In a year when top-ranked teams seem to be falling by the bunches to unranked opponents, No. 12 Virginia Tech's contest against Duke (1-5, 0-3 in the ACC) looks less like an automatic win and more like a terrifying trap game.
With his Hokies (5-1, 3-0) heading to Durham Saturday to take on the Blue Devils, head coach Frank Beamer could not agree more.
"They just scare me to death," Beamer said of Duke. "They're better and they're scary."
The Blue Devils have suffered close loses to Navy, Miami and Wake Forest this season, and Beamer acknowledged Duke is primed to get over the hump. After witnessing No. 1 Southern California fall to Stanford despite a 41-point spread, Beamer prays his team is not the next in a long series of Herculean upsets this season, realizing the possibility is all too real.
"I do think that teams are closer than ever," he said. "I just think the ability level is closer. I'm a believer in what you think mentally. When kids see they're favored by 41 points, kids start thinking, 'Well, let's just show up and get this one.' Well, you can't just show up and win anymore.
"The realistic part of it is there's just about anybody in the country that can beat anybody else."
The Hokies learned that lesson the hard way nine years ago. Undefeated and ranked No. 14 in the country, Virginia Tech was atop the Big East and full of national title hopes when it played host to a winless Temple team. The Owls, who had lost two weeks early to Division I-AA William and Mary, pulled off the miraculous upset over the Hokies, 28-24.
Despite the stinging memories, Beamer said he has never let his team forget, which has helped the Hokies avoid taking weaker opponents too lightly since then.
"We've got to have a great week in practice to get ready," he said. "They are a much better football team [than years past]. Coach Roof has them a better football team.... This game is a tremendously important game for Virginia Tech this season."
Virginia Tech is coming off a big 41-23 win over then-No. 22 Clemson, in which the Hokies scored three non-offensive touchdowns by way of a 32-yard return off an interception, an 82-yard punt return and a school record-tying 100-yard kickoff return.
That was the difference in a game where Virginia Tech continued to show growing pains on offense, gaining a total of just 219 yards. The Hokies, though, may have their best offensive game to date this weekend-despite being ranked last for total offense in the ACC-because of Duke's weakness on defense, which is also at the bottom the conference.
But the key issue for Virginia Tech Saturday will be focus as the Hokies will have to execute well in order to prevent Wallace Wade Stadium from becoming an unforgettable trap.
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