BLACKSBURG, Va. - Anthony Boone ran for a touchdown, Ross Martin kicked field goals of 51 and 53 yards, and Duke ended a long history of losing to ranked teams with a 13-10 victory against No. 14 Virginia Tech on Saturday.
The Blue Devils (6-2, 2-2) beat a ranked team for the first time since they stopped No. 13 Virginia in 1994, and beat one on the road for the first time since Stanford in 1971. And they did it without a third-down conversion all game, and a 2-to-1 time of possession deficit.
Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-1) had its six-game winning streak end as Logan Thomas threw four interceptions, the last on a deflected pass in the closing minutes that allowed Duke to finally run out the clock. The Hokies held the ball for 39:27 and outgained Duke 387-198, but still lost.
Two penalties against Virginia Tech and some shifty running by Boone helped Duke take a 13-0 lead in the third quarter.
Linebacker Jack Tyler was flagged for pass interference, and Kyshoen Jarrett for defensive holding, setting up Duke at the Hokies’ 26. From there, Boone ran for six yards, for 11 yards and for the final 9 on consecutive plays, and the Blue Devils were poised for a historic victory.
Things looked bleak for Virginia Tech when Thomas threw his third interception on the Hokies’ next series, a pass that was broken up by David Helton and intercepted by Jeremy Cash, but the defense forced a three-and-out and Thomas and the offense finally came to life.
After a review, the ensuing punt was ruled downed at the 1, and with fans jeering the call, Thomas hit Demitri Knowles streaking down the left sideline for 56 yards on the first play. Thomas ran for 21 yards on two carries, hit D.J. Coles for 12 yards and ran it in with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
Sports, Pages 33 on 10/27/2013