Considering their sizeable disadvantage in the spread, the Duke Blue Devils can expect to have a real challenge on their hands on Saturday. Duke and the Virginia Tech Hokies will face off in an ACC battle at 4 p.m. ET at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Blue Devils stagger in desperate for their first win of the season.
Duke scored first but ultimately less than the Virginia Cavaliers in their contest on Saturday. Duke lost to Virginia on the road by a decisive 38-20 margin. No one had a standout game offensively for Duke, but they got scores from TE Noah Gray and TE Jake Marwede. One of the most thrilling moments was Marwede’s 55-yard TD reception in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech took care of business in their home opener. They made easy work of the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday and carried off a 45-24 victory. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Hokies had established a 37-17 advantage. They can attribute much of their success to RB Khalil Herbert, who rushed for one TD and 104 yards on six carries.
Virginia Tech’s defense was a presence as well, as it embarrassed NC State’s offensive line to sack the quarterback six times for a loss of 21 yards. Leading the way was DL Justus Reed and his two sacks. Those were the first sacks for Reed through Week 4.
Virginia Tech’s win lifted them to 1-0 while Duke’s loss dropped them down to 0-3. Giving up seven turnovers, Duke had had trouble holding onto the ball. We’ll see if Virginia Tech can exploit that vulnerability.