The Virginia football team fell 20-13 to Duke Saturday, as the Blue Devils scored with just more than seven minutes remaining to knock off the Cavaliers. Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) now stands tied atop the ACC Coastal Division with Virginia (4-3, 2-1 ACC) and Pittsburgh (4-3, 2-1 ACC).
On the opening drive, senior receiver Miles Gooch fumbled the ball. Senior receiver Darius Jennings attempted to recover but he dropped the ball, allowing the Blue Devils to recover at their own 38-yard line. Duke used the turnover to jump out to an early lead, as senior quarterback Anthony Boone completed a one-yard touchdown pass to go up 7-0. The Blue Devils then added a field goal to push the lead to double digits before Virginia could respond.
With nine minutes to play in the first half, sophomore quarterback Matt Johns found senior running back Khalek Shepherd in the endzone to put the Cavaliers on the board. With time expiring in the half, Virginia knotted up the score with a 21-yard field goal from junior placekicker Ian Frye.
Duke regained the lead on its first possession after the break with a 25-yard field goal, but it was short lived, as Frye responded with a 30-yarder of his own just three minutes later. Neither team could hit pay dirt until late in the fourth quarter, when Duke’s short-yardage quarterback Thomas Sirk converted a bit of trickery in the form of a fake draw, jump-pass into the game-winning touchdown.
Virginia’s offense had two opportunities to respond but was unable to find the endzone. The Cavaliers had the ball with just more than 30 seconds remaining but ran out of time. The game ended with Johns completing a short pass over the middle to Doni Dowling, but the freshman receiver was tackled at Duke’s 47-yard line before he could get out of bounds to stop the clock.
Despite the loss, Virginia can take some positives away from the game, including the continued improvement of Johns, who posted a career day with 325 yards on 22-of-45 passing. Gooch also strengthened his position as an elite wide receiver with his six-catch, career-high 129-yard day.
The Cavaliers will look to rebound Saturday when North Carolina (3-4, 1-2 ACC) visits Scott Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.
—compiled by Ryan Taylor
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