The No. 19 Virginia Cavaliers took care of business on Saturday afternoon, manhandling Duke to the tune of a 34-17 victory on the road in Durham. With the win, the ’Hoos improved to 9-2 and took another
significant step toward securing a spot in the ACC Championship Game on December 6th.
The ’Hoos were dominant on both sides of the ball against the Blue Devils, and the ACC took notice, awarding running back J’Mari Taylor, wide receiver Trell Harris, and defensive lineman Fisher Camac each with ACC Player of the Week honors for their performances.
Taylor, a grad transfer from NC Central who now leads the conference with 917 rushing yards, took home his first ACC Running Back of the Week recognition after powering for 113 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns against the Blue Devils.
The 5-foot-9, 204-pound workhorse had 18 carries on Saturday, and capped off his night with a 78-yard house-call in the third quarter (his second score of the afternoon), putting the ’Hoos up 31-3. It’s the fourth time this year that Taylor has rushed for multiple touchdowns in a game this season, bringing his season total up to 13 (tops in the ACC).
While Taylor was carving up Duke on the ground, wide receiver Trell Harris was beating the Blue Devils over the top. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior from La Grange, Illinois, took home ACC Receiver of the Week honors for the second time this season after finishing his afternoon in Durham with career-highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (161).
Harris’s 161-yard outburst was the sixth-highest mark for any ACC receiver in a game this season, and he added a team-high fifth receiving touchdown of the season on a 20-yard strike from Chandler Morris midway through the third quarter.
Harris, who also took home the Receiver of the Week honors after lighting up Stanford for 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns in Virginia’s ACC opener, is now up to fifth in the conference with 766 receiving yards on the year.
Virginia’s offense turned in its first 500-yard output since September 20th against Stanford, but the defense was equally dominant, holding the Blue Devils to just 255 total yards and 11 first downs. At the forefront of the defensive effort was 6-foot-7 senior Fisher Camac, who was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after recording six tackles (including 2.5 tackles for loss) and two sacks.
Camac, who now has 4.5 sacks on the season, joins Mitchell Melton as the second Cavalier defensive lineman to take home ACC Player of the Week this season. As a unit, the ’Hoos have allowed fewer than 300 total yards in three consecutive games as John Rudzinski’s group has really come into its own down the stretch.
It’s the fourth time this season that at least three Cavaliers have earned player of the week recognition, and the latest batch of ’Hoos to earn the award brings Virginia’s total for the season up to 17, a mark that ties the program record set in 1996.
After Saturday’s complete performance, UVA – which has a chance to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game despite being off this weekend – now has plenty of time to prepare for next Saturday’s showdown with Virginia Tech. Stay tuned to Streaking the Lawn for all your Commonwealth Clash content ahead of Thanksgiving weekend.
