Duke Blue Devils beat Virginia Tech 24-7 for 3rd consecutive ACC college football win
Coverage from game
Duke defense has dominant showing in 24-7 ACC college football win over Virginia Tech
Coverage during game
Already bowl eligible with three games to play, Duke seeks to boost its bowl destination with a win over struggling Virginia Tech.
The Blue Devils (6-3, 3-2 ACC) have already won more games this regular season than they have in any season since 2018. Duke won just five games combined over the last two seasons.
Virginia Tech (2-7, 1-5) is on a six-game losing streak and is already assured of not playing in a bowl game.
The N&O’s Steve Wiseman is on site at Wallace Wade Stadium and will be posting live updates here throughout the game.
Duke in control
Jontavis Robertson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Riley Leonard with 11:15 to play giving Duke a commanding 24-7 lead over the Hokies.
The score came one play after, on fourth-and-5 from the Hokies 24, Jordan Moore made a one-handed catch on a pass over the middle that Leonard threw behind him. Moore gathered the ball in and gained 18 yards.
Duke extends lead
Riley Leonard capped an 11-play, 62-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run giving Duke a 17-7 lead over Virginia Tech with 7:55 to play in the third quarter.
The touchdown run was Leonard’s 10th of the season. He threw his 12th touchdown pass of the season in the first half, meaning Leonard is just the second Duke quarterback in program history with 10 rushing and 10 passing touchdowns in the same season. Brandon Connette did it in 2013, the season Duke went 10-4 and made the program’s lone ACC championship game appearance.
Halftime update
Duke turned in an overall sloppy first half, giving the underdog Hokies a chance to pull the upset.
The Blue Devils led 10-7 at halftime, but did so despite Riley Leonard throwing a red-zone interception, a Jordan Waters 65-yard touchdown run being called back for holding and Todd Pelino missing a 45-yard field goal.
Duke’s rushing offense, second in the ACC averaging 208 yards per game, produced 79 yards on 21 first-half carries as the Hokies routinely crowded the line of scrimmage to stop it.
Leonard completed 11 of 21 passes for 162 yards.
Duke lost reserve running back Jaquez Moore to injury when he was tackled hard after catching a short pass late in the second quarter. He was carted from the field. But running back Jaylen Coleman, the team’s leading rusher before suffering a leg injury on Oct. 1 against Virginia, returned to action in the first half against the Hokies.
Blue Devils move in front
After throwing an interception at the Virginia Tech 2, Riley Leonard responded well the next time Duke got the ball in the second quarter.
Leonard fired a 13-yard pass to Jontavis Robertson on a fourth-down play to keep Duke’s drive alive. On the next play, he zipped a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nicky Dalmolin giving Duke a 10-7 lead with 6:32 left until halftime.
Duke on the scoreboard
Riley Leonard completed passes covering 18 and 31 yards to wide receiver Jalon Calhoun, moving Duke to the Virginia Tech 13. A pair of running plays for zero yards, both on handoffs to Jordan Waters, stalled the drive and Todd Pelino booted a 26-yard field goal leaving Virginia Tech up, 7-3, with 2:04 left in the first quarter.
Hokies jump ahead
Duke’s suspect pass defense was burned on Virginia Tech’s second play from scrimmage. Hokies quarterback Grant Wells fired a deep pass to Da’Wain Lofton, who was guarded in single coverage by Duke freshman cornerback Chander Rivers. Though Rivers was with him, Lofton hauled in the pass for a 53-yard touchdown play that put Virginia Tech up 7-0.
Pregame reading
‘Excited for where we are going’: What we learned about Duke as it became bowl eligible
Duke vs Virginia Tech: Bowl-eligible Blue Devils look to add win No. 7 against Hokies
Duke beats Boston College to earn bowl eligibility in coach Mike Elko’s first season
Humble beginnings to head coach: Mike Elko’s journey to leading Duke football program
It’s ‘critically important’ Duke football improves in changing college sports landscape
This story was originally published November 12, 2022 at 12:04 PM.