Virginia Might Have To Beat Duke With Defense

By Jerry Ratcliffe

With Virginia’s offense struggling to score points in the wake of last week’s shortcomings at Miami, could it be that the Cavaliers’ defense is going to have to win Saturday’s home ACC Coastal battle with Duke?

UVA has won the last four meetings with the Blue Devils, largely because the Cavaliers had the most success of any ACC team against former Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, who is now quarterbacking the NFL’s New York Giants.

Saturday afternoon’s meeting is crucial for both teams that come in with identical 2-1 ACC and 4-2 overall records. The winner will be leading the ACC Coastal Division along with possibly North Carolina, should the Tar Heels beat Virginia Tech.

Bronco Mendenhall’s offense struggled mightily in a 17-9 loss at Miami, coming up with a mere three field goals after making it inside the Hurricanes’ Red Zone six times. In the last two outings, UVA has failed miserably in running the football due mostly to an inexperienced offensive line, which has also come up short in protecting quarterback Bryce Perkins. Perkins has been sacked 13 times in back-to-back losses at Notre Dame and at Miami.

As a result, Virginia is ranked No. 119 in the nation (out of 130 FBS teams) in protecting its quarterback.

If the Cavaliers continue to struggle to put points on the board, Virginia’s defense, coordinated by Nick Howell and Kelly Poppinga, might have to find ways to make it easier for the Wahoos to score.

That may not be so easy, either, because as good as Virginia’s defense is — and it is really good with a No. 11 ranking nationally in total defense — the Cavaliers haven’t had much success in takeaways.

In fact, UVA surprisingly ranks No. 121 (out of 130) in the nation in turnover margin. The Cavaliers have only forced five turnovers this season in six games — four interceptions and one fumble.

Opportunities are there. Virginia is No. 2 nationally in sacking opposing quarterbacks, so the possibilities of forcing bad throws and gaining strip-sacks exist.

“Virginia does a great job of rushing the passer,” said Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who is known for developing outstanding quarterbacks. “The first thing, and it has to always be, is throwing the ball on time. If you hold the ball and you put yourself in a bad circumstance, bad things are going to happen.

“Secondly, you have to be assignment-sound because people are going to create twists in circumstances and then thirdly, you’ve got to win your personal battles. You’ve got to understand that. And that’s why we do one-on-one pass rush full speed. We’ve got good players up front and I expect them to respond.”

Cutcliffe is also well aware that starting safety De’Vante Cross has been moved into the cornerback spot after the season-ending injury to UVA All-American candidate Bryce Hall last Friday night in Miami. Hall suffered a broken ankle.

The Cavaliers have made a living off of harrassing Duke’s quarterback the past four years, and may have to again in a game that’s huge for both teams if they want to contend for the Coastal.

“I think that what this is, is setup time if you want to be a November football team,” Cutcliffe said. “I’ve certainly talked [to his team] about that. Virginia is saying the same thing to their guys. It is a huge football game for both of us. These are the games you want to play.

“It is about focus, and if you want games to remain big and bigger, you’ve got to play well in these games. You can’t fool a player. They know if you play well, you’ve got a chance to win. I think that’s being said by every coach in the Coastal Division. And it’s true.”

Virginia has been established as a five-point favorite.