Virginia Tech’s win against Duke on Saturday wasn’t a sign that all of its problems are fixed, but it’s a whole lot more calming than a loss for a fan base that was on edge. Read my post-game wrap here.

Now for five more thoughts about the game:

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1. J.C. Coleman looks legit.

It was a breakout performance for the true freshman, who ran 13 times for 183 yards, giving the Hokies a big-play threat on the ground for the first time this year. Coleman had touchdown runs of 45 and 86 yards, but his other runs were impressive too. He had six runs of six yards or more. On one play in the third quarter, he kept the pile moving after getting hit initially. Despite only being 5-foot-8 (which is very generous), 192 pounds, he’s a low-to-the-ground physical runner. Tech has been looking for that.

Now, there’s been a rush to anoint a new featured running back after every flash of potential this year. (Logan Thomas even made fun of us for that after the game.) We media types did it after Tony Gregory ran for 68 yards against Bowling Green and when Michael Holmes had what was essentially one good drive against Cincinnati. But this feels different with Coleman. He was explosive and powerful, a good combination. And considering the Hokies hadn’t had a 100-yard rusher until he went off, it would make sense for them to continue to ride that hot hand. After all, this was the only game Coleman got more than seven carries this year. I’d expect him to continue to get a large share of the carries.

2. The offensive line looked better, but it’s going to have to adjust once again because of an injury.

Coleman’s big day coincided with the offensive line pulling its weight and opening some holes. Granted, this was against Duke, a team it should be able to do that against, but for a line that hadn’t cleared the way for the running game against decent competition this year, it was an encouraging showing.

But now they’ll have to regroup. Center Andrew Miller fractured his left ankle and it would be shocking if he’s not out for the rest of the season and beyond. (UPDATE: Miller is out for the year with a fractured fibula.)

The Hokies were already short-handed on the interior line, with backup center Caleb Farris out with an ankle injury and starting left guard David Wang out because of his knee/ankle. The combo of Michael Via (LG), Miller (C) and Brent Benedict (RG) looked like a solid group for most of the game. Now Via will have to slide to center if Farris can’t go, with Matt Arkema at left guard and Benedict at right. Via had some snap issues but should get them ironed out this week with more work with Thomas. The problem is Tech can’t afford another injury in there. Beyond those players, Laurence Gibson, a guard-turned-tackle-turned-guard, is the only other viable option. The Hokies need Wang and Farris to get healthy quick.

3. The pass rush finally lived up to its preseason hype.

Remember in the preseason when the defensive line was hyped as the strongest unit of the defense? Well, it finally played that way Saturday. The Hokies had five sacks, eight tackles for a loss and five quarterback hurries, harassing quarterback Sean Renfree for the final three quarters. End James Gayle played perhaps his best game of the year, with nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. He came close to a couple other sacks. Tackle Luther Maddy, who struggled with an ankle injury the last few weeks, looked like he did against Georgia Tech, with two sacks and a fumble recovery. The Hokies needed that push from their interior.

This group will need to continue to be disruptive for Virginia Tech to succeed going forward, particularly at Clemson. Everything the Tigers do is based on timing. A lot of their plays take time to develop, but the quarterback also makes lots of quick reads in rhythm. The Hokies will need to be on Tajh Boyd like they were Renfree for Tech to have a chance. The encouraging sign for Virginia Tech was that it wasn’t just the first-team line that was producing. Near the end of the Duke game, Tyrel Wilson and Dadi Nicolas got in on sacks. If the group can produce that far down the line, it’s a positive sign.

4. Is the nickel here to stay?

Remember all week when we heard that Tech might go away from its nickel look so it can do more blitzing? Yeah, that didn’t quite work out. From my recollection, the Hokies played almost exclusively nickel against Duke up until the end, with safety Michael Cole (3 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR) being on the field far more than whip linebacker Ronny Vandyke (3 tackles, 1 FF). Reporters did not have a chance to talk to Bud Foster after the game, but my guess is the Blue Devils had enough multiple wide receiver sets that Tech simply had to match speed with speed in the secondary (and having Detrick Bonner covering the slot gives the Hokies more speed than Vandyke).

Will it continue vs. Clemson? Maybe. Duke is more of a true spread team that throws the ball more. The Tigers’ offense is known for its stars in the passing game, especially Boyd, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins, but the foundation of Chad Morris‘ offense (and of his mentor, Gus Malzahn‘s) is a power running game. And Clemson has a strong runner in Andre Ellington (597 yards, 6 TD) who would be perfectly content cramming it down your throat. Let’s put it this way: the Tigers average 201.6 yards per game on the ground. North Carolina averages 210.6. There are a lot of similarities between the two, and if you don’t stop the run against either, you’re in trouble. That’s why I wouldn’t close the door on Vandyke having a significant role against Clemson, even with the Tigers talented stable of receivers.

5. The Coastal Division will come down to Tech’s game at Miami.

North Carolina did Virginia Tech a solid by handing Miami its first conference loss. With the Tar Heels ineligible, Georgia Tech a mess and Virginia in a freefall, the Coastal Division really comes down to Miami (3-1), Virginia Tech (2-1) and Duke (2-1). I think everyone got a good sense that the Blue Devils are still not quite there yet. I think they can get that one more win to be bowl eligible (at Georgia Tech maybe?), but I don’t envision them competing for the division title.

That leaves Virginia Tech and Miami. After a 4-1 start, the ‘Canes have come back to earth with losses at Notre Dame (41-3) and vs. North Carolina. (18-14). They have Florida State up next, the same Florida State that put up 649 yards in a 51-7 rout of Boston College. So I’m guessing the ‘Noles will have not have trouble there, giving Miami its second ACC loss.

That becomes crucial. Honestly, I don’t think Virginia Tech will win against either Clemson or Florida State. I’m not saying it’s impossible, just not probable for this year’s team. I do think the Hokies will beat Boston College and Virginia. That makes the Miami game critical. Assuming all of the stuff I just mentioned happens, a win at Miami would make Tech 5-3 in the division by the end of the year, with a head-to-head tiebreaker over the ‘Canes. If Miami loses to FSU and VT, that would give it three losses too, so the division would go Tech’s way. Lose that game to Miami and the Hokies are looking at an uphill battle, needing to leap the ‘Canes by a game in the standings to make the ACC title game. Either way, it looks like that game in Sun Life Stadium on Nov. 1 has a pretty good chance of deciding who makes it to Charlotte from the Coastal.

Virginia Tech had its biggest come-from-behind victory under head coach Frank Beamer on Saturday, erasing a 20-point deficit by scoring 41 straight points in a 41-20 win against Duke. Read my game story here.

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Now for some more post-game notes and quotes …

** Keep in mind, this happened against Duke. And although the Blue Devils are improved, they still have an extremely backloaded schedule, so that 5-2 start is somewhat misleading.

However, coming back from a 20-point deficit is still impressive, no matter who the competition is. A few Hokies think the team turned a corner.

“Honestly, I think we kind of found ourselves as a whole,” safety Detrick Bonner said. “We haven’t come together as a group completely in the last six games. … But I feel like we came together.”

The comeback was the biggest of the Beamer era, topping a 41-30 win at N.C. State two years ago when the Hokies erased a 17-0 deficit.

Quarterback Logan Thomas was almost prophetic in his pre-game speech, which focused on sticking together even if things don’t start out great.

“It happens to somebody every week, and every week somebody battles right on back,” Thomas said. “We’ve got to stick together as teammates and be positive. And that’s what we were.”

Although Lane Stadium was deathly quiet, linebacker Bruce Taylor said there was no panic on the sideline.  He said guys were more “pissed off” than anything.

“I swear on my grandmother’s life that that’s what I was thinking,” he said. “It was the first quarter, we were down 20. But I can’t change. Because if I get down, who are guys going to look at? That’s how I look at it. So you’ve got to stay positive in what y’all did and keep playing and it shows. So just stay resilient and keep coming and good things will happen for you.”

Receiver Marcus Davis had perhaps the best quote about the team’s feeling during the comeback.

“I know what we can do,” he said. “I’ve always got faith in my boys. It’s just up to us to go do it. Once we got up, we just started pounding it. You could tell that they really didn’t want to play with us anymore, so we just had to keep stepping on it and just keep firing.”

** Mistakenly had biggest second-half comebacks by Beamer up here before. These are the biggest comebacks under Beamer in ACC play:

• Today: 20 points vs. Duke (trailed 20-0, won 41-20
• 2010: 17 points at N.C. State (trailed 17-0, won 41-30)
• 2010: 14 points vs. Georgia Tech (trailed 14-0, won 28-21)
• 2008: 14 points vs. North Carolina (trailed 17-3, won 20-17)
• 2004: 14 points vs. Georgia Tech (trailed 14-0, won 34-20)

** Starting with the offense, the big game was from running back J.C. Coleman, who supplanted Michael Holmes as the No. 1 tailback and ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. It was the most rushing yards in a game by a true freshman under Beamer and was the ninth-most by any player under Beamer.

Coleman had touchdown runs of 45 and 86 yards.

“It kind of took me back to high school, when I had a lot of long runs,” said Coleman, an Oscar Smith product who had 31 carries for 136 yards entering the day. “It felt good to finally be able to break through and finally be able to have a big game.”

How good was the running game for a change? In their first two ACC games, the Hokies had 60 carries for 134 yards and one touchdown. They had 39 carries for 269 yards and three touchdowns Saturday.

So, does that make Holmes the No. 1 guy from now on? Thomas had a great response to that.

“It’s not up to me, obviously,” he said. “J.C. played a great game. Y’all asked me the same thing a couple week ago when [Tony Gregory] had a great game. It’s not up to me. I have confidence in all those guys.”

** It was a big passing game too, particularly between Thomas and Marcus Davis. Davis finished with five catches for 144 yards, hauling in touchdown catches of 42 and 47 yards in what was the Hokies’ biggest offensive output in two years.

“Marcus is a superior athlete, to anybody on our team even,” Thomas said. “He’s 6-4, big, strong guy, fast. So yeah, I expect him to win every jump ball. And I expect him to win every one-on-one matchup.”

A lot of it had to do with Duke having to pay attention to the running game.

“They started respecting the run,” Davis said. “We knew once they snuck it up, it was up to us to run past them.”

Davis got up a little slow on the last one. He said his shoulder slipped out and back in but said afterward that it was just “a little sore.”

** The offense as a whole had a big day. The Hokies finished with 525 yards, their most since a 52-21 win against Wake Forest in 2010. They scored 40 points in a league game for the first time since a 44-33 win against Florida State in the 2010 ACC championship.

** It wasn’t all good news. Virginia Tech may be without center Andrew Miller for a while after he left in the third quarter with a fractured left ankle. He’ll be re-evaluated Sunday.

Miller stayed down at the end of the first play of the Hokies’ second drive after halftime. Trainers helped him off the field. He wasn’t putting any pressure on his left foot.

The injury left Tech in a bind. Backup center Caleb Farris didn’t dress because of an ankle injury. Senior Michael Via slid over from left guard, with Matt Arkema coming off the bench to fill his spot. The Hokies had three mishandled snaps between Thomas and Via in the third quarter, although it didn’t stop them from scoring.

** On defense (and Aaron McFarling will cover more of this in his column tomorrow), the Hokies felt like the real Virginia Tech defense showed up in the final three quarters. Tech held Duke to 185 yards and no points in the final 49 minutes. The Blue Devils had minus-2 yards in the third quarter.

The Hokies forced four turnovers, getting a crucial one just before halftime when Bonner picked off a tipped pass and took it back into Duke territory, setting up a touchdown pass to Davis in the final seconds.

“I felt like it was a game-changing play,” Bonner said.

For the first time all season, the Hokies pressured the quarterback with consistency. They finished with five sacks after having only eight the first six games.

“It’s definitely a showing of things that can come,” defensive end James Gayle said. “We’ve got some great athletes on defensive line. We just have to capitalize.”

** Defensive tackle Luther Maddy, who had battled an ankle injury the last few weeks, had his most active game since the opener, finishing with three tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Maddy didn’t star (Antoine Hopkins did). He suffered an ankle injury on the first play of the Cincinnati game two weeks ago, then tweaked it against North Carolina. He hadn’t had a tackle for a loss since the Georgia Tech game to open the season.

“Luther is probably one of the best pass rushing defensive tackles in the ACC,” Gayle said. “You’ve got to watch him practice. He just showed what he can do today.”

Gayle, Tyrel Wilson and Dadi Nicolas also had sacks.

** The win was Beamer’s 255th as a head coach, putting him in a tie for seventh place with Nebraska’s Tom Osborne on the career wins list for Football Bowl Subdivision coaches. BYU’s LaVell Edwards is next with 257 wins.

It was also the Hokies’ 200th in the history of Lane Stadium.

** Here are a few quick-hitters:

• Cody Journell made two field goals. He’s made 19 of his last 20 going back to last year.
• Sophomore Brent Benedict made his first career start at right guard.
• Redshirt freshman safety Michael Cole made his first career interception in the second quarter and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter.
• Martin Scales‘ touchdown run in the first quarter was the second of his career.
• Gayle had a monster game, with nine tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a sack. He also had two quarterback hurries.

** The win was huge in terms of the Coastal Division. North Carolina held on to beat Miami 18-14, handing the ‘Canes their first ACC loss.

The ACC Coastal standings now look like this. Things are wide open:

• Miami 3-1
• North Carolina 2-1 (ineligible)
• Virginia Tech 2-1
• Duke 2-1

** It’s a tough stretch coming up for the Hokies, starting with a game at Clemson next week. How do they transfer what they did Saturday to that game?

“Same thing we’ve been doing,” Taylor said. “There’s nothing different we can do except go out and play our hardest. Clemson is a good team, but I think we can beat them. I think we’ve got the personnel to get it done.”

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech dug itself a huge hole but nearly crawled back out of it in a rollercoaster first half against the Blue Devils, who took a 20-17 lead into halftime at Lane Stadium.

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Duke stormed to a 20-0 first quarter lead, stunning the Lane Stadium crowd into silence. The Blue Devils struck big with a 62-yard touchdown catch from Jamison Crowder.

After two field goals, Tech running back Tony Gregory bobbled a swing pass and essentially handed it off to Duke safety Jordon Byas, who returned it 20 yards for a touchdown and a 20-0 lead.

But Virginia Tech answered with a 70-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Martin Scales, cutting the lead to 20-7.

The Hokies continued to move the ball the rest of the half but had drives stall out in Duke territory. They turned it over on downs with an incomplete pass in the end zone to Corey Fuller on fourth-and-7 from the Duke 32.

Tech managed to get a 37-yard field goal by Cody Journell on its next drive, getting the Hokies within 20-10.

Duke appeared to be going in for more points before halftime when Hokies safety Detrick Bonner intercepted a tipped pass and returned it to the Duke 42. One play later, Logan Thomas hit a wide open Marcus Davis for a 42-yard touchdown to get the Hokies within 20-17.

To win, the Hokies will need to complete the biggest comeback in Frank Beamer’s career. Tech erased a 17-point deficit in a 41-30 win against N.C. State in 2010.

Tech barely out-gained Duke in an offensive-heavy first half, 248-236.

Thomas was 9-for-17 passing for 160 yards and a touchdown, adding a team-high 34 rushing yards. Davis has three catches for 94 yards.

Sean Renfree is 8-for-13 for 134 yards and a touchdown for Duke, which got 206 of its yards in the air. Crowder leads the way with 82 receiving yards.

It’s homecoming, when the Hokies usually play some patsy of an opponent so everybody goes home happy. That’s not quite the case today. Duke is, if not legit, a very tough out.

Just think about this: it’s possible the Blue Devils could not only clinch bowl eligibility at Lane Stadium, but do it while striking a major blow for Virginia Tech’s own bowl possibilities. Who would have ever imagined that might be the case?

Here are a few links to get your gameday started ….

** Follow me on Twitter and Facebook. I’ll be tweeting throughout the game.

** My game advance about how Duke went from a bunch of pushovers to legitimate competition under fifth-year head coach David Cutcliffe.

** Here’s yesterday’s matchups post. I predicted a 30-27 Virginia Tech victory. Give me your thoughts on the game.

** Here’s Thursday’s injury report. One point of clarification: offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring told Frank Beamer‘s website Friday that he was unsure whether or not receiver Dyrell Roberts would be available today because of last week’s concussion. That’ll be something to watch in the pre-game.

** Virginia Tech’s twitter account noted some lineup changes/adjustments this morning. Among them:

• J.C. Coleman will start at tailback if the Hokies use a one-running back set. Michael Holmes, Tony Gregroy and Martin Scales are expected to see action.
• Micahel Via and Brent Benedict are expected to start at the guard spots. Matt Arkema will also rotate in.
• Roberts is listed as a starter but the team will gauge how much he’ll play based on how he feels in warmups.
• Antoine Hopkins will start at defensive tackle next to his brother Derrick. Sounds like Luther Maddy‘s ankle is still bothering him.
• Kevin Asante could get some work at kick return.

** Columnist Aaron McFarling weighs in with a Q&A-Mac.

** It’s a little nippy in Blacksburg. As I type this, it’s 41 degrees. It’s supposed to be up in the mid-50′s by gametime and approaching 60 by the early afternoon. Might want to bring some layers today.

** Non-football related, but Mark Berman had a good story on new basketball coach James Johnson the other day. Read it here.

** And another one: some Stadium Woods activists were arrested for protesting the school allowing people to park near the trees’ root zones. This is not a fake story.

** The line ended being Virginia Tech by 9.5 or 10 at most places. That seems awfully high. As I retweeted earlier this week, it has not been a smart proposition betting on Virginia-based teams this year. Tech and UVa are 1-10-1 against the spread this year.

** This will give you a laugh. The switching haircuts phenomenon is something I hope continues.

** If you’ve forgotten, that helmet pictured is a new look for today’s homecoming game. Here’s the full uniform.

Is this game the season for the Hokies? It’s only the seventh game, but a lot of folks are looking at it that way. Win and Tech avoids the embarrassment of losing to Duke at home and at least gets going in the right direction in the Coastal. Lose, and with Clemson, Miami and Florida State coming up on the schedule, getting to a bowl game would be a tough task. So yeah, it’s a fairly important game.

Here’s a look at the matchups. Feel free to offer your own thoughts on the game in the comments section below. Be sure to leave your predicted score and reasons for it.

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Duke at Virginia Tech

• Where: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg
• When: Saturday, 12:29 p.m.
• TV: ACC Network
• Records: Duke 5-1, 2-0 ACC; Virginia Tech 3-3, 1-1 ACC
• Series: Virginia Tech leads 12-7
• Last meeting: Hokies won 14-10 last year in Durham, N.C.
• Line: Virginia Tech by 10

When Virginia Tech passes

Logan Thomas and his receivers finally had a highly-productive game against North Carolina, mostly out of necessity, since the Hokies found themselves down early and the running game provided no help throughout. Thomas threw for a career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns. Corey Fuller (143 yards, TD) and Demitri Knowles (83 yards) had big games, showing the depth of Tech’s passing game. With those two, Marcus Davis and presumably Dyrell Roberts, who wasn’t on the injury list this week after suffering a concussion at UNC, that’s a lot of weapons for the Hokies to use. Even J.C. Coleman is getting in on the act as a pass-catcher, coming out of the backfield on a few screens the last couple weeks. The line has given up 10 sacks this year but only two in 79 pass attempts the last two games against a pair of pretty good defensive lines.

Duke will be another challenge from that standpoint. The Blue Devils have averaged 2.5 sacks a game, led by defensive end Kenny Anunike, who has 4.5. (Duke had only one sack in its toughest game against Stanford, however.) The Blue Devils have given up yards in the air (242.3 ypg, 76th nationally) but have been pretty good in terms of pass efficiency defense (115.28, 36th nationally). They have some talented guys on the back end of their 4-2-5 scheme, though. Safety Walt Canty has been named the ACC defensive back of the week two straight weeks and is the only starting safety not to miss a game this year with an injury. He has a team-high 53 tackles and 5.5 tackles for a loss, so he’s around the ball a lot. Cornerback Ross Cockrell leads the ACC with four interceptions. The team has seven, one shy of the ACC lead. Safety Jordan Byas missed three weeks with a knee injury but has 28 tackles since. Still, opponents can move the ball in the air on this group. Three teams have thrown for 275 yards or more against them this season. If Tech can avoid the interceptions, it could have success here.

Edge: Virginia Tech

When Virginia Tech runs

The Hokies’ ground game remains a mess. Virginia Tech finished with 40 rushing yards last week, its lowest total since the 2007 season opener. Making matters worse, Michael Holmes had a costly fumble that turned the tide in the middle of the third quarter in the UNC game. Tony Gregory should be back from a knee injury that’s kept him out the last two weeks, but he’s no cure-all. Holmes (255 yards, 4.3 avg., 4 TD) probably remains the strongest rushing threat, with Coleman, Gregory and Martin Scales getting the occasional look. Thomas (149 yards, 4 TD) is another threat the Hokies still haven’t really used to their fullest advantage this year. Again, all this is moot if the offensive line doesn’t open holes. There were no running lanes against UNC. Even David Wilson would have struggled to gain consistent yardage behind this group.

Duke has been OK against the run, allowing 129.8 yards per game (42nd nationally), but the Blue Devils didn’t do so hot their last time out, giving up 186 yards against Virginia. In fact, ACC teams (Wake, UVa) have averaged 5.04 yards per carry against them, although Virginia only had 2 yards in the second half last week (the flip side of that is that the Cavaliers gained 184 rushing yards in the first half). Part of the problem has been the absence of Kelby Brown, the team’s top linebacker who has yet to play this season because of a leg injury, just one of a ton of a injuries that have plagued the Blue Devils this season. Nose guard Jamal Bruce (foot) is questionable) but defensive end Justin Foxx (hand) is probable, so Duke might be getting some help up front.

Edge: Push.

When Duke passes

Sean Renfree was thought to be Duke’s best option on offense as a passer. Then Anthony Boone filled in last week and threw for 212 yards. Perhaps David Cutcliffe‘s quarterbacks are all capable? (Given his background with the Mannings, I’d gather that’s the case.) Renfree (1,282 yards, 9 TD, 5 INT) is probable this week with an elbow injury, so it’s probably safe to assume that both he and Boone (422 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT) will play. Both can throw it, so it doesn’t matter. Conner Vernon leads a productive receiving group. All he’s done is catch  more passes (239) than anybody in ACC history. He’s fourth in league history with 3,230 receiving yards and needs 287 to pass Florida State’s Peter Warrick for the No. 1 spot. This year, Vernon has 41 catches for 555 yards and five touchdowns, so he’ll be a handful. Jamison Crowder (38 catches, 461 yards, 3 TD) and running back Desmond Scott (36 catches, 342 yards, TD) are Duke’s other big pass catchers. The line has allowed only four sacks all year, probably a combination of good pass protection and Duke getting the ball out quickly.

That’ll be a challenge for a Virginia Tech team has not gotten to the quarterback  much this year. The Hokies have eight sacks in six games. That’s tied for 96th nationally with that oh-so formidable group at Ball State. The tackles have been a disappointment, particularly with Luther Maddy (ankle) hobbled. Defensive end James Gayle (2 sacks) and Tyrel Wilson (2 sacks) are the only players who have put much pressure on the quarterback. That hasn’t helped the secondary, which  has had to cover guys longer than they’d like. Still, the group hasn’t been horrible against the pass. They’ve allowed 193.33 yards per game (27th nationally) and a QB efficiency rating of 111.03 (28th nationally). Granted, the schedule plays into that. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and North Carolina combined for 869 passing yards and 7 touchdowns in the air.

Edge: Duke.

When Duke runs

The Blue Devils aren’t a great running team. They’ve averaged 126.0 yards per game on the ground, 95th nationally (that’s even four spots lower than the Hokies, surprisingly). Freshman Jela Duncan leads the team with 250 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Juwan Thompson (194 yards, TD) and Josh Snead (156 yards, 2 TD) have also carried the ball. Boone, who had seven carries for 41 yards against UVa, is a threat to run, but so is backup quarterback Brandon Connette, a 225-pounder who has five touchdown runs this year. Duke just hasn’t been able to get consistent yardage on the ground. Consider this: Virginia Tech is averaging 3.9 yards per carry this year. Duke’s average is 3.8.

Of course, the Hokies haven’t stopped anyone on the ground since Georgia Tech. North Carolina gouged them for 339 rushing yards last week, getting 262 from Giovani Bernard, the most ever for a running back in a game against Virginia Tech. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Pittsburgh ran for 254 yards. Tech sold out to stop the run against Cincinnati and held the Bearcats to 103 yards, but that led to 392 passing yards. Missed tackles have been the Hokies’ biggest problem, and they’ve done extra work this week trying to correct  that. Jack Tyler (60 tackles), Kyshoen Jarrett (42) and Bruce Taylor (34) have been active tacklers, but Tech needs help from everyone. The line, as coach Charley Wiles said, has to “pitch a fit,” the linebackers need to fit gaps better and the secondary has to tackle better. This might be the case of a resistible force going against movable object.

Edge: Push.

Special teams

Tech’s one lagging unit, kick return, finally broke out last week with a 93-yard return for a touchdown by Demitri Knowles . Of course, the Hokies also gave up a kick return for a touchdown for the first time in 237 games. That’s been the type of season it’s been. Tech is second in the ACC in punt returns, although it’s much more effective back there with Jarrett (22.0 avg.) in the game instead of Holmes (9.3 avg.). Kicker Cody Journell is now 7 of 8 on field goals this year. And punter A.J. Hughes, despite a mediocre effort at UNC, is still averaging 40.6 yards. One last thing: it’s odd that Brooks Abbott continues to do kickoffs. Opponents have an average starting position of the 33-yard line when he kicks off. When Michael Branthover does, the opponents’ average start is the 17-yard line.

Duke has been strong on punt returns. Lee Butler having a 17-yard average and has taken one back 65 yards for a score. Punter Will Monday has a 45.8-yard average. And Ross Martin is 7-for-8 on field goals this year, so there will be no repeat of Will Snyderwine last year, when he missed 3 of 4 field goals in a four-point loss to the Hokies. The kick return unit has been sub-par (105th nationally) and Duke is near the bottom of the country in covering both punts (109th nationally) and kicks (90th nationally), so Tech could take advantage.

Edge: Virginia Tech.

Coaching

Cutcliffe said earlier this week that he thinks Frank Beamer is the top coach in the country, so there’s obviously respect there. But Cutcliffe is no slouch himself, despite his 64-63 overall record. He went 44-29 at Ole Miss, which doesn’t sound great until you see his predecessor, Tommy Tuberville, went 25-20, and his successor, Ed Orgeron, went 10-25. At Duke, Cutcliffe is 20-34. Again, that doesn’t sound great until you see that in the 12 years before his arrival, the Blue Devils were 19-117. He has them one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 1994. So that’s an accomplishment. Beamer still has the experience edge here, and, although Duke games have been close of late, he still hasn’t lost to the Blue Devils in eight tries.

Edge: Virginia Tech

Prediction

Virginia Tech is not playing at a high level this year, and quite honestly, may not be capable of doing so. That said, I do feel like Duke’s 5-1 start is still a bit of a mirage. The four FBS-level teams the Blue Devils have beaten (Florida International, Memphis, Wake Forest and Virginia) are a combined 7-16. FIU and Memphis are among the worst teams in the FBS this year. Wake and UVa are among the worst in the ACC. So that 5-1 record is somewhat misleading. But I do think Duke is  much improved and a much more formidable opponent than it has been in the past. And Hokies fans know the Blue Devils are capable of playing them close (14-10 last year, 34-26 in 2009). I think Duke will be able to score points against a Virginia Tech defense that has some major flaws. But I also think the opportunity is there for Thomas and the Hokies’ offense to do some things, particularly in the air. Thomas has looked sharp his last six quarters. That might be him breaking out of that early season slump. I think he’ll do enough for Tech to win a close game and, at least for a week, right the ship.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 30, Duke 27.