Virginia Tech 14, Duke 3; 1:23: That will do it. Asack's first pass of the drive was intercepted by Virginia Tech cornerback "Macho" Harris, who returned it 23 yards for a game-sealing pick six. Duke's bowl hopes are now officially dead and it can only hope to end a four-game losing streak next weekend against rival North Carolina (who also lost today against N.C. State). That'll do it for us, as we head down to the postgame press conferences for Cutcliffe's thoughts on the contest.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 1:45: Aye-Darko just kept Duke's slim hopes alive. Virginia Tech ran the same running play it had run so effectively all day—out of the shotgun, Glennon rolled left, then handed off to Evans, who cut back right into usually open space. This time, however, Aye-Dark stopped him short of the first down and the Blue Devils will have one more shot, albeit an incredibly slim one.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 1:52: So far, so good. Duke's stopped two consecutive runs by Darren Evans and will have to do so one more time if it wants any hope for a victory.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 2:05: Virginia Tech just took a timeout to avoid getting a delay of game penalty, and it's now up to the Duke defense to stop the Hokies one more time and set up a miraculous comeback. Since Virginia Tech has 1st-and-10, the Blue Devils would likely have about 1:40 left if they stop the Hokies on three straight plays and call timeout after each one.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 3:23: And that might just do it. Asack went deep to receiver Johnny Williams, but the freshman was double-covered and Stephan Virgil picked it off for the Hokies. Virginia Tech will try to kill the clock, but Duke does have all three timeouts remaining.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 4:30 4th quarter: A good start for Duke as Tielor Robinson runs up the gut for 15 yards. The ball is at the Blue Devils' 35-yard line.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 5:04 4th quarter: Virginia Tech must really want Duke to stay bowl eligible. It's the only explanation for what just happened. Glennon dropped back on 3rd-and-9 but had no one open. He scrambled right for yards and was in a foot race for the first down with safety Adrian Aye-Darko. Darko nailed Glennon out-of-bounds a yard short, but tight end Andre Smith left the Hokies with only one choice on fourth down as he committed a dead-ball, unnecessary roughness penalty. This is probably Duke's last chance to win this game when it gets the ball back after the punt.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 8:56 4th quarter: Hold everything. We have our first completed pass of the day from Duke's offense as Asack connects with tight end Brett Huffman for four yards.. But, alas, it's short of the first down. Duke punts and Virginia Tech will take over at its own 33-yard line.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 10:48 4th quarter: Duke's defense continues to come up with crucial drive-stopping plays, forcing Glennon into an intentional grounding on a third down. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, the Hokies still had good enough field position to punt the ball into the end zone for a touchback. Asking this offense to establish an 80-yard drive may well be asking the impossible, but with Asack's speed, anything is certainly possible.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; End of 3rd quarter: Asack's legs are the only thing producing yards for this offense. Of the 106 total yards that Duke has up to this point, 97 have come on the junior's scrambles. Another fourth-down punt is coming up, and by now, it's become apparent that Cutcliffe won't throw the ball unless it's absolutely necessary. The Blue Devils will probably need a major break from the defense or special teams if they want to pull this one out.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 3:51 3rd quarter: Well at least the game's going by quickly for those who didn't wear enough layers of clothing. Another three-and-out for each team as fans and players alike shiver in the 20-degree weather, hoping they can eventually jump up for an exciting play.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 7:45 3rd quarter: It's been more of the same this half. Although Asack scrambled for 13 yards on the first play to put Duke into Virginia Tech territory (thanks to the opening kickoff going out-of-bounds), the Blue Devils ended up punting. The Hokies had a nice drive going but a timely third-down sack by Vince Oghobaase forced Virginia Tech out of field goal position and into a punt. Duke will start a drive from within its own 20-yard line for the first time today (not including the quarterback kneel that ended the first half).
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; HALFTIME: In most facets of the game, Virginia Tech has dominated Duke with 205 total yards to just 53 (all on the ground). But aside from the last drive, when the Hokies made some timely third-down conversions to set up their touchdown, the Blue Devils defense has been the one coming up with the big play at the right time. Five turnovers have kept Duke in this game and one, a Taylor fumble on an option pitch, led to the Blue Devils' only points of the period. Virginia Tech's drives have been: interception, punt, fumble, interception, fumble, punt, interception and touchdown. Meanwhile, Duke's drives were: punt, punt, field goal, punt, punt, interception, punt, end of half. Although Asack has yet to complete a pass on a mere four passes, at some point Cutcliffe will probably have to throw the ball for points if he wants to retake the lead. He'll have the chance to do so first in the second half as the Blue Devils will receive.
Virginia Tech 7, Duke 3; 0:38, 2nd quarter: Surprisingly, there hasn't been a turnover since the last post. In fact, Virginia Tech just scored the game's first touchdown as Glennon connects with Jarrett Boykin on a slant pattern. Duke had brought the house in an attempt to force the senior into another pick, but with one-on-one coverage, Glennon threw the ball where only Boykin could catch it and he dove into the end zone.
Duke 3, Virginia Tech 0; 3:02 2nd quarter: This is one of the worst offensive showings in the history of college football—and if it's not, it should be. To this point, Virginia Tech has FIVE turnovers and Duke has yet to complete a pass. The Blue Devils and Hokies traded interceptions and Duke—again—went three and... well, by know you know how that sentence ends.
Duke 3, Virginia Tech 0; 7:34 2nd quarter: In an attempt to jolt his offense, VIrginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer has inserted senior Sean Glennon at quarterback, much to the delight of the Lane Stadium crowd. The result, however, is the same as nearly every drive this entire game: a quick three-and-out as Glennon's 3rd-and-4 pass is off target thanks to a Tauiliili blitz.
Duke 3, Virginia Tech 0; 10:39 2nd quarter: Duke may not have any offensive attack going, but Virginia Tech is doing everything it can to make it easy for the Blue Devils. Taylor scrambled and had a good run going for a first down, but linebacker Vincent Rey knocked the ball loose and safety Catron Gainey recovers. It's the fourth turnover for the Hokies today as Duke takes over on the Virginia Tech 40-yard line.
Duke 3, Virginia Tech 0; 11:33 2nd quarter: The passing "attack" of Virginia Tech has hurt it more than it has helped them. Taylor forces the ball into coverage on a 1st-and-10 from the Hokies' 43-yard line and Daniels forces the second turnover of the game. Duke, despite utilizing a new formation that can perhaps be described as a diamond backfield (Asack at quarterback, with three running backs behind him in the form of a diamond), cannot get any semblance of a running game going and goes three-and-out for the third time today.
Duke 3, Virginia Tech 0; 14:50 2nd quarter: It would not be surprising if Cutcliffe chooses not to pass the ball the rest of the game. Asack had a big 19-yard run that sets up a 39-yard field goal by Nick Maggio, and Duke has its first lead in a game that has seen a combined seven attempted passes and just two completions, all by Virginia Tech.
Duke 0, Virginia Tech 0; 1:51 1st quarter: Even when the Hokies offense gets some momentum going, it immediately loses it. Taylor's option pitch is behind his running back, and freshman Matt Daniels recovers at the Hokies' 43-yard line. Asack will probably have to go to the air at some point if the Blue Devils want to move the ball, but Virginia Tech is certainly giving them every benefit possible with two turnovers.
Duke 0, Virginia Tech 0; 5:31 1st quarter: This contest continues to be a battle of field position. There have been three straight three-and-outs in the period as neither team has completed a pass since the opening drive. Asack actually had Donovan Varner down the ride sideline deep but Hokies' cornerback Dorian Porch knocked the ball out of his hands. Virginia Tech takes over from its own 4 after a penalty on returner Macho Harris for blocking after calling a fair catch.
Duke 0, Virginia Tech 0; 8:50 1st quarter: Not quite the start Asack could've been hoping for. A botched handoff and a false start penalty took Duke out of field goal range—had David Cutcliffe gone for the field goal, it would've been over 50 yards, a daunting task even for the strong-legged Joe Surgan. The punting unit comes through, however, pinning the Hokies on their own 9-yard line.
Duke 0, Virginia Tech 0; 12:10 1st quarter: On 3rd-and-3 from its own 45-yard line, Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor attempted to hit tight end Andre Smith on an out-route, but linebacker Mike Tauiliili had tight coverage, deflected the ball and came up with the pick. Zack Asack is at quarterback for Duke now and is expected to be the starter the whole game.
PREGAME: A freezing night in Blacksburg hasn't kept Hokie fans from coming out in droves. Although it took a while, the stadium is nearly full now—and it is rocking with as much energy as any away stadium the Blue Devils have played at this year. Every fan was jumping on Metallica's "Enter Sandman," the usual opening song for Virginia Tech—though it wouldn't come as a surprise if that was more of a warming measure than anything else. Duke actually won the opening coin toss for the first time all year, and has deferred to the second half. The Hokies will receive to start the game.
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