Darian Mensah threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns to Jeremiah Hasley to lead Duke to a 27-20 overtime win over No. 17 Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.
After Mensah found Hasley for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in overtime, Luke Mergott intercepted Chandler Morris on the first play of Virginia’s overtime drive to secure the victory.
The win clinched the Blue Devils’ (8-5) first outright ACC championship since 1962 and avenged their 34-17 home loss to Virginia 21 days ago.
It also may have cost the ACC a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff, denying what would have been a certain bid for the Cavaliers (10-3).
Duke head coach Manny Diaz, though, vehemently disagrees with the possibility that the ACC could be shut out of the playoff.
“The ACC champion should go to the College Football Playoff this year and every year,” Diaz said postgame. “We’ll be very excited to find out how they rule on that (Sunday).”
Trailing 20-10 with 5:02 left after a Duke field goal, Virginia strung together a quick 50-yard drive to set up Will Bettridge’s 42-yard field goal with 3:54 left and then got a defensive stop.
Morris capped off a 10-play, 96-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Eli Wood with 22 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
“I obviously don’t like the outcome, but at the end of the day, our guys fought,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. “They fought all the way to the end, they believed they were going to win the game. We came up a few plays short.”
Mensah completed 19 of 25 passes (75%), throwing his 29th and 30th touchdowns and fifth interception of the season. Cooper Barkate caught five passes for a game-high 91 yards. Hasley caught three passes, two of which were touchdowns.
“Shoutout to my o-line, shoutout to my defense,” Mensah, who was named ACC championship game MVP, said. “Those guys played their asses off.”
Morris was 21-of-40 passing for 216 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. J’Mari Taylor had 99 yards from scrimmage (65 rushing, 34 receiving) and a TD.
The Blue Devils made a statement to begin the game, receiving the opening kickoff and going on a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock before Mensah found Hasley for a 12-yard touchdown pass.
After a missed field goal on Virginia’s opening possession, Corey Costner’s interception set up Virginia’s game-tying touchdown when Morris threw a screen pass to Taylor, who scored from 11 yards out.
Duke responded right back with another extended drive, this one 13 plays and 8:02 of game time, before retaking the lead on Nate Sheppard’s 16-yard TD run.
Virginia finished the first half with 115 yards, 9:31 time of possession and seven points.
The Cavaliers did put together a promising drive after receiving the ball to start the second half, but the 17-play drive stalled inside the 10, resulting in a 24-yard Bettridge field goal that cut the deficit to 14-10.
Duke again responded with a score, this time Todd Pelino’s 29-yard field goal that restored its lead to seven points late in the third quarter.
The Blue Devils added to their lead when Caleb Weaver’s interception set up another Pelino field goal that made it 20-10.
–Field Level Media
