With a game against what appears to be a very good Notre Dame team coming up, Virginia Tech really didn’t want to lose to Duke on Saturday night. Combined with a loss to ODU, the Hokies would have been staring a three-game losing streak right in the face. Justin Fuente would have faced many questions from an upset fanbase. Three-game losing streaks don’t happen very often around these parts.

Fortunately the Hokies were able to right the ship against arguably David Cutcliffe’s best team. Tech’s 31-14 victory was a relatively easy one, and despite the experience advantage of the Blue Devils, Tech’s superior talent at the skill positions was the difference in the game, I think. That, and Bud Foster’s defense got back to a lunch pail mentality.

Let’s talk about Ryan Willis and the offense first.

Willis and Receivers Produce Big Plays

Redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Willis made his first start for Virginia Tech on Saturday night, and it was a good one. Before we get into the particulars, let’s compare his first start with that of Virginia Tech’s other recent starting quarterbacks.

...