Duke snaps 13-game ACC skid, beats Virginia 38-17

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Riley Leonard ran for two touchdowns and threw for another and Duke snapped a 13-game Atlantic Coast Conference losing streak in beating Virginia 38-17 on Saturday night.

Duke (4-1, 1-0 ACC) scored three touchdowns during an 11-minute span of the first half. The Blue Devils didn’t win an ACC game last year as part of a conference drought that lasted nearly two full calendar years.

Leonard completed 18 of 24 passes for 129 yards and added 59 rushing yards. Jaylen Coleman picked up 97 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Brennan Armstrong threw for a touchdown and scrambled for a touchdown for Virginia (2-3, 0-2), which has lost all three road games this season and five in a row dating to last season.

The Blue Devils scored on their first possession of the second half when Leonard ran in from 1 yard out. They stretched the lead to 35-10 on Jaquez Moore’s 59-yard run in the first minute of the fourth quarter.

In the first half, Leonard’s 19-yard pass to Jalon Calhoun opened the scoring. Leonard ran 2 yards and Jordan Waters scored on a 1-yard plunge into the end zone to boost the lead to 21-0 with 10:25 to play in the second quarter.

Virginia got on the board with Armstrong’s 11-yard pass to Perris Jones with 1:12 to go in the first half.

Duke snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series, avenging last year’s 48-0 loss.

THE TAKEAWAY

Virginia: The Cavaliers are putting too much pressure on their defense given that they’ve scored two first-half touchdowns in the last four games combined. By game’s end, they had just 295 yards of total offense.

Duke: This was another notable step for the Blue Devils, who eclipsed their 2021 win total. Duke found the right formula by not committing a turnover even during a game played amid some rain.

UP NEXT

Virginia: The Cavaliers host Louisville next Saturday.

Duke: The Blue Devils travel to play Georgia Tech next Saturday.

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