Duke (4-2, 1-2 ACC) at Virginia (4-3, 2-2 ACC). Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. ET, Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Va., ESPN.
Your hosts are Prescott Ashby-Lowell, a fourth-generation Wahoo who refuses to say "campus," and Harrison Wexley-Moore IV, a Duke pre-everything overachiever with a degree for every occasion.
Prescott: Welcome to the Grounds. Anyone who says "campus" owes me a nickel, payable in bagels.
Harrison: I also passed that exam, Prescott. I'll pay in bagels with a footnote.
Players to watch
Duke running back Nate Sheppard is the engine. He has 820 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, and he also leads the Blue Devils in receiving with 28 catches for 259 yards and four scores. Quarterback Walker Eget has 1,229 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Kevin O'Connor leads the team with three sacks, and Nick Morris Jr. leads with 33 tackles. Duke's defense allows just 16.0 points per game, 19th in FBS.
Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula has more than 1,200 passing yards, 13 touchdown passes and one interception. Wide receiver Da'Shawn Martin has five touchdown catches on 15 receptions, which is one trip to the end zone for every three catches. Running back Jekail Middlebrook has 396 yards. Defensive lineman Matthew Fobbs-White leads with four sacks, and Jacobie Henderson leads with 38 tackles.
Harrison: Sheppard is a double major, rushing and receiving. Summa cum laude.
What happened last week
Both teams lost on Oct. 17. Duke fell 24-20 to North Carolina in Durham. Eget went 24 of 38 for 249 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Sheppard ran for 77 yards and caught 11 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. It was Duke's second straight loss by four points or fewer, after a 28-25 loss at Georgia Tech.
Virginia lost 23-13 at SMU. Pribula went 13 of 22 for 137 yards and ran for a touchdown, and Middlebrook ran for 59 yards.
Prescott: A setback, sir, but not on the Grounds. We are 4-0 at home.
Injuries and availability
The ACC publishes availability reports, but this game's report isn't out yet, and no injury news has surfaced for either team. Check the official report before kickoff.
What the coaches are up to
Manny Diaz is in his third season at Duke. He was Miami's head coach from 2019 to 2021 and Penn State's defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023. His defense holds opponents to 29.2% on third down, ninth in FBS, but his team's 73.8 penalty yards per game rank 123rd.
Tony Elliott is in his fifth season at Virginia. He won the 2017 Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant at Clemson, where he also played wide receiver. His team is plus-5 in turnover margin, but it converts only 33.0% of third downs, 120th in FBS.
Player storylines
Sheppard against Virginia's run defense, which ranks 88th at 152.7 yards per game, is the matchup of the night. On the other side, Virginia's offense is efficient through the air but has struggled in the red zone, scoring on 74.1% of trips, 124th in FBS. Duke's third-down defense ranks ninth.
What's happening on the Grounds
Virginia has made Friday Family Weekend and asks fans to WEAR BLUE. Homecomings already happened on Oct. 10, when the Cavaliers beat Syracuse 28-25. Virginia's athletics department billed this game as a rematch of the 2025 ACC Championship Game and gave it a primetime ESPN slot. The Cavaliers even opened the season against NC State in Brazil.
Prescott: As Mr. Jefferson would've charted it: family, blue, and a home win.
Harrison: Mr. Jefferson never had to defend a Duke run game.
Anything else fun and true
Virginia went 8-2 against Duke from 2016 to 2025. Duke opened 4-0 this season, including a 31-27 win at Illinois. Virginia's three losses all came away from Scott Stadium: against West Virginia in Charlotte, at Florida State and at SMU.
Harrison: Eight and two. I've double-checked it, because honesty is the whole point, and I have a minor in honesty.
Prescott: Splendid. That'll be a nickel for saying "point," sir. Kidding. Go 'Hoos.
The Cover Window
My call: Virginia Cavaliers 25, Duke Blue Devils 23.