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Duke Postgame Notes
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Duke Postgame Notes
Varner Sets Duke Career Receptions Record
Senior WR Donovan Varner caught seven passes for 132 yards and a touchdown against Virginia to break Duke’s all-time receptions record. Varner tied the record with a 64-yard touchdown reception and broke it with a 21-yard catch. With 194 career receptions, Varner moved past College Football Hall of Fame inductee Clarkston Hines, who had 189 catches from 1986-89.
Vernon Also Closing in on Hines
Junior WR Conner Vernon caught three passes for 64 yards and moved to within two passes of tying Clarkston Hines’ career receptions record. Vernon has 187 catches in his three-year career.
Varner Catches 64-Yard TD Pass
Varner’s 64-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter tied for the longest reception of his career. He had a 64-yard reception against Miami on Nov. 21, 2009, but did not score on that play. It was also the longest pass play of the season for Duke.
Big Plays in the Passing Game
Redshirt junior QB Sean Renfree completed five passes of at least 20 yards and averaged 14 yards per completion for the game. Renfree had completions of 20, 64, 41, 21 and 51 yards.
Renfree Throws for 303 Yards
Renfree recorded his eighth career game with at least 300 passing yards and his third this season. He moved into a tie for fourth place in school history for the most 300-yard passing games.
Varner and Vernon Climb ACC Leaderboards
Varner moved into the ACC’s top 10 on the career reception list. He ranks seventh on the conference’s all-time list behind Georgia Tech’s Kelly Campbell who finished his career with 195 catches. Vernon also moved into 11th place on the ACC receptions list.
Varner and Vernon Extend Reception Streaks
Varner and Vernon both caught passes to extend their receiving streaks. Varner has at least one catch in 35 straight games, and Vernon has a catch in all 33 career games.
Varner and Vernon Move into Second on ACC Receiving Duo Leaderboard
Varner and Vernon combined for 10 catches and have now combined for 360 receptions during their three seasons together. The former high school teammates have the second most receptions by two players in ACC history, trailing only Aaron Kelly and Tyler Grisham of Clemson who had 364 catches from 2005-08.
Daniels Records 100th Tackle of the Season and 300th of his Career
All-American candidate Matt Daniels amassed nine tackles giving him a career-high 102 this season and 300 for his career. Daniels has the second most tackles among NCAA defensive backs and ranks 14th on Duke’s all-time tackle list. He is only the second Duke defensive back to reach 300 tackles in a career and 100 tackles in a season.
Daniels Gets Another Pass Breakup
Daniels padded his All-America resume even more with a pass breakup against Virginia, giving him the second most PBU and passes defended in the nation. Daniels has broken up 14 passes and caught two interceptions for 16 total passes defended this year. His 14 PBUs rank tied for the second most in a season in school history.
Canty Gets Career-High 15 Tackles
Junior safety Walt Canty totaled a career-high 15 tackles, including nine solo stops. Two of those were for a loss. It marked the third time this year that Canty reached double-digit tackles.
Brown Misses Game with Injury
Duke played without the services of sophomore linebacker Kelby Brown, who suffered an injured leg last week at Miami. Brown entered the weekend as Duke’s leader in tackles for loss (7.0) while ranking second on the team in total tackles (59). Duke started true freshman David Helton and redshirt freshman C.J. France at the linebacker spots in his place.
Duke Defense Locks Down in Fourth Quarter
With Duke trailing by 10 points, Duke’s defense continued its trend of strong second-half defense by holding Virginia to just 37 yards in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils gave up just 2.1 yards per play in the final frame and did not allow Virginia to score. The Hokies did not advance past their own 42-yard line until their final drive. On the year, Duke’s defense is holding opponents to 170 yards and 12.6 points in the second half of games.
Thompson Runs in Two Touchdowns
Sophomore RB Juwan Thompson ran in a pair of one-yard touchdowns for his sixth and seventh rushing TDs of the season. That is the most rushing TD by a Duke running back since Justin Boyle had nine in 2005. He has multiple rushing TDs in three games this season.
Snyderwine Moves Closer to Points Record
Redshirt senior K Will Snyderwine booted three PATs to improve his career points total to 212. He is now just nine points shy of tying Randy Gardner’s school record of 221 points.