Virginia Tech stops Duke’s seven-game streak

After giving up 632 yards to Old Dominion last weekend, Virginia Tech held Duke to 327, defeating the Blue Devils 31-14 in Durham. The Hokies (3-1, 2-0) snapped the Blue Devils seven-game win streak that dated back to last season.

Daniel Jones returned for Duke (4-1, 0-1) and passed for 226 yards and one score. But Virginia Tech was able to hold the Blue Devils to just 71 yards on the ground and forced a turnover that led to an early score.

WILLIS STRIKES AGAIN

4Q, 9:08: Ryan Willis threw his third touchdown pass of the game to put Virginia Tech up 31-14. Willis connected with Phil Patterson for a 10-yard score. The touchdown came after Willis converted a fourth and one from the Duke 11. The Blue Devils challenged the spot of the ball, thinking that Willis was down just short of the marker. The play stood and Willis made the most of it, hitting Patterson in the corner of the endzone. Willis connected with nine different receivers in his first career start for the Hokies.

SEVENTH DRIVE IS THE CHARM

4Q, 13:47: Duke went six straight drives without a score, and Virginia Tech was on the verge of pulling away in Durham, but on their first drive of the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils capped off a nine-play, 49-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge by Deon Jackson, pulling to within 10 (24-14) of the Hokies. Jackson has now scored a rushing touchdown in three straight games.

VIRGINIA TECH DEFENSE STOUT IN THIRD

4Q, 15:00: The Virginia Tech defense held Duke to just 63 yards in the third quarter. After going up 7-3 in the second quarter, the Blue Devils have now gone six straight drives without scoring.

HOKIES IN COMPLETE CONTROL

3Q, 9:35: Virginia Tech took advantage of excellent field position, getting the ball at the 50 and needing just five plays to score. Steven Peoples (10-33) punched it in from six yards out, giving the Hokies a commanding 24-7 lead.

HUGE DEFENSIVE STAND

3Q, 10:49: The Virginia Tech defense came up with a big stop to start the second half. Duke went for it on fourth and one from midfield, but Bud Foster’s defense stopped Deon Jackson for no gain, giving the Hokies the ball on the 50. Duke had one successful fourth down conversion in the first half.

HOKIES CONTROL FIRST HALF

HALFTIME: Virginia Tech scored 14 straight points to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Hokies forced one turnover that led to three points, and quarterback Ryan Willis threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter. Willis finished the first half with 224 yards through the air. Duke quarterback Daniel Jones finished the first half 13-22 with 143 yards and one one interception. The Hokies outgained the Blue Devils 257-185 in the first half.

VIRGINIA TECH STRIKES AGAIN

2Q, 11:34: The Hokies second scoring drive took just four plays, a most of the 87 yards covered came on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Willis to tight end Dalton Keene, who caught a short pass and rumble the rest of the way down the Hokies’ sideline. Virginia Tech’s drive started with a five-yard loss on a failed run play. The Hokies led 17-7 after the score.

HOKIES RETAKE LEAD

2Q, 14:55: It only took Virginia Tech one play into the second quarter to retake the lead. Ryan Willis hit Damon Hazelton on a 27-yard pass to give the Hokies a 10-7 lead. The play capped off a nine-play, 76-yard drive that bridged the first and second quarters. It was the second touchdown pass of the season for Willis, who took over for an injured Josh Jackson. Hazelton has now caught a touchdown pass in every game this season for Virginia Tech.

JONES LOOKS FINE OF SCORING DRIVE

1Q, 3:25: Jones looked to be in mid-season form despite missing two games after a surgery. He led the Blue Devils on a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped off when he connected with Noah Gray on a 23-yard score. Jones used his legs on second and nine to move the chains, picking up 10 on the ground before hitting Noah for the score on the next play. It was the first touchdown reception for Gray this season and the first touchdown pass for Jones since the second quarter of the Northwestern game on Sept. 8. The touchdown gives Duke a 7-3 lead.

HOKIES TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DUKE’S MISTAKE

1Q, 6:34: Virginia Tech made Duke pay for the turnover, getting points off the pick. The Blue Devils kept the Hokies out of the endzone, but Virginia Tech got a 28-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

DUKE THROWS FIRST INTERCEPTION

1Q, 9:03: Duke came into the game having not thrown an interception all season, but that streak came to an end against Virginia Tech. Hokies rover Reggie Floyd picked off a Daniel Jones, who missed the previous two games with an injury, pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and returned it to the Duke 45. It was the Blue Devils first interception in 116 pass attempts this season.

This story was originally published September 29, 2018 at 7:23 PM.