Virginia (2-2, 0-1 ACC) at Duke (3-1, 0-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (RSN)
Line: Duke by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Virginia leads 40-33.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
This is a matchup of first-year head coaches in Duke’s Mike Elko and Virginia’s Tony Elliott. In fact, Elliott was a candidate for the Duke opening last year before opting to coach the Cavaliers. Elko’s Blue Devils got off to a 3-0 start before falling at Kansas and is playing their first ACC game. Elliott’s Cavaliers are coming off a loss at Syracuse in their first league game.
KEY MATCHUP
Duke’s offensive line against Virginia’s pass rush. The Blue Devils have seen QB Riley Leonard get off to a good start in his first season as the full-time starter. It has helped that the Blue Devils have surrendered an ACC-low four sacks through four games. The Cavaliers have recorded an ACC-best 14 sacks.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Virginia: QB Brennan Armstrong. The fifth-year player threw for more than 4,400 yards and 31 touchdowns last year but has failed to crack the 200-yard mark in two of four games this year.
Duke: WR Jalon Calhoun. He leads Duke with 291 yards on 17 catches through four games, putting him third in the league in receiving yards.
FACTS & FIGURES
Virginia has won seven straight meetings, including last year’s 48-0 home win. … Duke’s last win in the series came in 2014 (20-13) at home. … The Blue Devils have lost 13 straight ACC games since beating Syracuse in 2020. … The Blue Devils are tied for 11th nationally in turnover margin (plus-6) after two years of ranking near the bottom. … Virginia has held its last two opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing and an average of 2.34 yards per carry. The Cavaliers haven’t held three straight opponents to sub-100-yard rushing outputs since 2019.
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