Game Synopsis: In its biggest road test of the season, Duke traveled to Blacksburg to take on the then-No.16 Hokies and pulled off a 13-10 upset against Virginia Tech. Anthony Boone combined with Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas to throw eight interceptions, making the game a battle of the defenses. Although the Hokies nearly doubled the Blue Devils’ offensive production—outgaining them 387-198—Duke forced Virginia Tech to turn the ball over four times when it was inside the Blue Devils’ 35-yard line.
Ross Martin was the most important player of the day for Duke, as he booted 51-yard and 53-yard field goals to give the Blue Devils a 6-0 advantage entering the half. His long conversions would ultimately prove to be the deciding factor when Hokie kicker Cody Journell missed a 40-yard field goal with 6:02 left in the game. On Virginia Tech’s next drive, linebacker Kelby Brown snagged a tipped pass to give Duke the ball and—following a fourth-and-1 conversion by Brandon Connette—seal the upset.
The Quote: "This is the reason I came to Duke, to play in big games like this," offensive guard Dave Harding said. "That’s the reason everyone else chose to go to Duke when it wasn’t the cool thing to do. We came together in a total team victory in all three phases of the game.”
Key Stats: Ross Martin nailed two 50-plus yard field goals, becoming the first FBS kicker to do so in the 2013 season. Defensively, linebackers Kelby Brown and David Helton combined for 33 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, one interception and one pass breakup.
Milestone Alert: This was the first time since 1971 that Duke had upset a ranked team on the road. The last time came against Stanford when the then-No. 19 Blue Devils upset the then-No. 10 Cardinals in another low-scoring contest, with Duke coming out on top 9-3. It also marked the first time in Blue Devil history that the team had become bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons.
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