may hinge on whether Virginia can finally put together the kind of run-heavy performance this matchup seems to demand. The Cavaliers are unbeaten at home this season, and they have alternated wins and losses over the past six weeks. Coming off a loss at SMU, both trends point toward a Virginia response at Scott Stadium.
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The next step is where the conversation gets more interesting. With more responsibility likely coming his way, Mallory looks positioned for a much bigger role in running the offense, and that kind of leap would matter a lot for a Virginia team that has leaned on guard play to stay competitive. How quickly he handles that added burden will go a long way toward shaping the Cavaliers ceiling. [Read more 🡒]
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For Virginia, that means Friday night could come down to how well it handles Dukes pressure and whether the Cavaliers can create the kind of clean possessions that keep a defense like this from settling in. Watsons disruption and Louds coverage ability give Duke multiple ways to close off windows, while Morris adds another layer of reliability in the middle of it all. It sets up a game where Virginia may have to earn every yard, and the first team to solve the other sides strength could end up controlling the night. [Read more 🡒]
Ty Jerome Just Gave Virginia Fans A New Reason To Brag
Ty Jerome gave Virginia fans a fresh talking point on opening night, and it came in a big way. The former Cavalier turned in the best scoring performance of his NBA career for Memphis, piling up points with efficient shooting while also adding seven rebounds and six assists in the Grizzlies season opener.
For a program that has plenty of NBA alumni to follow, it was the kind of all-around showing that stands out immediately and gets remembered around Charlottesville. Jeromes night helped set the tone for Memphis early in the year, and it also put his name in a different place in Virginias pro basketball conversation, with a new benchmark now sitting atop the list. [Read more 🡒]