Virginia Tech vs Duke: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From the Hokies Loss to the Blue Devils

Jackson Caudell | 2 Hours Ago

Nov 23, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies running back Bhayshul Tuten (33) runs with the football during the second half of the game against Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images / Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech had a chance to snap their losing streak and clinch bowl eligibility last night on the road vs Duke, but the Hokies came up short yet again in a one score game. In his time in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry has had a struggle in one-score games and last night only added to that. The offense for the Hokies was missing starting quarterback Kyron Drones, but the offense turned out to not be the biggest issue for them last night. The Hokies defense could not stop Duke's offense, which is not one of the best in the ACC. Now, Virginia Tech heads into the game next week against Virginia needing a win to keep their hopes of making a bowl game alive, which was unthinkable a month ago.

Let's dive deeper into the good, the bad and the ugly from last night's game.

The Good

• Bhayshul Tuten had a solid game. It was not one of his best games, but he had 84 yards on 19 carries. Duke has one of the best defenses in the ACC and Tuten had a solid night.

• The passing game was not very good last night, but Ali Jennings had a good game. He caught six passes for 158 yards and had a 65-yard touchdown.

• As poor of a night as the defense had, Dorian Strong had two interceptions and played well.

• The defense gave up big plays in the passing game, but held Duke to 64 yards rushing, which was a solid mark.

The Bad

• When Collin Schlee left the game due to an injury, Pop Watson came in and struggled in his first real acton. He is just a young player and this is a tough spot, but he went 12-25 for 146 yards and was not able to get anything going on the ground yesterday.

• The defense gave up some big plays last night to an offense that usually does not hit them. The Hokies defense gave up touchdowns of 86 and 77 yards in the first quarter to the Blue Devils and got behind 14-0.

• The defense let up big plays and could not sack the quarterback. The defense could not get consistent pressure on Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy and he burned them.

The Ugly

• This is now the third straight loss for Virginia Tech. After getting to 5-3 and still having hope of possibly making the ACC title game, the Hokies have dropped three straight and now much beat Virginia just to make a bowl game. Even if they win that game, this was a team that was supposed to be competing for an ACC Championship and a playoff appearance. They have fallen well short of that.

• Brent Pry's record in one score games continueds to get worse and worse.

Virginia Tech is now 1-12 in one-possession games under Brent Pry, including 0-5 this year.

The .077 win% is the worst in FBS over the past 3 years, though Nebraska, NIU and ODU (14 each) all have more one-possession losses.

— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) November 24, 2024

Additional Links:

Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Open As Favorites vs Virginia in Regular Season Finale

Virginia Tech Football: Hokies DC Mentioned as Potential Candidate for NFL Job

Virginia Tech Women's Basketball: Instant Takeaways From Hokies Win Over Elon