Duke offense struggles in ugly loss to Virginia

The Duke offense took way to long to get going, and Virginia took advantage, leaving Durham with a 28-14 win. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held the Blue Devils (5-2, 1-2) scoreless in the first half.

Virginia dominated the game offensively, racking up 376 yards of total offense to Duke’s 320. The previous low this season was 304 versus Georgia Tech last week. UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins proved to a problem both passing (20-32-189) and on the ground, leading the Cavaliers in rushing with 61 yards.

The Virginia defense picked off Daniel Jones twice, giving him nine career interceptions against the Cavaliers. Jones finished with 277 yards of total offense and one touchdown. Duke rushed for a season-low 58 yards, averaging just 2.1 yards per carry.

UVA was able to sack Jones four times, including getting to Jones on three straight plays in the fourth.

GOING BACKWARDS

4Q, 6:09: Duke came up with a defensive stop after pulling to within six, but it was the UVA defense that came up big in the clutch.

The Cavaliers sacked Daniel Jones on three straight plays and Duke was forced to punt out of its own endzone on 4th and 24. UVA got a nice punt return to the Blue Devils’ 28 and put the game away when Bryce Perkins found tight end Evan Butts for a 16-yard touchdown. The score put the Cavaliers up 28-14 after a successful two-point conversion.

DUKE GETS TRICKY

4Q, 10:46: Duke got creative with its second touchdown of the day. Wide receiver T.J. Rahming threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Davis Koppenhaver, pulling the Blue Devils to within six, 20-14, midway through the fourth.

It was the 10th career touchdown catch for Koppenhaver, tying the school record for touchdowns by a tight end.

JONES CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE AGAINST UVA

3Q, :32: Daniel Jones threw his second interception of the game, this time to Bryce Hall, giving him nine career interceptions against Virginia. UVA ended the third with a 20-7 lead and a 320-179 advantage in total yards.

ANOTHER LONG DRIVE FOR THE WAHOOS

3Q, 1:32: Virginia went on its second consecutive 13-play drive, this one covering 41 yards, resulting in a 42-yard field goal to give UVA a 20-7 lead.

The Cavaliers are dominating the time of possession, holding a 30:05-13:23 advantage over the Blue Devils.

UVA ANSWERS BACK

3Q, 6:45: Virginia put together an impressive 13-play drive, that took 7:07 off the clock, resulting in a 37-yard field goal, giving UVA a 17-7 lead. It was the longest drive of the day for the Cavaliers.

QUICK STRIKE OFFENSE

3Q, 13:58: Duke wasted little time to get on the board in the second half. On their fourth play from scrimmage, Daniel Jones hit Chris Taylor for a 46-yard touchdown. That scored cut the UVA lead to 14-7.

CAVALIERS BLANK BLUE DEVILS IN FIRST HALF

HALFTIME: Duke only managed 82 yards in the first half (34 rushing) and turned the ball over once as they trailed Virginia 14-0 at the break. The Cavaliers out gained the Blue Devils by 122 yards in the first half, and left points on the field by missing a pair of field goals. UVA also went for it on fourth down in Duke territory on their second drive of the game, but came up empty.

Daniel Jones completed seven passes in the first half for 48 yards. He hit four different receivers, but had his guys drop several passes, including a long pass attempt to freshman Jarett Garner in the first quarter that would have been a big gain down the sideline. It’s the first time this season Duke has been held scoreless in the first half.

FIRST TURNOVER

2Q, 7:34: After their biggest play of the game, Duke made its first mistake. Blue Devils’ quarterback Daniel Jones picked up 17 yards with his legs to convert a 3rd and 11. However, on the next play Jones threw into double coverage and his pass was picked off by Juan Thornhill, his fourth interception this season. It was the third interception this season thrown by Jones. Luckily, the Duke defense forced a three-and-out, so the turnover didn’t result in any points for the visitors.

BLUE DEVILS DODGE A BULLET

2Q, 10:15: Something finally went right for the Duke Blue Devils in the first half. UVA moved into Duke territory, moving to the Blue Devils’ 16. Duke forced a 4th and 1, and instead of trying to convert another fourth down, UVA elected to attempt a 33-yard field goal, that went wide right.

WAHOOS GO UP TWO SCORES

2Q, 14:09: Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins showed Duke he can beat teams with his arms and legs. Perkins (6-3, 210) rushed for a 3-yard touchdown on the second play of the second quarter to put the Cavaliers up 14-0. Perkins leads UVA with 26 yards rushing, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

UVA DOMINATES FIRST QUARTER

1Q: Virginia is only up one score, but the Cavaliers are clearly in control early. UVA has 123 yards, compared to just 13 from Duke. UVA has a serious advantage in plays ran, 22-9, over the host Blue Devils.

SECOND UVA DRIVE GOES INTO DUKE TERRITORY, THEN STALLS

1Q, 2:34: Virginia’s second drive was an interesting one. After a nice punt return moved the ball to the Duke 45, the Cavaliers converted a 4th and 3 to move the ball to the 25. But Virginia was called for a late hit after the play, moving them back 15 yards. They ran seven more plays, all in Duke territory, but came up empty on a 4th and 3 attempt, turning the ball over on downs.

CAVS WASTE NOT TIME SCORING

1Q, 11:21: Virginia opened the game by going on an 8-play, 61-yard drive, capped off by a 23-yard run by quarterback Bryce Perkins. The drive was almost perfect for the Cavaliers, who only had one incomplete pass in three attempts and one run that went for no gain. UVA only faced third down once (3rd and 1) and its biggest play was a 14-yard pass from Perkins to Olamide Zaccheaus. Perkins even caught a pass on the drive, a nine yard gain on a trick play.

This story was originally published October 20, 2018 at 12:43 PM.