Duke Edges Virginia Tech in High-Scoring ACC Matchup
Duke defeated Virginia Tech 31-28 in Week 13 action, holding on despite a late Hokies surge. The home team covered the 2.5-point spread in a game that exceeded the over-under of 46 points.
Duke dominated early, with quarterback Maalik Murphy connecting with Eli Pancol for two touchdown passes in the first quarter to build a 14-7 lead. The Blue Devils extended their advantage to 21-7 by halftime before Virginia Tech mounted a comeback.
The Hokies scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to close within three, but Duke's defense held firm down the stretch. A critical fourth-quarter fumble by Duke's Star Thomas, recovered by Virginia Tech's Cole Nelson, couldn't generate the final touchdown the visitors needed.
Virginia Tech's Collin Schlee led the passing attack with 67 yards, while Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 84 yards and Benji Gosnell caught 9 passes. The game featured significant momentum swings, with six lead changes throughout the contest, making for an exciting finish at Wallace Wade Stadium.
AI-generated recap · Aug 29, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Virginia Tech | 7 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 28 |
 Duke | 14 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Virginia Tech | Duke |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 15-32 | 17-35 |
| Pass Yards | 213 | 332 |
| Rush Yards | 190 | 64 |
| Total Yards | 403 | 396 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| 3rd Down | 6-19 | 2-11 |
| Penalties | 8-71 | 6-90 |
| Possession | 38:26 | 21:34 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Star Thomas run for 1 yd to the VT 49
Star Thomas run for 3 yds to the VT 46
Star Thomas run for 5 yds to the VT 41
Kade Reynoldson punt for 28 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the VT 13 , Jaylin Lane returns for no gain to the VT 13
Jaylin Lane run for 14 yds to the VT 28 for a 1ST down
Collin Schlee pass complete to Bhayshul Tuten for 1 yd to the VT 29
Bhayshul Tuten run for 5 yds to the VT 34
Collin Schlee pass incomplete to Stephen Gosnell
Peter Moore punt for 52 yds, fair catch by Que'Sean Brown at the DUKE 14
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Eli Pancol for 86 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Collin Schlee run for 7 yds to the VT 32
(12:21) No Huddle-Shotgun Schlee,Collin rush right for 3 yards loss to the VaTech29 (Howard,Alex) PENALTY Duke Face Mask (Howard,Alex) 15 yards from VaTech32 to VaTech47, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Bhayshul Tuten run for 5 yds to the DUKE 48
Bhayshul Tuten run for 3 yds to the DUKE 45
Collin Schlee run for 1 yd to the DUKE 44
(10:23) Shotgun Schlee,Collin rush right for 4 yards gain to the Duke40 (Moore,Terry) PENALTY VaTech Holding (Moore,Braelin) 10 yards from Duke44 to VaTech46. NO PLAY.
(10:00) PENALTY VaTech False Start (Pennix,Jonathan) 5 yards from VaTech46 to VaTech41. NO PLAY.
Peter Moore punt for 39 yds
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Sahmir Hagans
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Jordan Moore for 3 yds to the DUKE 23
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Eli Pancol for 77 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Cosme Salas kickoff for 60 yds , Thomas Williams return for 21 yds to the VT 26
Jaylin Lane run for a loss of 1 yard to the VT 25
Collin Schlee run for 8 yds to the VT 33
Collin Schlee pass complete to Bhayshul Tuten for 1 yd to the VT 34
Peter Moore punt for 47 yds , Que'Sean Brown returns for 19 yds to the DUKE 38
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Eli Pancol for 12 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Star Thomas run for 6 yds to the VT 44
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Eli Pancol
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete
Kade Reynoldson punt for 29 yds, fair catch by Jaylin Lane at the VT 15
Jeremiah Coney run for 5 yds to the VT 20
(05:10) No Huddle-Shotgun Schlee,Collin rush right for 3 yards loss to the VaTech17 (Nicholas,Ozzie) PENALTY Duke Face Mask (Nicholas,Ozzie) 15 yards from VaTech20 to VaTech35, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Collin Schlee pass complete to Ali Jennings for 65 yds for a TD (John Love KICK)
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 1 yd to the DUKE 26
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Peyton Jones for 1 yd to the DUKE 27
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Jake Taylor
Kade Reynoldson punt for 38 yds, fair catch by Jaylin Lane at the VT 35
Bhayshul Tuten run for 5 yds to the VT 40
Bhayshul Tuten run for 4 yds to the VT 44
Collin Schlee run for 2 yds to the VT 46 for a 1ST down
Bhayshul Tuten run for 1 yd to the VT 47
Collin Schlee run for 5 yds to the DUKE 48
Collin Schlee pass incomplete to Ayden Greene
Collin Schlee pass incomplete to Da'Quan Felton
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Jordan Moore
Collin Schlee pass incomplete to Da'Quan Felton
Collin Schlee run for 7 yds to the VT 43
(14:58) Shotgun Tuten,Bhayshul rush middle for 2 yards gain to the VaTech45 (Moore,Terry) PENALTY VaTech Holding (Moore,Braelin) 10 yards from VaTech43 to VaTech33. NO PLAY.
William Watson III pass complete to Ali Jennings for 17 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Jeremiah Coney run for 2 yds to the DUKE 48
William Watson III pass complete to Ali Jennings for 27 yds to the DUKE 21 for a 1ST down
Ayden Greene run for 21 yds for a TD (John Love KICK)
Kyle Lowe kickoff for 65 yds , Peyton Jones return for 26 yds to the DUKE 26
Star Thomas run for 3 yds to the DUKE 29
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Eli Pancol
Maalik Murphy pass intercepted
Bhayshul Tuten run for 9 yds to the DUKE 27
Bhayshul Tuten run for 2 yds to the DUKE 25 for a 1ST down
Bhayshul Tuten run for 8 yds to the DUKE 17
Bhayshul Tuten run for a loss of 1 yard to the DUKE 18
William Watson III pass complete to Jaylin Lane for 6 yds to the DUKE 12 for a 1ST down
Jaylin Lane run for 1 yd to the DUKE 11
William Watson III run for 4 yds to the DUKE 7
William Watson III pass incomplete to Harrison Saint Germain
John Love 24 yd FG GOOD
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 2 yds to the DUKE 23
(07:12) Shotgun Murphy,Maalik pass incomplete deep left to Hagans,Sahmir thrown to VaTech42 PENALTY VaTech Pass Interference (Jones,Jaylen) 15 yards from Duke23 to Duke38, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Jordan Moore
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Peyton Jones for 3 yds to the DUKE 35
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Jordan Moore for 58 yds to the VT 7 for a 1ST down
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Eli Pancol for 7 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Bhayshul Tuten run for 1 yd to the VT 26
William Watson III run for 13 yds to the VT 39 for a 1ST down
William Watson III sacked for a loss of 8 yards to the VT 31
Bhayshul Tuten run for 1 yd to the VT 32
(03:01) No Huddle-Shotgun Watson III,William pass incomplete deep left to Felton,Da'Quan thrown to Duke40 PENALTY Duke Pass Interference (Pickett,Joshua) 15 yards from VaTech32 to VaTech47, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Ayden Greene run for a loss of 1 yard to the VT 46
William Watson III pass complete to Ali Jennings for 7 yds to the DUKE 47
William Watson III pass incomplete to Jaylin Lane
Peter Moore punt for 47 yds for a touchback
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Jordan Moore
Star Thomas run for 5 yds to the DUKE 25
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Eli Pancol
Kade Reynoldson punt for 35 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the VT 48
William Watson III pass complete to Stephen Gosnell for 18 yds to the DUKE 34 for a 1ST down
William Watson III pass complete to Benji Gosnell for 9 yds to the DUKE 25
Jeremiah Coney run for 11 yds to the DUKE 14 for a 1ST down
William Watson III run for a loss of 2 yards to the DUKE 16
William Watson III sacked by Kendy Charles for a loss of 9 yards to the DUKE 25
William Watson III sacked by Chandler Rivers for a loss of 13 yards to the DUKE 38 William Watson III fumbled, recovered by VT Chandler Rivers , return for 0 yards
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Jordan Moore
William Watson III pass incomplete to Benji Gosnell
William Watson III sacked for a loss of 10 yards to the VT 47
End of 2nd Quarter
Kyle Lowe kickoff for 65 yds , Peyton Jones return for 26 yds to the DUKE 26
Star Thomas run for a loss of 3 yards to the DUKE 23
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 34 yds to the VT 43 for a 1ST down
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Eli Pancol for 6 yds to the VT 37
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 18 yds to the VT 19 for a 1ST down
Star Thomas run for 2 yds to the VT 17
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Sahmir Hagans for 15 yds to the VT 2 for a 1ST down
Star Thomas run for 2 yds for a TD (Todd Pelino KICK)
Cosme Salas kickoff for 63 yds , Thomas Williams return for 20 yds to the VT 45 Virginia Tech Penalty, (20 Yards) to the VT 11
Bhayshul Tuten run for a loss of 1 yard to the VT 10
William Watson III run for 5 yds to the VT 15
William Watson III pass incomplete to Ali Jennings
Peter Moore punt for 37 yds, fair catch by Que'Sean Brown at the DUKE 48
(10:29) No Huddle-Shotgun Murphy,Maalik pass incomplete deep right to Moore,Jordan thrown to VaTech32 PENALTY VaTech Offside (Fuga,Josh) 5 yards from Duke48 to VaTech47. NO PLAY.
Star Thomas run for 3 yds to the VT 44
Star Thomas run for no gain to the VT 44
Peyton Jones run for 1 yd to the VT 43
Duke Penalty, unnecessary roughness (-15 Yards) to the DUKE 42 for a 1ST down
William Watson III sacked for a loss of 4 yards to the DUKE 46
Jaylin Lane run for 10 yds to the DUKE 36
William Watson III pass complete to Miles Ellis for 2 yds to the DUKE 34
William Watson III pass intercepted Joshua Pickett return for 37 yds to the VT 31
Star Thomas run for 4 yds to the VT 27
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Jordan Moore for 7 yds to the VT 20 for a 1ST down
Star Thomas run for a loss of 2 yards to the VT 22
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Que'Sean Brown for 3 yds to the VT 25
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Que'Sean Brown
Todd Pelino 42 yd FG GOOD
Jeremiah Coney run for 2 yds to the VT 27
Jeremiah Coney run for 2 yds to the VT 29
William Watson III run for 15 yds to the VT 44 for a 1ST down
William Watson III pass complete to Ali Jennings for 21 yds to the DUKE 35 for a 1ST down
William Watson III pass complete to Jaylin Lane for 2 yds to the DUKE 37
William Watson III sacked for a loss of 2 yards to the DUKE 39
(14:59) No Huddle-Shotgun Watson III,William pass incomplete deep right to Gosnell,Stephen thrown to Duke07 PENALTY Duke Pass Interference (Diakite,Diassa) 15 yards from Duke39 to Duke24, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
William Watson III run for no gain to the DUKE 24
Bhayshul Tuten run for 3 yds to the DUKE 21
William Watson III pass incomplete to Stephen Gosnell
John Love 38 yd FG GOOD
Kyle Lowe kickoff for 55 yds , Jaylen Stinson return for 14 yds to the DUKE 24
Star Thomas run for a loss of 1 yard to the DUKE 23
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Sahmir Hagans
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Que'Sean Brown
Kade Reynoldson punt for 35 yds , Jaylin Lane returns for 2 yds to the VT 44
William Watson III pass incomplete to Stephen Gosnell
Bhayshul Tuten run for 9 yds to the DUKE 47
William Watson III run for 5 yds to the DUKE 42 for a 1ST down
William Watson III pass incomplete to Ayden Greene
William Watson III sacked by Ryan Smith for a loss of 5 yards to the DUKE 47
William Watson III pass complete to Harrison Saint Germain for 14 yds to the DUKE 33
William Watson III run for 4 yds to the DUKE 29 for a 1ST down
Bhayshul Tuten run for 29 yds for a TD (W. Watson III Run For Two-point Conversion)
Peyton Jones run for no gain to the DUKE 35
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Jordan Moore
Maalik Murphy pass incomplete to Sahmir Hagans
Kade Reynoldson punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Jaylin Lane at the VT 22
Bhayshul Tuten run for no gain to the VT 22
Bhayshul Tuten run for 1 yd to the VT 23
PENALTY VaTech False Start (Clements,Parker) 5 yards from VaTech23 to VaTech18. NO PLAY.
William Watson III pass complete to Ali Jennings for 21 yds to the VT 39 for a 1ST down
William Watson III pass complete to Ali Jennings for 13 yds to the DUKE 48 for a 1ST down
Bhayshul Tuten run for no gain to the VT 39
William Watson III pass incomplete to Benji Gosnell
Peter Moore punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Que'Sean Brown at the DUKE 18
Star Thomas run for 2 yds to the DUKE 20
Maalik Murphy pass complete to Star Thomas for 15 yds to the DUKE 35 for a 1ST down
Star Thomas run for 4 yds to the DUKE 39
Star Thomas run for 12 yds to the VT 49 for a 1ST down
Star Thomas run for 33 yds to the VT 16 for a 1ST down
Star Thomas run for a loss of 16 yards to the VT 32 Star Thomas fumbled, recovered by VT Cole Nelson
William Watson III pass incomplete to Ali Jennings
William Watson III pass incomplete to Benji Gosnell
William Watson III sacked for a loss of 3 yards to the VT 29
William Watson III pass complete to Jaylin Lane for 6 yds to the VT 35
Duke Penalty, unsportsmanlike conduct (Tre Freeman) to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
William Watson III pass incomplete to Stephen Gosnell
William Watson III run for 6 yds to the VT 33 for a 1ST down