Duke beats Virginia 19-16 as Nate Sheppard throws a trick-play touchdown with 1:14 left

Duke’s best runner beat Virginia with his arm. Running back Nate Sheppard threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brody Keefe with 1:14 left, and the Blue Devils held on for a 19-16 ACC win over the Cavaliers on Friday night, Oct. 23, at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Duke (5-2, 2-2 ACC). Virginia (4-4, 2-3) lost at home for the first time this season in a rematch of last year’s ACC championship game, which Duke also won.

How the winning play happened

Virginia had just gone ahead 16-13 on Will Bettridge’s 30-yard field goal with 3:00 to play. Duke quarterback Walker Eget then moved the offense into Virginia territory, and on second-and-8 from the UVA 28, he threw a backward pass to Sheppard. Instead of running, the sophomore turned and found Keefe alone in the end zone, according to Virginia Athletics.

Gavin Strange missed the extra point, which left the door open. But on Virginia’s final drive, Duke safety Patrick Smith-Young intercepted a hurried pass from quarterback Beau Pribula with 36 seconds left to seal it.

“Where the last two weeks, these last four minutes have gone against us, tonight, our guys found a way to finish,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said, per the Associated Press. “Great to finish. We needed this.”

Virginia linebacker Kam Robinson said the defense was caught off guard. “I feel like we played great until that last snap when we gave up that busted play,” he told the AP. “We really wasn’t even expecting that.”

Score by quarter

Duke scored on its first drive, going 78 yards in four plays. Sheppard finished it with a 32-yard touchdown run after a 35-yard catch by Jonah Burton. Virginia tied it when Jekail Middlebrook took a direct snap in from the 1 on fourth-and-goal, then took a 13-7 halftime lead on two Bettridge field goals, the second on the final play of the half.

Strange, a true freshman, hit a career-long 39-yard field goal to open the second half and another 39-yarder to tie it 13-13 with 8:50 left.

Key stats from Duke vs. Virginia

Team totals from Duke Athletics.

• Nate Sheppard, Duke: 55 rushing yards on 15 carries and a rushing TD, plus the 28-yard TD pass. He came in as the ACC’s leading rusher at 136.7 yards per game, and this was a season low, Virginia said.
• Walker Eget, Duke: 14 completions for 211 yards and one interception, per Duke’s game leaders.
• Jekail Middlebrook, Virginia: career-high 117 rushing yards and a TD on 24 carries.
• Beau Pribula, Virginia: 15 of 24 for 158 yards and an interception, plus 66 rushing yards on 21 carries.
• Kam Robinson, Virginia: a sack and an interception.

Why Virginia couldn’t put Duke away

Virginia held the ball for almost 39 minutes and outgained Duke, but it kept settling for field goals. Pribula lost a fumble at the Duke 30 early in the third quarter, and Bettridge missed a 47-yard try late in the third after a Duke sack pushed Virginia back.

“That’s potentially six more points on your scoreboard,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said, per Virginia Athletics. Pribula was also called for intentional grounding from the Duke 11 with 3:47 left, which pushed the Cavaliers back to the 18 before the go-ahead field goal.

The Cavaliers’ defense played without four starters, Virginia said, and still held Duke without a touchdown for nearly 55 minutes. Elliott credited Duke’s design on the final play. “It was well designed because they got their best player with the ball in his hands,” he told the AP.

What it means for Duke football and UVA football

For Duke, the AP said the win keeps alive its hopes of returning to the ACC title game for a second straight year. Duke’s defense held Virginia to three points in the second half.

For Virginia, it was a third loss in four games, and its first back-to-back losses since 2024, according to the team. The Cavaliers have scored more than 16 points only once in their last four games.

What’s next

• Duke: hosts Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 31 (noon ET, The CW).
• Virginia: plays at No. 17 Wake Forest on Saturday, Oct. 31 (3:45 p.m. ET, ESPN or ESPN2).

FAQ