— text and picture by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS
Duke Bounces Back in the Second Half to Defeat Virginia Tech 24-7
Duke overcame early offensive woes to defeat Virginia Tech and extend its win streak to three.
Duke’s offense, led by sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard, struggled to find a rhythm for most of the first quarter. Their first drive stalled after three plays resulted in a gain of five yards. The Virginia Tech Hokies, on the other hand, got off to a hot start. Their first play went for two yards. Then Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Wells connected with wide receiver Da’Wain Lofton for an explosive 53-yard score.
Duke’s second offensive series also achieved minimal success. A penalty negated a 17-yard pass, and neither Leonard nor running back Jaquez Moore could find ample room to run. Then Duke managed to flip the script during its third possession.
A 13-yard catch by Duke’s Sahmir Hagans moved the chains for the second time in the first half. Leonard quickly found his footing and picked apart Virginia Tech’s secondary, piecing together an exciting 72-yard offensive drive to set up a 25-yard chip shot for kicker Todd Pelino. Pelino’s field goal was the turning point of the game.
“We responded to a little bit of a slow start and then took control of the game,” said Duke coach Mike Elko.
From then on out, Duke outpaced the Hokies. Duke extended its lead to 10 at the start of the third quarter after Leonard used his long legs and strong upper body to force his way into the end zone.
Duke’s ground game, led by running back Jordan Waters amassed 165 yards on 41 attempts. Leonard picked up a total of 48 yards with his legs. Duke compiled an additional 262 passing yards through four quarters of football with stellar performances from wide receivers Jalon Calhoun and Jontavis Robertson.
In this game, Elko relied on the performance of his dominant defense to secure the win. The unit deflected two passes, forced a turnover, and sacked Wells twice. They also limited Virginia Tech to 4 of 12 on third-down conversions and halted two attempts to convert on fourth down.
“Defensively, our best effort of the year,” said Elko.
What’s next?
Duke (7-4) will travel to Pennsylvania for a matchup against Pittsburgh (6-4). Pittsburgh, on the heels of Duke in the ACC Coastal Conference, is averaging 30 points per game.