The Virginia Tech football season has reached full rebuilding mode as the Hokies lost their seventh straight game on Saturday, falling to 24-7 at Duke. Tech is now 2-8 on the season and 1-6 in the ACC.
The Hokies took the lead just over a minute and a half into the game on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Grant Wells to Da’Wain Lofton, but Brent Pry’s team would not score the rest of the way as the Blue Devils reeled off 24 straight points to move to 7-3 on the season and 4-2 in the ACC.
“We’ve got to build depth,” Pry said after the game. “We’ve got some good players. We don’t have enough of them. A couple more good players can make a difference in the ballgame.
“We’ve got to develop. We’ve got to continue to improve our culture, continue to improve our practice habits, our knowledge of the game. Our knowledge of the game has to continue to grow.
“There’s certain things that we are coaching and teaching and doing that as we move forward should be part of who we are, and you’re not coaching those things anymore.”
The Hokies managed to average 4.0 yards a rush, but a lack of consistent passing doomed them again as Wells went 16-for-28 for 177 yards. Duke outgained Tech 427-281 on the day as Tech went just 4-for-12 on third downs, while the hosts converted 8 of 14.
The Hokies turned the ball over just one type on the day, but the inability to sustain drives saw any chance of a comeback evaporate. Duke held the ball for 38:59, while Tech had it for just 21:01.
Tech threw an interception, punted six times and missed a field goal on the day.
“I expect us to play better,” Pry said. “I do. I also have a pretty good idea where we’re at. It’s my job to encourage this team, to be positive, and to get us better.”
On a positive note, the team did not have a penalty all game, marking the first time since the school’s stat database began tracking it in 1987.
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