The Duke game - updated 11/16 at 8:25 p.m.

November 15, 2014

Football: #HokieHuddle

Award winners from the Tech-Duke game

Virginia Tech postgame notes

• Virginia Tech wore maroon helmets, with white jerseys and maroon pants today. Tech is 24-23-1 all-time under head coach Frank Beamer wearing the maroon-maroon-white combination and hadn’t worn this combo since the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Tennessee.

• Wade Hansen made his first career start, starting in place of the injured Jonathan McLaughlin at right tackle. McLaughlin, a true sophomore, had started all 23 games of his career prior to the injury. He had surgery on his left ankle on Thursday and is out for the rest of the season.

• Linebacker Deon Clarke recorded his first collegiate interception in the second quarter. Derek Di Nardo picked up his second career pick in the third quarter. In four games against the Hokies, Duke quarterback Anthony Boone completed just 40 percent of his throws, with no passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Since the start of the 2000 season, Virginia Tech leads the FBS with 267 interceptions.

• True freshman Isaiah Ford scored a touchdown in the second quarter, his sixth of the year. Twenty-two of the first 30 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen (24 of 30 by underclassmen). Freshmen scored all 17 points for the Hokies today. Freshmen have scored 203 of 253 points this year for Tech -- 80 percent.

• Ford’s touchdown in the second quarter extended Virginia Tech’s scoring streak to 253 games. The streak is the fifth-longest active streak in the FBS and the 11th-longest of all-time in the Division I-A/FBS history.

• Ford’s sixth touchdown catch of the year is a new Tech freshman record, breaking a tie with Josh Hyman, who had five in 2004. He already holds the Tech freshman record for receptions in a season with 45.

• Virginia Tech converted Clarke’s interception into a 98-yard touchdown drive, the longest scoring drive of the season. It surpasses a 95-yard touchdown drive against Boston College. The 98-yard drive is the third-longest drive for Tech under Frank Beamer (99-yd drive vs. Duke in 2013; 99-yd drive vs. Maryland in 2005).

• Redshirt sophomore Brenden Motley saw his first collegiate action in the second quarter, coming in the “Wildcat” formation as the quarterback. He rushed three times for 36 yards.

• Freshman tight end Bucky Hodges recorded his sixth touchdown catch of the season, the most by a Tech tight end since Jeff King caught six in 2005. The six touchdowns (King and Hodges) are the most for a Tech tight end under Beamer.

• Tech has had pretty good success playing in the state of North Carolina, winning 12 of its last 14 games. Since 2000, the Hokies are 19-3 in games played in the Tar Heel State.

• Virginia Tech has won its last three road games against ranked AP teams, also beating No. 8 Ohio State this year 35-21 and No. 14 Miami last season, a 42-24 win.

• This is just the second time in program history the Hokies have had two road wins over top-25 teams (2011 - GT and VA; 2010; NCSU and Miami). It’s the first time Tech has recorded two road wins over top-20 teams in a season.

• Today marks the first time all season that Tech has won when the other team scores first. Tech had been 0-4 prior to today when the opposition scores first.

• Virginia Tech’s last one-point victory came in 2009 when the Hokies beat No. 19 Nebraska 16-15 in Blacksburg.

• The freshman trio of Ford (6), Cam Phillips (2) and Hodges (6) have combined to catch 14 of the 16 touchdown passes thrown by Michael Brewer and Mark Leal this season.

A photo posted by VT Football (@vthokiefootball) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:50pm PST

Hokies come from behind to win over Duke

Virginia Tech rallied from a 16-7 deficit to beat No. 19 Duke in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday.

With the win, Tech moved to 5-5 overall, 2-4 in the ACC. Duke fell to 8-2 overall, 4-2 in league play.

The Hokies now haven’t lost in Durham since a 14-7 defeat in 1981. Tech had won 12 straight against Duke before last year’s 13-10 defeat. The Hokies are now 19-3 in games played in North Carolina since 2000.

Duke had a chance to take the lead with under three minutes left. The Blue Devils drove to the Tech 23, and on third-and-3, quarterback Anthony Boone gained a yard to the 22. That set up a 40-yard attempt by kicker Ross Martin. But Martin, who made 14 straight field goals to start the season, hooked it left, giving Tech possession of the ball with 2:26 remaining in the game.

Duke got one last chance. The Blue Devils advanced to the Tech 41, but on second-and-2, Boone was sacked by Tech’s Ken Ekanem for a 9-yard loss. A false start then pushed the Blue Devils back farther, and a sack by Tech’s Detrick Bonner on the next play pushed Duke back to its 40. On fourth down, Boone felt heat from Bonner again and threw the ball away, giving Tech possession. The Hokies ran out the clock for the win.

Tech took a 17-16 lead on a touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Brewer to Bucky Hodges with 12:47 left in the game. Brewer completed 12-of-23 for 138 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. Hodges caught six passes for 57 yards and a score.

Tech’s J.C. Coleman rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries, as the Hokies finished with just 293 yards of offense. Duke amassed 326.

Duke takes 16-10 lead after three quarters

Duke expanded its lead in the third quarter, getting two Ross Martin field goals and grabbing a 16-10 lead after three quarters of play.

The Hokies also added a field goal, getting a 35-yarder from kicker Joey Slye. The three points came after Tech’s Derek Di Nardo intercepted a pass by Duke’s Anthony Boone and returned it to the Duke 9. Tech couldn’t get it in the end zone and settled for the Slye field goal.

Tech had minus-1 yard of total offense in the third quarter. Duke didn’t fare much better, amassing 58 yards.

Tech quarterback Michael Brewer saw his streak of pass attempts without an interception end at 134.

A photo posted by VT Football (@vthokiefootball) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:01am PST

Virginia Tech halftime notes

• Virginia Tech is wearing maroon helmets, with white jerseys and maroon pants today. Tech is 23-23-1 all-time under head coach Frank Beamer wearing the maroon-maroon-white combination and haven’t worn this combo since the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Tennessee.

• Temperature at kickoff was 40 degrees. Under head coach Frank Beamer, the Hokies are 15-3 overall (2-1 on the road) when the temperature is 40 degrees or below (not wind chill) at kickoff.

• Wade Hansen made his first career start, coming in place of the injured Jonathan McLaughlin at right tackle. McLaughlin, a true sophomore, had started all 23 games of his career prior to the injury. He had surgery on his left ankle on Thursday and is out for the rest of the season.

• Tailback J.C. Coleman carried the ball for the first time since fumbling in the Pitt game on Oct. 6. He had nine carries for 58 yards in the first half.

• Linebacker Deon Clarke recorded his first collegiate interception in the second quarter. In the past two seasons, Tech has now picked off Duke QB Anthony Boone five times (four in 2013). Since the start of the 2000 season, Virginia Tech leads the FBS with 266 interceptions.

• True freshman Isaiah Ford scored a touchdown in the second quarter, his sixth of the year. Twenty-three of the first 31 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen (25 of 31 by underclassmen).

• Redshirt sophomore Brenden Motley saw his first collegiate action in the second quarter, coming in the “Wildcat” formation as the quarterback. He rushed twice for 34 yards.

Duke up 10-7 at the break

The Hokies got on the board in the second quarter, putting together arguably their best drive of the season. They took over at their own 2 after back Deon Clarke intercepted a pass by Duke quarterback Anthony Boone to thwart a Duke threat.

The Hokies then went 98 yards in 12 plays. The big play came on third-and-4 from their own 8 when quarterback Michael Brewer hit receiver Josh Stanford for a 14-yard gain. Tech also got a 24-yard run from backup quarterback Brenden Motley in a “Wildcat” formation, and the Hokies finished the drive when starting quarterback Michael Brewer threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Isaiah Ford to cut the lead to 10-7 with 9:49 left in the first half.

The Hokies played much better in the second quarter, out-gaining Duke 141-40. The Blue Devils had just one play of more than 10 yards in the second quarter after having nine in the first quarter.

Brewer completed 8-of-15 in the first half for 68 yards and a touchdown. Boone completed 9-of-21 for 90 yards, with an interception.

Tech rushed for 113 yards in the first half, with J.C. Coleman gaining 58 of those on nine carries. Coleman’s season high in carries is 10.

Tech gets the ball to start the second half.

Duke leads 10-0 after a quarter

Duke got on the board first, registering a field goal on the game’s first possession. A seven-play, 51-yard drive, bolstered by pass plays of 18 and 21 yards, got the Blue Devils to the Tech 19. But on third-and-2, Thomas Sirk only gained a yard, and Duke settled for a 36-yard field goal by Ross Martin just 3:03 into the game.

The Hokies went three-and-out, and Duke went right back to work. The Blue Devils marched 56 yards in seven plays, getting gains of 18, 17 and 16 yards on three of their plays. Josh Snead scored on a 2-yard run to finish the drive, and the Blue Devils took a 10-0 lead with 8:06 left in the first quarter.

Duke took a 10-0 lead into the second quarter. The Blue Devils owned the first 15 minutes, out-gaining Tech 176-40. Duke had nine plays of 10 yards or more in the first quarter.

Tech tailback J.C. Coleman led Tech with 24 yards rushing on four carries.

Tech dress squad notes

The Virginia Tech coaching staff elected to bring a dress squad of 70 players for the Hokies’ game today against Duke in Durham, North Carolina.

There isn’t much new to report concerning Tech’s dress squad. As expected, Trey Edmunds (broken clavicle) did not make the trip. Backup linebacker Devin Vandyke and kickers Michael Santamaria and Carson Wise did not make the dress squad. The Hokies will use Michael Branthover or Mitchell Ludwig as the backup kicker behind starter Joey Slye.

Two names who made the dress squad for the first time this season are backup offensive lineman Ross Ward, a redshirt junior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and backup holder Joe Callas. Callas, a true freshman from Chantilly, Virginia, also serves as a long snapper, but he made the dress squad because Mark Leal had been the Hokies’ backup holder.

Duke no longer to be taken lightly

Tech has owned the football series against Duke since joining the ACC. The Hokies won the first nine meetings between the two schools since 2004, and including three wins in early 1980s, Tech had won 11 straight.

But the streak ended with a 13-10 loss to the Blue Devils at Lane Stadium last season. Tech entered that game with a 6-1 record and was coming off a bye week, but got behind 13-0 and couldn’t overcome four turnovers.

The Blue Devils probably viewed that as a statement win for them. For sure, the Hokies can no longer take Duke lightly.

“In 2011, we won 11 games and went to the Sugar Bowl – and we were fortunate to get out of there with a win,” running backs coach Shane Beamer said. “In 2012, they come up here, and they’ve got us down 21-0 [actually 20-0]. That opened some eyes. In last year’s game, we were 6-1, and they came in here and beat us. So they certainly have our respect.

“All you have to do is turn on the video. They’re well coached, they play hard and they play together. They don’t wow you with stats, but I think they’re seventh in the country in turnover margin. They’re a veteran group, and they’re used to winning. They’ve changed the culture there at Duke.”

One would expect Tech’s coaches to say that about Duke. But the Hokies’ players agree. In fact, this past week, Tech’s players gave Duke plenty of respect. The truth is Duke has been good for the past five years, so unlike many Tech fans, the Hokies’ players know no other version of Duke.

“For me, they’ve always been good,” fullback Sam Rogers said. “The coach [David Cutcliffe] has done a great job, and we have a lot of respect for those guys. We’re going to be happy to go and play them and compete, and hopefully, we’ll come out with a win.”

Duke doesn’t have overwhelming numbers, but the Blue Devils win because they don’t hurt themselves. They are ranked tied for eighth in the nation in turnover margin and tied for 20^th in fewest penalties.

Duke will not lose this game. The Hokies will have to win it.

“They’re nothing flashy,” Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “They take what the defense gives – and they’re good at it. The quarterback [Anthony Boone] is an accurate guy, and he runs enough to make you be accountable for him. This is a complete football team.”

Rogers has become Tech’s utility man

Sam Rogers has done just about everything for the Virginia Tech football team this season. So with Mark Leal’s departure leaving the Hokies with two non-freshmen quarterbacks on the roster, could Tech fans see Rogers as the emergency No. 3 quarterback if the need were to arise?

"We’re not going to comment on it," Tech offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler said. "And it’s not to not tell you. It’s a major disadvantage for us to put that out there. It’s a major disadvantage, because if you go one direction, if we say that one direction, that’s how they’re [the opponent] going to game plan you. If we go this direction, they’re going to totally go different.

"So we don’t want to put that out there at all. But there is a significant plan of how we’d do it. And again that’s not to be a pain, but there’s no value."

Rogers could probably do it. He’s done everything else for Tech this season.

The sophomore from Mechanicsville, Virginia, has played tailback and fullback this season. He plays most of Tech’s special teams. He’s caught 18 passes and ran the ball 17 times. He blocks.

To understand how versatile Rogers is, consider this: he’s the only player on Tech’s squad in double figures in rushing attempts, rushing yards (82), receptions, receiving yards (195) and tackles (10).

“I really prepared in the offseason,” he said. “I wasn’t quite sure what they would do with me, and Coach Loeffler told me, ‘Just know it all.’ So I studied everything, and I’m ready. I love the game. Even in high school, I played quarterback in high school the majority of the time, but I loved messing around and playing other positions, too. It was fun just to play football. I’ll do anything the coaches ask me to do. It’s fun for me.

“When I came here, I wanted to get on the field in any way I could. For me, that means being versatile. I’m trying to learn every position to see what I can do and then go to practice and be the best I can at each position.”

Tech’s coaches say starting tailback Marshawn Williams isn’t quite 100 percent, but Rogers gives them some dependable insurance. Just like he does at any number of positions.

He is, in essence, the football program’s version of a utility player.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s so much fun. It’s so awesome. Honestly, I’ll do whatever the coaches ask me to do. It’s just fun playing.”

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Motuapuaka settling into starter’s role

As of this writing, Tech mike linebacker Chase Williams was expected to dress for the Hokies’ game at Duke on Saturday and work in a backup role because he wasn’t quite 100 percent (right knee).

But the position is certainly in good hands with emerging Andrew Motuapuaka, who has started the past two games in Williams’ absence. The redshirt freshman from Virginia Beach, Virginia, recorded 11 tackles in his first career start (Miami) and then had 14 tackles in the Hokies’ loss to BC.

Following that BC game, he was named the team’s defensive player of the game.

“He had a great game,” defensive coordinator Bud Foster said. “His fits, for the most part, were good. The quarterback had one scramble on a zone read, and he was underneath it, but he got spun around by the tight end. He didn’t need to be close to that blocker. That was the one thing he could have been better on, but he really played well. He tackled well, and he was physical. There was a big improvement from game one to game two.”

It’s been a quick transition for a guy who went into the Pittsburgh game – the game in which Williams got injured – with one solo tackle on the season. He struggled a little in that game, and then felt a little nervous when he suited up for the start against Miami the next week.

The ’Canes rushed for 364 yards, but Foster said Motuapuaka was one of the few who played well. The young man then made a huge leap of improvement in his second start, which came against BC.

“I feel like I was playing a little timid [against Miami],” Motuapuaka said. “I was playing not to make any mistakes. I was trying to do everything right. In my second game, I was out there having fun with my teammates. I was out there doing my job.”

Foster has always liked Motuapuaka (photo to the right), speaking highly of him following spring practice. But he needed to earn Foster’s complete trust, which came from knowing Tech’s scheme.

Motuapuaka excelled against the run, but at times, struggled in pass coverage – not uncommon with young linebackers. But he’s improved drastically and is slowly becoming a leader on Tech’s defense.

“It’s not really complicated,” Motuapuaka said of Tech’s defense. “It’s just that I’m in charge of a lot. There’s a lot that I’ve got to do. I’ve got to set the shades, make sure the linemen are set up right and make the calls. I have to make sure everyone is on the same page.

“It is when you’re out of breath, and you’re trying to get lined up yourself. And you’re looking at their formations. It’s all starting to slow down for me now, though.”

Motuapuaka ranks 10^th on the team with 31 tackles (13 solo). But given his production and if he remains as the starter, he could be among the top five by season’s end.

“Looking at it realistically, I wasn’t planning on being the guy, but Coach Foster always talked about that all the time,” he said. “The second guy is a play away from being the guy. I always prepared. I always watched Chase and made sure I was doing all the right things, like he was. When he made mistakes, I would watch and learn from him and try not to make those mistakes. I feel like I’m doing all right.”

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