UVA Opens ACC Play Saturday Against Duke

Oct. 2, 2017

Virginia Opens up ACC Play vs. Duke
– Virginia enters ACC play on Saturday when the Cavaliers return to Scott Stadium to face the Duke Blue Devils. Kickoff is set for 12:20 p.m., and the game will be televised on ACC Network, which will air in the Charlottesville area on NBC 29.
– This weekend the University of Virginia is celebrating its Bicentennial with a Launch Weekend, begining with a celebration on Friday, Oct. 6 of the historic laying of the the cornerstone by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe.

Noting Virginia in ACC Openers
– Virginia begins its 64th season competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday against Duke.
– Virginia holds a 24-39 all-time record in conference openers.
– This is only the fourth season over the last 12 years that Virginia will open ACC play at Scott Stadium. During that span only the 2007 (Duke), 2010 (Florida State) and 2014 (Louisville) seasons did UVA start ACC play in Charlottesville.
– This is the second year in a row UVA opens ACC play with the Duke Blue Devils.

Virginia vs. Duke
– Virginia leads the series with Duke by a narrow 35-33 margin.
– Virginia’s 42-34 victory over Duke at Scott Stadium in 2015 snapped a three-game winning streak in the series by the Blue Devils. UVA’s 34-20 win at Wallace Wade Stadium in 2016 has the Cavaliers looking for their third straight win in the series on Saturday.
– After UVA won eight games in a row in the series from 2000-07, Duke has won six of the last nine meetings.
– At one time Duke had a 12-game advantage in the series, but by winning 24 of the last 34 meetings since 1982, UVA now leads the all-time series by two wins over the Blue Devils.

Five Top Storylines
– Duke is Virginia’s oldest opponent (1890) this season, while North Carolina is the second oldest (1892).
– QB Kurt Benkert has started 14 career games for the Cavaliers and in seven of those starts he has thrown for at least three touchdowns.
– Named ACC Offensive Back of the Week on Sept. 25, Benkert is a combined 49-of-69 (.710) for 728 passing yards and six touchdowns during UVA’s current two-game winning streak.
– ILB Micah Kiser has registered 38 combined tackles, four sacks, one fumble recovery and three pass breakup over UVA’s last three games.
– UVA’s defense has limited its first three opponents to a combined 6-of-35 (.171) when it is third-and-five, or longer.

More on Virginia-Duke Series
– Duke is Virginia’s oldest opponent (1890) this season; North Carolina is the second oldest (1892).
– Virginia has played 68 games vs. Duke — fifth most among all UVA opponents (UNC, VT, VMI, MD).
– The teams have played every year since 1963.

Offense Typically Excels vs. Blue Devils
– The Cavaliers have put up some impressive offensive performances against Duke in recent games.
– Virginia has scored at least 30 points in 19 of the last 34 meetings against the Blue Devils and topped 40 points seven times.
– In the last 27 games, UVA has outscored Duke, 808-490 (avg of 29.93-18.15).
– The 2011 meeting between UVA and Duke at Scott Stadium marked the Cavaliers’ one of three UVA victories in the last nine meetings. UVA scored 17 third-quarter points in the win, including a Chase Minnifield pick-six and a Perry Jones one-yard rushing touchdown.
– In the 2010 meeting at Wallace Wade Stadium in 2010, Virginia’s 48 points were the most scored in a UVA loss and there were 103 combined points between the two teams — at the time it was the second-highest combined total in ACC history.
– Former UVA quarterback Marc Verica set the then school record for passing yards in a game with 417, which has been surpassed twice by Kurt Benkert. The senior first broke the record with 421 passing yards against Central Michigan in 2016. Benkert broke his own record this season with 455 passing yards against UConn. The 417 passing yards also stood as a school team record for passing yards until UVA broke the record with 480 team passing yards in the 2012 meeting with Louisiana Tech.
– The last time Duke came to UVA in 2015, the Cavaliers held on late for a 42-34 triumph.
– Matt Johns passed for a career-high 344 yards and two touchdowns as Virginia held off a late Duke rally to win 42-34.
– Duke rallied from a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit and drove inside the Virginia 20 in the final minute behind a 49-yard pass from backup quarterback Parker Boehme to Anthony Nash. But on fourth down, Wilfred Wahee batted away Boehme’s pass attempt to Nash in the end zone to seal the victory.