X-Factor: Duke football looking for repeat showing from Victor Dimukeje

After a 2-1 start to conference play, the Blue Devils find themselves tied atop the Coastal Division. This week, they'll face a Virginia team tabbed as the pre-season division favorites, and Duke should be plenty motivated with the Cavaliers' recent dominance in the series. The Blue Zone gives you a player from each team who could alter the outcome of Saturday's matchup:

Duke: Defensive End Victor Dimukeje

Victor Dimukeje has already shown that he likes to hit quarterbacks. Often. The junior leads the Blue Devil pass rush with five sacks, all of which have come in the last two games. He got a taste of what a multi-sack game was like two weeks ago in the Blue Devils' heartbreaking defeat to Pittsburgh. Though the loss to the Panthers hurt the Blue Devils' bid for a birth in the ACC Championship, it was not a complete loss on the day. Dimukeje clearly found his secret formula for success as he followed that game up with a three sack performance the next week against Georgia Tech. 

Playing against an inconsistent Virginia offense, this week will provide the opportunity for Dimukeje to make his presence felt. The Virginia gunslinger, Bryce Perkins, has thrown eight touchdowns and six interceptions on the year and has exposed that he struggles with completing passes when the pocket gets messy, despite his tendency to tuck the ball and run. Keep an eye out for Dimukeje to come out firing on all cylinders, looking for another multi-sack game.

Virginia: Quarterback Bryce Perkins

Perkins is a quarterback coach’s dream. Standing in at 6’3 and 215 lbs, one cannot help but notice that Perkins is an ideal quarterback protege. Along with a strong arm, the senior has a Russell Wilson-like athletic ability that allows him to turn what should be negative plays into a net gain. Perkins’ season has been plagued with inconsistency, however, as he has shown the ability to put up big time numbers, but has rarely done so. With the Cavaliers' offense still looking for their identity, Perkins’ performance this Saturday will be crucial for their success.

Through the first half of the season, Virginia's offensive coaches have made it clear that they will be putting all of their eggs in Perkins’ basket. The past two weeks, in what have been the biggest two matchups of their season thus far, Perkins has thrown over 40 passes each game. With the Cavaliers' offensive line struggling as of late and the team failing to score a touchdown on six red zone trips last week, head coach Bronco Mendenhall will lean on Perkins once again. If Virginia has any hope of avoiding a three game skid, their star signal caller will need to reach his ceiling and play his first mistake-free football game of the 2019 campaign.