Offense: B+
Rush: The running game again showed progress behind Desmond Scott, who gained 34 yards on seven carries. Unfortunately, Duke’s other backs couldn’t follow Scott’s lead. Re’quan Boyette, who recieved little help from his offensive line, could never find daylight on his way to only four yards on 10 carries.
Pass: Thaddeus Lewis showed yet again why he is a four-year starter at quarterback. The senior threw to nine different recievers, including a 48-yard pass early in the first quarter to Brandon King that gave Duke a 7-0 lead. Lewis was able to avoid mistakes while taking chances downfield, even when the Hokies knew the run was not a threat. Scott’s first reception of his Blue Devil career came on a beautiful ball from Lewis, who hit the freshman perfectly in stride down the sideline for a 26-yard gain. In all, Lewis threw for 359 yards, his highest total this season.
X's and O's: The offense played valiantly in a game where it should have been easily outmatched. Whereas last year the Blue Devils stuggled to get first downs against the Hokies, this year their problem was punching the ball in the end zone when they got into the red zone. The running game struggled, but when Duke went to the hurry-up offense, spread the field and threw the ball downfield, the Blue Devils saw success. A few timely Virginia Tech penalties didn’t hurt matters either.
Defense: C+
Rush: The defense mostly held its own against Virginia Tech, limiting the Hokies to under four yards a carry. Vince Oghobaase wreaked havoc in the Hokie backfield all day, and Virginia Tech only saw success on the ground when it ran away from the fifth-year senior. Of course, when the Hokies had to run at the end of the game to run out the clock, they did so with surprising efficiency, given how well Duke had played to that point.
Pass: This is where Duke had a few problems. It only took Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor 22 passes to rack up 327 yards through the air. Leon Wright got beat for a 28-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter on a play the Wade Wackos won’t soon forget. Wright appeared to have an interception, but as he came down to the ground he lost the ball right into Hokie Jarrett Boykin’s hands. Boykin appeared to be out of bounds when the exchange occured, but the officials didn’t see it that way. X's and O's: This was a game where the pass set up the run. The Blue Devils did well early, stuffing Virginia Tech’s running game. Unfortunately, Duke had to focus more on the pass when it couldn’t stop Taylor. And late in the game, the Hokies were able to run it down Duke’s throat.
Highest Marks: QB Thaddeus Lewis It might be time to stop with all the Sean Renfree talk. Lewis opened the scoring for Duke with a 77-yard drive and closed the game with an even more impressive 90-yard drive, when the Blue Devils easily could have packed it in. Without much of a running game, Lewis led Duke to 26 points against the No. 6 team in the nation, an impressive feat.
Hit the Books: RB Re'quan Boyette It’s not all his fault because the offensive line was like a sieve at times, but Desmond Scott was able to find a few holes in his brief playing time. Any time a running back averages less than a yard per carry it’s time to reevaluate things.
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