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Virginia vs. Duke — a breakdown

<p>Sophomore kicker Brian Delaney nailed three field goals against Miami Saturday night.</p>

Sophomore kicker Brian Delaney nailed three field goals against Miami Saturday night.

A week after pulling off an incredible upset at home against No. 16 Miami, the first ranked team the Cavaliers beat since 2014, Virginia heads to the road to face Duke — another strong opponent. The Cavalier Daily sports staff takes a look at some key players and keys to the game to help the Cavaliers defeat the Blue Devils.

Players to watch

Virginia defensive tackle Jordan Redmond

The freshman nose tackle has been important in Virginia’s defense this year, particularly in stopping the run and allowing edge rushers to get to the quarterback. His numbers don’t tell the story — Redmond frees up the edge rushers to make plays on the ball. The nose tackle received a big honor Monday, named to ESPN’s Midseason Freshman All-American squad. Redmond, after experiencing some injury problems, had a strong game against Miami and was a crucial part of the Cavaliers’ run defense against the Hurricanes. Apart from a 70-yard run from Miami junior running back Travis Homer, Virginia’s run defense stood up strong Saturday night. Redmond will line up at nose tackle against a strong Blue Devils’ offensive line this Saturday, and his stunts will play a crucial role in determining if Virginia’s pass rush can get to Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones and also shut down Duke sophomore running back Deon Jackson, who rushed for 98 yards last week against Georgia Tech.

Virginia kicker Brian Delaney 

Against Miami, the sophomore kicker proved himself instrumental in Virginia’s upset win. Previously limited to only kickoff duties, Delaney nailed three field goals — from 26 yards, 46 yards and 32 yards — against the Hurricanes. Including Delaney, the Cavaliers have used four different kickers so far this season. Neither sophomore kicker A.J. Mejia nor freshman kicker Hunter Pearson have provided Virginia with the stability they need from the kicker position, but if Delaney continues to perform the way he did against Miami, the Cavaliers should have a few more consistent scoring options for when the offense is struggling to generate touchdowns. 

Keys to the game

Get Perkins comfortable early

Junior quarterback Bryce Perkins had — statistically-speaking — a poor game against Miami. He was 12-21 with only 92 passing yards and three interceptions. These are not numbers that would traditionally allow teams to beat Miami. That said, Perkins’ ability to evade sacks and get crucial first downs with his running ability propelled Virginia to victory, aided by an outstanding defensive performance. Going forward, however, Virginia needs better play in the passing game to win in ACC play. The key to this is getting Perkins comfortable early and not taking long shots to start the game. Against Ohio and Louisville — Perkins’ best games — he developed a rhythm through screen passes and slant routes that allowed him to establish momentum, leading to consistent accuracy throughout the game. Against Miami, Perkins threw an early interception and lost confidence in his deep ball. Virginia will need to get Perkins going to win against Duke and will need more screen passes early to establish rhythm, especially to standout senior wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus — who had just three receptions against Miami — will help.

Shut down Duke’s passing game

In last week’s big win, Virginia’s defense entirely shut down Miami’s quarterbacks. Neither redshirt freshman quarterback N'Kosi Perry nor senior quarterback Malik Rosier could get much going, and between the two, they threw three interceptions. It was certainly a display of defensive excellence from the Cavaliers, with players like senior safety Juan Thornhill, senior linebacker Chris Peace and sophomore linebacker Zane Zandier all stepping up to the plate. However, the quarterback spot has been a source of struggle for the Hurricanes all season, so this week’s matchup against Duke’s Daniel Jones could be a tougher challenge for Virginia’s defense. Jones is averaging 205.3 passing yards per game and posting a 68.3 pass completion percentage. Even against one of the Blue Devils’ toughest opponents of the season, Virginia Tech, Jones threw for 226 yards. Shutting Jones and Duke's passing game will be huge for the Cavaliers if they want to improve to a 5-2 record. 

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