Duke's Double-Pass Magic Stuns Virginia 19-16 as Sheppard's Trick TD Ends Late-Game Woes

Manny Diaz rolled the dice, and Duke finally cashed in. The Blue Devils snapped a two-game losing streak with a 19-16 victory at Virginia on Friday night, sealed by one of the gutsiest calls of the college football season.

Trailing 16-13 with under 90 seconds left, Duke dialed up a double pass. Quarterback Walker Eget — who missed most of the first half with an apparent hand injury before returning — flipped the ball back to running back Nate Sheppard, who faked the run and launched a perfect 28-yard strike to a wide-open Brody Keefe with 1:14 to play. Gavin Strange missed the extra point, keeping it 19-16, but on fourth-and-6 Virginia's Beau Pribula was intercepted by Patrick Smith-Young to end it.

Sheppard, the ACC's leading rusher, was held to 55 yards on 15 carries but produced the season's most important throw. Duke (5-2, 2-2 ACC) had scored first on Sheppard's 32-yard run, then stalled as Virginia took a 13-7 halftime lead behind Will Bettridge's three field goals and Jekail Middlebrook's 117-yard, one-touchdown night.

For Duke it was sweet revenge after the teams split last season — Virginia winning the regular-season meeting before Duke took the ACC championship in overtime. The Blue Devils host Boston College on October 31 with bowl eligibility on the line.