DURHAM, N.C. — One week after its first setback of 2025, Virginia dusted William & Mary. No offense to the Championship Subdivision Tribe, but that mid-September bounce-back resonated negligibly in college football circles.
Saturday was different. Saturday, fresh off their second defeat, the Cavaliers trounced fellow ACC contender Duke 34-17 at Wallace Wade Stadium.
“We did a good job of reminding everyone who we are,” defensive tackle Jacob Holmes said.
At their best, they are fierce on defense and explosive on offense, and with one contest remaining in the regular season, they are a victory away from an almost-certain appearance in the ACC championship game.
While that defensive component has been evident for weeks, the offensive production had been AWOL for more than a month. Until Saturday.
Quarterback Chandler Morris, returning from the concussion he sustained in last week’s loss to Wake Forest, directed a 75-yard, 14-play touchdown march on the afternoon’s opening series, and the outcome was never in doubt thereafter.
Morris threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns, Trell Harris caught eight passes for 161 yards and a score, and J’Mari Taylor rushed for 133 yard and two touchdowns. But the real reason these three-plus hours were tension-free was Virginia’s defense.
Virginia’s Trell Harris, center, scores a touchdown past Duke’s Chandler Rivers (0) and Ma’khi Jones, right, during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Darian Mensah, the Power Four’s leading passer at 310.2 yards per game? Rendered helpless for three quarters by a relentless pass rush and superb downfield coverage.
Cooper Barkate, the ACC’s top receiver at 91.6 yards per game? Similarly irrelevant, for the same reasons.
Mensah finished with a season-low 213 passing yards, Barkate with three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. But their damage came late. Too late.
Tailback Nate Sheppard, he of the spicy 6.6 yards per carry? The Blue Devils abandoned the run early, and once the Cavaliers’ lead mushroomed to 20-plus points, that decision was irrevocable. He managed 3.6 yards on 12 attempts.
“That group has been coming into form and really starting to gel on all three levels,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said of the line, linebackers and secondary,
Duke’s only flirtation with a touchdown in the first three quarters came when Barkate recovered teammate Sahmir Hagans’ post-reception fumble and scooted 13 yards to UVA’s 4-yard line late in the third quarter. The defense refused to budge.
Ja’Son Prevard and Daniel Rickert stuffed Sheppard for a 4-yard loss on first down, and on fourth-and-goal from the 8, Mitchell Melton sacked Mensah and recovered the subsequent fumble.
Duke scored two touchdowns in 53 seconds early in the fourth quarter, the second on linebacker Tre Freeman’s 18-yard interception return, but Virginia countered with Will Bettridge’s second field goal to regain a three-score lead at 34-17.
It was the first time since a Sept. 20 home rout of Stanford that UVA could relax in the final two minutes of a game.
Five Cavaliers recorded six tackles each, including Holmes, end Fisher Camac (two sacks) and linebacker Landon Danley, who replaced the injured Kam Robinson for the final three-plus quarters. Cornerback Emmanuel Karnley and safety Devin Neal teamed to break up five passes.
Think about that. Without its premier defender in Robinson — Elliott suspects a knee bruise — Virginia still held Duke to season-lows in points and yards (255).
Ranked 20th by the College Football Playoff, the Cavaliers (9-2, 6-1 ACC) are in prime position to reach the league championship game. Beat Virginia Tech in the regular-season finale Nov. 29, and the worst UVA can do is finish in a three-way tie atop the standings with SMU and the winner of next week’s Pitt-Georgia Tech clash.
A deadlock with Pitt and SMU would be decided by record versus common opponents Stanford and Louisville. The Cavaliers and Mustangs would have beaten both, while the Panthers lost to Cards, qualifying Virginia and SMU for the championship game.
A tie with Georgia Tech and SMU would be more complicated. The Yellow Jackets would advance based on their victory over common opponent Wake Forest, but since Virginia and SMU both lost to the Deacons, they would start the tie-breaking process anew.
The Mustangs and Cavaliers have four common opponents in Louisville, Stanford, Cal and Wake. But each would be 3-1. That sends us to combined league record of all your league opponents, where UVA has a substantial but not insurmountable edge, according to the conference office.
The Cavaliers and Blue Devils (5-5, 4-2) arrived at Saturday coming off a jarring defeat.
UVA’s seven-game winning streak, which followed a Week 2 setback at NC State, vanished in a 16-9 home loss to Wake Forest, an outcome rooted in the Cavaliers’ first three lost fumbles of the season, Morris’ injury and a special teams breakdown — the Deacons scored the night’s lone touchdown on an 88-yard punt return.
Duke squandered the momentum of its first victory at Clemson in 45 years with a 37-34 setback at Connecticut, yet another contest in which poor defense and a penchant for turnovers crippled the Blue Devils.
Which team would rebound best? Which would remain among the ACC leaders with just one conference loss?
The answer was resounding.
“It takes a little bit more this time of year,” Elliott said during the week. “… You’ve got to go to another level. You’ve got to find something deeper inside of you to push you to motivate you.”
The Cavaliers found that “something” Saturday, and then some.
“I felt like this was probably the most complete game that we’ve played in all three phases,” Elliott said. “… And that’s what I told them: ‘Fellas, I recognize it. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it in you, and I’m telling you (that) you’ve got it. Now you have to go showcase it to the world.’
“It was good to see them come out and just play free and not be focused on what’s at stake and just be focused on playing their best four quarters of the year.”
David Teel, david.teel@virginiamedia.com
