FACTS & STATS: Site: Scott Stadium (61,500) -- Charlottesville, Virginia. Television: Lincoln Financial Sports/Raycom. Home Record: Duke 0-1, Virginia 0-0. Away Record: Duke 0-0, Virginia 0-1. Neutral Record: Duke 0-0, Virginia 0-0. Conference Record: Duke 0-0, Virginia 0-0. Series Record: Virginia leads, 31-27.

GAME NOTES: A couple of ACC teams shooting for their first wins of the 2007 campaign hit the gridiron in Charlottesville this weekend as the Virginia Cavaliers host the Duke Blue Devils. Last weekend the Blue Devils appeared to be on their way to halting the nation's longest losing streak, scoring the first points of the game against UConn at home. However, the offense stopped there for Duke in what became a 45-14 rout in Durham. As a result, the streak was extended to 21 games, with the home losing skid jumping to 12 in a row. The last victory for the program was a 40-14 decision against VMI in early 2005, the last win in ACC play coming against Clemson a season earlier. Duke has fallen in 17 consecutive conference affairs. As for the Cavaliers, they too saw their offense disappear in the first game of 2007 when the Wyoming Cowboys registered a 23-3 victory at home in Laramie on Saturday. The victory for the Pokes avenged a heartbreaking 13-12 overtime setback to the Cavs in Virginia a year ago. Virginia has now lost two straight and three of the last four games dating back to last season, scoring a grand total of three points in those three losses. The Cavaliers lead the all-time series between these foes by a count of 31-27, dating back to 1890. Last season Virginia was one of three teams to pitch a shutout against the Blue Devils, registering a 37-0 decision in the fourth game of the season.

Needing less than two minutes to complete the drill, the Blue Devils marched 80 yards on just six plays to put up seven points versus UConn over the weekend. However, that's where the offense stopped for the team. Take away those 80 yards and the squad registered a grand total of just 89 yards for the remaining 58 minutes of the contest. The so-called rushing attack generated a woeful 15 net yards on 28 attempts, while Thaddeus Lewis converted 14-of-28 passes, for 148 yards and a score. Along the way, Lewis also threw three interceptions and was sacked four times. Last season the Duke offense was just as poor, ranking 105th in the nation with just 283.4 ypg overall. That lack of production left the squad last in the ACC and 112th in the country in scoring with just under 15 ppg.

While Duke was lucky to come up with 10 first downs last weekend, the defense permitted UConn to register 23, finding similar success both on the ground and through the air against a lackluster unit. While Duke may have limited the Huskies to just 6-of-17 on third down, the fact is the defense for the home team was simply worn out, having to spend almost 36 minutes on the field. Patrick Bailey and Vincent Rey did show some signs of life, as they both recorded one and a half sacks for the Blue Devils. Overall, the team managed eight stops behind the line of scrimmage. The Duke defense ranked 114th in the country in scoring defense in 2006, permitting a whopping 33.8 ppg. The squad ranked rather high (28th) in terms of TFLs with nearly seven per outing, but averaged just over on sack a game to finish last in the ACC. Little has changed in the early going and this could be another long season for the Blue Devils.

If the Blue Devils thought they had a rough time getting their offense in gear, then Virginia had to have been completely stunned by the effort it showed on the road in Laramie. A total of five first downs and a pitiful 110 yards of offense is certainly something to be concerned about. Wyoming had one of the better defenses in the nation last year, but to limit the Cavs to a mere seven rushing yards is remarkable. Keith Payne, Andrew Pearman and Cedric Peerman were the only players to produce positive yards on the ground for the Cavs, while sophomore signal-caller Jameel Sewell was held to 11-of-23 passing for 87 yards. Sewell was sacked two times and also tossed a pair of interceptions, limiting the options for Virginia when the team really needed a spark. This is nothing new to the Cavaliers who last season, ranked last in the ACC and 113th in the nation in total offense with a mere 257.2 ypg.

On a positive note, the Virginia defense did allow just two touchdowns to a revamped Wyoming offense. The Cowboys had to settle for three field goals on the afternoon, which showed at least some signs of life for the Cavaliers defense. However, the visitors still surrendered a lofty 218 yards rushing and another 253 yards through the air and was forced to stay on the field for 88 plays, nearly twice the number (46) that the Virginia offense had the pleasure of running. Chris Cook and Clint Sintim led the way for the faulty unit with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, while Chris Long and Allen Billyk both came up with sacks in the setback. Last season Virginia's defense ranked fourth in the conference and 17th in the nation with just 289.5 ypg allowed, certainly a note that bodes well for the group as they head into a heated battle with one of the weakest offenses in the country.

Considering the offense that both of these programs showed last weekend it wouldn't be a stretch to think this contest could be held to single digits on both sides. Duke's futility will probably continue, while the Cavaliers will catch some breaks, en route to their first win of the season.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Virginia 13, Duke 3