Duke vs Virginia Tech Thoughts & Game Notes
Duke hosts Virginia Tech for a noon kickoff this Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke football looks to add to the win streak as they recently became bowl eligible with their win over Boston College last Friday. The latest odds from Vegas have the line in favor of Duke winning at -9.5 with the Over/Under at 49.5. It's been a while since Duke has won against Virginia Tech in Wallace Wade Staium. Virginia Tech only has 2 wins in the season so far. I also expect that even with this being a down year for VT football the fan base will still travel well to Durham for the game. With that said I think Duke gets the win but doesn't cover the spread in a closer game than expected.
My score prediction
Duke 31
Virginia Tech 24
Keep reading below for Game Notes from Duke Sports Information
Duke returns to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium after a month hiatus when it welcomes Virginia Tech.
Kickoff is set for 12 noon, and the game will be broadcast live on RSN.
Virginia Tech leads the all-time series between the two schools, 19-10. In the last meeting on Nov. 13, 2021, the Blue Devils dropped a 48-17 decision to the Hokies at Lane Stadium. Duke's last win over Virginia Tech came on Sept. 27, 2019, when it scored 31-straight points to defeat the Hokies, 45-10, in its ACC opener in Blacksburg.
The Blue Devils earned their sixth win of the season against Boston College and now sit at 6-3 overall and 3-2 in ACC play, making them bowl eligible for the first time since 2018 when they defeated Temple in the Walk-On's Independence Bowl.
Duke has recorded 200-plus rushing yards on six different occasions this year and ranks second in the ACC and 20th nationally with 208.11 ground yards per contest.
Saturday's RSN broadcast will feature Evan Lepler, Dave Archer and Rebecca Fiorentino on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (6-3, 3-2 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (2-7, 1-5 ACC)
Saturday, November 12, 2022 • 12 Noon
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium (40,004)
TELEVISION • RSN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF) • Virginia Tech Notes (PDF)
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
Redshirt junior defensive tackle DeWayne Carteris tied for second nationally in fumble recoveries (3) and tied for sixth in caused fumbles (3). After compiling four forced fumbles a year ago, Carter ranks tied with Bob Grupp and Matt Daniels for fourth in program history with seven in their Blue Devil careers.
Against Boston College, redshirt senior linebacker Shaka Heywardtallied a game-high 11 tackles for his 11th career double-digit tackle performance. The Dacula, Ga., native has 312 career tackles to his ledger, placing him tied with Joe Giles-Harris for 19th in program history. He is 18 tackles away from breaking into Duke's top 15 in the category.
This season, sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard is 159-of-247 (.644) passing for 1,851 yards with 11 touchdowns. He ranks fourth in the ACC in pass completion percentage, trailing North Carolina's Drake Maye (.712), Syracuse's Garrett Shrader (.672), and Clemson's DJ Uiagalelei (.646).
Duke's last home victory over Virginia Tech came during the 1981 season when the Blue Devils defeated the Hokies 14-7.
SCORING FIRST
Duke is 5-0 this season when scoring first. In each of those five games, the Blue Devils have registered a touchdown to begin the scoring and four were on their opening drive.
TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS
Through nine games, the Blue Devils have registered 40 total touchdowns to rank tied with Florida State for third in the conference. That total is the most since Duke recorded 51 in 2018.
DUKE AND THE RUN GAME
Duke is second in the ACC in both rushing yards (1,873) and rushing offense (208.11). Four players have been at the forefront of that attack in RBs Jaylen Coleman, Jaquez Moore and Jordan Waters as well as QB Riley Leonard.
All four have 300-plus rushing yards on the year, led by Leonard's 577 yards on 91 carries with nine scores. Waters follows closely with 461 yards on a team-high 94 rushes with eight touchdowns. Ja. Moore and Coleman have chipped in with 396 and 307 rushing yards with four touchdowns each. The quartet make Duke the only school in the ACC with four players with 300-plus rushing yards. Only Florida State and Louisville have at least three players with 300-plus yards.
2,000 x 2
The Blue Devils are 127 rushing and 106 passing yards away from recording 2,000 in both categories on the year. Duke has registered 2,000 rushing and passing yards in the same season just seven times in its history (2003, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2021).
RACKING UP THE SACKS
Over Duke's last three games, it has recorded 14 of its 24 total sacks on the year. The Blue Devils currently rank sixth in the ACC in sacks and compiled a season-best six against Miami on Oct. 22. Redshirt junior DT DeWayne Carteris averaging 0.5 sacks per game after registering 4.5 in 2022.
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS
Throughout Duke's nine games, it has scored 51 points off of nine opponent turnovers. Most recently, Duke scored 31 points off of five Miami turnovers.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES
Duke leads the nation with 15 fumble recoveries on the year. 11 different Blue Devils have accounted for those recoveries. Redshirt junior DeWayne Carter(3), redshirt senior Shaka Heyward (2) and sophomore Brandon Johnson(2) make Duke the only school in the ACC with three players with two-plus recoveries on the year.
STAND YOUR GROUND
Duke has eight players with 30-plus tackles on the year, led by graduate student Darius Joiner (70), redshirt senior Shaka Heyward (66), and junior Jaylen Stinson (53). The trio make Duke one of three schools in the ACC with at least three student-athletes with 53-plus tackles on the year (Boston College and Virginia).