How a trick play called 'Bunny' helped Duke take down Virginia

The call had been set up two plays prior. On 1st-and-10 from Virginia’s 43-yard line, Walker Eget hit Nate Sheppard out of the backfield, with tight end Brody Keefe leading the way for the running back with a block.

After a short run by Sheppard set up a 2nd-and-8 from the Cavaliers’ 28, the play call came in: Bunny. Although the Blue Devils hadn’t run the play all week in practice, it worked perfectly as Eget hit Sheppard with a backward pass before he found a wide-open Keefe in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

“I was just worried about how fast those linebackers were getting there because I played two plays ago, they were flying in, so I was just wondering how much time I was going to have to actually throw the ball,” Sheppard said.

And he can pass!

Nate Sheppard to Brody Keefe for the win! pic.twitter.com/vYX9zafOQr

— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) October 24, 2026

The entire defense bought the bait, giving Sheppard a few seconds to collect himself and deliver a perfect spiral to Keefe 28 yards downfield. 

“What can Nate not do, let’s be honest,” Eget said in awe. “He could run, he could throw, he could catch. I mean, that’s someone that even when you think you could stop him for the night, you realize you still can’t stop him. I mean, he could do everything. We talked about that before, and we’re going to continue to say that.”

Sheppard, the nation’s leader in all-purpose yards entering the weekend, was held in check for most of the game, except for a 32-yard touchdown run on Duke‘s first drive. The sophomore finished with 55 rushing yards and 11 receiving yards, far from his season norm, but in crunch time, he delivered.

Duke head coach Manny Diaz didn’t think it would go so smoothly when the play started.

“What’s really funny is, from my standpoint, when I saw the coverage they were in, I didn’t think it was there,” he said. “I was watching Brody run the route, and they had a couple guys on top of it, but when you throw the ball at number 20, it’s a pretty good idea on defense to hustle to get over there. And by the time I looked back, he was all alone. So it was just like I said, I’m really proud of the execution of the guys.”

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This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: How a trick play called ‘Bunny’ helped Duke take down Virginia