FB: Duke 20 UVA 13; Bowl Eligible Again

[Papa John]

One quick note. I am sure that Duke is expecting UVA to come in with a chip on their shoulder. UVA is 1-5 against us since 2008. Last year the Wahoos looked to have the game well in hand with a 22-0 halftime lead, but then got steamrolled on the way to a 35-22 Duke victory. AT VIRGINIA!! (That still makes me smile!) That is one of those memories that a team will hold onto when they come in for a rematch.

I'm glad we get to play this one at home... UVa is a program that has turned the corner, and should be returning to the hard-nosed, lunch-pail, proficient brand of football we have been accustomed to seeing from them from the 90s through the enigmatic final couple years of the Groh regime... It has taken London longer than one would expect, but he definitely seems to have the ship righted at last...

[roywhite]

One quick note. I am sure that Duke is expecting UVA to come in with a chip on their shoulder. UVA is 1-5 against us since 2008. Last year the Wahoos looked to have the game well in hand with a 22-0 halftime lead, but then got steamrolled on the way to a 35-22 Duke victory. AT VIRGINIA!! (That still makes me smile!)
That is one of those memories that a team will hold onto when they come in for a rematch.

And UVa players and coaches were celebrating waaaay too early. If I recall, London was doing chest bumps with a player when they went up 22-0.

Lately, Duke has owned UVa in football and lacrosse; the Cavs should come in highly motivated.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I'm glad we get to play this one at home... UVa is a program that has turned the corner, and should be returning to the hard-nosed, lunch-pail, proficient brand of football we have been accustomed to seeing from them from the 90s through the enigmatic final couple years of the Groh regime... It has taken London longer than one would expect, but he definitely seems to have the ship righted at last...

I'm happy it as at home too, let's prove WW can be a formidable place to play! This game has so much riding on it, I truly hope the Duke fans turn out. UVA is going to travel well to watch this one, I think.

And UVa players and coaches were celebrating waaaay too early. If I recall, London was doing chest bumps with a player when they went up 22-0.

Lately, Duke has owned UVa in football and lacrosse; the Cavs should come in highly motivated.

They better not bring their LAX guys on the field, too! We can only play one team at once.

[Reilly]

... We ain't done enough to be dreaming of a crown ...

I'm hoping it is an every week discussion topic.

"We want people to understand we're here to win championships. People are going to laugh. I hope they do. It just adds fuel to the fire." - David Cutcliffe (2008)

[devildeac]

"We want people to understand we're here to win championships. People are going to laugh. I hope they do. It just adds fuel to the fire." - David Cutcliffe (2008)

Thanks for recollecting that quote and posting it. I remember it well.

[Capn Poptart]

And UVa players and coaches were celebrating waaaay too early. If I recall, London was doing chest bumps with a player when they went up 22-0.

Lately, Duke has owned UVa in football and lacrosse; the Cavs should come in highly motivated.

And their fans come in way too confident, if you go by posts on thesabre.com.

We've beaten them 5 outta 6, and every preseason, the fans over their project Duke as a gimme.

[Bob Green]

The over/under in Vegas is sitting at 50.5 points. A 27-24 Duke victory sounds good to me.

[devildeac]

The over/under in Vegas is sitting at 50.5 points. A 27-24 Duke victory sounds good to me.

Vegas line in the paper today was Duke -3 so that's compatible. I'd go for that score, too, Bob, maybe with a late TD by the 'Hoos and Duke recovering the subsequent onside kick at the uva 45 with 30 seconds to go.

[CameronBlue]

And their fans come in way too confident, if you go by posts on thesabre.com.

We've beaten them 5 outta 6, and every preseason, the fans over their project Duke as a gimme.

Duke fans used to say the same thing about Wake. So the Weauxfgods dropped a nasty little 0-12 streak on us sparing few indignities in the process. Speak softly and with deference lad.

[Dev11]

And their fans come in way too confident, if you go by posts on thesabre.com.

We've beaten them 5 outta 6, and every preseason, the fans over their project Duke as a gimme.

Admittedly, given the overall performance prior to 2012 or so, wouldn't you do the same as a fan of any ACC team?

[jimsumner]

Admittedly, given the overall performance prior to 2012 or so, wouldn't you do the same as a fan of any ACC team?

Duke played in a lot of home-coming games. An awful lot.

[Duvall]

Admittedly, given the overall performance prior to 2012 or so, wouldn't you do the same as a fan of any ACC team?

After five losses in six years, though.

[Capn Poptart]

Duke fans used to say the same thing about Wake. So the Weauxfgods dropped a nasty little 0-12 streak on us sparing few indignities in the process. Speak softly and with deference lad.

Admittedly, given the overall performance prior to 2012 or so, wouldn't you do the same as a fan of any ACC team?

Fair enough. It's hard to cover up 50 years of stink.

[Duvall]

Fair enough. It's hard to cover up 50 years of stink.

And yet...it's Virginia. Their record against Duke during those 50 years is only 27-23.

[-bdbd]

And yet...it's Virginia. Their record against Duke during those 50 years is only 27-23.

Yeah, but the majority of those wins have come in the last 25 years or so. People often forget that UVA football really used to stink, consistently, before the mid-80's or so. 'been a different story since around then...

[sagegrouse]

Yeah, but the majority of those wins have come in the last 25 years or so. People often forget that UVA football really used to stink, consistently, before the mid-80's or so. 'been a different story since around then...

There is a subtext to your statement. In 1982, former All-American quarterback, George Welsh, became the coach at UVa after a successful stint at Navy. At the time Virginia was the one of the worst football programs in the country and had never been very good. "Our man" John Feinstein, who was at the Post, told Tom Butters that George Welsh was a very good coach and suggested Duke go after him. There may have been a problem in timing, since Red Wilson was still coach at Duke when Welsh went to Virginia.

[nocilla]

ESPN's Chris Low makes his predictions for the second half of the college football season;

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...espnapi_public

The relevant portion;
"Duke is poised to make a postseason run again. And, no, we're not talking hoops. The Blue Devils won at Georgia Tech last weekend (after losing 10 in a row to the Yellow Jackets) and get Virginia at home this weekend. Duke avoids Clemson and Florida State this season and also gets Virginia Tech at home in November, the first of three straight home games to end the season. When the Blue Devils won the Coastal Division a year ago, it was big news. Well, what about two straight trips to the ACC championship game? Good coaches can win anywhere and so can good people. David Cutcliffe fits the bill on both counts."

[Olympic Fan]

There is a subtext to your statement. In 1982, former All-American quarterback, George Welsh, became the coach at UVa after a successful stint at Navy. At the time Virginia was the one of the worst football programs in the country and had never been very good. "Our man" John Feinstein, who was at the Post, told Tom Butters that George Welsh was a very good coach and suggested Duke go after him. There may have been a problem in timing, since Red Wilson was still coach at Duke when Welsh went to Virginia.

"Our Man" might be doing a little chest thumping. But the facts aren't so simple.

Tom Butters didn't need Feinstein or anybody else to tell him what a promising coach George Welsh was. Welsh and Butters got acquainted when Duke and Navy played back-to-backs years in 1977 (won by Duke) and 1978 (a 31-8 Navy win). Welsh was also close to Roanoke sports editor Bill Brill, who was VERY close to Butters. It was Brill who told Butters in the fall of 1981 that Welsh (who had turned Navy into a mini-power. His last four Navy teams had averaged eight wins a year, had played in three bowls in those four seasons and beat Army in six of seven years) was interested in moving on.

Butters was very interested (and, if my information is correct, met with a representative of Welsh), but he had a timing problem. Virginia was enduring a 1-10-1 season under Dick Bestwick, who had won 16 games in six seasons, less than three a year. The Cavaliers were in the market for a coach and were talking about investing millions in a football program.

Duke was in the midst of a 6-5 season under Red Wilson. Wilson had gone 2-8-1 and 2-9 in his first two seasons in Durham, but helped by young offensive coordinator Steve Spurrier, were en route to a successful 1981 season. I would have been hard to fire Wilson at that point.

Would Welsh have picked Duke over Virginia had both jobs been offered? No one can say at this point, but I would argue that in 1981, Duke was a much, much better program. Welsh was a Navy grad, so it's not like Virginia had any kind of edge there.

Instead, Welsh went to Virginia and did one of the best coaching jobs in ACC history. Not only did he make Virginia a winner -- he made them a CONSISTENT winner, something they had never been before (and haven't been since -- six winning seasons in the 13 seasons since his retirement).

Wilson gave Duke a second straight 6-5 season in 1982, including a 51-17 victory over Virginia. Ironically, that Duke team -- which had opened the season with wins at Tennessee, at South Carolina and that rout of Virginia -- suffered its first loss of the season the next week against the Navy team that Welsh had left behind -- a 27-21 heartbreaker to Napoleon McCallum and company.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Laura Keeley (and just about everyone else) notes that Virginia recent success is due to its defense.

Under second-year defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta, the Cavaliers have turned his aggressive schemes into impact plays. Against FBS opponents, Virginia ranks third in the ACC in sacks per game (3.6) and fourth in tackles for loss per game (7.40). The Cavaliers have 19 takeaways this season – 10 fumble recoveries and nine interceptions – and 12 have come against FBS competition.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/10/...=/99/103/&rh=1

[roywhite]

Laura Keeley (and just about everyone else) notes that Virginia recent success is due to its defense.



http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/10/...=/99/103/&rh=1

Yeah, some very interesting comparisons of strength vs strength

Turnovers
UVa -- 19 turnovers gained; 2nd in country
Duke -- 5 turnovers lost; 7th in country for fewest

QB Sacks
UVa -- 23 teams sacks; 5th in country
Duke -- 4 sacks allowed; 3rd in country for fewest

Rushing
Duke Offense -- 228.5 yds/game; 23rd in the country
UVa Defense vs Rush -- 91.5 yds/game allowed; 6th in the country

NCAA Team Stats