Game Notes: Virginia

DURHAM – Duke travels to Charlottesville, Va., for the third straight year to face off against Virginia at Scott Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on RSN.

Virginia leads the all-time series between the two schools, 39-33. In the last meeting on Sept. 26, 2020, the Blue Devils fell 38-20 to the Cavaliers. Duke's last win over Virginia came on Oct. 18, 2014, when the Blue Devils held the Cavaliers to just three points in the second half and wide receiver Jamison Crowder caught eight passes for 99 yards en route to the 20-13 win at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Saturday's RSN broadcast will feature Tom Werme, James Bates, and Lauren Jbara on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com

HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (3-3, 0-2 ACC) vs. Virginia (4-2, 2-2 ACC)
Saturday, October 16, 2021 • 12:30 PM
Charlottesville, Va. • Scott Stadium

TELEVISION • RSN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF) • Virginia Notes
LIVE STATS • VirginiaSports.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL

GAME NOTES
After six games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories. Most notably, he ranks first in rushing attempts (149) and second in scoring (60 points), total touchdowns by a running back (9), rushing touchdowns (9), rushing yards (788) and all-purpose yards per game (160.50). Durant continues to climb up the Blue Devils' all-time rushing chart. Thanks to his 152 yards against Georgia Tech last Saturday, he became the ninth player in program history to amass 2,000 career rushing yards. He is currently eighth on Duke's all-time list with 2,109 yards and is 333 away from breaking into the top five.

Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward currently sits tied for third in the ACC with 54 tackles. He has two double-digit tackle games this year and has led Duke in tackles in three of six contests.

Junior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun registered 103 yards on six catches last Saturday against Georgia Tech, marking his second consecutive contest with 100-plus receiving yards. He currently has three 100-yard receiving games in his career (105 yards vs. North Carolina A&T in 2019; 103 yards vs. North Carolina in 2021).

During its last outing, Duke recorded its fourth consecutive game with a 100-yard rusher (Mataeo Durant, 152) and a 100-yard receiver (Jalon Calhoun, 103). The feat of having a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game four times in a single season has happened on just one other occasion in 1989 (5x).

THE LAST MEETING - SEPT. 26, 2020
In a back-and-forth affair, Duke fell to Virginia, 38-20. Despite, holding the 20-17 lead heading into the final frame, the Blue Devils saw Virginia outscore them 21-0 to steal the win. Duke quarterback Chase Brice finished 16-of-36 for 246 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Virginia's Brennan Armstrong went 24-of-45 for 269 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. On the defensive end, safety Marquis Waters and linebacker Shaka Heyward tied for a team-leading nine tackles. In addition, cornerback Leonard Johnson and Rocky Shelton II both intercepted passes.

LEADER OF THE RUN GAME
Senior Mataeo Durant has accumulated 788 rushing yards on 149 attempts with nine touchdowns in Duke's first six games. The Plum Branch, S.C., native is currently third in the nation in rushing attempts, fourth in rushing yards and rushing yards per game (131.33), tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns, and tied for eighth in total points scored (60 points).

Thanks to his 152-yard rushing performance against Georgia Tech, Durant is one of five players in program history to record nine or more career 100-yard rushing games. He is the first Blue Devil to achieve the mark since Chris Douglas did so from 2001-03.

NAME YEARS 100-YARD GAMES
1. Steve Jones 1970-72 13
2. Randy Cuthbert 1989-92 11
3. Mike Grayson 1980-83 10
Chris Douglas 2001-03 10
5. Mataeo Durant 2018-21 9

DUKE'S QB1
Graduate student quarterback Gunnar Holmberg made his first collegiate start against Charlotte earlier this year. In his first six games as Duke's starter, Holmberg has completed 132-of-182 (.725) passes for 1,616 yards with six touchdowns. The Wake Forest, N.C., native leads the ACC in pass completion percentage and has added 36 completions of 15+ yards, including a season-long 80-yard touchdown connection with Jalon Calhoun against North Carolina on Oct. 2.

Holmberg is first in the ACC in passing completion percentage with a mark of .725, fourth in passing yards per game (299.67). He is also second in pass completions, fifth in total offense with 1,798 yards (182 rushing, 1,616 passing), tied for eighth in passing touchdowns (six), and tied for seventh in total offensive touchdowns with 12 (six rushing and six passing).

DYNAMIC DUO
Duke is one of two schools in the ACC with two players with 400+ receiving yards. Jake Bobo (522) and Jalon Calhoun (428) join Wake Forest's Jaquarii (515) and A.T. Perry (454). The Blue Devils are the only program however with two receivers with 30-plus receptions on the year.

CAREER ACCOLADES
Senior Mataeo Durant has rushed for 50-plus yards in 16 career games, topped the 100-yard plateau on the ground nine times and has 19 rushing attempts of 20+ yards, including a career-long 64-yard TD jaunt versus Florida State in 2020. He sits eighth on Duke's career rushing chart with 2,109 yards. He has recorded back-to-back seasons with 750-plus yards to become the second Blue Devil all-time to rush for 750+ yards in consecutive seasons, joining Steve Jones (1970- 854, 1971- 861, 1972-1,236).

Durant has rushed for 100-plus yards in five of six games this season, including the last four. He is now tied for fifth in program history with five 100-plus yard rushing games in a season (the record sits at six) and is second in school lore in consecutive games with 100-plus yards rushing (that record is also six).

ACC LEADERS AMONG TACKLES
Duke is one of four schools in the ACC with two players with 40-plus tackles on the year, Georgia Tech (four), Virginia (three) and Florida State (two). Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward is tied for third in the conference with 54 tackles on the year, while redshirt senior safety Lummie Young IV sits 13th with 41.

HEYWARD NOTABLES
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward has registered 1+ tackle in 22 straight contests. He has also recorded fumble recoveries against Pittsburgh (2019), North Carolina (2019), and Georgia Tech (2020), while earning a safety and special teams TD against Georgia Tech in 2020. In 33 career games (23 starts), Heyward has compiled 206 tackles, 21.0 TFL, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries, one PBU and 10 QB pressures.

INTERCEPTIONS
Duke accumulated nine interceptions last season and the Blue Devils are looking to continue that trend in 2021. In eight of the last nine seasons, Duke has earned nine-plus interceptions, with its lone blip on the radar being the 2018 season (4). During that stretch, the Blue Devils recorded six years with double digit picks, including an impressive 18 in 2013. Duke currently has seven picks on the year and during its last outing against Georgia Tech, it tallied two interceptions for the third time this season (Northwestern, 3 and Kansas, 2).

Leonard Johnson and Jeremiah Lewis lead the team with two on the year, while Shaka Heyward, Nate Thompson and Lummie Young IV have accounted for the other three picks.

FORCING PRESSURE
Redshirt sophomore DeWayne Carter is currently tied for seventh in the nation and tied for first in the ACC with three forced fumbles on the year. The Blue Devils have now had a player register 3+ caused fumbles in a single season in five of the last 10 years. DeVon Edwards led the group during that stretch with five in 2014.

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Players Mentioned

Jake Bobo

Chase Brice

Jalon Calhoun

DeWayne Carter

Mataeo Durant

Shaka Heyward

Gunnar Holmberg

Leonard Johnson

Jeremiah Lewis

Rocky Shelton II

Nate Thompson

Marquis Waters

Lummie Young IV

Duke information