The offensive line got “whipped.” Young cornerbacks lost battles. Takeaways from Duke’s loss to Virginia Tech.

A national ranking, a game on a national television outlet and a season-high crowd of 32,177 (boosted mightily by folks wearing the visiting team’s colors) gave Duke a chance to make a statement on Saturday night.

Instead, Virginia Tech sent word that it’s stunning loss a week earlier at Old Dominion didn’t mean its season is over.

The Hokies took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter and rolled over No. 22 Duke, 31-14, at Wallace Wade Stadium.

The loss means No. 22 Duke’s return to the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since October 2015 will be a one-week stay.

After losing 49-35 at Old Dominion a week earlier, Virginia Tech (3-1, 2-0) reminded everyone it will be factor in the ACC Coastal Division race.

Duke (4-1, 0-1), with trips to defending division champions Miami and Clemson on the docket in November, missed a chance to assert itself in the Coastal race.

“It can’t be all of the sudden woe is me,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “I don’t want any woe is me around here. Nobody is sad. You can be mad if you want to but I want to see it in your work.”

On the night that Blue Devils starting quarterback Daniel Jones returned to play three weeks after breaking his left collarbone, here are some takeaways from the loss that ended a Duke seven-game winning streak that stretched back to last season.

Trouble up front on offense

Duke struggled to run the ball and provide Jones enough time for an effective passing game.

“It’s getting whipped, really,” Cutcliffe said. “There was a little bit of pressure with the blitz some but they did it mostly with a three-man rush. Go figure.”

Cutcliffe made a change at left tackle, replacing redshirt senior Christian Harris with redshirt sophomore Jaylen Miller in the starting lineup. Harris received plenty of playing time in a reserve role as Duke sought to keep fresh players on the field. Zach Baker played next to him at left guard on several drives as he gave starter Julian Santos a break.

Duke also used Jack Wohlabaugh at center as Zach Harmon was unable to play.

Virginia Tech collected eight tackles for losses, including three sacks, while also recording a pair of quarterback hurries. The Hokies accomplished this while regularly using just a three-man rush, which allowed them to leave the other eight defenders in pass coverage.

“Played pretty well up front,” Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said. “In order to drop eight, you’ve got to play pretty well up front to handle that. We did a good job.”

Duke’s running game was stuffed all night. The Blue Devils gained 71 yards on 36 carries, averaging a meager 2.0 yards per carry.

“That’s not what we’re hunting,” Cutcliffe said.

Duke’s problems running the ball lead to the offense being placed in difficult third-down situations. As a result, the Blue Devils converted just 4 of 16.

Duke’s cornerbacks were exposed

When Duke lost all-ACC cornerback Mark Gilbert to a season-ending hip injury on Sept. 8 and Michael Carter to a sprained knee a week later, it’s depth at defensive back was tested.

The Blue Devils survived for a couple of weeks but Virginia Tech took advantage on Saturday night.

Redshirt freshman cornerback Josh Blackwell and redshirt sophomore Myles Hudzick struggled against Virginia Tech’s receivers on contested catch situations.

Nine different Hokies caught passes, with 6-2, 225-pound junior wide Eric Kumah and 6-2, 222-pound sophomore Damon Hazeltine using their size to their advantage.

Duke started using senior Jeremy McDuffie, a safety last season, at cornerback in place of the 5-10, 170-pound Hudzick in the second half.

Ryan Willis, Virginia Tech’s second-string quarterback playing in place of injured starter Josh Jackson (broken leg), completed 17 of 26 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

It must also be said that Duke’s front line didn’t put much pressure on Willis, mainly because he used three-step drops to get rid of the ball quickly. The Blue Devils finished with one sack and one quarterback hurry.

“Not a lot of holding on to the ball by the quarterback,” Duke linebacker Joe Giles-Harris said. “He made smart decisions. When you are getting rid of the ball that quick, it’s hard to ask the D line to get there. You are asking for the impossible some times. They played their butts off and we’ve just got to make some plays on the back end. We’ve got some young guys who I trust. The coaches trust them or they wouldn’t be out there. They are going to get better every day and get ready to play in two weeks.”

Jones looked comfortable

Though playing with a plate and screws holding his broken left clavicle in place to allow healing, Jones played a solid game in his return.

He completed 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He rank six times and because of the sacks, recorded a net gain of one yard.

“I didn’t see anything that I would change about him,” Cutcliffe said. “His running was outstanding. He got down once. He got out of bounds twice, I would like to see him do that when he’s completely healthy. Until I see the film I won’t know for sure but I thought he played good. I think he’ll grade out as what we call a winner, based on what I saw from the sideline.”

The injury situation

Harmon, Carter, defensive end Drew Jordan and wide receiver Aaron Young all missed the game with injuries.

“They are close,” Cutcliffe said.

Duke reserve running back Marvin Hubbard, a redshirt freshman who rushed for 96 yards a week earlier against N.C. Central, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on his lone run against Virginia Tech. His season is over.

So the open week comes at a good time because the Blue Devils will have an extra week to let their injuries heal. Duke doesn’t play again until at trip to Georgia Tech on Oct. 13.

This story was originally published September 30, 2018 at 12:11 AM.