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Next Up For Duke Football: Virginia

And the weather should be...interesting.

By JD King
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 02 Temple at Duke
DURHAM, NC - SEPTEMBER 02: Duke Blue Devils running back Jordan Waters (7) breaks through the defense during the college football game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Temple Owls on September 2, 2022, in Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, NC.
Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Time 7:30 || Date: 9/30 || Video RSN/ESPN3 || Venue Wallace Wade

Duke and Virginia tangle Saturday and that should be interesting in several ways: first, Duke is 3-1 and Virginia is 2-2. Both teams have new coaches - Mike Elko replaces David Cutcliffe for Duke while Tony Elliott took over for Bronco Mendenhall at UVA.

Both men were interested in Duke’s open position but Elliott ultimately preferred Virginia.

Elliott was the offensive coordinator for Clemson while Elko was the defensive coordinator for Texas A&M.

And of course there is the weather: it’s not clear how much rain Ian will have left on Saturday but good luck getting rid of Friday’s deluge. It’s going to be a wet, messy field and passes are going to be a particular challenge.

All of which means that even if you think Duke has been playing better, which would be quite reasonable but not necessarily true, it may not matter. This game could tilt on a fumble or a broken play.

From a fan’s point of view, however many show up to sit in what could be driving rain and still-strong winds, they’re likely to get a throwback game. High tech offense won’t work; in fact, passing may be very iffy. Running may be too, for that matter.

This game is likely to be the college football equivalent of trench warfare.

Update: Weather’s looking a lot better than expected. C’mon out!

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