Duke football (0-3) will be matching up against Virginia Tech (1-0) this Saturday. Here is how these teams stack up against each other.
Duke Offense
The Blue Devils’ offense has to pick things up this week if it is going to have a shot to beat Virginia Tech this weekend, and it all starts with Chase Brice at quarterback. Brice will try to recover from his four-interception game he had last week against Virginia. Duke needs to run the ball more efficiently. Its offensive line needs to create gaps so Deon Jackson and Mataeo Durant can reach the second level and do some damage. Duke’s offense will struggle again, but Brice has to work on creating good chemistry with his wide receivers this week.
Duke Defense
Duke’s defense struggled to get to the quarterback this week, only getting one total sack for the game. However, it made up for that by forcing turnovers with three this week. The turnovers included intercepting Brennan Armstrong twice, and the special teams unit forced a fumble on the very first play of the game. Unfortunately for Duke’s defense, it had to witness the offense turn over the ball seven times. The Duke defense has been the backbone that kept the team in these games and will have to continue being that this season.
Virginia Tech Offense
Virginia Tech pulled off the win last week against NC State despite being without many of its players due to the coronavirus, including starting quarterback Hendon Hooker. The Hokies’ offense was led by quarterbacks Braxton Burmeister and Quincy Patterson II last week. While it looks like Hooker will be playing this weekend for Virginia Tech, Duke has to be prepared to play against any of Virginia Tech’s three quarterbacks. Another thing Duke must look out for is running back Khalil Herbert, who ran for 106 yards with just six carries.
Virginia Tech Defense
Duke’s offense line will have to work hard to protect Brice this week. Virginia Tech’s defense had six sacks last week and forced two interceptions. Brice must take care of the ball this week, which is something he has struggled with the past two weeks. Virginia Tech’s defensive plan is more than likely to create some pressure on Brice and force him into bad throws. Brice cannot let this happen and if it does, he needs to throw the ball away.
Unfortunately for Duke, it will fall to 0-4 this week against Virginia Tech with a final score of 35-27. Duke’s defense has done a good job keeping the Blue Devils in games this year. If the offense turns the ball over more than twice, I don’t see them pulling this one off.
