Live by it, die by it, overtime arrives all the same — but this time was heartbreak for Virginia.
The Cavaliers (10-3, 7-2 ACC) were one win away from the College Football Playoff, and they fell just short in a crushing 27-20 overtime loss to Duke. One victory — against the same team they demolished just three weeks ago — would have sent the Cavaliers to the promised land with an ACC Championship to their name. But that dream came crashing down Saturday in Charlotte, N.C., violently.
The Blue Devils (8-5, 7-2 ACC) outclassed Virginia in areas it typically thrives in such as rushing efficiency and timely defense. Saturday, the Cavaliers rushed for just 26 yards in the first half, averaging a paltry 2.9 yards per carry. On defense, they allowed the two longest touchdown drives in ACC Championship history, averaging over eight minutes each. Virginia ran out of time — losing the time of possession battle by nine minutes.
In atypical fashion, sophomore quarterback Darian Mensah, the ACC’s leading passer in yards and touchdowns, was not the primary author of Virginia’s defeat. Death by a thousand medium runs was Duke’s strategy and it worked fluently. When Blue Devil runners were met with contact, they managed to shove ahead for extra yards on nearly every occasion.
The biggest indictment, though, was consistent failure in high-pressure situations. Virginia fell short on crucial third downs despite dominating on such occasions all season. When opportunities to get the ball back or secure an ever-valuable touchdown arose, the Cavaliers could not capitalize.
Virginia did manage to force overtime courtesy of a stellar touchdown pass from graduate quarterback Chandler Morris to senior receiver Eli Wood, but it was ultimately all for naught. Scoring just one touchdown in the first three quarters is not a recipe for victory.
“We just had a couple of mistakes that the guys are going to learn and grow from, and we got to coach better and grow as coaches [to fix what] resulted in the first half,” Coach Tony Elliott said.
For most of this football game, this team simply did not make the big plays. Duke did. As a result, Virginia was in unfamiliar territory — trailing after the first quarter for the first time all season.
Later in the third quarter, the Cavaliers’ first drive of the second half stalled out inside the Blue Devil 10-yard line. Morris tripped when attempting to roll out of the pocket, losing several yards. Virginia had to settle for a field goal instead of punching in a touchdown from the two-yard line.
On the other side of the ball, Duke fumbled twice but recovered both mistakes. Had any of those mishaps bounced the Cavaliers’ way, Virginia may have experienced a different result at Bank of America Stadium.
Even so, the Cavalier defense was solid aside from struggling to limit opposing time of possession. The defense gave Virginia’s offense opportunity after opportunity to get back into the football game. That offense barely managed to score 20 points in five frames of play.
“I was expecting to come out with the win the entire time,” graduate safety Devin Neal said. “Not a moment of doubt, but just, it's unfortunate.”
Self-inflicted errors pained the Cavaliers all night. In the first quarter, freshman safety Corey Costner came up with an interception, gifting the football back to Virginia’s offense. It responded by stalling out in the redzone, and senior kicker Will Bettridge missed a crucial field goal. Entering the game, the Cavaliers were 9-0 when the defense forced a turnover.
In the fourth quarter, Morris lofted a fourth down pass into double coverage, aiming well past the five yards needed for a first down. In overtime, it was Morris who sealed the Cavaliers’ fate with a season-sinking interception on a botched trick play.
“I’m sure that we all want that play back, but [sophomore linebacker Luke Mergott] made a play,” Elliott said. “And hats off to Duke for winning the game.”
Virginia's three losses this season have come by one possession each, for a total of just 18 points.
Even when Virginia was not making a victory more difficult, it was losing must-win plays. Duke moved the chains on all four of its fourth down conversion attempts and clobbered together explosive plays against the Cavalier defense.
“They definitely took advantage of our mistakes,” graduate linebacker James Jackson said. “We made some mistakes that they did a good job of taking advantage of, which [is] how you win a game. You take advantage of a team’s mistakes. And they did a good job of that.”
Duke had lost 10 straight games to ranked opponents before defeating the Cavaliers. Now, with that streak broken, they await the announcement of the CFP bracket Sunday at noon. If the Blue Devils do not secure a CFP bid, it is possible — if not likely — that the ACC will not be represented in the CFP.
The Cavaliers’ future is also uncertain. It is a fact that Virginia has been eliminated from CFP contention, but it is also true that the Cavaliers will be competing in a bowl game for the first time since 2019. It remains to be seen which bowl — and which opponent — the regular season ACC champions will face.
Over the past month, Virginia had its eyes on a CFP debut. Instead, the sweetness of a postseason appearance will be diluted to a standard bowl game.
“My message to the team in the locker room is, obviously [we are] disappointed,” Elliott said. “It hurts, and there's nothing that I can say to take away the pain. But I also told them how much I love them, how proud I am of the football team that was picked 14th out of 17 [ACC teams] and earned the right to be here. We came up short tonight. It's unfortunate, but we earned the right to be here, man, we overcame so much adversity. Three years ago, this program was written off. I don't think anybody would have thought that we'd be here this quickly in this position.”
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