Virginia Tech Football: Duke Q&A Preview

Fresh off back-to-back Thursday night victories over Miami and Pittsburgh, the Hokies sit firmly in the driver's seat of the ACC Coastal as November beckons. With a favorable conference schedule remaining, Justin Fuente appears primed to take Tech to its first conference championship appearance since 2011.

But Duke awaits at Wallace Wade Stadium, one of three remaining roadblocks the Hokies must dispatch before booking their flight to Orlando. The Blue Devils have been beset with injuries this fall and sit in last place in the division, but David Cutcliffe's program has been a pesky thorn in the Hokies' side over the past several seasons. To get some first-hand insight on the Devils before this weekend's matchup, I spoke to Ben Swain, Duke football aficionado and current head honcho at North Carolina's Sports Channel 8.

JC: When Thomas Sirk went down this August, redshirt freshman Daniel Jones stepped into the starting quarterback role in Durham. The Charlottle native has performed admirably in Sirk's stead, but how much have the Blue Devils missed their veteran offensive leader?

BS: There were rumblings that Jones was going to overtake Sirk as starting QB if both were healthy, so the loss wasn't as bad as it seems at the quarterback position. Having said that, Sirk would have played and it would have helped Duke in the running game tremendously. He's just such a good runner, and Duke's difficult to defend with a running QB because they have an extra blocker (as Hokie fans certainly remember from last season). Sirk's injury limited Duke's playbook a bit, and it really forced Jones into some trial-by-fire situations that probably hurt against Wake Forest and Virginia earlier in the year.

JC: Duke also experienced transition at offensive coordinator this offseason, with Zac Roper stepping into the role vacated by current East Carolina head coach Scottie Montgomery. How has the offense changed under Roper, both schematically and personnel-wise?

BS: It's hard to say if the changes have been a result of an OC change or the QB injury. Daniel Jones can run, but he's a pocket passer and likes throwing downfield. Sirk is a runner who liked using check downs. Duke uses tight ends more this year, and without looking at the stats, I'd guess tight ends have 10 times as many targets this year than a year ago. Jones is also an accurate passer down the seams, so we've seen less of the screen game and more of those downfield passes. Like Jones at QB, Roper has also had an up and down season. He called a great game in South Bend and had a tremendous (although controversial) gameplan in Louisville. He also probably cost Duke a win against Virginia, and had a pair of comically bad play calls on key fourth down attempts in Atlanta. On the season, I'd give him a B-.

JC: Duke's been impressive in spurts on defense this fall, most notably limiting Lamar Jackson and Louisville to just 24 points in mid-October. Who should Hokies fans be looking out for on Jim Knowles' unit? Have the Devils been able to find a replacement for all-everything safety/linebacker Jeremy Cash?

BS: Duke's defensive line has gotten much better, but I think the Louisville game was more on the offense keeping the ball away from Jackson than it was the defense. True Sophomore Ben Humphreys is going to be an all-American linebacker, so that's a name to look out for. But Duke's defense is not very good and definitely can be exploited.

JC: I'm curious as to the current mindset of Duke football fans. It's been a tough year in Durham, but one that was largely expected after Sirk suffered a major achilles injury near the tail end of fall camp. Is the general consensus among fans a positive one, confident in the fact that David Cutcliffe can return Duke to their 2012-2015 successes? Or has an 0-4 start to the ACC season - with the toughest part of the schedule still remaining - dampened the mood in Durham?

BS: There's really no middle ground with Duke football fans. They're either incredibly excited about the program or their entirely apathetic, which is absolutely justified after what they were forced to sit through for the good part of 20 years pre-Cutcliffe. There's confidence in the future, for sure. This is the most talent Duke has ever had on a football roster, but they're all first and second year players. The players that Duke is redshirting this year could line up and beat the team that won the Coastal division three seasons ago. But this season is definitely over from a fan interest perspective, partly due to the conference losses, partly due to season-ending injuries to guys like Jela Duncan and DeVon Edwards who are two of the most-loved Duke players ever, and partly due to Coach K running out an all-time basketball team this year. There's just very little interest right now. But the fans who know football are really eyeing 2017-2020 as another successful period of Duke football.

JC: The Hokies ride into Wallace Wade fresh off wins over Pittsburgh and Miami, further cementing themselves as the favorite in the ACC Coastal with three games remaining. But as Hokies fans know all too well, the Blue Devils have given Tech fits on several occasions over the last few years. What does Duke need to do to pull off the upset on Saturday?

BS: I expect the crowd to be 80%-20% in favor of the Hokies, which may be helpful to Duke since they've played well in Lane. But simply put, to win the game on Saturday, Duke has to protect Daniel Jones and protect the football. If they do those two simple things, they can win. The problem is that neither of those two things are "simple" for anyone against the Hokies.

JC: Time to put you on the spot: who wins Saturday, and why?

I don't think anyone expects anything other than a Virginia Tech win on Saturday. They're just better right now, and Duke is depleted with injuries. I think the Hokies win by 20.