Tech set to face Duke this Saturday at Lane

Hokies host the Blue Devils before hitting the road for the next two ACC contests

October 23, 2017

BLACKSBURG – Before embarking on key two-game road trip, No. 13 Virginia Tech will first focus on Duke as the Hokies host the Blue Devils this Saturday, Oct. 28, at Lane Stadium. The game, which will kick off at 7:20 p.m., can be seen on the ACC Network.

HOKIES TO HOST BLUE DEVILS

• Virginia Tech (6-1, 2-1 ACC) is coming off a 59-7 win over North Carolina (10/21), while Duke (4-4, 1-4 ACC) suffered a 24-17 loss vs. Pitt (10/21).

• Tech is ranked No. 13 in both The AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Tech’s highest ranking of the season thus far has been No. 12.

• Tech is 14-2 under head coach Justin Fuente against unranked opponents.

• The Hokies are seeking to extend their winning streak to three games while Duke has lost four straight.

• Tech is 8-2 at home under Fuente. Duke has lost five of its last six ACC road games.

• Duke registered a 27-17 win at UNC (9/23), as the Blue Devils started the season 4-0.

• Dating back to 1996, Tech is 42-1 at home when scoring 40 points or more. A wild 45-43 four OT loss to Duke (10/24/15) marked VT’s only setback over that span.

• Tech owns a 5-1 mark against ACC Coastal Division foes and is also 5-1 in October under Fuente.

#25STRAIGHT BOWL BERTHS

• With its win over North Carolina, Virginia Tech extended college football’s longest active streak of bowl berths to 25. Georgia is the next-closest team with 21 straight bowl berths.

• Tech’s 25-year bowl streak is now tied with Alabama (1959-83) for the third-longest in college football history.

MORE KEY DATA ON HOKIES

• Virginia Tech ranks second in the nation in third-down defense (23.7 percent) behind Michigan (23.2 percent).

• The #LPD ranks fifth in the country in scoring defense (12.7 points per game). The nation’s top five teams in that department own a combined 34-2 record: Penn State (7-0), Alabama (8-0), Washington (6-1), Georgia (7-0) and Virginia Tech (6-1).

• Tech leads the ACC in pass efficiency (156.8) and ranks third in scoring offense (33.0 points per game).

• Tech ranks eighth in the nation in punt coverage, allowing a mere four punt return yards all season.

• K Joey Slye (65) is the ACC’s second-leading kick scorer.

DOMINATE THEIR STATE!

• Tech owns a combined 30-7 record in ACC play against teams from the state of North Carolina - 11-2 vs. Duke, 11-3 vs. North Carolina, 4-1 vs. NC State and 4-1 vs. Wake Forest.

• Virginia Tech went 3-0 in the state of North Carolina in 2016. In addition to a 35-24 win vs. Arkansas in the Belk Bowl (12/29/16), Tech registered a 34-3 win at UNC (10/8) and a 24-21 win at Duke (11/5).

• Tech also won at East Carolina (9/16) this year, 64-17.

• Duke has won back-to-back games at Lane Stadium after Tech registered wins in the first five ACC contests of the series.

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