Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz high-fives players Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Who Holds the Edge in Duke–Virginia Matchup

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Logan Lazarczyk | Last updated Nov 15, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Duke Blue Devils and Virginia Cavaliers face off in a pivotal ACC matchup with major ramifications on the outlook of the conference, with only a few weeks left in the regular season.

Each team has its strengths and weaknesses heading into this game, and both sides are aiming to exploit those vulnerable spots throughout the game on Saturday.

Now, let's take a look and assess key areas of this game and decipher which team has the advantage in those specific positions and units.

Quarterback

Even if Chandler Morris can play, the discrepancy between him and Darian Mensah is evident. Morris has completed 66.7% of his passes for 2,088 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while averaging 7.3 yards per pass. Meanwhile, Mensah has completed 69.8% of his passes for 2,794 yards, 24 touchdowns, and four interceptions, while attempting 8.7 yards per pass.

Unless Virginia's defense can stifle Mensah and Duke's offense - which has been a struggle for several defenses - then the former Tulane quarterback's elite talent can overmatch Morris.

Advantage: Duke

Defense

Jonathan Brewer detailed how Virginia's defense could pose issues for the Blue Devils on Saturday during his press conference on Monday.

"They're a violent defense. They're attacking. They don't allow [teams] to score a lot of points," Brewer said. "They make you earn it and they are violent up front. It's going to be a test."

"That just shows you right there [that] they're gritty," Brewer said. "It's a different challenge for us compared to last week. [Against Connecticut], there were a lot of hectic things going on the defensive side at UConn. In this [week's] preparation, these guys have been in the system for a couple of years, so they know their checks, they know their adjustments, they know how [teams] attack them."

Brewer's assessment on Virginia's defense is accurate, especially when taking into account how dominant that unit has been for the Cavaliers in 2025.

Here is each team's defensive statistics during this season:

Duke's Defense: Points allowed per game (29.1), yards allowed per game (422.5), and opponents' yards per play (6.2)

Virginia's Defense: Points allowed per game (21.6), yards allowed per game (337.2), and opponents' yards per play (4.9)

While Duke holds the advantage in the offensive department, it is apparent that the Cavaliers' defense is light-years ahead of the Blue Devils.

Mensah and Duke's offense could overpower Virginia's defensive unit, but if this game turns into a defensive battle, the Cavaliers could suffocate the Blue Devils' intuitive game plan.

Advantage: Virginia

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This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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