Duke beats Virginia 19-16 on late Sheppard touchdown pass

Virginia gave up a touchdown pass with 1:14 left and lost 19-16 to Duke on Friday night at Scott Stadium, falling to 4-4 on the season.

The Cavaliers had just taken the lead. Will Bettridge hit a 30-yard field goal with 3:00 remaining to put Virginia up 16-13. Duke answered with a seven-play, 75-yard drive. Nate Sheppard threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brody Keefe to make it 19-16. Duke's extra point failed.

Virginia had one more possession. Beau Pribula ran for 13 yards on the first play, then was sacked by Che Ojarikre. On fourth-and-6, Pribula's pass was intercepted by Patrick Smith-Young at the Duke 34, and Duke kneeled out the clock.

How the game unfolded

Duke scored first on a 32-yard Sheppard run, and Virginia tied it on Jekail Middlebrook's 1-yard run late in the first quarter. Bettridge added field goals of 21 yards in the second quarter and 32 yards as the half expired, giving Virginia a 13-7 halftime lead.

The second half belonged to the kickers. Duke's Gavin Strange kicked a 39-yarder in the third quarter and another from 39 yards in the fourth to tie it at 13-13. Virginia was held scoreless in the third quarter and missed one field goal, going 3 for 4 on the day.

Virginia's numbers

The Cavaliers controlled the ball for 38:47 to Duke's 21:13 and outgained the Blue Devils 353 yards to 327. They had 22 first downs to Duke's 16 and ran 53 times for 195 yards.

Middlebrook led the way with 117 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Pribula went 15 of 24 for 158 yards with one interception, added 66 rushing yards, and lost a fumble. John Rogers caught five passes for 65 yards. Kam Robinson had a sack and an interception, and Christian Ellis led Virginia with six tackles.

Virginia turned the ball over twice, on the fumble and the final interception, while Duke committed one turnover. Daniel Sparks punted five times for a 56.2-yard average, with a long of 66.

Duke's numbers

The Blue Devils did their damage through the air. Walker Eget threw for 211 yards on 14 of 25 passing with one interception, and Jonah Burton had four catches for 59 yards. Jake Taylor had a 43-yard catch. Duke converted just 2 of 10 third downs. Ojarikre had two sacks, and Nick Morris Jr. led all players with 11 tackles.

Virginia will travel to face Wake Forest on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at 3:45 p.m. ET.