Virginia vs Duke prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 5, Saturday, October 1
Virginia vs Duke How To Watch
Date: Saturday, October 1
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, NC
How To Watch: ESPN3
Record: Virginia (2-2), Duke (3-1)
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Virginia vs Duke Game Preview
Why Virginia Will Win
Eventually the offense will get going.
It’s been night-and-day different – that’s a nice way of saying awful – compared to the 2021 version that bombed away all over the place, but the parts are still in place to do a whole lot more.
Brennan Armstrong almost pulled out the Syracuse game last week – the Cavaliers lost 22-20 – and now he gets a Duke defense that failed miserably against the two teams on the schedule so far that can throw.
Northwestern threw for 435 yards against the Blue Devils, and Kansas star Jalon Daniels went off for 324 last week to go along with the team’s 213-yard ground game.
Armstrong is too good for the O – especially on third downs – to be this bad. Virginia is 118th in the nation in third down conversions, and Duke is dead last in the ACC in third down D.
Or …
Why Duke Will Win
Maybe Virginia’s offense just isn’t very good.
The line is getting Armstrong beaten up, the running game hasn’t been able to take over when needed, and between the ten turnovers and the team’s 31 penalties, there are WAY too many mistakes.
Duke might not be perfect, but it’s not screwing up – the two turnovers so far weren’t any big deal.
The passing game has been effective because the O line leads the ACC in pass prediction, and …
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What’s Going To Happen
Can the Virginia pass rush be enough to get this done?
The offense isn’t playing well, but the defense has stepped up with a ton of sacks, the D forced four takeaways against both Illinois and Syracuse, and the offense should be able to finally move against a Blue Devil defense that clunked against the two Power Five teams on the slate.
There won’t be anything pretty about this. It’s supposed to be cold, rainy, and the wind is going to be a problem.
It’ll come down to defense and running game, and Virginia will be better in both areas.
Virginia vs Duke Prediction, Line
Virginia 21, Duke 20
Line: Duke -2.5, o/u: 49
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Virginia vs Duke Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
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