Virginia Travels to Duke on Saturday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia (2-2, 0-1 ACC) continue its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule with a road game at Duke (3-1, 0-0 ACC) on Saturday (Oct. 1). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game is set to air on ACC Regional Sports Networks as well as the Virginia Sports Radio Network (VSRN).

GAME COVERAGE: The contest will air locally in Charlottesville on MASN2. For a list of affiliates that are scheduled to carry the game visit: https://theacc.com/sports/2022/9/21/FB_RSN_UVA_DUKE_22.aspx. The game can be streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app but is subject to blackout. The pregame radio show on the Virginia Sports Radio Network will begin at 6:30 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on the Virginia Sports App, the TuneIn App and any one of the VSRN affiliates across the commonwealth. For a list of expanded coverage visit: virginiasports.com/radio

INSIDE SATURDAY’S MATCHUP

• Virginia has won seven-straight matchups against Duke dating back to the 2015 season. The two schools have met every year since 1963 and convene in Durham for the first time since the 2018 season.
• Saturday will mark the second-straight night game for the Cavaliers. UVA is 68-59-1 all-time in night games and hold a 25-36 mark in night games on the road.
• Virginia seeking its first road victory of the season and first since its 34-33 triumph at Louisville last year. The Cavaliers are looking to snap a four-game winless streak away from Scott Stadium.
• UVA comes into Saturday with a 2-2 record and hopes to avoid slipping below the .500 mark for the first time since 2020. The Cavaliers began that season 1-4 before rattling off four wins in the last five games to finish 5-5 on the year. It is the only stint below .500 since the beginning of 2018.
• Including Duke, the Cavaliers first five opponents have combined for an overall record of 12-4 this season.

TOP STORYLINES

• UVA’s Tony Elliott and Duke’s Mike Elko were two of the 12 head coaches to make their collegiate debuts at the beginning of the 2022 season.
• The Duke and Virginia defenses have each forced seven fumbles on the year, tops in the ACC. Six of the seven UVA forced fumbles have come in its two road contests. Just like Syracuse last weekend, Duke comes into its matchup against UVA with no fumbles. The Cavaliers forced three fumbles against the Orange and added an interception, the first four turnovers of the year for Syracuse.
• Brennan Armstrong owns nearly every quarterback record at UVA and is in striking distance of two more. He needs three touchdowns to break Matt Schaub’s career mark of 58 and one more 200-yard passing performance will make him UVA’s all-time leader in 200-yard passing games, a record Armstrong currently shares with Schaub. Last year against Duke, Armstrong threw for 364 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
• The Blue Devils come into Saturday’s game averaging 5.86 yards per rush, the highest in the ACC. The Cavaliers have held its last two opponents under 100 yards rushing and to an average of 2.34 yards per carry. UVA has not held an opponent under 100 yards in three-straight games since the 2019 season.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

23.0 – The average yards per reception this season for Lavel Davis Jr., the highest in the ACC. He has 29 career receptions, 14 have gone for 20+ yards.

3 – Armstrong needs four touchdowns to become UVA’s all-time leader in career touchdown passes.

3.5 – The average sacks per game for the Virginia defense, the most in the ACC and fifth in the nation. The six sacks against Syracuse were the most in a game since 2019.

9 – Turnovers gained through four games by Virginia, tied with NC State for the most in the ACC and tied for the 13th most in the nation.

LAST TIME VS. DUKE

• Virginia shut out Duke for the ninth time in 73 all-time meetings, blanking the Blue Devils, 48-0 at Scott Stadium.
• The shutout was the largest for UVA in ACC play since defeating Miami, 48-0 in 2007.
• Virginia has shut out Duke nine times in the all-time series, most recently in 2006, a 37-0 win in Durham
• The Virginia defense held Duke to 110 yards rushing. The Blue Devils came into the contest with the second-best rushing attack in the ACC, averaging 218 yards per game. It was Duke’s lowest rushing total of the season to that point.

• To preserve the shutout, the Cavaliers forced a fumble on the one-yard line with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
• With the game in hand at 41-0 after three quarters, quarterback Brennan Armstrong did not play the fourth quarter. Virginia did not attempt a pass over the final 15 minutes and then-freshman quarterback Jay Woolfolk ran for 38 of the Cavaliers’ 164 yards on the ground.

KEY-ING THE AIR ATTACK

• Wide receiver Keytaon Thompson led the Cavaliers with eight receptions against Syracuse. It was the seventh time in the last nine games he’s hauled in seven or more passes.
• The do-it-all receiver accounted for 55 yards receiving against Syracuse, 32 yards came after the catch. He ranks third in the ACC with 141 yards after the catch.

ACC YAC Leaders

• In addition to his presence in the passing game, Thompson also carried the ball twice for 10 yards and scored Virginia’s first touchdown against Syracuse from one yard out. The rushing touchdown was his 18th of his career, eight have come in a UVA uniform.
• Thompson has now caught a pass in 18-straight games, the longest active streak on the team.
• All but one of Thompson’s career receptions have come at UVA. He is the 27th player catch 100 passes in a Cavalier uniform.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Thompson currently sits at No. 20 on UVA’s all-time receptions list with 111 and is nine catches away from cracking the program’s all-time top-15.
• Billy Kemp needs 21 yards receiving to pass Heath Miller for 10th all-time on UVA’s career receiving list.

• Armstrong recorded is 20th career 200-yard passing game after a 283-yard performance against ODU in week three to tie Matt Schaub’s program record. Armstrong has the most 200 (20), 300 (11), 400 (5) and the only 500-yard passing efforts in UVA history.
• Linebacker Nick Jackson needs nine tackles to reach 300 for his career. He’s 15 tackles away from cracking UVA’ all-time top-15 list.

SEEING RED

• Virginia has made 17 trips to the red zone this season, the fifth most in the ACC.
• After converting just four of a season-high seven attempts against ODU, UVA took advantage of its opportunities against Syracuse going 3-for-3 with three touchdowns. The Cavaliers have now been successful on its five of the last six trips to the red zone, (3 TD, 2 FG).

HOLDING STRONG

• The Virginia defense surrendered just one touchdown on the game’s opening drive and five field goals in the ACC opener at Syracuse. The touchdown came after a 57-yard Syracuse kickoff return. The next four chances in the red zone, the Orange were held to field goals.
• The five field goals were the most by an opponent against Virginia since Will Snyderwine of Duke kicked five in the 2009 meeting.
• On Syracuse offense that had not committed a turnover in its first three games, Virginia forced four, three fumbles and an interception.
• The Cavalier defense has forced four turnovers in a game twice this season (Illinois & Syracuse).

SACK MASTERS

• A total of seven different Cavalier defenders have recorded a sack this season, tied for the 10th most in the country.
• Virginia is averaging 3.50 sacks per game, the most in the ACC.
• Chico Bennett Jr. leads all Cavaliers with four sacks which included a two-sack effort against the Orange en route to ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors. Bennett has a sack in three-straight games.
• Kam Butler forced his second fumble of the season against Syracuse, stripping All-American Sean Tucker on the Orange’s second drive of the game. He is one of four players in the ACC with two forced fumbles this season.

DEFENSIVE SUPERLATIVES

• Virginia held Syracuse to 22 points and only one touchdowns, 15 points below its average in the previous three games.
• As a team, Virginia is averaging 3.50 sacks per game, the most in the ACC and fifth most in the country.