Duke Seeks Second Conference Win, Bowl Eligibility

Duke returns home to entertain Virginia on Saturday, October 20. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m., with TV coverage from Regional Sports Networks. This week, Duke celebrates Family Weekend, Youth Sports Day, Throwback Day, Iron Dukes Day and Former Player Day. In addition, SpokeHub is the official game sponsor

Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium

Beginning with the September 22 contest versus N.C. Central, an “MD” helmet decal will be donned by the Blue Devils to honor Duke Athletics Hall of Fame member Mary Dinkins, who passed away on Tuesday, September 4, at the age of 68 This past Saturday, QB Daniel Jones threw three TD passes as Duke defeated Georgia Tech, 28-14. The win marked Duke’s fourth over the Yellow Jackets in the past five seasons. The Blue Devils limited Georgia Tech to 229 rushing yards -- 144 under the Yellow Jackets’ season average of 373.0 that led the nation entering the weekend.

Saturday’s game will mark the 70th on the gridiron between the two schools with Virginia leading the series, 36-33. The series began in 1890 with a 10-4 UVa win. Duke won 18-of-22 meetings between 1952-78. Virginia captured 17-of-19 games between 1989-2007. The Cavaliers won their third straight in the series last year (28-21 in Charlottesville). This week’s game features two of the top five scoring defenses in the ACC as Duke ranks third (17.7 ppg) and Virginia fifth (19.2). Dating back to the 2013 season, the Blue Devils are 39-23 (.629) in their last 62 regular season games

The Duke offense features three players — TE Davis Koppenhaver, WR Johnathan Lloyd & WR T.J. Rahming — who have four TD receptions each. Last week at Georgia Tech, Rahming became the fourth player in Duke history to reach the 200-grab plateau, joining Jamison Crowder (283), Conner Vernon (283) & Donovan Varner (207). In 43 career games, Rahming has 202 receptions for 2,387 yards and nine TDs.

Duke LB Joe Giles-Harris leads the team and ranks fourth in the ACC in tackles per game (8.3). Duke’s three QBs — Daniel Jones, Quentin Harris, and Chris Katrenick — have combined to throw 176 passes for 15 TDs and two INTs this season. In making the first start of his career, DE Chris Rumph II led Duke’s defensive effort last week at Georgia Tech with seven tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1.0 sack and one fumble recovery

Giles-Harris and Ben Humphreys have 282 and 254 career tackles, respectively, to form the only active duo in the ACC with 200+ total stops each. Duke RB Deon Jackson enters the week with a streak of four consecutive games with one rushing touchdown. Jackson leads the Blue Devils with five ground scores on the season