With their recent mathematical elimination from bowl-eligibility, the Cavaliers have adjusted their goals for this season. The team's new focus: going .500 in the ACC for the first time since 2011. The road to accomplishing this task starts Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium when Virginia (3-7, 2-4 ACC) takes on Duke.
“We’re focusing on the opportunity to go 4-4 in the conference, which is important,” coach Mike London said on Monday. “And then probably one of the biggest things is to focus on the fact that our seniors, the guys that are finishing their eligibility, go out on a positive note.”
Virginia and Duke (6-4, 3-3 ACC) will enter this game hungry for a win, as both teams are riding losing streaks into the weekend.
Ever since the last-second, eight-lateral play that propelled Miami over Duke three weeks ago, the Blue Devils have played like a completely different team than the one that started this season.
Before the game against Miami, Duke was sitting near the top of the ACC with a pristine 6-1 record (3-0 in the ACC). Since then, the Blue Devils have gone 0-3, with all of these games played versus ACC opponents, dropping them to third place in the Coastal Division.
During this stretch, Duke has faced significant difficulties on the defensive side of the ball. The Blue Devils have given up 170 points over the past four games for an average of more than 42 points per game. Virginia's offense has not been stellar this season, only scoring an average of 24.7 points per game, but Duke's defense must play better this week to keep Virginia at or below this average.
Injury issues plaguing junior quarterback Thomas Sirk have also contributed to the Blue Devils' recent struggles. Sirk, although never a superstar quarterback, had been efficient and careful with the football during the first nine games since he started this season, throwing only five interceptions over this span. Sirk's current status for Saturday is questionable and will be something to monitor closely as the week progresses.
On the other side of this matchup is a frustrated Virginia team coming off two consecutive one-possession losses, both against ACC opponents.
One area that Virginia must improve this week is its run defense. The Cavaliers have given up nearly 400 rushing yards in their past two games. If Sirk doesn't play in this game, the Blue Devils will likely focus their offensive attack on traditional running plays more so than usual. Virginia needs to be ready to combat the run game.
On offense, Virginia has recently been relatively successful with the passing attack. This success has been fueled by the prowess of senior wide receiver Canaan Severin, who led the Cavaliers with 116 yards and three touchdowns last week at Louisville. Look for the Duke defense to key on Severin, as he has been the offensive catalyst for the Cavaliers as of late.
Another source of hope on the offensive side of the ball for Virginia has been the recent play of junior quarterback Matt Johns.
"Matt has improved,” London said. “He's steadily improved. … He's gotten better as a football player and a tremendous leader, and we need him these next two games."
If Johns and Severin have as strong of a connection on Saturday as they had this past weekend at Louisville, the Blue Devils will have their work cut out for them defensively.
Off the field, there has been much discussion among Virginia students and fans about London's job security for next season.
When asked for his take on what the future might hold, London said, "The biggest thing right now for me is dealing with focusing on all opportunities for these seniors. I never think about myself."
All in all, this Saturday's contest has no shortage of compelling storylines for Virginia and Duke. Expect there to be no shortage of emotion and determination as both teams run out of the tunnel.
The Cavaliers will kick off against the Blue Devils at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Scott Stadium.
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