Duke football charged to a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech, moving to 8-3 on the season with one game remaining. The Blue Zone breaks down the win against the Hokies with three key takeaways, stats and a look ahead:
Three key takeaways
1. A tale of two halves
In a 31-28 Duke victory, Maalik Murphy threw both three touchdown passes and three interceptions in the first half. It was a half marked by wild offensive momentum switches, interceptions, explosive plays and two defenses that hadn’t quite found their footing. The Duke team that reentered the field in the second half — after a quick first-drive touchdown — could not find the same fire that powered its early domination, and Virginia Tech — relying on third-string quarterback William Watson III after a first-quarter injury to second-string UCLA transfer Collin Schlee — nearly executed a late-game comeback. Less than seven minutes into the game, a Murphy-Pancol duet had already racked up two touchdowns for 163 receiving yards. While the Blue Devils could not find success running the ball in the first half — and practically gave up trying — Star Thomas had a few key rush plays in the second half, including a 33-yard run in the final two minutes that would have resulted in at least a field goal if it hadn’t been for a lost fumble on the next play.
2. Wide receiver showcase
The Hokies and Blue Devils alike boasted dominant performances from respective wide receivers Ali Jennings and Eli Pancol. The former, a Richmond, Va., native, put up a touchdown, six receptions and 158 receiving yards, nearly doubling his regular-season totals in a single night. For Duke, Pancol was unstoppable, with three touchdowns and 188 total yards — including an 86-yard touchdown reception that stands as the longest of the season. Duke’s Jordan Moore was another key player in the matchup, with three receptions for 68 total receiving yards. With Duke employing very few run plays, Pancol and Moore’s impressive showing (and Maalik Murphy’s ability to find them in key moments) was essential.
3. Virginia Tech dominates rushing game
There was a huge disparity in rushing yards between the Hokies and Blue Devils, with the former’s 190 rush yards almost tripling Duke’s measly 64 yards. For a program with one of the worst rushing averages in all of college football, Saturday’s 64-yard showing underperformed on an already pitiful 99.6 yard-per-game average. Though Murphy’s explosive passes made the difference in the game and overcame both rush and first-down disparities, operating within such low rush margins is unsustainable in the long term. Diaz and the Blue Devils will definitely have to tackle the issue in preparation for the upcoming bowl game.
Three key stats
1. 3+3 = Narrow victory
Maalik Murphy threw both three interceptions and three touchdowns during gameplay. All occurred during the first half, and two resulted in Virginia Tech scoring on its next drive. Murphy’s mistakes and triumphs during the first half contributed to the wild contours of the game — together, they made up 31 of the evening’s 59 total points.
2. Eight sacks
Duke’s defense took down Schlee and Watson eight times combined, while Duke’s offensive line held strong and didn’t allow a single sack on Murphy. This stat is also a testament to Murphy’s many back-foot pass attempts under pressure, which resulted in both explosive 50-plus-yard receptions and momentum-squashing interceptions.
3. Double first downs
Consistent with the rushing dominance by Virginia Tech and Duke’s frontloaded scoring in the first quarter, the Hokies doubled the Blue Devils’ 12 first downs with 24 of their own. Despite this disparity, Duke’s explosive early success to start both halves helped it hang on to the win.
Looking ahead
An 8-3 Duke team will head to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on Wake Forest in what should be another win to end regular season play. The 4-7 Demon Deacons, however, will be treating this final regular season matchup as their bowl game, and Dave Clawson’s squad should not be underestimated. After a 42-14 loss to Miami, Wake Forest will come into Saturday’s matchup with a home-field advantage and a chip on its shoulder. Looking further ahead, Duke awaits its fate in the bowl selection process.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.