No. 13 Virginia Tech stomps Duke in rain

FINAL • #BeatDUKE

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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- No. 13 Virginia Tech defeated Duke 24-3 in the pouring rain on Saturday night at Lane Stadium.

The Hokies (7-1, 3-1 ACC) dominated the box score but had trouble reaching the end zone. They survived thanks to a strong effort from their defense.

Tech outgained Duke (4-5, 1-5) 387-183 and forced two turnovers to break a two-game home losing streak to the Blue Devils.

Duke suffered its fifth straight loss, its longest losing streak since dropping five straight to end the 2012 season.

The Blue Devils must win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible.

Hokies quarterback Josh Jackson passed for 200 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for Tech's only second-half score on a 6-yard run in the third quarter.

Jackson led an offense that reached Duke territory on 11 of 13 possessions, but Tech turned that into only a modest scoring output.

The Hokies took advantage of the wet conditions by rushing for 187 yards and two scores.

Sophomore running back Deshawn McClease ran for a career-high 75 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

McClease was back after missing last week's game with an illness. He had a career-long 23-yard run in the second quarter.

Duke quarterback Daniel Jones passed for 82 yards and also led the Blue Devils with 65 yards on the ground.

The Blue Devils reached Tech territory only three times. The Hokies defense had nine tackles for loss, including one sack.

A costly personal foul penalty by Duke running back Shaun Wilson late in the second quarter gave Virginia Tech the time it needed to score right before halftime to take a 17-3 lead into intermission.

Wilson was stopped short in bounds on a third-down run with 42 seconds remaining in the second quarter, but the clock stopped when he was flagged.

The Hokies took advantage of that short window of time with a quick touchdown drive that featured a 16-yard pass from Jackson to wide receiver Eric Kumah and a 26-yard touchdown completion to wideout Sean Savoy.

The touchdowns gave Virginia Tech a more comfortable cushion after a close contest for much of the first two quarters.

The Hokies scored on their second possession to take a 7-0 lead. Virginia Tech put together a nine-play, 71-yard drive that resulted in a 4-yard touchdown run by McClease with 5:06 remaining in the first quarter.

Hokies kicker Joey Slye booted a 34-yard field goal early in the second quarter to extend the lead to 10-0. Tech started that possession from Duke's 19-yard line thanks to a forced fumble by linebacker Mook Reynolds that was recovered by defensive end Trevon Hill.

Duke cut the deficit to 10-3 on Austin Parker's 31-yard field goal with 5:09 remaining in the second quarter.

NOTES: Virginia Tech QB Josh Jackson broke Michael Vick's record for most passing yards in a season by a Hokies freshman. Vick had 1,840 yards in 1999. Jackson entered Saturday's game with 1,832. ... Duke's defense stonewalled Tech on two fourth-down conversion attempts in the first half. ... Hokies RB Steven Peoples started after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury. He had two runs for 7 yards and one catch for 6 yards before leaving in the first quarter with a foot sprain. He didn't return. ... Virginia Tech WR Cam Phillips has caught a pass in a school-record 35 straight games.