Slept On It: Hokies Hang On To Beat Duke In Uneven Performance

When three-fifths of Virginia Tech's offensive line pushed Jerod Evans past the first down marker to seal another Hokies win, I let out an audible exhale from my couch. One week after persevering against perennial tormentor Pitt, the Hokies were once again forced to run out the clock in the waning minutes at Duke.

There was a strange sense of excitement around last week's win in Pittsburgh, as though Tech had somehow upset the Panthers. Winning in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1999 will do that to you. The feeling I had post-game was akin to the penultimate scene in a horror movie, immediately after the survivors think they have vanquished the inexorable antagonist: I laughed and put my head back in exhaustion, foolishly believing that the Hokies had gotten over the proverbial hump.

Duke was the director's final twist, catching our heroes (and me) off-guard and forcing everyone to survive another assault. It was the type of unsettling experience that haunts you. Even the relief that you feel is uncomfortable.

Heading into a home game against the most frustrating opponent on the Hokies' schedule, it was the type of experience that could benefit this team. They can get beat on plays. They can struggle with their execution. They can have some calls go against them. And despite all of that, they can find a way to win.

Asking the Hokies to play four road games in a five-game stretch felt criminal when the schedule was released earlier this year. The fact that the Hokies were able to emerge 4-1 should be celebrated. Their lone loss came at the most remote outpost in the ACC. Their wins came in a hurricane, on back-to-back Thursday nights and against a well-coached, plucky Duke squad.

The post-game narrative was consistent: Despite failing to play anywhere close to their standards, good teams find ways to win games like that.

During the first eight games of the Justin Fuente era, Hokies grew accustomed to the fast-paced, high-flying offensive attack. Paired with a tenacious defense, there has been a sexiness to the revamped Virginia Tech football brand. Saturday's performance was anything but attractive, featuring critical mistakes and a general lack of urgency.

The offense struggled with their blocking assignments. Jerod Evans had trouble connecting downfield and lacked his usual precision. The defense provided large running lanes for the Blue Devil tailbacks and failed to contain yet another dual-threat quarterback. For the first time in three games, the Hokies didn't feel like the aggressor.

That has been the theme in Tech's two losses this season. Poor execution and ill-timed mistakes helped take the wind out of the Hokies' sails, giving beatable opponents an opening that they each took advantage of. Saturday's game had that same feel. Tech didn't come out flat, nor did they appear to be on cruise control. They just didn't look sharp — neither mentally nor physically — and David Cutcliffe exploited the heck out of it.

"Dave does a great job," noted Bud Foster post-game. "He has a system, and we have a system. It was a hard-fought game, and I'm proud of our kids. To come away victorious was really big. I know this, we're 7-2 and 5-1 in the league and really proud of how our kids have played. It hasn't always been pretty, but we're finding ways to get it done, and that's what we haven't done the past couple of years."

In recent years, this was exactly the type of game the Hokies found a way to lose. With under six minutes to play and momentum squarely in Duke's corner, it took the ejection of Terrell Edmunds on a debatable targeting call to re-ignite the fire in the Hokies.

Foster's defense responded immediately after the ejection, with Terrell's brother Tremaine sacking Duke QB Daniel Jones for a key five-yard loss. From there, the Hokies were able to keep Cutcliffe's kids at bay and force a punt with 4:06 remaining.

"I think we did a good job of reacting to the sudden change," said Ken Ekanem. "[We] did a very good job of getting all juiced up and obviously a little bit angry, so it gave us a little bit of an edge coming out of that to get a stop."

Hanging on to a three point advantage in the closing minutes for the second straight week, Tech's offense was able to grind out two critical first downs despite a consistently stacked box. For years, solid Tech running games have struggled to impose their will in obvious rushing situations. In back-to-back weeks, this offense has used a variety of cast members to move the sticks and seal another victory.

That's a trait that has nothing to do with talent or system. It's an attitude and it has continued to grow as the season has progressed.

"We've had our share of ups and downs through the season [and] panicking through the highs and lows of a game," Evans said. "Knowing that we were better, but once we were down, we kind of went into the tank. I think that experience helped us with today a lot, for sure. We have a lot of veteran leadership. Plus the younger guys have seen that happen before, going into the tank. With the veteran leadership, we didn't allow that to happen. We were calm out there the whole time. Frustrating that we weren't executing like we know we're capable of doing, but at the same time, we got the 'W'. It was definitely maturity on that part."

The maturity that Evans lauds is an incredibly important component of this team's current makeup. But I think it goes a bit further than veteran leadership. Even the younger players — guys like Tremaine Edmunds, Adonis Alexander and Travon McMillian — have played with confidence in challenging circumstances. The maturity Evans refers to has developed across the roster as the season has worn on.

The kickoff unit's swagger that jumped out at me in the season opener suddenly feels real and not like some superficial device. It has permeated throughout the team and clearly played a role in the late stages of Saturday's win.

The Hokies should be heavily favored in each of their three remaining games. The challenge will be maintaining that confidence each and every time they face adversity, whether it is against Georgia Tech's triple option or playing on the hallowed grounds of Notre Dame Stadium.