Blue Devils aim to halt Hokie ground attack

How to turn ore into gold might be a question better suited for geologists, but Virginia Tech star running back Branden Ore's struggle to find end-zone paydirt this season has equally befuddled the Hokie coaching staff this season.

Ore finished with 1,137 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns last year but has yet to hit the 100-yard plateau in any of his games this year. With Duke (1-5, 0-3 in the ACC) expecting to face a heavy dose of the ground game from No. 12 Virginia Tech (5-1, 2-0), the importance of slowing the Hokie rushing attack and preventing a reversal of Ore's fortunes Saturday do not weigh lightly on linebacker Vincent Rey.

"We know they're going to come out and run the ball and they're going to try to establish that," Rey said. "We need to stop the run, and we need to match the intensity that they're going to have. We have to hit, run around and gang tackle."

Duke's desire to slow down Virginia Tech offensively was hurt this week with news of defensive end Patrick Bailey's season-ending knee injury. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound senior led Duke in both sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (7.0). Coupled with defensive end Ryan Radloff's back injury, Duke will be missing both of its opening day starting defensive ends against the Hokies.

"That's our fifth starter we've lost this season," head coach Ted Roof said. "We need for that run of injuries to stop."

But despite the news of who will not be on the field for Duke, perhaps the most important person who will be there for the Blue Devils is quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Duke's sophomore field general is riding a hot streak in which he has thrown 13 touchdowns against three interceptions while completing 60 percent of his passes over the last four games. Despite the recent success, Roof said that Lewis' performance against the 25th-best Virginia Tech defense will provide perhaps the best assessment of his quarterback's development this season.

"This Saturday is a big test, there's no doubt about it," Roof said. "The pressure that we think Virginia Tech is going to give us, it's certainly a test. You can't have happy feet--you have to stick with your mechanics and your fundamentals and step up and throw the football. After you get hit, you have to get up and do it again. That's what your job is as a quarterback. At the same time it will challenge our offensive line and our tight ends and running backs to protect him better than they have lately."