Duke @ Virginia Tech preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 3, 2009 ) Virginia Tech 34, Duke 26

Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-0) has vaulted back into the rankings and to the top of the ACC’s Coastal Division after starting 0-2.

Duke (1-5, 0-3), looking for its first winning season since 1994, has seen no such resurgence.

The teams meet Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. No. 23 Virginia Tech will go for its sixth straight win and 10th in a row over Duke.

The Hokies rolled up 605 total yards last Saturday in a 52-21 victory over Wake Forest.

During the Hokies’ five-game win streak, senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor has thrown for nine touchdowns and rushed for three. He leads the ACC in pass efficiency and is also the Hokies' top rusher, with 480 yards on 79 attempts. Taylor suffered a wrist injury Saturday but is expected to play against Duke.

Taylor's top targets are Jarrett Boykin (29 receptions, 469 yards, five TDs), Dyrell Roberts and Danny Coale. Boykin went wild against Duke last year, with 144 yards and a touchdown in a 34-26 victory at Duke.

Hokies running back Ryan Williams, who has been out since Sept. 18, could be back this week. He set a school record with 1,655 rushing yards in 2009. Darren Evans has scored eight touchdowns in Williams' absence. The Hokies are 15th in the nation and second in the ACC in rushing, averaging 222.7 yards a game.

Virginia Tech is tied with N.C. State for the ACC scoring lead, averaging 36 points a game, whereas Duke's defense ranks last, giving up 37.8. Virginia Tech ranks third in the ACC in total offense, averaging 421.1 yards a game. Duke is fifth at 399.0.

Duke sophomore Sean Renfree has been intercepted 14 times during the team’s five-game losing streak. In last Saturday's 28-13 loss to Miami, he was intercepted five times and lost a fumble on a bad center exchange. Renfree's nation-leading interception total spoils an otherwise strong stat line: 1,621 yards, 10 touchdowns and a 57 percent completion rate. If Renfree's struggles continue, the alternative would be little-used freshman Brandon Connette.

Duke is second in the ACC in passing offense with 277.2 yards a game, but the interceptions drop the Blue Devils' passing efficiency rating near the bottom. And the Blue Devils are an ACC-worst minus-11 in turnover margin.

The Blue Devils have three of the top four receivers in the ACC in Conner Vernon, Donovan Varner and Austin Kelly, who have 1,346 receiving yards among them. But Duke averages just 121.8 yards a game on the ground, next to last in the ACC.

Duke's run defense is 110th in the FBS, allowing 210.8 yards a game. But the defense has shown some improvement after allowing 44.5 points a game through the first four games.