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Virginia offense looks impressive as defense loses a major piece

By Kevin Connelly

MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: Bryce Perkins #3 and Jordan Mack #4 of the Virginia Cavaliers take the field prior to the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on October 11, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 11: Bryce Perkins #3 and Jordan Mack #4 of the Virginia Cavaliers take the field prior to the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on October 11, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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The Duke Football team will face the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon and the Cavs have looked impressive on offense but just lost a major piece on defense.

Coming into the season the Virginia Cavaliers seemed to be the class of the ACC Coastal Division, and through seven weeks, there are several teams right on the heels of the Cavs.

Led by quarterback Bryce Perkins, Virginia rattled off four straight wins to open the season, highlighted by a road win over Pittsburgh and a home win against Florida State.

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However, the last game of that winning streak showed some trouble for Virginia with just a 28-17 win over Old Dominion, which the Cavaliers trailed 17-7 at halftime.

Virginia followed that game up with back to back road losses, starting with a 35-20 loss over then No. 9 Notre Dame and a 17-9 defeat to the Miami Hurricanes.

In the loss to Miami, Virginia lost more than just a game, they lost All-American cornerback Bryce Hall.

Hall was ranked as one of the top cornerbacks according to ESPN’s Todd McShay for the 2020 NFL Draft.

On the offensive side of the ball Bryce Perkins is completing 65.1% of his passes for a total of eight touchdowns and six interceptions. Perkins is also a threat with his legs, being the second leading rusher on the team with 191 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

The leading rusher on the Virginia Cavaliers is Wayne Taulapapa who has 210 yards on 57 attempts and five touchdowns.

Perkins has a lot of weapons that he spreads the ball to on offense but his top three targets are wide receivers Hasise Dubois, Joe Reed, and Terrell Jana.

Reed leads the team in receptions at 37 with 355 yards and a team high four touchdowns, while Dubois leads the team in receiving yards 427 on 32 receptions and two touchdowns.

Terrell Jana has yet to find the end zone this season but has 24 receptions for 224 yards.

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The Duke Blue Devil defense will have its work cut out for them on Saturday, October 19 against the Virginia Cavaliers with kickoff set for 3:30pm EST on the ACC Network.

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