Duke, Virginia Are Facing Are Opposing Each Other For Second Time In 2025 Season Saturday Night In Charlotte This Time, With Atlantic Coast Conference Championship At Stake
Duke, Virginia are facing are opposing each other for second time in 2025 season Saturday night in Charlotte this time, with Atlantic Coast Conference Championship at stake.
Duke is the Atlantic Coast Conference championship because following 21st ranked SMU scoring 21 unanswered California would knock-off SMU 38-35 as running back Kendrick Raphael would run for 2 yard touchdown , Chase Meyer would kick, make extra point on Saturday November 29, 2025 in Berkely California. Virginia is in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship because they’re leading the way in the standings.
Duke, Virginia already opposed each other once this season on Saturday November 15, 2025 in Durham.
Where?
On the gridiron!
Duke was defensively , offensively dismal in 34-17 loss to then 19th Virginia on Saturday November 15, 2025 in Durham.
Where?
On the gridiron!
Defensively Duke surrendered 34 points to then 19th ranked Virginia four of those 34 points were touchdowns.
In 1st quarter tight Sage Ennis caught 12 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chandler Morris, Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending 19th ranked Virginia lead over Duke 14-3. In the 3rd quarter Trell Harris who is wide receiver caught 20 yard pass from Chandler Morris , Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending Virginia’s lead over Duke 14-3 . In the 3rd quarter Terrell Harris who is a wide receiver caught 20 yard pass from Chandler Morris , Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending Virginia’s lead over Duke 24-3 before running back Jmari Taylor ran for 78 yard yard touchdown , Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending Virginia’s lead over Duke 31-3 . In the 4th quarter Duke finally got going offensively as wide receiver Cooper Barkate caught 11 yard pass from quarterback Darian Mensah, Todd Pelino kicked, made extra point before linebacker Tre Freeman returned an interception for touchdown.
According to espn app
Following Duke being defensively, offensively dismal 34-17 loss to 19th ranked Virginia Saturday in Durham Head Coach Manny Diaz had this to say about his teams performance his teams 34-17 loss to 19th ranked Virginia about how Virginia played offensively!
Very disappointing,”We were thoroughly outclassed in every category by Virginia.Give them full credit. I think that’s as well as they’ve played all year. I think their quarterback was outstanding and in control throughout the course of the game, coupled with one of the poorest performances of our season, offensively.”
It starts up front,”“We didn’t play to the level, if felt like, that we normally do up front, from the first play of the game being a sack, to our inability to run the football to constantly being in long-yard situations early on. “And then we were just off on our passing game. It didn’t look like us, didn’t look like how we’ve looked.”
We allowed them to make long drives, which keeps our offense out of rhythm and gives us fewer at-bats,”
According to Chip Alexander News & Observer article https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article312864144.html
Meanwhile,
Virginia did anything and everything they wanted to do offensively! In 1st quarter tight Sage Ennis caught 12 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chandler Morris, Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending 19th ranked Virginia lead over Duke 14-3. In the 3rd quarter Trell Harris who is wide receiver caught 20 yard pass from Chandler Morris , Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending Virginia’s lead over Duke 14-3 . In the 3rd quarter Terrell Harris who is a wide receiver caught 20 yard pass from Chandler Morris , Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending Virginia’s lead over Duke 24-3 before running back Jmari Taylor ran for 78 yard yard touchdown , Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point extending Virginia’s lead over Duke 31-3.
Following Virginia’s 34-17 win over Duke on Saturday November 15, 2025 in Durham Head Coach Tony Elliott had this to say about his defense!
The defense’s development has allowed “the offense to be able to go out and know that they don’t have to be perfect,”that they’ve got their brothers on the other side of the ball that are going to be there with them and play complementary football.”
“I felt like this was probably the most complete game that we’ve played in all three phases,”There was a little bit of a lull right there in the fourth quarter,”“but I thought [the Hoos] turned it back on and finished it right way.”
Following Virginia’s 34-17 win over Duke on Saturday November 15, 2025 in Durham Defensive Tackle Jacob Holmes had this to say!
We just keep getting better every week, week by week,”
According to Jeff White’s article https://virginiasports.com/news/2025/11/15/complementary-football-steers-no-20-19-virginia-in-acc-road-win-over-duke/
Duke comes into the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship with Virginia with record of 7-5 overall 6-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference is second in the standings behind Virginia because Duke has won two straight games including their final regular season game against Wake Forest via score of 49-32 on Saturday November 29, 2025 in Durham where in the 1st quarter Nate Sheppard who is a running back Nate Sheppard ran for 5 yard touchdown , Todd Pelino would kick, make extra point. Darian Mensah who is quarterback ran for 4 yard run , Todd Pelino kicked, made extra point putting Duke up 14-3. In the 2nd quarter Anderson Castle who is a senior a running back ran for 1 yard touchdown. Todd Pelino kicked, made extra point extending Duke’s lead 21-10 before Wake Forest responded as Karate Brunson caught 20 yard pass from quarterback Robby Ashford , Connor Calvert kicked, made extra point cutting Duke’s lead Wake Forest deficit 21-17 . In the 3rd quarter Duke scored a pair of touchdowns as Sahmir Hagans who is a senior a wide receiver caught 30 yard pass from Darian Mensah, Todd Pelino, kicked, made extra point extending lead to 28-17 before senior running back Anderson Castle ran for 2 yard touchdown, Todd Pelino kicked, made extra point extending Duke’s lead over Wake Forest 35-17 before Robby Ashford ran for 10 yards before running completing two point conversion. In 4th quarter Nate Sheppard who is a running back ran for 13 yard touchdown , Todd Pelino kicked, made extra point extending Duke’s lead 42-25 before Ty Clarke III yard run Connor Calvert kicked, made extra point trimming Duke’s lead Wake Forest deficit 42-32 before Jeremiah Hasley who junior tight end caught 11 yard pass from Darian Mensah making final score 49-32 Duke.
Following Duke beating Wake Forest 49-32 on Saturday in Durham Duke Head Coach Manny Diaz had this to say about his team!
I’m immensely proud of this football team,”In a way, I told them, I’m maybe even more proud of this team than last year’s team that won more games because of what this team went through, and what they had to overcome and how they had to stick together. “The game was about as we expected, I think kind of similar to our season. It was never going to be about perfection. It was going to be about persistence.
According to Chip Alexander News & Observer article https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article313097196.html
Following Duke beating Wake Forest 49-32 on Saturday in Durham Duke, Head Coach Manny Diaz learning Duke would be playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship on Saturday December 6, 2025 in Charlotte because following 21st ranked SMU scoring 21 unanswered California would knock-off SMU 38-35 as running back Kendrick Raphael would run for 2 yard touchdown , Chase Meyer would kick, make extra point.
Following Duke beating Wake Forest 49-32 on Saturday in Durham Duke linebacker Luke Margot concluded his press conference with Go Cal because if Cal won SMU lost which they did because as stated above following 21st ranked SMU scoring 21 unanswered California would knock-off SMU 38-35 as running back Kendrick Raphael would run for 2 yard touchdown , Chase Meyer would kick, make extra point.
Virginia comes into the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship with record of 10-2 overall 7-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference is leading the way in the standings because Virginia like Duke is on a two game winning streak because now 17th ranked Virginia routed Virginia Tech 27-7 on Saturday November 29, 2025 in Charlottesville.
In the 1st quarter Jmari Taylor who is running back ran 1 yard Will Bettridge kicked, made extra point putting Virginia ahead of Virginia Tech 7-0 . From there Virginia would go on to extend their lead on Virginia Tech as Sage Ennis who is a tight end would catch 1 yard pass touchdown pass from quaterback Jamari Taylor Will Bettridge would kick, make extra point extending Virginia’s lead over Virginia Tech 14-0 in 2nd quarter . In the 3rd quarter Will Bettridge would kick, make 27 yard field goal extending Virginia’s lead on Virginia Tech yet again this time 17-0 before Chandler Morris who is quarterback ran for 8 yards for touchdown Will Bettridge would kick, make extra point extending Virginia’s lead on Virginia Tech yet again this time, 24-0. In the 4th quarter Virginia would extend their lead yet again this time 27-0 before Virginia Tech would finally get on scoreboard as Shamarius Peterkin who is wide receiver would catch 57 yard pass from quarterback Kyron Drones , John Love, would kick, make extra point.
According ESPN App
Following Virginia’s 27-7 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday November 29, 2025 in Charlottesville Head Coach Tony Elliott had this to say!
“It’s been a long time coming, but the cup is ours,”Now we’ve got the responsibility to keep it here. Every day this is what we fight for.”
According to Jeff White article https://virginiasports.com/news/2025/11/29/no-17-18-virginia-dominates-hokies-clinches-berth-in-acc-championship/
Kick-Off is set for 8:00pm from Bank Of America Stadium that is home to Carolina Panthers Of The NFL!
The game is going to be televised on ABC with Sean McDonough , Greg McElroy , Molly McGarth, Taylor McGregor commentating!
Sean McDonough is one of sports television’s most versatile broadcasters. He is a leading play-by-play commentator for ESPN college football and basketball games in addition to calling the NHL, the PGA Championship and the annual Par 3 Contest at The Masters. McDonough has covered the World Series, NCAA Final Four, the Olympic Games, Monday Night Football and all four major golf championships, among other marquee events during his accomplished career.
In 2021, McDonough was named lead play by play announcer for the NHL on ESPN and ABC, providing commentary for regular season and playoff games (including the Stanley Cup Final) as part of The Walt Disney Company’s return to the sport.
A longtime voice on ESPN college sports, McDonough calls a premier ESPN/ABC college football game each week, as well as one of the College Football Playoff Semifinals, and the National Championship on ESPN Radio.
From 2016-17, McDonough spent two seasons as the voice of Monday Night Football. He became just the fifth person to occupy the coveted MNF play-by-play position, following broadcasting stalwarts Keith Jackson, Frank Gifford, Al Michaels and Mike Tirico.
During the college basketball season, McDonough calls ACC Big Monday games. He has also called the NCAA Final Four on four occasions for ESPN International, including the past five years alongside Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas. For many years, McDonough, Bilas and Bill Raftery called Big Monday BIG EAST games for ESPN. Their work included the historic six-overtime Syracuse-UConn BIG EAST Tournament game at Madison Square Garden in 2009. The telecast won the Global Media Award for “Best Live Game or Event” as presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences that year.
McDonough has been with ESPN since 1989 – with the exception of 1996-99, when he worked exclusively for CBS. Before being named to the MNF booth, he called Saturday afternoon ABC college football games from 2000-2015. In 2015, he had arguably the signature call of the season on the game-winning punt block and touchdown return as time expired in Michigan State’s miraculous victory over archrival Michigan. For 2015, Sports Illustrated named McDonough and partner Chris Spielman the Broadcast Team of the Year in the annual SI Media Awards.
A leading voice in ESPN’s golf coverage, McDonough serves as a hole announcer and host for the annual PGA Championship and is the voice of the annual Par 3 Contest at The Masters. He was also previously part of ESPN’s presentation of the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and other golf events.
Throughout his three decades with ESPN, McDonough has also voiced Major League Baseball Monday Night Baseball telecasts and provided play-by-play for tennis, the College World Series, and he has called the national championship game in college lacrosse, soccer and hockey. From 2013-15, he also called NFL games for ESPN Radio.
McDonough was the television play-by-play announcer for the Boston Red Sox from 1988-2004, during which time he was honored four times with the New England Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Play-by-Play. In 2019, he rejoined the Red Sox as a member of their radio broadcast team.
McDonough spent 10 years at CBS Sports and was the lead college football play-by-play announcer from 1997-99. In 1992 and 1993, he and Tim McCarver formed the network’s lead Major League Baseball broadcast team, calling the All-Star Game, the National League Championship Series and the World Series. He provided historic calls, including Atlanta’s Sid Bream’s scoring of the winning run in game 7 of the ’92 NLCS and Joe Carter’s series-ending walk-off home run in game 6 of the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays.
During his decade at CBS, McDonough provided commentary for a diverse array of sporting broadcasts, including men’s and women’s college basketball, NFL, The Masters and PGA Championship, and US Open Tennis. He worked 10 NCAA men’s basketball tournaments, and he contributed to CBS’ coverage of the Olympic Winter Games, calling the bobsled and luge competitions in 1992 and 1994 and ice hockey in 1998.
A native of Boston, McDonough graduated cum laude from Syracuse University in 1984 with a degree in broadcast journalism. In May 2007, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Southern Vermont College in recognition of his career, community service and personal achievements. He was also the Commencement Speaker at the graduation ceremony.
In 2014, McDonough was named to the Hall of Fame for WAER, Syracuse University’s noncommercial radio station where he began his sports broadcasting career as a student. The Sports Media Center at Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications also honored McDonough in July 2016 with the Marty Glickman Award. Presented annually to a Newhouse alum, “The Marty” recognizes excellence in the field of sports media. In 2019, he received the George Arents Award, the highest alumni honor bestowed by Syracuse University. In 2021, he was selected for induction into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In 2024, he was appointed to the Folds of Honor Boston Board of Directors.
McDonough’s father is the late Will McDonough, the legendary Boston Globe sportswriter who worked for NBC and CBS Sports. He also has two brothers with prominent roles in professional sports – Terry, Senior Personnel Executive for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals and Ryan, former general manager of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. HBO Real Sports profiled the three McDonough brothers in September 2017.
In 2012, McDonough was diagnosed with Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SCDS), a rare condition that required surgery to repair a hole in the bone near his left ear. After a successful procedure and recovery, McDonough continues to raise awareness for SCDS.
McDonough’s annual “Sean McDonough Celebrity Golf Classic” has raised more than $4.2 million for children’s charities throughout Massachusetts and for a fund established at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to support research into cardiac amyloidosis, the disease that claimed the life of Will McDonough in 2003.
Greg McElroy serves as one of ESPN’s primary college football analysts for Saturday games on ABC/ESPN, pairing up with Sean McDonough and Molly McGrath. McElroy regularly appears across ESPN’s studio programming, including College Football Live, SportsCenter and more. He also co-hosts McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX in Birmingham with fellow ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic and is the host of ESPN and Omaha Productions’ Always College Football podcast.
McElroy was hired at ESPN in 2014 as an analyst for SEC Network, and teamed up with Marcus Spears for the launch of Thinking Out Loud, which the duo co-hosted for two seasons. McElroy also served as an analyst for ABC and ESPN’s coverage of the XFL in 2020, joining play-by-play commentator Steve Levy, field analyst Tom Luginbill and sideline reporter Dianna Russini. He returned as an ESPN XFL analyst for the 2023 season.
McElroy was an Alabama quarterback from 2007 to 2011 during which time he lead the team to win the 2010 BCS National Championships. He had previously ushered the Crimson Tide to an SEC Football Championship title and was named MVP (2009). He was named 2010 ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and first-team Academic All-American. He finished his college career with a 24-3 record.
The New York Jets drafted McElroy in 2011 and he retired from the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013.
He graduated from University of Alabama in three years with a degree in business marketing and went on to earn a Master of Science degree in sports management in 2010, with a 4.0 GPA. Often cited for as a cerebral quarterback, for his intelligence, he was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist in 2010. McElroy is from Arlington, Texas.
Molly McGrath joined ESPN in July 2016, and currently serves as the sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC Saturday college football games. She previously hosted various editions of College Football Live and College Basketball Live, and covered select games as a sideline reporter for XFL on ABC. McGrath used to report from the sidelines of ESPN’s Thursday night college football package and regularly served as a sideline reporter on ABC and ESPN for men’s college basketball.
McGrath, who worked as a production assistant at ESPN in 2011, returns after serving as a sideline reporter and host for college sports and the NFL with Fox Sports. Prior to her time at Fox Sports, she worked for the Boston Celtics as a web and in-arena reporter at the TD Garden while also hosting Celtics Now on Comcast SportsNet New England in 2012 and 2013. She also completed internships with NESN and WHDH-TV in Boston.
McGrath graduated from Boston College in 2011, where she received the Athletic Director’s Award for Academic Excellence. She resides in Seattle with her husband and son.
Taylor McGregor is a college football and UFL sideline reporter for ESPN, joining the network in September 2019. McGregor currently teams up every Saturday with Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek to call games around the country, primarily on ESPN and ABC. McGregor also serves as a host for Marquee Sports Network in Chicago, where she is also the lead reporter on Cubs games through the MLB season.
McGregor has had previous stints at AT&T SportsNet in Denver, Colo., THV-11 in Little Rock, KCWY-TV in Wyoming, as well as internships with SEC Network, RazorVision at the University of Arkansas, MLB Network, FOX Sports Kansas City, ROOT Sports, and KNWA-TV.
A proud University of Arkansas alumna, McGregor graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. A Colorado native, McGregor grew up around sports with her late father’s career as an NFL tight end, collegiate athletics administrator, and former president of the Colorado Rockies.
McGregor currently resides in Chicago, Ill.
According to https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/mcdonough_sean/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/greg-mcelroy/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/molly-mcgrath/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/taylor-mcgregor/