Virginia rules out safety Ethan Minter for Duke, leaving a thin secondary thinner

Virginia will face Duke on Friday night without free safety Ethan Minter. He is one of 20 Cavaliers listed as out on the ACC availability report, and his absence hits a secondary that was already short of bodies. Virginia Cavaliers On SI reported that the junior picked up an undisclosed injury in last Saturday's 23-13 loss at SMU. RotoWire noted that Minter has 49 tackles and two pass breakups through seven games, and that this will be the first game he has missed this season.

The back end was already shorthanded. Starting cornerback Omillio Agard tore his ACL against Florida State and is done for the year. Backup safety Corey Costner is out for a second straight week with a hamstring injury. Strong safety Brandyn Hillman, who missed the SMU game after hurting his ankle against Delaware, is listed as questionable. According to On SI, Virginia Tech transfer Christian Ellis or junior Keke Adams is the likely choice to take Minter's spot. If Hillman can't go, sophomore Montino Williams would make his third straight start. Coach Tony Elliott praised Williams on Tuesday, describing him as "fully committed" from the day he arrived.

The offense is missing players too. UCLA transfer receiver Rico Flores Jr. is out again. Hamstring and knee problems have held him to one start, against Syracuse, and On SI reported that his return this season is uncertain. Kam Courtney, who leads the team with 18 catches, is questionable.

Duke has injury problems of its own. Center Matt Craycraft, nose tackle David Anderson and safety Andrew Pelliccotta, all listed as starters on the Blue Devils' depth chart, are out. Craycraft's absence could slow Nate Sheppard, the ACC's leading rusher with 820 yards and eight touchdowns. Anderson and Pelliccotta both play for a defense that ranks second in the league at 292.7 yards allowed per game.

What it means for Friday

Both teams come in struggling. Virginia is 4-3 and has lost two of its last three, falling 23-13 at SMU after a 28-25 win over Syracuse. Its three losses have come against West Virginia, Florida State and SMU, and the Florida State game was a 38-7 defeat. Duke started 4-0, with wins over Tulane, Illinois, Stanford and William & Mary, but then lost by three at Georgia Tech and by four at home to North Carolina. Both of those games were decided by one score.

Duke's offense is built on the run, which may take some pressure off Virginia's depleted secondary. Still, a defense playing backups at safety will have to tackle well in space to contain Sheppard.

The board for Duke at Virginia shows a close game across 12 venues. Virginia is a slight favorite. On Novig, the Cavaliers are -117 on the moneyline and Duke is +115. Novig has Virginia favored by 2.5 points at +104, while the best Virginia price anywhere is Pinnacle's -116 at a 1-point spread. The 1.5-point gap between those numbers shows how little the market separates these teams. Novig's total is 47.5 at -102 on both sides, and Pinnacle has the over at 47 for -118. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.3% to 6.3% on the moneyline and up to 6.8% on the total.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN, with bowl eligibility at stake for both teams.