Overview
- Duke hosts Virginia on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with the Blue Devils favored by about 5.5 points.
- Both teams control their path in a crowded ACC race featuring five one-loss teams, making this effectively a play-in for Charlotte.
- Darian Mensah has thrown for 2,794 yards and 24 touchdowns in one of the ACC’s most explosive passing attacks, but Duke’s defense ranks poorly on key efficiency metrics.
- Virginia leans on a productive rushing attack led by J’Mari Taylor (784 yards, 11 touchdowns) and a defense strong on third down with a positive turnover margin.
- Virginia is coming off a 16-9 loss to Wake Forest without an offensive touchdown, while Duke looks to limit penalties and turnovers after a 37-34 defeat at UConn.