Duke..................... 0 0 7 0 - 7 Virginia Tech (23) ...... 14 13 17 0 - 44 Scoring Summary: 1st Quarter 07:56 VT - Smith 14 yd pass from Taylor (Hazley kick) 01:30 VT - Williams 1 yd run (Hazley) 2nd Quarter 10:05 VT - Evans 2 yd run (Hazley) 02:37 VT - Hazley 37 yd FG 00:38 VT - Hazley 44 yd FG 3rd Quarter 11:38 VT - Roberts 43 yd pass from Taylor (Hazley) 09:17 DU - Hollingsworth 6 yd rush (Snyderwine kick) 05:08 VT - Wilson 65 yd pass from Taylor (Hazley) 02:38 VT - Hazley 22 yd FG
Blacksburg, VA – The Hokies got a great performance from their offense and defense and blew out Duke 44-7 in Lane Stadium on Saturday. Tyrod Taylor was on fire yet again, and Tech improved to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the ACC. Duke dropped to 1-6, and the Blue Devils are 0-4 in conference play.
The Virginia Tech offense put up 491 total yards, led by senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Taylor was 13-of-17 through the air, for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t throw any interceptions. He also led the team with 47 rushing yards.
Taylor’s exceptional season continues, and he has completed 63.9% of his passes this year for 1,602 yards, with 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing with 527 yards. Taylor’s quarterback efficiency rating shot up 12 points, and now stands at 171.1. He could possibly be in the top five nationally in pass efficiency after this weekend’s games are finished.
Ryan Williams got his first action since the East Carolina game, and he scored a touchdown. However, he had just 10 yards on six carries. Darren Evans had eight carries for 36 yards and a touchdown, while David Wilson added 17 yards on seven carries. Tony Gregory finished with 36 yards on nine carries, all in the fourth quarter.
Marcus Davis led the Hokies with six catches for 64 yards. Dyrell Roberts, Andre Smith and David Wilson all caught touchdown passes from Tyrod Taylor. Wilson’s came from 65 yards out when he got behind the Duke secondary down the left sideline, and Roberts beat a Duke defensive back for a jump ball for a touchdown.
Logan Thomas played quarterback from the late third quarter through the end of the game. He went 6-of-14 for 52 yards, and he also ran for 14 yards.
Tech was sacked just once on the day, and though they could have run the ball better, on the whole it was another excellent day for the offense. The Hokies are now averaging 424.6 yards per game, including 209.9 yards through the air. The is the most balanced Virginia Tech offense we’ve seen in quite awhile.
The Tech defense limited Duke to just 208 yards of total offense and one touchdown. Cornerbacks Rashad Carmichael and Jayron Hosley each had interceptions. Duke starter Sean Renfree was 12-of-32 for 116 yards and an interception. Backup quarterback Brandon Connette also threw an interception, though he did lead the Blue Devils in rushing with 43 yards.
The Hokies sacked Renfree twice, with defensive tackle Antone Hopkins and r-freshman defensive end J.R. Collins each recording sacks.
Tech played a lot of defensive players in the game. Backup r-freshmen linebackers Tariq Edwards and Jack Tyler saw extended action, and both played well. They each had four tackles, and Edwards forced a fumble.
Starting free safety Eddie Whitley missed this game with an injury, which put Antone Exum into the starting role at free safety and true freshman Kyle Fuller into the role of the nickel back. Fuller played very well in his second time seeing extensive action this season.
Four of Tech’s top six tacklers were freshmen. The freshmen who saw major action were: DE James Gayle, DE J.R. Collins, DT Derrick Hopkins, LB Jack Tyler, LB Tariq Edwards, CB Kyle Fuller and free safety Antone Exum. Rover James Hopper also played the entire fourth quarter.
The Hokies led this game 27-0 at halftime, and 44-7 at the end of the third quarter. They played their backups on both sides of the ball for the entire fourth quarter, and a number of young players were able to gain valuable experience.
Overall, it was the most complete game Virginia Tech has played this season. The offense had no trouble moving the ball, the defense set up two scores off interceptions, and Jayron Hosley set up Tech’s second touchdown of the game with a 61 yard punt return. The Hokies have now scored 41 or more points in four consecutive games, and five of the last six.
The Hokies will take next weekend off, and then return to action for a critical Thursday night home game against Georgia Tech on November 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm, and the game will be televised by ESPN.
STATISTICS
VT DU
---- ----
First downs 19 10
Rushed-yards 39-159 30-92
Passing yards 332 116
Sacked-yards lost 1-7 2-11
Return yards 83 134
Passes 19-31-0 12-36-2
Punts 3-49.7 4-44.0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-0
Penalties-yards 3-19 4-40
Time of possession 32:24 27:36
Att: 66,233
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Virginia Tech, Taylor 6-47, Gregory 9-36, Evans 8-36,
Wilson 7-17 , Thomas 2-14, Williams 6-10, TEAM 1-(-1).
DU, Connette 8-43, Hollingsworth 4-26, Scott 11-25, Snead 2-2,
Thompson 1-1, Renfree 4-(-5).
PASSING-Virginia Tech, Taylor 13-17-280-0, Thomas 6-14-52-0.
DU, Renfree 12-32-116-1, Connette 0-4-0-1.
RECEIVING-Virginia Tech, Davis 6-64, Coale 2-51, Roberts 2-49,
Boykin 2-48, Smith 2-25, Evans 2-15, Wilson 1-65, Fuller 1-11,
Parker 1-4. DU, Vernon 6-44, Braxton 2-29, Varner 2-18,
Hollingsworth 1-13, Scott 1-13.
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