Friday night is usually dominated by high school football across the country, but every week, we get a nice slate of college football action, and the Duke Blue Devils and Virginia Cavaliers didn't disappoint. A wild finish ended in a crucial win for Duke to move to 5-1 and 2-2 in ACC play.
Following the game, I spent some time analyzing the matchup and snap counts posted by Pro Football Focus. Here are some of my key takeaways from those snaps and how they compared to what I saw on the field on Friday night.
Oct 23, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Brody Keefe (18) celebrates after scoring the game-winning touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Blue Devils maintained yet another steady rotation at wide receiver. The most interesting part of the offensive snap counts was true freshman Brody Keefe, who had 22 snaps but made some of the biggest plays of the game, including the game-winning touchdown catch.
Jared Richardson led all receivers for Duke in snaps (33), followed by Jaivon Solomon (28), Jonah Burton (23), and Keefe. Kavon Simmons and Javen Nicholas were all in single-digit snaps for the night.
Oct 23, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Beau Pribula (7) runs with the ball past Duke Blue Devils defensive end Tyshon Reed (10) during the first half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Duke is using a three-man rotation at edge rusher between Bryce Davis (46), Kevin O'Connor (46), and Tyshon Reed Jr. (42), who had the fewest snaps of the trio by a handful of plays, though he remained the most impactful with five total pressures and a sack.
What I saw during the game was that Duke kept all three on the field in NASCAR packages to counter the mobility of Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula, and they did a fairly good job.
Oct 23, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back CJ Campbell Jr. (0) carries the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With Nate Sheppard's ankle injury, I was expecting a similar snap count to last week, where Campbell carried the ball nine times for 61 yards. Instead, he played just three snaps for the whole game, but his most impactful play was a 12-yard run that almost turned a 3rd & 14 early in the game into a first down. Don't expect this to be the norm, as sometimes this is the way it goes, so Campbell should see a deliberate increase in touches against Boston College.
When watching the game live, I noticed how much defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke deployed his linebackers, utilizing their two-deep room. Star linebacker Luke Mergott led the way with 67 snaps, followed by Nick Morris Jr. (61), Kendall Johnson (42), and Bradley Gompers (38), who played the most snaps of his season. The linebacker usage was to counter Pribula on the ground, replacing the nickel defender at times.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke vs. UVA: Key Snap Count Takeaways From Road Win .
