Duke vs Virginia NCAA Football Game Picks

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Scott Stadium

Scott Stadium is the site where Bryce Perkins and the Virginia Cavaliers will play the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday. Duke opens this game as 5-point underdogs. The Blue Devils are 4-2-0 ATS and 5-1-0 when betting on the total. The Cavaliers are 3-3-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-3-1 against the spread.

The last time they took the field, the Duke Blue Devils played the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and earned the win by a score of 41-23. Mataeo Durant paced the team on the ground for that game. His longest run of the day went for 38 yards but he wasn't able to rush for a TD on the day. He rushed for 74 yards via 13 carries which means he ran for an average of 5.7 yards per tote. Jalon Calhoun was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 68 yards on 4 receptions. He averaged 17.0 yards per reception for that game. Running the show from under center for the Blue Devils was Quentin Harris who went 11/20 with 176 yards through the air but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Blue Devils ran the football 55 times and earned 197 yards which earned them an average of 3.6 yards per carry. In the game, they totaled 75 plays which added up to 373 yards. In the game, the Blue Devils racked up a total of 20 1st downs and they totaled 4 infractions for 25 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. On the defensive side of the ball, Duke conceded 15 completions on 35 throws for a total of 206 yards, and a completion percentage of 42.9%. In the game, they allowed a total of 379 yards but weren't able to foce a turnover. Against the run, the Blue Devils conceded 173 yards on 40 carries which is an average of 4.3 yards per run allowed.

The Blue Devils head into this matchup 4-2 for this season. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country with an average of 34.2 points per contest, which has them at 38th in the nation. As a team, they are averaging 182.8 yards on the ground per game which is 5th in the conference. For total yards, they rank 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 83rd in the nation with 2,324 yards. The Blue Devils have one of the average defenses in the nation, giving up 23.2 points per game putting them 6th in the Atlantic Coast Conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Blue Devils have conceded 1,227 yards. Teams are completing 57.1% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 6.7 yards per try. When talking about rushing yards, Duke is allowing 133.7 yards per game ranking them 6th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 48th in the nation. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.6 yards per rush which has them at 6th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 34th in D-1 overall. Overall, they have allowed 802 yards rushing through 6 contests.

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In their last outing, the Virginia Cavaliers went up against the Miami Hurricanes and were defeated 17-9. Wayne Taulapapa led the team on the ground for that game. He had a long run of 13 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He scurried for 27 yards on 8 carries which had him averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Hasise Dubois was the leader in receiving yardage by earning 93 yards on 7 catches. He earned an average of 13.3 yards per catch for that game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Cavaliers was Bryce Perkins who went 25/42 with 252 yards through the air but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He finished this contest without throwing a pick. The Cavaliers ran the ball a total of 31 times and earned 74 yards which earned them an average of 2.4 yards per run. In the game, the Cavaliers totaled 21 1st downs and they had 3 penalties for 20 yards telling us that they had a strong outing in terms of discipline. In the game, they ran 73 plays for a total of 326 yards. When discussing the defense, Virginia allowed 16 catches on 27 attempts for a total of 182 yards, and a completion percentage of 59.3%. In the game, they conceded a total of 265 yards but weren't able to add any takeaways. On the ground, the Cavaliers allowed 83 yards on 25 runs which gave them an average of 3.3 yards per rushing attempt allowed.

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The Cavaliers step onto the field holding a record of 4-2. In discussing the offensive production, the Cavaliers have one of the middle tier offenses in Division 1. Virginia hasn't done much to make teams fear their rushing game by averaging 102 rushing yards per contest, which has them at 124th in Division 1. As a unit, they have a total of 612 yards rushing through 6 games, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the nation. The Cavaliers average 357.3 yards per contest overall which has them at 101st in the country and 13th in the ACC. The Cavaliers are allowing 20.7 points per game ranking them 4th in the ACC and 32nd in the nation. Their pass defense is one of the most dominate units in the country. They are giving up 183.7 passing yards per contest. For yards through the air allowed per game, the Cavaliers are currently ranked 3rd in the ACC. When talking about points given up, they have given up 124 points in total. In regard to yards rushing, they are giving up 93.5 yards per game which puts them at 13th in the nation and 3rd in the ACC. For 2019, they have allowed 561 rushing yards and 7.8 rushing touchdowns.

Who will win tonight's Blue Devils/Cavaliers college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Cavaliers -5

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