Virginia rules out 20, including Minter, for Duke Friday night

Sheppard brings ACC-best 820 rush yards to town

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated 1h1 min read

What happened: Virginia will be without 20 players for its Week 8 home game against Duke on Friday night. Free safety Ethan Minter is out after an injury in last Saturday's 23-13 loss at SMU. Backup safety Corey Costner is also out, while strong safety Brandyn Hillman is listed as questionable.

Why it matters: The absences further thin a secondary already without cornerback Omillio Agard to a season-ending ACL tear. Duke leans on sophomore Nate Sheppard, the ACC rushing leader with 820 yards and eight touchdowns. Virginia will need snaps from Christian Ellis, Keke Adams and Montino Williams to hold up against that run game.

By the numbers: Nate Sheppard: 820 rushing yards, 8 TDs, leads ACC. Duke defense: 292.7 total yards allowed per game, second in ACC. Kam Courtney leads Virginia with 18 receptions; Duke is 4-2, 1-2 ACC after two straight losses.

What to watch: Kickoff is 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN. Final game-time decisions on Hillman and Courtney and the starting free safety remain to be settled.

Sources

Yahoo CFB 2026-10-21T05:11:57.949525+00:00

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