Hokies fend off Devils

Duke forces five early turnovers, but turns them into only three points

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- For almost 60 minutes Saturday night, Duke's upset dream endured. For almost 60 minutes, the Blue Devils kept Virginia Tech fans in a frigid frenzy.

And that was without quarterback Thad Lewis and top rusher Clifford Harris, who were sidelined with injuries.

But in the end, it was the favored Hokies who overcame a blundering beginning diced with five turnovers to prevail 14-3 in front of a bone-chilled, Lane Stadium crowd and keep their ACC title hopes alive.

With a victory against rival Virginia here next week, the Hokies can claim first place in the Coastal Division and earn a berth in the conference championship game for the third time in four years.

Duke (4-7, 1-6 ACC) had arrived with a different goal, to keep its chances of a bowl berth viable. Despite its valiant effort, despite its significant improvement under first-year coach David Cutcliffe, the Blue Devils' postseason hopes died in the arms of a redoubtable Hokie defense.

When Macho Harris intercepted a Zack Asack pass -- Tech's third second-half pick -- and ran it back 23 yards for touchdown with two minutes remaining, it was Hokie Pokey time in Blacksburg. That pirate play turned a nervy 7-3 lead into the final 14-3 margin.

"We had our chance in the fourth quarter, but they intercepted a few passes," Cutcliffe said. "This is the best we've played all season as a team. Our team and defense played well and we matched up well with Tech."

Duke matching up with Tech? When did that last happen? Not in the previous seven straight losses to the Hokies.

The Devils' defense gave up one touchdown -- a Sean Glennon pass to Jarrett Boykin with 38 seconds left in the first half -- and had five takeaways, all in the first 30 minutes.

That bandit-style effort by Michael Tauiliili, Matt Daniels and Catron Gainey created prime field position for the offense, but all Duke could muster was a 39-yard field goal by Nick Maggio.

"Those guys play hard,'' Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "That program has progressed, and it is going to continue to get better."

Asack, stepping in for Lewis, often ran like a tailback out of the triple option and gained 87 yards on 24 carries. But he was just 2-for-9 passing and was picked off four times by Tech's defense, which held Duke to a paltry total of 136 yards.

Without Lewis' arm, the Blue Devils simply never could achieve the needed consistency and balance against a helmet-shaking, ball-hawking Hokies defense.

"I was hoping we could bust a run or make a play, but we just came up a little short,'' Cutcliffe said. "We ran the triple option and tried to keep them on their toes. We took the game into the fourth quarter ... but they made that interception for a touchdown."

After Tech (7-4, 4-3) figured out how to hold onto the football, it managed 334 total yards, 111 rushing by darting Darren Evans.

Tyrod Taylor started at quarterback, but after a spotty beginning that included two interceptions, Beamer turned to Glennon. Coming in midway through the second half, the poised senior passed Tech into a 7-3 lead by orchestrating an 86-yard drive and finished with 12 completions in 20 attempts.

"[The game] had some rough spots, but we hung in there,'' Beamer said. "[Though] they were missing their star quarterback, I thought our defense did a fantastic job."

For the record, Duke's 20 yards passing were the fewest a Beamer-coached Tech team has ever allowed.

Throughout the season, this Hokies team hasn't flashed the same clout as its two ACC championship teams. But here they are again, on a path headed toward Tampa.

"We are not always pretty, but all I know is we are one win away from playing for the ACC championship,'' Beamer said. "I think that's pretty special."