College Football

Duke football rallies past Virginia 19-16 in Friday night ACC action

Nate Sheppard completes a game-winning 28-yard halfback pass for a touchdown to Brody Keefe late in the fourth quarter

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Duke football played at Virginia on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 in a rematch of the 2025 ACC championship game.

Duke football running back Nate Sheppard has hurt opponents with his legs this season and with his ability to catch balls out of the backfield. In the final minutes Friday night, Sheppard burned Virginia with his arm.

Sheppard completed a 28-yard halfback pass to a wide open Brody Keefe with 1:14 left, and Duke hung on to beat Virginia 19-16 in a rematch of the 2025 ACC championship game.

Like they did last December in Charlotte, the Blue Devils walked away with a pleasing victory over the Wahoos, improving to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. Virginia dropped to 4-4, 2-3.

Duke missed the PAT after the Sheppard-to-Keefe touchdown, leaving the door open for Virginia to try and tie the game with a field goal in the final minute. But Patrick Smith-Young picked off a Beau Pribula pass on fourth down with 43 seconds left to end the threat.

“We finished. We didn’t panic,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said afterward in an ESPN interview. “There isn’t a weak link in the ACC. We made a play at the end to win it.”

Sheppard looked poised to have a big night on Duke’s first possession. He paid off a four-play, 78-yard series with a 32-yard touchdown burst. The Devils led 7-0.

But Virginia kept Sheppard, who has been dinged up since the Georgia Tech game, bottled up much of the rest of the night. He finished with just 55 yards on 15 carries, his lowest output of the season. Sheppard had been averaging 136.7 yards per game and 5.9 yards per attempt.

To make matters worse, Duke quarterback Walker Eget exited for a stretch in the first half with an apparent hand injury. Dan Mahan came in and completed two of five passes for 17 yards, but Duke’s offense stalled. Meanwhile Virginia added a touchdown and two field goals to take a 13-7 lead into the break.

Eget returned after intermission, and the Devils started to get back into a groove. A pair of 39-yard field goals from Blue Devils freshman Gavin Strange – one in the third quarter and one in the fourth – evened the score 13-13.

Virginia’s Will Bettridge nailed a 30-yard field goal with 3:00 left to give the Cavs a 16-13 edge and put the pressure back on Duke.

Eget had his best stretch on the ensuing Duke drive. He completed passes of 7, 13, 12 and 13 yards to move the Blue Devils into Virginia territory. After a two-yard run from Sheppard up the middle, Duke football coaches dialed up the halfback pass play that won the game.

It worked to perfection.

Nate Sheppard adding a passing touchdown since some the @HeismanTrophy is a quarterback award 👀 — Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) October 24, 2026

Eget threw a backward pass to the right sideline to Sheppard. That pulled the defense up, and Keefe snuck in behind the secondary. Keefe, a freshman who played at Myers Park High in Charlotte, was wide open as Sheppard lofted the ball to him at the goal line for the touchdown.

The reigning ACC champs still have life in the 2026 conference race and need just one more win for bowl eligibility.

Duke Football at Virginia: Notable Names and Numbers

Duke finished with just 71 yards on the ground, far off its season pace. But the Blue Devils were able to move the ball through the air, finishing with 256 passing yards.
Virginia dominated time of possession 38:47 to 21:13. But the Cavaliers couldn’t finish off drives, converting only five of 17 plays on third down and missing a field goal.
Duke QB Walker Eget finished 14-of-25 for 211 yards and one interception.
Neither starting quarterback threw a touchdown pass. Virginia’s Beau Pribula went 15-of-24 for 158 yards and the game-ending interception.
Virginia’s Jekail Middlebrook rushed for 117 yards on 24 carries, scoring once. Pribula carried 21 times for 66 yards, fumbling once.
Nick Morris of Duke led all tacklers with 11 stops, including five solos. Teammate DaShawn Stone added nine tackles, with Patrick Smith-Young making eight.

What’s Next?

Duke football and Virginia both continue ACC play on Halloween. The Blue Devils return home to face Boston College at noon. The Cavaliers will travel to Wake Forest, which will be coming off a bye.