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Postgame Notes - Duke Game
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Oct. 7, 2017
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Virginia Game Notes
Virginia 28, Duke 21
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017
Scott Stadium
Team Notes
– UVA is now 36-33 all-time against Duke
– UVA is now 25-39 all-time in ACC openers
– UVA has won three straight against Duke
– UVA has won its ACC opener for the second straight season (Both vs. Duke)
– UVA is 4-1 for the first time since the 2007 season (started 7-1)
– UVA’s 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive on its first possession of the second half marks the fourth time in five games this season the Cavaliers have scored on their first possession of the second half
– UVA has forced Duke QB Daniel Jones to throw seven combined interceptions (two today) during the 2016 and 2017 meetings
Offensive Player Notes
– HB Olamide Zaccheaus finished with eight catches to extend his consecutive game streak with at least once reception to 21
– With eight receptions Zaccheaus moves to No. 10 all-time at UVA with 110 career catches, passing Canaan Severin (102), Tyrone Davis, Bruce McGonnigal, Kevin Parks (103), Terry Kirby (105) and Patrick Jeffers (108)
– Zaccheaus’ 69 receiving yards places him No. 26 all-time in program history with 1,148 career receiving yards
– WR Doni Dowling recorded his third and fourth receiving touchdown of the season and now has eight for his career
– With three passing touchdowns QB Kurt Benkert moves passes Scott Gardner (1972-75) and Aaron Brooks (1995-98) for No. 3 all-time at UVA with 34 career passing touchdowns
– Benkert has thrown for at least three touchdowns in 8 of his 16 career games at UVA
– Benkert has thrown for at least three touchdowns in four of UVA’s five games this season
– TB Jordan Ellis rushed for a career-high 96 yards
Defensive Player Notes
– FS Quin Blanding secured his first interception of the season (seventh of his career) when he returned it 58 yards for a touchdown on Duke’s first offensive possession.
– Blanding’s interception return for a touchdown was the first pick-6 by a Cavalier since the 2014 game against Pitt (Max Valles, 35 yards)
– Blanding’s return of 58 yards was a career long interception for an interception return
– The 58-yard return ties for the fifth longest in the ACC this season
– Blanding finished with eight tackles, pushing him to No. 33 all-time in ACC history
– ILB Micah Kiser finished the game with 10 tackles, marking the 18th double-tackle game in 29 career starts
– OLB Charles Snowden recorded a sack on his first play of the game, which came on Duke’s final drive of the game. It went for a loss of 10
– Snowden has 1.5 sacks over the last two UVA fourth quarters (0.5 at Boise State)
– SS/CB Juan Thornhill intercepted one pass and broke up four, becoming the first Cavalier since Max Valles in 2014 to break up at least four passes in a game
– Thornhill’s interception was his second of the season and fifth of his career
DUKE INDIVIDUAL NOTES
– Redshirt junior tight end Davis Koppenhaver caught his single-year best third touchdown pass of the season. o Koppenhaver leads Duke with two touchdown catches in ACC games.
o Koppenhaver has two touchdowns in his last three games played.
– Redshirt senior wide receiver Quay Chambers caught three passes after having two in the past three weeks.
– Junior T.J. Rahming turned in a 14-yard punt return in the first quarter, Duke’s longest runback of the campaign.
– Senior Shaun Wilson returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 76 yards, Duke’s longest runback of the campaign.
– Sophomore cornerback Mark Gilbert intercepted his third pass of the season, and third of his career, in the opening quarter.
– Gilbert finished with a year-best eight tackles.
– Gilbert broke up one pass, lifting his season total to seven. He has at least one pass breakup in the last four games.
– Junior safety Jeremy McDuffie intercepted his career pass in the first quarter, returning it 42 yards for a touchdown. o The INT for TD was the first of McDuffie’s career.
– McDuffie broke up two passes and is up to eight in the last four games. o McDuffie entered the game leading the ACC and tied for eighth nationally with seven pass breakups.
o The Duke record for pass breakups in a season is 15 by Erwin Sampson in 1989.
– Redshirt sophomore safety Jordan Hayes booked a career-best nine tackles, one more than his previous high of eight, set in 2016 against Virginia.
– Junior linebacker Ben Humphreys booked 1.5 TFL and has at least 0.5 TFL in 15 of the last 16 games.
– Redshirt sophomore linebacker Joe Giles-Harris booked a year-best 15 tackles, including nine in the first half. o In three ACC games, Giles-Harris is averaging 10.67 tackles per contest.
– Giles-Harris tallied a personal-best 3.5 TFL and has 8.0 TFL in the last four games.
– Freshman defensive end Victor Dimukeje was credited with 1.0 TFL and has at least 0.5 in every game this season.
TEAM NOTES
– After being held to six points, its fewest since 2009, Duke bounced back with 21 points at Virginia. o The Blue Devils have scored in 21 of 24 quarters this season.
– Duke owns a 48-28 advantage in the fourth quarter of games this season. During the entire 2016 season, the Blue Devils scored 51 points in the fourth frame.
– Duke yielded 128 rushing yards to Virginia after entering the game averaging 80.00 allowed a contest, the sixth best in the country.
– The Blue Devil defense had 1.0 sack and is up to 19.0 this season. o Duke has registered 12.0 sacks in its last 13 quarters played.
– Duke finished with 8.0 tackles for loss and has 36.0 in the last four games.
– Duke intercepted two passes and is up to 10 this season after totaling 10 in 2017.
– Jeremy McDuffie’s interception return for a touchdown lifted Duke’s season total to four INTs ran back for TDs, the most in a year in program history.
– The Blue Devils broke up four passes in the game and have 29 in the last five games.
– Duke forced two Virginia turnovers and has totaled at least one in each game this season and 11 in the last five contests.
– Virginia intercepted a pass in the first quarter and returned it for a touchdown.
o The Blue Devils have allowed 17 points off turnovers since the second quarter against Miami.