Home Virginia Tech upsets #21 Duke, 17-16
Sports

Virginia Tech upsets #21 Duke, 17-16

Contributors

vt-dukeVirginia Tech turned three Duke turnovers into 17 points, and Blue Devils placekicker Ross Martin missed a 40-yard field goal with 2:26 to go, allowing the Hokies to escape with a 17-16 win in Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C., on Saturday.

Duke (8-2, 4-2 ACC) led 10-0 in the second quarter and was driving in the red zone when quarterback Anthony Boone was intercepted at the Tech 2 by Deon Clarke. The Hokies (5-5, 2-4 ACC) drove 98 yards in 12 plays to get on the scoreboard, punching it in on a 10-yard pass from Michael Brewer to Isaiah Ford that made it 10-7 Duke.

A pair of Martin field goals would give the Blue Devils a 16-7 lead, and a Brewer interception in Virginia Tech territory seemed to open the door for Duke to take control, but Boone was hit on a third-down pass attempt, and Derek Di Nardo plucked the ball out of the air and returned it 51 yards to the Duke 8.

The Hokies had to settle for a 35-yard Joey Slye field goal on the final play of the third quarter that cut the deficit to 16-10. Then on the ensuing kickoff, Duke returner DeVon Edwards fumbled, and Dahman McKinnon recovered for Virginia Tech at the Duke 31.

Five plays later, Brewer connected with Bucky Hodges on a 15-yard TD pass that gave Tech its first lead of the afternoon.

Duke took advantage of a failed fake punt to get the ball to the edge of the red zone in the final three minutes, but Martin, who had not missed a field-goal attempt all year before missing a 51-yarder in the second quarter, was wide left from 40.

The Blue Devils defense forced a Tech punt, giving the offense one last chance, but the Hokies defense held on a fourth-down pass to end it.

Virginia Tech won despite a subpar day from its offense, which generated only 293 yards. Duke gained 324 yards total offense, but the three turnovers were backbreakers, and Boone had a pedestrian day throwing the ball, completing 19 of his 41 pass attempts for 185 yards.

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.

Latest News

tomas valincius uva baseball
Baseball

UVA Baseball: ‘Hoos close out regular season with 3-1 win at Virginia Tech

Local, Politics

Charlottesville: New City Attorney played role in notorious press freedom case

A North Carolina man who was part of a freedom of the press case that gained international attention, and not in a good way, will soon assume the position of city attorney for Charlottesville.

brandon hyde baltimore orioles
Baseball

Breaking: Baltimore Orioles fire Brandon Hyde after 15-28 start

I wrote last night that Brandon Hyde might still have a couple of weeks left to turn things around in Baltimore. Turns out, he’s done now. General manager Mike Elias announced the firing of Hyde, who had led the O’s to back-to-back postseason appearances, on Saturday, hours after a 4-3 home loss to rival Washington...

indian tribe tribal American Indian Society Pow Wow
Virginia

HUD awards $2.2M to Virginia tribal communities for affordable housing initiatives

ambulance on city street police
Virginia

Under investigation: Man admitted to Lynchburg General Hospital with gunshot wound

vdot road
Government, Local

VDOT: Road work in Augusta, Rockbridge, Rockingham, for the week of May 19-23

tim kaine
Politics, Virginia

Tim Kaine to Trump: ‘Birthright citizenship is even older than the U.S. itself’