Virginia Postgame Notes: Duke at Virginia

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Duke at Virginia
Nov. 12 2011
Virginia Game Notes

Team Notes

• Virginia’s record improved to 7-3 overall, 4-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play and 4-2 in Scott Stadium this year.
• The Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak to the Blue Devils and improved to 33-30 all-time against Duke.
• Virginia earned its fourth ACC victory of the season, the most since finishing its league schedule with a 6-2 record in 2007.
• Virginia has now scored at least 30 points in 17 of the last 29 meetings against the Blue Devils.
• Virginia held Duke scoreless in the first quarter and the Blue Devils represented the Cavaliers’ eighth opponent of the 2011 season that was held scoreless in the first quarter (William & Mary, Indiana, North Carolina, Idaho, Georgia Tech, NC State and Miami). The only two opponents to score in the first quarter this season vs. the Cavaliers have been Southern Miss (7) and Maryland (3).
• Entering Saturday’s game vs. Duke, Virginia was tied for the national lead for fewest first-quarter points allowed in FBS (10). UVa was tied with Stanford, which hosts Oregon this evening.
• The contest marked the 10th-consecutive contest that the Virginia offensive line has had the same five starters – OG Austin Pasztor, OT Oday Aboushi, OG Luke Bowanko, C Anthony Mihota and OT Morgan Moses. The last time the same five players started an entire season on the offensive line at UVa was 2004.
• The Cavaliers have now gone three-consecutive games without giving up a sack. The last opponent to sack a UVa quarterback was NC State.
• It was Military Appreciation Day at Scott Stadium and Virginia hosted and honored a member of the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors. Virginia coaching staff members wore camouflage pants, jackets and hats.

Individual Notes

• TE Jeremiah Mathis caught his second touchdown pass of the season and the third of his career in the first quarter. In 2011, Mathis has five receptions – two of which have resulted in touchdowns.
• WR Kris Burd’s 38-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was his first TD catch of the season and seventh of his career. It was Burd’s first TD reception since last season at Duke (Nov. 6, 2010).
• With one catch for 38 yards, Burd upped his career receiving yards total to 1,924 – remaining in sixth place on UVa’s all-time list.
• Burd has now made at least one catch in 33 of the last 34 games for the Cavaliers (only game in that streak was 2009 contest at Miami where UVa had 75 passing yards).
• TB Perry Jones had a 21-yard punt return in the third quarter – his first punt return of the season.
• CB Chase Minnifield’s interception and 54-yard return for a touchdown in the third quarter was the senior’s first career interception return for a touchdown.
• Minnifield’s 54-yard interception return was the second-longest of his career after a non-scoring 65-yard interception return against Richmond in 2010.
• Minnifield’s interception was his third of the 2011 season and the 13th of his career.
• With the pick six, Minnifield became the first Cavalier to return an interception for a touchdown since Chris Cook against Boston College in 2009.
• With 13 career interceptions, Minnifield now stands alone at No. 6 in Virginia school history. He passed Bryan Shumock (1977-80), Joe Crocker (1992-95) and current assistant coach Anthony Poindexter (1995-98), who each had 12 career INTs. With his next interception, Minnifield would move into a tie for fifth place with Kevin Cook (1986-89).
• Minnifield entered the game tied for third on the NCAA’s active career leaders list.
• FB Max Milien set a career-high with four catches for 62 yards. His previous career-high was 41 yards at North Carolina earlier this season.
• PK Robert Randolph made a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter and improved to 45-58 (.776) for his career (15-21 in 2011).
• DT Matt Conrath blocked a kick for the fifth time in his career and the third time this season in the first quarter on Will Snyderwine’s 25-yard field goal attempt. Conrath’s career blocked kicks prior to today: vs. Georgia Tech (Oct. 15, 2011 / field goal attempt), at Indiana (Sept. 10, 2011 / field goal attempt), at Southern Miss (Sept. 9, 2009 / PAT attempt) and vs. Richmond (Sept. 9, 2008 / field goal attempt).
• Cam Johnson had his team-high fourth sack of the season in the second quarter, a loss of 10 yards.