Duke's Thaddeus Lewis prepares to take a snap vs. Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils will be trying for a first win in three games against Virginia foes this year. (File photo by Rob Rowe)
Duke center Bryan Morgan said his team is aware of the stakes but isn't about to be counting any chickens.
"You want to look at the big picture," Morgan said. "You just have to make sure you go one game at a time. Coach has said, the more you win the higher the stakes get. We know we have to get better and better every week. We know that they (Virginia) remember last year. We want to go up there and remind them."
Duke (4-3, 2-1 ACC) vs. Virginia (3-4, 2-1 ACC)
[3:30 p.m., Scott Stadium, Charlottesville]
Virginia leads series 32-28
Broadcast info
Audio: WDNC-620, WMNA 106.3, Sirius 214, XM 193, GoDuke.com, VirginiaSports.com
Video: ESPN360
Key stats ...
Duke: Team scoring 29.7 to opponents' 25.1. Rushing 74.4 to 138.9. Passing 322.6 to 204.3. Individual leaders - (rush) Desmond Scott 32-148 1 TD, (pass) Thaddeus Lewis 164-256-3-1972 14 TD, (receive) Austin Kelly 39-410 3 TD, (tackle) Vincent Rey 57 with 1 int., 1 fum. rec.
Virginia: Team scoring 22.0 to 20.9. Rushing 99.4 to 164.4. Passing 189.7 to 151.3. Individual leaders - (rush) Mikell Simpson 54-251 5 TD, (pass) Jameel Sewell 105-190-5-1261 5 TD, (receive) Kris Burd 20-267 1 TD, (tackle) Steve Greer 49.
Best message board tidbit on the game:
Jobe01 at DevilsIllustrated.com: "How will the game transpire? I think that Cut and staff will focus the team on correcting mistakes. Efforts will be focused on improving on the turnovers, and focus will be made on overcoming setbacks on penalties. UVA will come out pumped up, as they'll see this as very winnable. They can still salvage their season, and, much like Duke, go to a bowl with a run toward the end of the season. However, I believe Duke will overcome the turnover issues and the penalty issues. I see us running more, and I see Thaddeus Lewis having another banner game. He's in the zone now, and will make a run toward being the ACC's best/most improved QB. Our defense will continue to remain solid. I'm sure that UVA's offense will have their moments, but we need to make them earn every point and not give away points with silly turnovers and penalties."
Duke will win if ... The Blue Devils, yes, keep doing what they have been doing. Duke's offense has been consistently getting better all season, and then on Saturday defense and special teams locked up what Cutcliffe allowed was an "ugly" win against Maryland. For a mid-level ACC team to beat the Blue Devils it has to shut down Lewis, and that hasn't happened yet.
Virginia will win if ... Well, if the Cavaliers can make some big defensive plays early and slow down Duke's passing attack. Virginia has one of the best secondaries in the conference, and those guys will need plenty of breakups and a couple of pickoffs. Duke's running game has not been impressive, and until the Blue Devils prove otherwise opponents are going to love to see them run.
Can the French Blue Devils get past those Wahooing Cavaliers again? It's very possible, but certainly not in the bank. Duke's 31-3 romp in Durham last season looked out of context at the time, but the Blue Devils aren't going to sneak up on anybody. Virginia will remember the four-touchdown loss and have twice as many fans as any Duke home crowd. Lewis needs another big day.
Players to watch ...
Duke: #3 DT Vince Oghobaase, #9 QB Thaddeus Lewis, # 31 MLB Vincent Rey, # 83 WR Austin Kelly.
Virginia: #5 TB Mikell Simpson, #10 QB Jameel Sewell, #21 CB Ras-I Dowling, #98 DE Nate Collins.
Injury report ...
Duke: RB Re'quan Boyette (knee) questionable, CB Lee Butler (leg) doubtful, LB Abraham Kromah (leg) OUT, WR Tyree Watkins (leg) OUT.
Virginia: OL Oday Aboushi (knee) probable, OT Landon Bradley (knee) probable, LB Darren Childs (leg) probable, NT Nate Collins (leg) probable, LB Cam Johnson (knee), S Corey Mosley (shoulder) , S Brandon Woods (shoulder), DE Matt Conrath (ankle) OUT, LB Aaron Clark (knee) OUT.
Vegas line: Virginia by 7.
Score prediction: Duke 24, Virginia 21.