Film Room: Duke football vs. Virginia

Virginia has been off to a surprising start this season, posting a 3-1 record and notching impressive victories over Connecticut and Boise State. In order to secure those wins, the Cavaliers have leaned on an impressive passing game—led by senior Kurt Benkert—and a stout, opportunistic defense, with star linebacker Micah Kiser at its center. 

As Benkert has developed chemistry with his weapons, he has used his experience to try and push the ball downfield more—several of his big plays against Boise State came on deep connections. The quarterback is only as good as his offensive line, however, and the Cavalier pass-blockers excelled at dominating the line of scrimmage, allowing Benkert to go through his progressions. This was best demonstrated when he connected on a 64-yard touchdown pass to Andre Levrone in the third quarter. Given the strength of the pass-blocking up front, if Duke fails to generate a pass rush in a conventional defense, then Benkert could beat them deep, and the senior’s experience would enable to him to make the right reads if the Blue Devils can only rush via blitzing. Here's a clip of Benkert's 64-yard connection to Lervrone Sept. 22nd.

Likewise, the Cavalier defense has preyed on opponents, forcing at least one turnover in every game they have played so far. Kiser has led the way with 45 tackles, five sacks, a pass defense and a fumble recovery. Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall is a respected defensive mind and has made use of his multifaceted linebacker accordingly. Kiser is frequently deployed as a pass rusher running from the edge, or dropping back into coverage against tight ends and backs. Kiser flies to the ball between the sticks, and has demonstrated an ability to come down the A-Gap between the center and the right guard to run freely at the quarterback. Given Duke’s struggle to protect Daniel Jones against Miami last week, Virginia and Kiser will be relentlessly attacking the Blue Devil offensive line with speedy blitzes. The Cavaliers had success attacking Jones in the teams' meeting a year ago, forcing a fumble in their opponent's end zone.