Duke has some key players injured as it prepares for its road game Friday at Virginia.
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Not that the Blue Devils expect much empathy from the Cavaliers. Virginia had 22 players listed as “out” for its game last week against SMU, a 23-13 loss.
When the Devils and Cavs last played, it was the 2025 ACC Championship game. This one could be called the “next-man-up” matchup, listening to the two head coaches.
“A subplot of college football is injuries,” Duke’s Manny Diaz said this week “We’ve got our share. Virginia does, as well. You’ve to step up and find a way.”
Virginia coach Tony Elliott said much the same after the loss at SMU.
“The guys fought, they strained, they believed,” he said. “They keep working. The biggest thing now is to respond. At the end of the day, guys gotta go, guys got to be ready to do the job.”
Duke (4-2, 1-2 ACC) could be without injured defensive backs Andrew Pellicciotta, DaShawn Stone and Evan Smith in Friday’s ESPN game. Blue Devils center Matt Craycraft, a team co-captain, could also miss a second straight game.
The playing status of cornerback Kimari Robinson also could be in question after his incident with a Duke assistant trainer in the North Carolina game. Diaz said the matter with Robinson is being handled internally.
The Blue Devils have stumbled the past two games. Twice, they have taken fourth-quarter leads and twice they have not been able to hold them, losing at Georgia Tech and then at home to UNC in the rivalry game last Saturday.
“They’re aware of how close we are to being 6-0, but that’s college football,” Diaz said of his team. “They do believe this is a good football team. When we’ve played well, there’s ample evidence that we are a good football team.”
Watching the Victory Bell being snatched away by the gleeful Tar Heels left the Devils in a sour mood. But with a short week ahead, there was no time to dwell on it or rehash their mistakes too long.
“We need to be more detailed in practice and super meticulous about the little things that can be overlooked at times,” linebacker Luke Mergott said Tuesday.
Mergott was the late-game hero in the ACC title game. His overtime interception won it for Duke, and he was so giddy it was hard prying the football out of his hands.
Virginia (4-3, 2-2 ACC) has had significant turnover since that night in Charlotte. Quarterback Chandler Morris, who made the throw Mergott picked off, is gone and transfer Beau Pribula has taken over at QB.
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But there are still more than a few UVa players around who might feel they owe Duke one. Virginia beat Duke in the regular season last fall, then fell short in Charlotte with a chance to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
“We’re definitely expecting a chip on their shoulder,” Mergott said. “It’s a lot of new faces, so I don’t know if many of them will feel emotional. I know if they had won that game, I’d be pretty emotional.
“One chip I know that we will feel is losing our last game. They’ll feel that chip and want to come out and smoke us. I think that’s the main chip more than last year’s ACC championship game. I think our chips are pretty similar-sized.”
That’s a lot of chips at play, but the point was made: both teams need a win after tough losses.
“Both are on a short week,” Diaz said. “Both have got to let it go, turn it around and find a way.”
Pribula, who torched N.C. State in the season opener, was at Penn State when Diaz was the Nittany Lions defensive coordinator and later played at Missouri before coming to Virginia. He has 13 TD passes against one interception this season, but also has been sacked 19 times.
“I’ve always felt an offense takes on the personality of the quarterback,” Diaz said. “Beau was extremely confident, extremely tough. He’s got great athletic ability, can extend plays with his legs.”
Diaz did not like his team’s pass rush against UNC and said the Devils need to be more disruptive this week.
Robinson suffered an ACL tear last fall in the regular-season game at Duke and was a bystander at the ACC title game. An All-ACC caliber player before the injury, the 6-2, 239-pound senior should be one of the emotional guys that Duke’s Mergott mentioned.
FanDuel Sportsbook has made Virginia a 1.5-point favorite and set the over/under at 47.5. The moneyline: Virginia -122, Duke +102.
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Va.
TV/Streaming: ESPN; streaming on Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, ESPN app.
Series history: Virginia leads 42-35 in a series that stretches to 1890, when Virginia took a 10-4 win. The Cavs have won nine of the last 11, although the Blue Devils won the last one – and the ACC title.
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