DURHAM, N.C. – Making his first start as a Hokie, quarterback Ryan Willis threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns to lead Virginia Tech to a 31-14 bounce-back victory over No. 22 Duke in an ACC game played Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium.
With the win, the Hokies moved to 3-1 on the season, 2-0 in ACC play, and snapped Duke's seven-game winning streak. The Blue Devils fell to 4-1 overall, 0-1 in the ACC.
Playing in place of injured starter Josh Jackson, Willis looked like a veteran, throwing the ball accurately and making good decisions, as the Hokies rebounded from a loss to ODU last Saturday. He completed 17 of 27 in the game.
Willis, who transferred from Kansas in 2017, made a beautiful throw over Damon Hazelton's outside shoulder for a 27-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter to give the Hokies a 10-7 lead, and Tech never trailed again. The Hokies padded their score on their next possession when tight end Dalton Keene hauled in a short pass from Willis and broke several tackles en route to a 67-yard touchdown. Those two scores in a three-minute span enabled the Hokies to take control of the game.
Duke cut the lead to 24-14 on a 1-yard run by Deon Jackson with 13:47 left in the game, but Willis and the Hokies answered. A 75-yard drive ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Willis to Phil Jackson.
Tech finished with 413 yards of offense. The Hokies' defense held Duke to 327 yards and sacked Duke's Daniel Jones three times.
(9/29/2018) 2018 FOOTBALL at DUKE
GAME NOTES
• Tech beat a ranked team for the fourth time in Justin Fuente's tenure as the head coach (UNC in 2016, West Virginia in 2017, FSU 2018).
• The 300-yard passing game marked the third of Willis' career. He twice went over 300 yards during his two years at Kansas.
• Hazelton's touchdown reception in the second quarter gave him a touchdown reception in all four games this season.
• After missing the ODU game with injuries, both left tackle Christian Darrisaw and safety Divine Deablo returned to their starting roles.
• Patterson's 10-yard touchdown reception marked the first touchdown catch of his career.
• Steven Peoples scored on a 6-yard run in the third quarter and now has scored a touchdown in three straight games.
UP NEXT
The Hokies gear up for a showdown with Notre Dame next Saturday at Lane Stadium, as the Irish make their first visit to Blacksburg. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. and be shown on ABC.