Final Grades: Duke Comeback Win

The first quarter and most of the second quarter looked like another disastrous start for Virginia Tech, which fell behind Duke 20-0. But the Hokies found themselves after that, running away with a 41-20 win. Having seen replays and thought it over, here's publisher Jason Stamm's exam of the Hokies' win:

Finally, it appears like junior

Has the real starting running back stood up? Freshman running back

Senior

The thin line just got a bit thinner as junior center

Pressure finally came from the Hokies' defensive front, which got five sacks on Duke quarterbacks

The Hokies' linebackers didn't have monster games but did what they were supposed to do.

Still not a great game, but MUCH better after last week's debacle at North Carolina. Junior cornerback

Punter

The majority of the first and second quarters were rough going for the coaches. But the offensive coaches did a nice job of mixing up plays. Going for the home run pass to Davis just before halftime pulled Virginia Tech closer and fully swung the momentum. Defensively, the Hokies made good adjustments after getting burned early on a couple of plays and used a good amount of blitzes and spies to throw off the Blue Devils, even when they got into Virginia Tech territory.

On homecoming, many fans were ready to hit the exits after another struggle early. But the crowd rallied behind Virginia Tech during their comeback and were treated to the biggest comeback under Frank Beamer. The roar of the crowd seemed to really energize the Hokies and helped them comeback and then add to their lead.