Durham, North Carolina - Virginia Tech (5-6) climbed out of an early 14-0 deficit, just to once again fall short in the fourth quarter to Duke (8-3) on their way to a 31-28 defeat, dropping to 1-12 in one-score games under Brent Pry.
“It’s super frustrating,” Virginia Tech Wide Receiver Ali Jennings (6 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown) said of the Hokies 0-5 record in one score games this season. “A lot of times we are the better team, but we shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Virginia Tech didn’t waste any time putting themselves in a hole, falling behind 14-0 in under seven minutes following two 75+ yard touchdowns from Maalik Murphy to Eli Pancol.
Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry attributed the first touchdown to a lapse in a 3 deep coverage scheme, and the second to an uncalled offensive pass interference.
“We gave them a head start,” Pry said. “When you spot a good team 14 points like that, it’s tough.”
At that point, it seemed like the game could be getting away from the Hokies, but they responded almost as quickly as Duke had scored in the first place. Colin Schlee, who started in place of the injured Kyron Drones, connected with Ali Jennings for a 65-yard touchdown.
Just as the Hokies offense got on the board, Tech’s defense began showing some life. Dorian Strong picked off Murphy on back-to-back possessions late in the first and early in the second quarter. The former All-American cornerback became the first Virginia Tech player to have two interceptions in a game since…Dorian Strong last year against Boston College.
With all the momentum and strong field position due to the forced turnovers, the Hokies scored twice more, taking a 17-14 lead midway through the second quarter, despite moving on to third string Quarterback William “Pop” Watson, as Schlee exited the game with an injury.
People often say basketball is a game of runs, but if tonight was any indication, football can sometimes be the same. Duke countered Virginia Tech’s 17-0 run, with a 17-0 run of their own to finish the second and third quarters.
It all started when Maalik Murphy shook off his two early picks and got back on track with a 58 yard pass to a wide open Jordan Moore, before finding Eli Pancol in the endzone one play later.
“Especially in the first half it was feast or famine,” Pry said. “We were giving them big plays or making big plays.”
Even with Caleb Woodson joining the interception party with just a few seconds left in the first half, the Hokies couldn’t make up for the repeat connections between Murphy and Pancol. Pancol ended with five receptions for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Virtually all of that production came in the first half.
Duke came storming out of the gates to begin the second half, just as they did in the first half, extending their lead to 31-17 entering the fourth quarter. Once again the game seemed to be threatening to get out of hand, but the Hokies began to make another run of their own.
Pop Watson engineered a 10-play, 54-yard drive that John Love finished off with a 38 yard field goal. While the Hokies couldn’t get in the endzone, Watson made some big time third down throws, and did a good job regrouping from an interception earlier in the half.
“They were trying to send the house at him, (but) he made some big plays,” said Jennings. “I wish we could have gotten it done for him.”
Watson kept up the strong play, leading a touchdown drive on the Hokies next possession, in which “tugboat”Bhayshul Tuten took off for a 29-yard touchdown, before Watson topped it off with a two-point conversion to make it a three point game with under 10 minutes remaining. Tuten looked semi-healthy for the first time in about a month, and with this performance, he reached an impressive milestone: 1,000 rushing yards on the season.
Despite giving themselves a chance to win, the Hokies just couldn’t get it done on their next couple of drives, as the Blue Devils were able to get to Watson at will. Even with Keonta Jenkins making a big time play forcing a fumble with under two minutes remaining, the Hokies couldn’t get into scoring position.
“When you get a third string quarterback in there, you pin your ears back and go after him,” Pry said.
That’s exactly what the Blue Devils did, sacking Watson eight times. Virginia Tech hasn’t allowed eight sacks in a single game since the 2011 Orange Bowl against Stanford, but Duke did so just about three quarters with Watson under center. Duke also had an incredible 14 tackles for loss.
In the end, Virginia Tech couldn’t pull off the miracle lateral play as time expired, and they once again lost a heartbreaker 31-28, in what was one of the most unpredictable games you will ever see.
With the loss, the Hokies remain one game short of bowl eligibility, setting up a photo finish against their rival the Virginia Cavaliers, who also sit at five wins after their 33-7 loss to No. 13 SMU.
“(We will) leave it all on the field,” Jennings said of their upcoming game against UVA. “The only way we can go is up.”
Virginia Tech has dominated the Commonwealth Cup over the last two decades, winning 18 of the last 19 meetings. Last year, the Hokies went into Charlottesville and routed the Cavaliers 55-17, in a game which they once again had to win for bowl eligibility.
If Virginia Tech wants to salvage anything from this disappointing season, they need to bounce back from their three-game losing streak and knock off Virginia in their season finale at 8 p.m., Saturday, November 30 at Lane Stadium.
Once again, it will be a photo finish for bowl eligibility.
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