Notes: Virginia Tech 34, Duke 26

10/3/2009 4:15:00 PM | Football

By: Duke Sports Information

Duke vs. Virginia Tech Notes
Saturday, October 3, 2009

Pregame:

Game captains: Duke - Brett Huffman, Thaddeus Lewis, Ayanga Okpokowuruk, Chris Rwabukamba
Virginia Tech - Stephan Virgil, Dorian Porch, Cody Grimm, Ed Wang

Duke won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Hokies will receive and defend the south endzone.

Weather at kickoff: 76 degrees, sunny, 54-percent humidity, wind SE at 3 mph

Duke Game Starters: Offense - QB Thaddeus Lewis, RB Patrick Kurunwune, WR Austin Kelly, WR Donovan Varner, WR Conner Vernon, TE Brett Huffman, LT Kyle Hill, LG Brandon Harper, C Bryan Morgan, RG Brian Moore, RT Jon Needham; Defense - LDE Patrick Egboh, DT Vince Oghobaase, NG Charlie Hatcher, RDE Ayanga Okpokowuruk, SLB Abraham Kromah, MLB Vincent Rey, WLB Damian Thornton, CB Leon Wright, CB Chris Rwabukamba, LS Catron Gainey, RS Matt Daniels.

No. 6 Virginia Tech 34, Duke 26

First Time Starters
Redshirt sophomore Jon Needham and redshirt freshman Patrick Kurunwune earned their first collegiate starts. Needham started at right tackle while Kurunwune started at running back.

Lewis Throws Touchdown Pass
Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis threw a 48-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and another four-yard score in the final quarter to give him 54 career passing TDs. Lewis is now one touchdown shy of Ben Bennett's school record of 55. Lewis' touchdown passes were just the second and third TD tosses allowed by the Hokies in five games this season.

300-Yard Game For Lewis
Lewis registered his sixth career 300-yard passing game with 359 yards on 22-of-40 pass attempts. This game marks the second time Lewis has thrown for over 300 yards this season. He currently ranks fifth in 300-yard passing games by a Duke quarterback in his career.

Multiple Touchdown Passes For Lewis
Lewis threw two scores against Virginia Tech, giving him 16 career games with at least two touchdown passes. This is the third time this season that Lewis has thrown for multiple touchdowns. When combining passing and rushing touchdowns, Lewis has a total of 18 games in which he has been responsible for two or more touchdowns.

Varner Records Career-High Receiving Yards
Sophomore Donovan Varner caught four passes for a career-high 87 yards. That total passes his previous high of 76 yards set against N.C. Central last week.

Vernon Registers First 100-Yard Game
True freshman Conner Vernon caught four passes for a career-high 128 yards, which is the fourth-most receiving yards in a game by a Duke freshman. Vernon's previous career-high was 72 yards against N.C. Central. Vernon's catch for 74 yards in the third quarter also was a career best, passing his previous high of 22 against N.C. Central.

Kelly Grabs At Least Five Catches For Third Straight Game
Junior Austin Kelly caught a team-high six passes for 43 yards, giving him at least five catches in three straight games. Kelly leads Duke with 309 receiving yards and 25 receptions this season. Kelly scored his second touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter.

Duke Scores In Five Of The Last Six Drives
Duke scored on five of the last six drives of the game. Duke tallied three field goals and one touchdown in the final 36:08 of the game.

King Scores First Touchdown Of Year
Redshirt freshman Brandon King scored his fifth career touchdown and first of the season on a 48-yard pass from Lewis in the first quarter. King had one catch for six yards in the first four games of the season. King has scored touchdowns on five of his 19 career catches.

Long Plays
Duke had five offensive plays over 20 yards, including three over 50 yards against the Hokies. The Blue Devils had their longest play of the season with a 74-yard pass from Lewis to true freshman Conner Vernon in the third quarter.

Daniels Forces ACC-Leading Third Fumble
Sophomore Matt Daniels recorded his league-leading third caused fumble of the season. He also forced fumbles against N.C. Central and Army this season. Daniels finished the game with a career-high nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.

Thornton Has Career High
Junior Damian Thornton posted a career-high 10 tackles in the game, including one tackle for loss. Thornton's previous best was four tackles against N.C. Central and Army earlier this season.

Snyderwine Makes Four Field Goals
Walk-on junior Will Snyderwine made four field goals after coming into the game with one career made field goal. He made a 29-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter, a 25-yard attempt on the opening drive of the third quarter, a career-long 47-yard field goal and a 43-yard attempt in the fourth period. The last Duke player to make four field goals in a single game was Sims Lendhardt against Northwestern in 1999. The four made tries is tied for third most in a single game in Duke history.

Attendance: 26,211