Coming off a bye week following its 44-3 rout of Army, Duke heads to Blacksburg, Va., this weekend to face ACC Coastal foe Virginia Tech Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Although the Hokies dominated the matchup prior to 2013 with nine straight wins, the two teams have split their last two meetings, with the Blue Devils’ latest win coming at Lane Stadium two years ago. Ahead of the critical conference contest, here are the three keys to victory for Duke:
Get the ground game going
With first year quarterback Thomas Sirk facing a talented Virginia Tech secondary that ranks 17th in the nation—allowing only 171.3 yards per game through the air—it will be crucial for the Blue Devils to run the ball effectively. Duke has been inconsistent running the ball against Power 5 defenses thus far this season, posting 177 and 165 yards, respectively, against Northwestern and Georgia Tech, but only mustering 33 yards on 35 carries against Boston College three weeks ago.
With the recent return of Jela Duncan to complete the three-headed rushing attack along with Shaun Wilson and Shaquille Powell, the Blue Devils have plenty of fresh legs that can challenge a Hokie front-seven that has struggled in 2015. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster’s defense is giving up 178 yards per game on the ground this season, including an average of 201.5 yards per game in the team’s four losses. If Duke can get the ground game going in Blacksburg early, it will allow them to control the game and wear out the Virginia Tech defense.
Prevent big plays on defense
The Blue Devil defense has only given up five offensive touchdowns this season and three of those scores have come on big plays of 50 yards or more. All of those big plays have come in the second half, with two coming in fourth quarter—including Northwestern running back Warren Long’s 55-yard run that sealed the team's fate in its only loss of the season.
Duke has been successful preventing long touchdown drives this season, but a big play for Virginia Tech could break the game open on Saturday. In order to prevent this, the Blue Devil defense will need to plug holes up front to stop running back Travon McMillian from breaking a big run and play well in the secondary, where Bucky Hodges and Isaiah Ford have emerged as explosive receivers for the Hokies.
Get pressure on quarterback Michael Brewer
Virginia Tech has not done a great job protecting its quarterbacks during the first seven games of the season and has given up an average of 2.57 sacks per game, which is tied for 91st in the FBS. In fact, a hit in the backfield was what knocked Brewer out with a collarbone injury for five weeks. Since then, opponents have continued to swarm the Hokie backfield, including a week ago when backup quarterback Brendan Motley was sacked three times against Miami.
Duke's defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been very creative with his blitz packages this season, frequently and effectively using Jeremy Cash, Dwayne Norman and DeVon Edwards to hurry quarterbacks on passing down situations. Even before these players bring extra pressure, the Virginia Tech line could struggle against a front seven that has emerged as one of the best in the ACC midway through the season.
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