SURGING U.VA. TOPPLES DUKE
U.Va. follows upset of Miami by earning key conference road win
Bryce Perkins passed for 189 yards and a TD and rushed for another two scores in the win.
DURHAM, N.C. — For whatever reason, Virginia has had Daniel Jones’ number.
On a grim and misty afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium, the Cavaliers proved they still did.
Bryce Perkins passed for 189 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another two scores Saturday to lead surging U.Va. to a 28-14 win over Duke.
The victory, the Cavaliers’ second straight over a favored opponent, put them a win shy of a second consecutive season of bowl eligibility. It came on the heels of their 16-13 upset of No. 16 Miami a week earlier.
Perkins, a junior quarterback, added a team-high 61 rushing yards. U.Va (5-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) outgained the Blue Devils (5-2, 1-2) in total yardage 376-320.
Third-year Cavaliers coach Bronco Mendenhall said he entered the game wary after the attention-grabbing upset of Miami.
“That presented a significant challenge,” he said. “It was considered a lot of different things by folks (such) as ‘signature’ or ‘breakthrough’ or etc. And once that is out there, that really makes every game after more challenging, especially the next one.”
Jones, Duke’s highly touted quarterback, completed 22 of 40 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.
It was in keeping with an odd pattern. In three games against U.Va., Jones has been picked off nine times. A 6-foot-5 junior, he has thrown 24 interceptions in his entire career.
There is, Cavaliers safety Juan Thornhill said, no real rhyme or reason.
“I can see that he’s a good quarterback,” said Thornhill, who had his fourth career interception of Jones in the second quarter. “But it’s just for some reason — I don’t know what it is, but he always tends to throw us, like, a lot of interceptions.”
Leading 20-14 midway through the fourth quarter, U.Va. wasn’t out of the woods yet. The Blue Devils got the ball on their own 12-yard line and promptly punted after a three-and out.
Evan Butts’ leaping 16-yard touchdown catch on a nifty rollout pass by Perkins with 3:58 left in the game — and the subsequent 2-point conversion — removed all doubt for the Cavaliers and sent much of what remained of the announced crowd of 20,277 to the concourse.
The victory marked the first time U.Va. has been 3-1 in the ACC since 2008.
Butts, a senior tight end, said the tide is turning for the program.
“Everyone on this team believes we can compete and beat anyone that we face,” he said. “It’s a surprise to some people, but these past two weeks, we beat two really good teams. I don’t think it’s really a surprise to us.”
Olamide Zaccheaus caught 10 passes for 66 yards for the Cavaliers, who scored on the game’s first possession and led the rest of the way.
Chris Taylor caught six balls for 97 yards and a touchdown for Duke.
U.Va.’s players said they’re keenly aware that they’ve been at this point before. The Cavaliers started last season 5-1 before losing five of their last six.
“We control our destiny,” Thornhill said. “We have guys on the team that can make a lot of plays. We have to keep up what we’re doing. We have to work harder each week and don’t come out and be sluggish next week.”
The Blue Devils successfully resorted to trickery early in the fourth quarter to get back into the game. Wide receiver T.J. Rahming’s 22-yard pass on an endaround found tight end Davis Koppenhaver in the end zone to shrink U.Va.’s lead to 20-14.
Brian Delaney’s 42-yard field goal with 1:32 left in the third quarter stretched U.Va.’s lead to 20-7.
The Cavaliers struck first on their initial possession when Perkins weaved his way through the left side for a 23-yard touchdown less than four minutes into the game. The run ended an eight-play, 61-yard drive.
Perkins’ pylon-crushing, 3-yard run around the right end gave U.Va. a 14-0 lead with 14:09 left in the second quarter. The play was set up by Chuck Davis’ 27-yard punt return to the Blue Devils’ 38.
U.Va. outgained the hosts 20482 in total yards in the first half.
U.Va. will try to keep its momentum going Saturday when North Carolina visits Scott Stadium.
The Cavaliers said they’d learned the value of not looking beyond what’s in front of them.
“All gas, no brakes,” said senior linebacker Chris Peace, who starred for Denbigh High in Newport News. “Yeah, we’re 5-2, but now we’re trying to go 6-2. So it’s on to the next game.”