Cavaliers Travel to Duke at Noon Saturday

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Game Details
Venue: Wallace Wade Stadium
Capacity: 33,941
Playing Surface: Grass
Series vs. DU: Virginia leads, 32-29
In Durham: Duke leads, 15-12
Last Meeting: 2009 (Duke, 28-17)

Webcast: ESPN3.com
Radio: Virginia Sports Network (affiliates)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 212, XM 190

Live Stats: Click here for the link to the LiveStats page. Note: Link available 30 minutes before kickoff. Allow 1-2 minutes for it to load at the start.
Rosters: Virginia Duke
Game Notes: Virginia Duke
Statistics: Virginia Duke

Virginia-Duke Series
• The Cavaliers own a 32-29 all-time lead in the Duke series, which dates to 1890.
• After having an eight-game winning streak vs. Duke snapped in 2008, Virginia has now dropped two straight to the Blue Devils, including a 28-17 decision in Charlottesville last season.
• At one time Duke had a 12-game advantage in the series, but by winning 21 of the last 27 meetings since 1982, UVa has taken the series lead.

More on Duke-Virginia Series
• Duke is Virginia’s oldest opponent (1890) this season; North Carolina is the second oldest (1892).
• Virginia has played 61 games vs. Duke – fifth most among all UVa opponents (UNC, VT, VMI, MD).
• The teams have played every year since 1963.
• This series, as well as the ones with Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, are the only ACC series of .500 or better for UVa.

London Familiar with Blue Devils
• Virginia head coach Mike London is quite familiar with the Duke football program.
• London led his Richmond team to a 24-16 win at Duke on Sept. 5, 2009, in the season opener.
• The Spiders scored a TD on a blocked punt midway through the first quarter and led the entire game from there.
• Richmond limited Duke to 19 yards rushing in that game.

Offense Typically Excels vs. Blue Devils
• The Cavaliers have put on some impressive offensive performances against Duke in the recent past, although last year was an exception.
• Virginia has scored at least 30 points in 15 of the last 27 meetings against the Blue Devils and topped 40 points five times.
• The Cavaliers have outscored Duke 600-263 in the last 20 games.
• Since 1983, Virginia is averaging 30.0 points and 408.1 yards of total offense per game.
• Virginia has outgained Duke on the ground in 20 of the last 21 meetings, including 89-81 last year.
• UVa had just 196 yards of offense last year vs. Duke.

Cavaliers Look to End November Doldrums
• November has not been kind to Virginia of late.
• Virginia has lost 10 straight games in the month of November, dating to a 48-0 win at Miami on Nov. 10, 2007.
• UVa lost all four of its November games in 2008 and 2009.

Containing the Duke Rushing Attack
• Virginia has done an outstanding job of stopping Duke’s rushing attack since 1990.
• The Blue Devils have rushed for more than 105 yards just six times since 1990.
• In the last 25 games vs. Virginia, Duke has rushed for 100+ yards only 11 times.
• Since 1990 Duke has averaged 90.2 rushing yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry against UVa.
• Duke has had just four carries of more than 20 yards and 20 of more than 13 in the last 20 games vs. UVa.
• Duke has not rushed for more than 200 yards against Virginia since 1983 when the Blue Devils gained 238 yards in a 38-30 UVa win.
• Virginia has out-rushed Duke in 28 of the last 31 meetings, including each time from 1983-1999. (Duke had the ground advantage in 1982, 2000 and 2002).

Minnifield, Mosley Named ACC Co-Defensive Backs of Week
• Junior cornerback Chase Minnifield and junior safety Corey Mosley have been named the league’s Co-Defensive Backs of the Week
• Both Minnifield and Mosley had two interceptions and four tackles in UVa’s win over Miami. They helped the Cavaliers tie the school record with five interceptions during the game.
• Minnifield’s first INT came in the second quarter and set up UVa’s first TD of the game. His second was an acrobatic pick where he leaped above the Miami receiver and managed to get one foot down in the back of the endzone before toppling out of bounds. His efforts were commemorated on ESPN as the day’s No. 3 play in Top Plays.
• Mosley’s first pick also ended a Hurricane scoring threat. With UVa up 7-0 and Miami at the UVa 15-yard line, he intercepted the ball on the eight and returned it 44 yards setting up the Cavaliers’ second TD. His second pick came in the fourth quarter at the Miami 30, which he returned to the Canes’ 5-yard line. UVa scored one play later to go up 24-0.

Offense Makes Strides from 2010
• Through eight games, Virginia has 26 scored offensive touchdowns and topped the TD total of all of 2009.
• UVa is sixth in the ACC in total offense with 390.1 yards per game after ranking last in the ACC in 2009 with 269.6 yards per game.
• The Cavaliers rank third in the conference with 245.2 passing yards per game; UVa was 11th in the league in 2009 with 170.5 passing yards per game.

Balance on Offense
• Through eight games Virginia has run 555 total plays – 285 rushes and 270 passes.
• Last week UVa showed less balance as the Cavaliers ran the ball 46 times and passed just 27 times.
• The week prior vs. Eastern Michigan, UVa rushed 36 times and passed on 34 occasions.
• Twice this season the Cavaliers have had perfect balance on offense – against Richmond (35 each) and at USC (36 each).

Jones, Payne Form 1-2 Punch in Backfield
• Keith Payne and Perry Jones each have rushed for more than 400 yards this season. Payne has 552 yards, while Jones has rushed for 468.
• UVa has not had a pair of rushers with 500 rushing yards each since 2007 – Cedric Peerman (585) and Mikell Simpson (570).
• Payne and Jones each have rushed for at least 50 yards in the same game six times this season, including each of the last four weeks.
• A pair of UVa backs rushed for 50-plus yards each just once last season – Mikell Simpson (83 yards) and Rashawn Jackson (73) against Indiana.
• The Payne-Jones duo has eclipsed the top UVa rushing duo for the entire 2009 season.
• Both have already surpassed Rashawn Jackson’s team-best 461 rushing yards for the entire 2009 season. Mikell Simpson was second last year with 386 rushing yards.

Payne in the Backfield
• After a year away from the team, senior TB Keith Payne has returned with a vengeance.
• He has a team-high 552 rushing yards this season, including 4.9 yards per carry.
• Payne is tied for first in the ACC in scoring, with 9.0 points per game.
• He ranks seventh in the conference in rushing with 69.0 yards per game.
• Payne needs 193 yards rushing to become the 38th player all-time at UVa to reach 1,000 career rushing yards. He has 807 career rushing yards.

Payne Leads ACC in Rushing Touchdowns
• Keith Payne has rushed for 12 touchdowns in UVa’s first eight games, already surpassing Jameel Sewell’s team high of seven TDs last season.
• He leads the ACC in rushing touchdowns this year and owns all but one of UVa’s rushing TDs in 2010 (Max Milien has the other).
• It also is the third most by a UVa player in a single season in school history.
• Payne had his second straight two-touchdown day last week; he is the first UVa player to record back-to-back two-TD rushing games since Cedric Peerman did so against East Carolina and North Carolina in 2008.
• He tied the modern UVa record for TDs in a game against Richmond, becoming the ninth player to score four in a game (post-World War II).

UVa Single-Season Rushing TD Leaders
1. 18 – Gene Mayer, 1915
2. 17 – Wali Lundy, 2004
3. 12 – Keith Payne, 2010
4. 10 – Wali Lundy, 2005
10 – Alvin Pearman, 2004

Minnifield Leads Nation in Interceptions
• With six interceptions this season, Chase Minnifield is tied for the national lead in interceptions this season.
• He shares the lead with Buffalo’s Domonic Cook.
• Minnifield had his second two-interception game of the season last week; he also had two INTs vs. VMI.
• He owns six of UVa’s 10 picks this season – all of his INTs have come in Virginia wins.
• Minnifield’s six INTs are most by a Cavalier since Marcus Hamilton led the ACC with six in 2005.
• No one at UVa has had more than six INTs in a season since Ronde Barber led the ACC with eight in 1994.
• Minnifield had a 65-yard interception return against Richmond (seventh-longest INT return in UVa history).

Minnifield Moves Up Career List As Well
• With his two interceptions against Miami, Chase Minnifield has moved into a 14th-place tie on UVa’s all-time interceptions ledger with 10 career picks.
• Minnfield is tied with six others: Bill Dudley (1939-41), Bill King (1950-52), George Stetter (1964-66), Steve Sroba (1971-73), Percy Ellsworth (1992-95) and Paul London (1992-95).
• Among active players in the FBS, Minnifield is tied for 13th in career interceptions.
• With his next interception Minnifield will move into a ninth-place tie on the UVa list.
• Keith McMeans (1987-90) holds the UVa interceptions record with 17.

For full game notes, click on the link at top of page.