VT @ #19 Duke, 12:00PM Kick, ESPNU

[CameronBornAndBred]

VT sucks, but then again so does Syracuse and they gave us a hell of a game. Happy to be back in Wallace Wade after an extended absence, a big home crowd can be so important for this coming game. We will need the offense to have a much sharper COMPLETE game and not just be looking to be the better team in the 4th quarter.
VT had a bye week, and I'd bet my last dollar they have been practicing tons of running plays.
Duke is ranked 19th in both the AP and coaches polls.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Duke opened as a one TD favorite in Vegas, 10 minutes later it was down to two field goals...haha
I had posted an incorrect over/under, it's actually not listed yet. I can't see this being a high scoring game overall.

[wolfpackdevil]

We have to remember that VT still is LOADED with talent. Even though they have had a dreadful year, their defense still put up a dominant performance at UNC a few weeks ago. I think we will win this game, but I do think it will come down to the last few possessions, similar to the UVA game. This will not be a blowout. VT has had a week off and they are still fighting for bowl eligibility. I expect this to be a very good game and we need our offense to execute much better this week.

[Bob Green]

We have to remember that VT still is LOADED with talent. Even though they have had a dreadful year, their defense still put up a dominant performance at UNC a few weeks ago.

I agree. VT is strong at cornerback who they are willing to leave on an island. They are going to load the box, shutdown the run, pressure our QB and force us to beat them with our wide receivers. Another big game from Blakeney would be timely.

[CameronBornAndBred]

VT will be down a starter. Jonathan McLaughlin, their starting right tackle is out for the year.

[Bob Green]

The over/under is currently 45.5 points in Vegas:

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-foo ... las-vegas/

I'm leaning toward the under.

[Bob Green]

Here is my stab at a preview:

http://bluedevilnation.net/2014/11/prev ... inia-tech/

Official prediction: Duke 23, Virginia Tech 19

We must win the wide receiver/cornerback match-ups to force Virginia Tech to limit how many men they line up in the box.

[wolfpackdevil]

One of the biggest things that scares me for this game is VT's defense. When we played UVA, the Cavs filled the box and did not let our running game beat them. Virginia Tech will do the exact same thing and I think they are better at it than UVA was.

My biggest worry is that our offense will not be able to throw the ball against their corners. We were able to beat UVA in a low scoring game earlier this year. I have a bad feeling that we can't let it come down to that again. This game scares me. I would love to see Shaun Wilson get more touches this week and try to get McCaffrey involved more as well. I think we need to put up 25+ in order to win.

Duke 27

VT 17

[Bob Green]

[CameronBornAndBred]

Dear coaches, we have other receivers besides Kenny Blakeney.

[Bob Green]

If you can stomach another rehash, I got published at DBR:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/201 ... -tech-loss

Spoiler: the ending still sucks.

[devildeac]

If you can stomach another rehash, I got published at DBR:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/201 ... -tech-loss

Spoiler: the ending still sucks.

Pulitzer material . At least Julio didn't try to take credit for it and Deborah Crowder didn't give you an A-.

Seriously, thanks for sharing. Painful to recall all that crap but helps to realize I wasn't the only one bitching and moaning about our offensive and special teams' woes that day.

[wolfpackdevil]

If you can stomach another rehash, I got published at DBR:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/201 ... -tech-loss

Spoiler: the ending still sucks.

Very good column. I was frustrated all of Saturday about the exact same plays. One thing I was a little upset about was our play calling during the second-to-last possession of the game. This was the drive following the VT fake punt when Ross ended up missing the 40-yard field goal. On the first play of that drive, Shaq ran for three yards and then we were gifted the extra 15 yards on the personal foul. We were at the 30 yard line with three minutes left. On the next three plays, we ran straight up the middle like we were trying to run clock. Even though VT was calling timeouts after every single run. I was upset that we did not attempt at least one pass in that sequence to get another first down. I like Ross Martin, but even I was nervous when he had the 40 yard attempt. I thought Cut and Scottie got really complacent once we got to the 30 yard line and it did not seem as though they cared if we picked up another first down. Since VT was going to use their timeouts and stop the clock anyways, I really wish we had tried to pick up 10 or 15 yards on a pass to seal the deal. Oh well.

What really bothers me is that this team could EASILY be 10-0 and ranked in the top 10. Both of our losses came when we just did not play well at all. We have not been outplayed in either of the two losses. Our offense was given chance after chance to win the game at Miami and was not able to do anything positive on offense. In both of our losses we have failed to score a TD in the second half. There is not much to complain about with an 8-2 record, it just is crazy to think how close we were to being 10-0 and on the verge of a playoff spot.

[devildeac]

If you can stomach another rehash, I got published at DBR:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/201 ... -tech-loss

Spoiler: the ending still sucks.

Very good column. I was frustrated all of Saturday about the exact same plays. One thing I was a little upset about was our play calling during the second-to-last possession of the game. This was the drive following the VT fake punt when Ross ended up missing the 40-yard field goal. On the first play of that drive, Shaq ran for three yards and then we were gifted the extra 15 yards on the personal foul. We were at the 30 yard line with three minutes left. On the next three plays, we ran straight up the middle like we were trying to run clock. Even though VT was calling timeouts after every single run. I was upset that we did not attempt at least one pass in that sequence to get another first down. I like Ross Martin, but even I was nervous when he had the 40 yard attempt. I thought Cut and Scottie got really complacent once we got to the 30 yard line and it did not seem as though they cared if we picked up another first down. Since VT was going to use their timeouts and stop the clock anyways, I really wish we had tried to pick up 10 or 15 yards on a pass to seal the deal. Oh well.

What really bothers me is that this team could EASILY be 10-0 and ranked in the top 10. Both of our losses came when we just did not play well at all. We have not been outplayed in either of the two losses. Our offense was given chance after chance to win the game at Miami and was not able to do anything positive on offense. In both of our losses we have failed to score a TD in the second half. There is not much to complain about with an 8-2 record, it just is crazy to think how close we were to being 10-0 and on the verge of a playoff spot.

I talked with one of the Omegas after the game, a former LB on the 1989 team. He was near furious about that sequence of play-calling you mentioned above. Mixing up the play calling without doing anything risky to gain another 5-10 yards makes Martin's job easier, but not 100% as we saw who Blewitt at Pitt a couple weeks ago. Another first down also burns another 60-90 seconds (or more) off the clock and we still had 3 TO at that point. It was almost as disappointing to see the O self-destruct on our final possession, too.