Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw three touchdown passes and Tech’s defense held Duke to 208 total yards as the No. 23-ranked Hokies rolled to an easy 44-7 ACC victory over the Blue Devils at Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The win marked Tech’s sixth straight after the Hokies opened the season with two straight losses. Tech, which beat Duke for the 10th straight time, moved to 6-2 overall, 4-0 in the ACC and set itself up for November’s stretch run in which the Hokies control their own destiny.
“I do think we’ve got things to work on, but when you play well and you have success, it builds confidence,” Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said. “You can’t talk your way into it. You’ve got to build it. The last couple of games, we’ve taken steps where we want to go.
“Three games ago against Central Michigan, I said we had some guys who just assumed we were going to win and played that way. The last two games, though, I haven’t felt that way.
“We’ve got an opportunity. Our quarterback is playing real well, and he gives us a chance.”
Tech got on the board early, scoring on its first possession when Taylor hit Andre Smith for a 14-yard touchdown pass with 7:56 left in the first quarter. That started a streak in which the Hokies scored on eight of their first nine possessions in the game.
In fact, a three-and-out to start the second quarter marked the only time Duke stopped the Hokies’ offense in the first 45 minutes of the game.
Tech finished with 491 yards of total offense and scored on eight of its first nine possessions in the game. The Hokies topped the 40-point mark for the fourth consecutive game – a first since the 2000 season when a Michael Vick-led unit scored more than 40 in four straight.
“I guess you could say that,” Taylor said when asked if this was the offense’s best all-around performance of the season. “We’re feeding off each other’s energy. The defense played well and got us the ball back, and it’s our job to put points on the board. That’s what we did today.”
Ryan Williams scored on a 1-yard run with 1:30 left in the first quarter to give Tech a 14-0 lead, and Darren Evans scored on a 2-yard run to give Tech a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Hokies wrapped up their first-half scoring with two Chris Hazley field goals – from 37 and 44 yards out – to take a 27-0 lead at halftime.
Taylor completed 13-of-17 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. In the second half, he threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts, and then one possession later, hit David Wilson for a 65-yard touchdown pass. Hazley’s short 22-yard field goal late in the third quarter accounted for the rest of Tech’s scoring.
Taylor finished with 327 yards of total offense. He needs less than 100 yards to break Bryan Randall’s all-time mark for career total offense (8,034 yards).
The game marked Williams’ first appearance since injuring his hamstring in the East Carolina game on Sept. 18. He played just two series in the game and finished with 10 yards on six carries.
"We're trying to work for the GT game to where I'm back to being me," Williams said. "But with a hamstring, it takes a long time.
"I figured I'd come in this game and do a little bit. Then I'd get a two-week break and hopefully get back to 100 percent, if not, then close to it."
Duke (1-6, 0-4), which lost for the sixth straight time after opening the season with a victory over Elon, scored its lone touchdown in the third quarter on a Jay Hollingsworth 6-yard run. Duke quarterback Sean Renfree completed just 12-of-32 for 116 yards, with one interception. Tech’s defense had two interceptions and two sacks.
The Hokies now have a week off before starting a grueling November stretch in which they play most of the league’s heavyweights. Tech’s next game comes on Thursday, Nov. 4, against Georgia Tech at Lane Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.