Duke's Running Back Throws the Winner to Beat Virginia 19-16
Nate Sheppard threw exactly one pass against Virginia. It went 28 yards to Brody Keefe for a touchdown with 1:14 left, and Duke won 19-16.
Sheppard is listed as a running back, and he did his usual work too: 15 carries for 55 yards and a 32-yard touchdown run, which made it 7-0 with 10:59 left in the first quarter. Virginia tied it before the quarter ended when Jekail Middlebrook scored from a yard out, then took the lead with Will Bettridge's field goals from 21 and 32 yards (the second one as the first half expired) and went to the locker room up 13-7.
Duke's Gavin Strange cut it to 13-10 with a 39-yard field goal early in the third and tied it at 13-13 with another 39-yarder with 8:50 to go. Bettridge answered with a 30-yarder with 3:00 left to make it 16-13, and that was the last Virginia score. Sheppard's touchdown flipped it, and Strange missed the extra point, so the margin stayed three. Make that kick and it is 20-16. Same result.
The yardage was close to even and the shapes were opposite. Virginia ran the ball 53 times for 195 yards and threw for 158, while Duke ran only 18 times for 72 and threw for 256. Each team had one interception, and Virginia also lost a fumble. Duke's defense sacked the Virginia quarterbacks five times, against one the other way. Duke is 5-2. Virginia drops to 4-4 after leading for most of the game.
Fantasy owners who rolled with Sheppard got 21.7 points, though Middlebrook was right behind him at 20.5.