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Durham: Duke visits Virginia Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN

The Blue Devils are 4-2 and 1-2 in the ACC after a 24-20 home loss to UNC. Kickoff at Scott Stadium is 7 p.m. Eastern.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

The downtown Durham skyline under an overcast sky

File photo: Discover Durham (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Duke plays at Virginia on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at 7 p.m. Eastern at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. The game is on ESPN.Confirmed by Duke Athletics schedule, game center and Virginia game notes; Virginia Athletics Oct. 21 preview; ACC
  • Duke is 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. Virginia is 4-3 and 2-2.Confirmed by Duke Athletics schedule, game center and game notes; Virginia Athletics Oct. 21 preview
  • UNC beat Duke 24-20 on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. Virginia lost 23-13 at then-No. 24 SMU the same weekend.Confirmed by Duke Athletics UNC recap; Virginia Athletics Oct. 21 preview
  • Friday is the 78th meeting. Virginia leads the series 42-35. Last season Virginia won 34-17 in Durham, then Duke won the ACC championship game 27-20 in overtime in Charlotte.Confirmed by Duke Athletics Virginia game notes; Virginia Athletics Oct. 21 preview; ACC Friday preview
  • Duke's notes say the Blue Devils have not won in Charlottesville since a 35-22 game in 2013.Confirmed by Duke Athletics Virginia game notes, Oct. 19, 2026
  • Duke running back Nate Sheppard has 820 rushing yards and 259 receiving yards. Both schools' notes say he leads FBS players in all-purpose yards per game at 179.8 and is third nationally in rushing yards per game at 136.7.Confirmed by Duke Athletics game center and Virginia game notes; Virginia Athletics Oct. 21 preview
  • Duke's next listed home game is Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 31, at noon.Confirmed by Duke Athletics 2026 football schedule

Still unknown

  • Either team's injury report for Friday

What happened

In Durham, Duke football goes on the road Friday night for a short-week ACC game.

Kickoff against Virginia is 7 p.m. Eastern at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. The game is on ESPN. Duke's schedule, game center and Oct. 19 game notes all list that time. Virginia's Oct. 21 preview and the ACC's Friday preview match it.

The records

Duke is 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the ACC. UNC won 24-20 at Wallace Wade Stadium on Oct. 17. Virginia is 4-3 and 2-2 after a 23-13 loss at then-No. 24 SMU the same weekend. Those marks are on both schools' official pages.

The series

Friday is the 78th meeting. Virginia leads 42-35. Last fall the teams played twice. Virginia won 34-17 in Durham. Duke then won the ACC championship game 27-20 in overtime in Charlotte. Duke's packet says it has not won in Charlottesville since 2013.

Who to know

Running back Nate Sheppard has 820 rushing yards and 259 receiving yards, the game center says. Both schools list him as the FBS leader in all-purpose yards per game, at 179.8.

Neither school posted a Friday injury report that we could read. The notes say center Matt Craycraft missed the UNC game because of an injury. They do not say whether he will play Friday.

Friday

  • Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, Scott Stadium, Charlottesville
  • TV: ESPN
  • Records: Duke 4-2 (1-2 ACC); Virginia 4-3 (2-2 ACC)

Duke then hosts Boston College on Oct. 31 at noon, the schedule says.

This site is not Duke Athletics.

Why it matters

Duke is Durham's ACC football team and is 4-2 after two straight close losses. Friday is a short-week road game on ESPN against a league opponent it just met twice last year.

Sources

  1. 2026 Football Schedule (4-2, 1-2 ACC; at Virginia, Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m.)

    Official sourcePublished by Duke Athletics · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:30 PM

  2. Football at Virginia on 10/23/2026, game center (7 p.m., ESPN, Scott Stadium, Charlottesville)

    Official sourcePublished by Duke Athletics · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:30 PM

  3. 2026 Football at Virginia: Game Notes (PDF, posted Oct. 19, 2026: Duke 4-2, 1-2 ACC; Virginia 4-3, 2-2; 7 p.m., ESPN, Scott Stadium; series 42-35; last Charlottesville win 2013)

    Official sourcePublished by Duke Athletics · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:30 PM

  4. Virginia Hosts Duke in Friday Night ACC Championship Rematch (Oct. 21, 2026: 7 p.m., ESPN; records 4-3 / 4-2; 34-17 and 27-20 overtime last season)

    Official sourcePublished by Virginia Athletics · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:30 PM

  5. Week 8 Friday Preview: ACC Football Friday Presents ESPN Doubleheader (Oct. 21, 2026: Duke at Virginia, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

    Official sourcePublished by Atlantic Coast Conference · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:30 PM

  6. Duke's Comeback Effort Falls Short in 24-20 Loss to North Carolina

    Official sourcePublished by Duke Athletics · Checked Oct 22, 2026, 8:30 PM

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