Duke RB Nate Sheppard pulled off an absolute stunner Friday night, tossing a 28-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brody Keefe with only 1:14 left on the clock to snag a 19-16 win over Virginia at Scott Stadium. This was a wild one, folks, and it shows you never know what’s gonna happen in college football!
Defense Caught Sleeping: The Trick Play That Broke Virginia
Virginia kicker Will Bettridge looked like the hero, nailing a 30-yard field goal to put the Cavaliers up 16-13 with three minutes left. Their defense, which had suffocated Duke for much of the game, seemed in total control. But that D got flat-out punked when it counted most. Sheppard, who’s the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading rusher, had been held to a measly 55 yards on 15 carries, with a big chunk of that coming on a 32-yard scoring run early in the game. But his perfectly executed trick play snapped a two-game losing streak for the Blue Devils, pushing their record to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference. Nobody saw the trick play coming, and Virginia’s defense, which controlled much of the game, got caught by surprise.
First Half Fizzle, Cavalier Comeback, and a Historic Rivalry
Duke’s offense was a real head-scratcher after a hot start. They roared to a 7-0 lead on Sheppard’s run, then completely fizzled. Four straight possessions in the first half ended in punts, with backup QB Dan Mahan leading drives that gained a pathetic 36 yards on 15 plays. That let Virginia take a 13-7 lead into halftime. Kicker Gavin Strange kept Duke in it, banging home a 39-yard field goal for the only points in the third quarter, then added another 39-yarder to tie it at 13-all with 8:50 to go in the game. Virginia’s Jekail Middlebrook was running wild, racking up 117 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown. QB Beau Pribula went 15 for 24 for 158 yards, but his final pass got picked off by Duke’s Patrick Smith-Young. This whole matchup has history, too. Virginia beat Duke 34-17 last regular season, but Duke got sweet revenge three weeks later, winning in overtime for the ACC championship and denying UVA a College Football Playoff spot. Talk about high stakes between these two.
What This Means for Both Teams Going Forward
This insane win means the Blue Devils snapped their two-game slide and they won despite struggling on both sides of the ball. It keeps their hopes of reaching the ACC title game for a second straight year alive. For Virginia, this is a gut punch, their first home loss of the season and their third loss in the last four games, dropping them to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. Their defense played stellar, but the offense gained yards and just couldn’t score points when it mattered. Duke hosts Boston College on October 31, while Virginia heads to Wake Forest on October 31. Both teams have a ton to play for as the season keeps rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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