Notable Numbers: Virginia Tech vs. Duke

Virginia Tech football played its final road game of the regular season against the Blue Devils during primetime. Multiple Hokies recorded impactful personal milestones and finished the game with some notable stats.

Read below to dive deeper into Tech's conference matchup against Duke, presented by Carter Bank.

Stats with Salas

1,000-Yards Club
With his 15th carry in the game last night, Bhayshul Tuten broke the 1,000 yards rushing mark for the season. It's the 20th time that's happened in school history and he's just the 17th player wo have reached 1,000 yards in Virginia Tech history, marking the 20th instance of such a feat. Last last player to have 1,000 yards on the ground was Khalil Herbert in 2020. Tuten now has 1,035 rushing yards for the season.

UniWatch
Tech wore maroon helmets, white jerseys and maroon pants for the second time this season and are now 34-39 in that comination since 1987. Below is a list of the Hokies' uniform combinations this season.

Date	Opponent	Helmet	Jersey	Pants	Overall Record
Aug 31, 2024	at Vanderbilt	Maroon	White	White	59-35
Sep 7, 2024	Marshall	Maroon	Maroon	White	119-41
Sep 14, 2024	at Old Dominion	White	White	Maroon	3-0
Sep 21, 2024	Rutgers	White	Maroon	White	12-3
Sep 27, 2024	at Miami	Maroon	White	Maroon	34-38
Oct 5, 2024	at Stanford	Maroon	White	White	60-35
Oct 17, 2024	Boston College	White	Orange	Orange	3-1
Oct 26, 2024	Georgia Tech	Maroon	Maroon	White	120-41
Nov 2, 2024	at Syracuse	White	White	White	19-11
Nov 9, 2024	Clemson	Maroon	Maroon	Maroon	18-18
Nov 23, 2024	at Duke	Maroon	White	Maroon	34-39

The Streak Continues
Saturday's game marked the 341st consecutive game during which Virginia Tech has scored. The Hokies are in fourth place in both the all-time and active streak lists. In that span, Tech has shutout their opponent 34 times.

Tech Playmakers

Strong Coverage
Cornerback Dorian Strong has been a defensive leader and coverage specialist for Tech's secondary. In a contest that saw the Hokies generate four turnovers, Strong compiled half of those plays on his own. The fifth-year defensive back intercepted Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy twice in the first half. Strong's blanketing man-cover skills were on full display, and both interceptions resulted in points for Tech's offense. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland native also amassed five tackles on the evening and now has seven passes defended on the season. For his efforts, he earned his highest coverage grade of the season (86.7), according to Pro Football Focus.

Popping Out
Playing your first significant snaps of in-game action due to injury is an intriguing landscape to navigate, and quarterback William "Pop" Watson III did just that Saturday night against the Blue Devils. A redshirt freshman with limited playing time at the collegiate level, he was given the opportunity to finish the game after quarterback Collin Schlee exited at the end of the first quarter. Watson helped orchestrate the Hokies' second touchdown drive of the game, which concluded with some trickery that led to a 21-yard rushing touchdown by Ayden Greene. The Springfield, Massachusetts product finished the outing with 146 passing yards and a successful two-point conversion and showcased his ability to improvise around the pocket. While Watson faced significant pressure most of the contest, he provided glimpses of mobility and arm strength at the position.

Make Your Pledges Count

Support the development of Virginia Tech football by giving with Pledge Per. Each gift commitment helps benefit the program based on performance metrics such as sacks ($3), touchdowns ($7) and more. The Hokies scored three touchdowns against Duke. Make an impact by deciding to pledge today.