Armstrong, Cavaliers roll over hapless Duke, 48-0
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Brennan Armstrong threw for two first-half touchdowns and ran for another and Virginia scored on all six possessions before halftime in a 48-0 victory over Duke, it’s seventh straight in the series.
Armstrong hit Dontayvion Wicks on a 20-yard corner route and Jelani Wood with five seconds left in the first half as the Cavaliers (5-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) built a 34-0 lead. The touchdown just before halftime came as intermittent rain began to fall more significantly, sending fans to the exits.
The victory margin was the Cavaliers’ largest since they beat VMI 49-0 in 2013, and largest in an ACC game since they beat Miami 48-0 in 2007.
The Blue Devils (3-4, 0-3) arrived third in the league with an average of 496.8 yards of offense, but mounted just one drive in the first half. It ended when Matt Alswanger banged a 25-yard field goal attempt off the left upright. A fourth-and-5 pass from the Cavaliers’ 19 was batted down in the third quarter.
Duke had a first-and-goal chance at the Virginia 1 in the closing minutes, but a first down run yielded no gain and backup quarterback Riley Leonard fumbled on the next play with T.C. Harrison recovering to preserve the shutout.
Armstrong, second nationally with an average of 410 passing yards coming into the game, had 296 by halftime and finished with 364. He also scored on a 7-yard run, and saw Keytaon Thompson turn a shovel pass into a 19-yard completion. Thompson ran it on from the 1 on the next play.
HONORING DEX
Virginia honored 2020 College Football Hall of Fame selection Anthony Poindexter during a first half timeout. Poindexter, one of the best defensive backs in school history, was a two-time first-team All-American during his career (1995-98) and played three seasons in the NFL. He also coached at Virginia for 11 years and is now the co-defensive coordinator at Penn State.
THE TAKEAWAY
Duke: Signs that it might be a tough day for the Blue Devils came quickly. They twice dropped interception opportunities in the first half. The first turned into a crazy play as Jeremiah Lewis made a play on the ball, had it go through his hands and up into air where Billy Kemp ran under it for a 21-yard gain.
Virginia: The Cavaliers spared themselves another nail-biting outing. They were coming off consecutive league road wins for the first time since 2011, and both came when the opposing placekicker missed a field goal in the final minute.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils have a bye next weekend, then play at No. 16 Wake Forest.
The Cavaliers remain at home, facing Georgia Tech next Saturday.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.
Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
