WRAL Sports Fan

Duke

Duke beats Virginia, 28-17, wins third conference game in a row

By Ryan Craig

Oct 31, 2009

Duke entered Saturday's game against Virginia looking for its third straight ACC win, and quickly got on the scoreboard.

Will Snyderwine connected on a 43-yard field goal on the Devils' first possession to put Duke up 3-0 in Charlottesville, and then struck one from 29 yards out to double the Blue Devils' lead the next time they got the ball.

Then, Leon Wright put the Duke offense in business again when he picked off Jameel Sewell on the Cavs' next possession and returned it to the Virginia 21-yard line. After giving up sacks on consecutive plays, David Cutcliffe's team was once again forced to settle for three, as Snyderwine made it 9-0 on a 34-yard field goal.

Duke wasn't the only offense on the day struggling in the red zone. Virginia after struggling for the beginning part of the afternoon, the Cavaliers were able to string together a nice drive with Marc Verica in at quarterback, but eventually the effort stalled and Al Groh had to settle for a 33-yard Robert Randolph kick to make it 9-3.

Sewell made up for his early pick on the Cavs' first drive of the second half, leading his team down the field and finishing off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to make it 10-9 Virginia.

Then, it was Thaddeus Lewis' turn to prove that Duke wouldn't fold on the road. After struggling mightily to move the ball for most of the third quarter, Lewis led the Devils down the field for another Snyderwine field goal, this time from 25 yards out, for a 12-10 lead.

But, Virginia would answer right away.

Sewell found Joe Torchia for a 20-yard gain on fourth and one to keep the Cavs' drive alive, and then found Torchia again seconds later for a 19-yard touchdown to put Virginia up 17-12.

Lewis again responded for Duke, as the senior found freshman Connor Vernon for a 42-yard touchdown catch to put Duke back in front, 18-17, with less than five minutes to go in the game. The Devils tried for the two-point conversion to push the lead to three, but the attempt failed.

Then, it was the Blue Devils' defense that struck. Ayanga Okpokowuruk forced a Sewell fumble that defensive tackle Charlie Hatcher recovered at the Virginia seven-yard line and ran in for a defensive score to make it 25-18 Devils.

After turning Virginia over on downs deep in Cavaliers territory, Snyderwine kicked a 42-yard field goal, his fifth of the day, to make it 28-17 Devils with just over a minute to play.