#22 Duke Takes On Virginia Tech In Their ACC Opener
The non - conference schedule is now behind them as Duke who is ranked twenty second in this weeks AP Top 25 poll has their Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Saturday as they host Virginia Tech.
Duke starting quarterback Daniel Jones might be playing Saturday as he is making a rapid recovery from his broken clavicle on his none throwing side he suffered at Northwestern on September 8th. “according to https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article219116570.html If not backup quarterback Quentin Harris will start. Starting quarterback Josh Jackson meanwhile of Virginia Tech is out indefinitely after fracturing his tibia in their loss to Old Dominion last weekend. Ryan Willis who took over the offense last weekend when Josh Jackson was injured will start for Virginia Tech. On Virginia Tech’s final drive against Old Dominion the Virginia Tech offense was able to convert one touchdown. “according to http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24783115/virginia-tech-quarterback-josh-jackson-indefinitely
Duke comes into the game with a record of 4-0 “according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=1843&SPSID=22666&DB_OEM_ID=4200 while Virginia Tech comes into the game with a record of 2-1 while they’re 1-0 in conference play. “according to https://hokiesports.com/schedule.aspx?path=football
As for Duke’s previous game, they routed North Carolina Central.
Duke amassed 628 yards of total offense and Brittan Brown carried 13 times for 118 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns as the Blue Devils cruised to a 55-13 victory over North Carolina Central Saturday at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. The victory improved Duke to 4-0 for the second consecutive season and the third time since 1994. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
In the second start of his career, quarterback Quentin Harris was 15-of-27 passing for a career-high 202 yards and three touchdowns. The redshirt junior also ran for another score in place of injured starter Daniel Jones. He rushed five times for 34 yards. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
Duke (4-0) outgained the Eagles (1-2) in total yardage, 628-187, and held the visitors to just 10 yards of total offense in the second half. The 628 yards for Duke were its most since rolling up 655 versus NCCU in 2015. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
Sophomore Derrick Tangelo led the defensive effort with a career-high 11 tackles, including one tackle for loss and a half sack, while Joe Giles-Harris added seven stops and a half tackle for loss. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
The Blue Devils scored on their first three drives, all in quick-strike fashion, to build an early 20-0 lead. Harris connected with Davis Koppenhaver for a 17-yard strike to cap a six-play, 80-yard opening drive in 2:14. Duke scored in just 83 seconds on its ensuing drive, going 50 yards in four plays which ended in a 15-yard rushing score from Harris. Brown notched the first receiving touchdown of his career on Duke’s third possession, hauling in a 44-yard pass from Harris. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
Brown later scored on a 43-yard touchdown run, becoming just the fourth Duke player with a touchdown catch and rushing score of 40-yards or longer in the same game. The last to accomplish the feat was Buddy Mulligan versus Richmond in 1946. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
The Eagles closed to 20-13 thanks to 20-yard rush by Isaiah Totten and a 55-yard fumble return by Jordan McRae. But Duke restored order with 2:13 left in the half as Harris hit Jonathan Lloyd for a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it 27-13 at the break. Totten finished the day with 88 yards rushing on 12 carries. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
The Blue Devils scored four more times in the second half, including a second touchdown grab from Koppenhaver and the first career rushing touchdown for Nicoderm Pierre. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
Marvin Hubbard III rushed 20 times for a career-high 96 yards, while Deon Jackson had nine carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Eleven different Blue Devils caught passes in the winning effort. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
Redshirt freshman quarterback Chris Katrenick saw action in the second half and was 5-of-12 for 54 yards and his first career touchdown pass. “according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22672&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211772773&DB_OEM_ID=4200
As for Virginia Tech’s previous game, they lost to Old Dominion. But they also dropped out of the AP Top 25 poll this week after being ranked #13 in week four of the season. “according to https://collegefootball.ap.org/poll/2019/4
Despite Steven Peoples' career-best rushing performance, Virginia Tech struggled for much of the afternoon against in-state foe Old Dominion, and the No. 13 Hokies fell 49-35 to the Monarchs in a non-conference game at Ballard Stadium. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
With the loss, Virginia Tech fell to 2-1 overall. ODU moved to 1-3. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
Peoples rushed for 156 yards on 20 carries and scored on runs of 87 yards and 1 yard. Quarterback Josh Jackson threw two touchdown passes. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
But the Hokies struggled against ODU's offense, led by backup quarterback Blake LaRussa. The 5-foot-11 LaRussa completed 30 of 49 for 495 yards and threw touchdown passes of 14, 4, 25 and 29 yards. He also rushed for a touchdown on a day in which ODU's offense finished with 632 yards. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
The Hokies led 28-21 after a 72-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Damon Hazelton with 32 seconds left in the third quarter, but ODU scored on its next two possessions, taking a 35-28 lead on a 15-yard Jeremy Cox touchdown run with 9:57 to go – its first lead of the game. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
Things got worse for Tech, as Jackson went down with a lower leg injury on the first play of the ensuing drive. Backup quarterback Ryan Willis led the Hokies on a 75-yard march that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Willis to tight end Chris Cunningham with 7:15 remaining, tying the game at 35. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
But the Hokies simply had no answer for ODU. LaRussa polished off a 75-yard drive with a beautiful 29-yard fade pattern to Jonathan Duhart for a touchdown with 5:11 left that was the game winner. Jeremy Cox's 40-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining sealed the win. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
GAME NOTES
• Peoples' rushing performance marked the fourth 100-yard rushing performance by a player in head coach Justin Fuente's tenure. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
• Peoples' 87-yard touchdown run tied for the fourth-longest touchdown run in program history. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
• Jackson's 72-yard touchdown pass to Hazelton was the longest completion of his career. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
• Hazelton has caught a touchdown pass in each off the Hokies' three games and is averaging 25.7 yards per catch this season. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
• Cunningham has caught 17 passes in his career – six for touchdowns. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
• Offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw and safety Divine Deablo missed the game because of injuries. “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
QUOTE TO NOTE
(Head coach Justin Fuente on Tech's preparations)
"It's easy to say that after you get embarrassed, but we had a couple of days in there when I'm trying to remind them … as a staff, we're trying to remind, but we were preparing like a young football team. I told them, 'I liked you guys a lot better when everybody told you that you were terrible. Everybody told you that you didn't have a chance to win the first game, and all you did was work your tails off.' “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
"And then now, we get to feeling all good about ourselves, and we get brought back down to earth. We got what we deserved." “according to https://hokiesports.com/news/2018/9/22/football-no-13-hokies-upset-at-odu.aspx
Kick-off is set for 7:00pm from Brooks Field @Wallace Wade Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2. “according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=1843&SPSID=22666&DB_OEM_ID=4200