Collegiate Times

Glennon went on to throw for 258 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than two full quarters of action.

Virginia Tech's football team defeated the Blue Devils of Duke by the score of 43-14 on Saturday afternoon in Durham, North Carolina.

The win gives the Hokies an overall record of 6-1 and an in-conference record of 3-0, while Duke falls to 1-6 and 0-4 in the conference.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor left the game early in the second quarter due to a right high ankle sprain and did not return. Despite his early departure, Taylor still managed to pass for 88 yards, eclipsing his total of 65 yards last week at Clemson. He also found an open Josh Morgan in the endzone for a 19 yard touchdown in the middle of the first quarter.

Taylor's exit set the stage for backup quarterback Sean Glennon. The junior managed to complete the first nine of eleven passes he attempted and went on to throw for 258 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than two full quarters of action.

I'm very proud of Sean Glennon," said head coach Frank Beamer. "I've been tough on him lately but I thought he did a fantastic job for this football team."

Third string quarterback Corey Holt came in for the Hokies at the beginning of the fourth quarter and threw an interception to Duke's Michael Tauiliili on his first passing attempt. This attempt would prove to be his only of the day as Holt was replaced by Glennon on the next drive.

Junior inside linebacker Brett Warren made his first collegiate start in place of injured superstar Vince Hall and managed to record a team-high eleven tackles, a sack, and intercepted a Thaddeus Lewis pass early in the fourth quarter. Veteran defensive linemen Carlton Powell and Orion Martin also had 1.5 sacks a piece.

Tech's strong play on special teams led to advantageous field position for Tech all day, and Eddie Royal contributed another impressive return, but it was called back on a block in the back.

"That was a shame," said Beamer of the return that was called back. "It just seems to come together for us. If you can block kicks on defense, you can return them on offense."

Cornerback Stephen Virgil was also able to block a Blue Devil punt in the middle of the second quarter. The blocked punt gave the Hokies the ball at the Duke two yard line and allowed running back Branden Ore to punch it for a touchdown on the proceeding play. Coming off a game in which he only ran for 23 yards, Ore rushed for only 37 yards.

Jud Dunlevy made 3 of the 4 field goals he attempted. His sole miss, which occurred from 42 yards out at the beginning of the second quarter, proved to be his only miss of the season thus far. Dunlevy pushed an extra point wide right in the third quarter after a Josh Morgan 40 yard touchdown reception which was thrown by Glennon.

Several Duke players were able to post strong individual numbers in spite of the final score.

In addition to the interception in the fourth quarter, Duke's middle linebacker Michael Tauiliili put on a performance in his own right, recording a season-high thirteen tackles and half of a sack. 1.5 of Tauiliili's tackles came for losses of yards. The junior was also able to recover a safety Chris Davis forced fumble.

Lewis, a sophomore, managed to evade the Hokies' defense for the entire first half, not getting sacked until the middle of the third quarter. Lewis threw for 119 yards and a touchdown, and added a rushing touchdown.

Duke kick returner Jabari Marshall ran the ball back seven times for 142 yards, a season-high for the junior. Before turning over the return duties to freshman Ronnie Drummer, Marshall fumbled twice on returns, both of which were recovered by the Hokies' Dorian Porch.

The win was the Hokies' sixth straight over the Blue Devils.

"I think Ted (Roof) is doing a good job and they are definitely improving," said Beamer. "They're close."

Tech has a by next weekend, and then will play host to Boston College on Thursday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m.