No. 12 Virginia Tech barely beats Duke

DURHAM, N.C. (AP)

David Wilson rushed for 148 yards and No. 12 Virginia Tech overcame a sloppy performance to beat Duke 14-10 Saturday for its Atlantic Coast Conference-record 11th straight road victory.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2011

• Week 14: Scoreboard | Gallery
• Updated: BCS | AP | Coaches
• Pages: FX GOTW | TTT | Pereira
• Gallery: LSU vs. Alabama, Part I
• Gallery: It's Rivalry Week
• Gallery: Crazy CFB uniforms
• Gallery: Nebraska vs. Penn St.
• Gallery: It's Halloween time
• Gallery: CFB remembers 9/11
• Video: Highlights and interviews
• Latest updates: CFN | Scout | YB

Logan Thomas was 17 of 28 for 190 yards with two interceptions and a 2-yard touchdown pass to Eric Martin. Josh Oglesby added a 1-yard scoring run for the Coastal Division-leading Hokies (8-1, 4-1).

They entered as 15-point favorites, were sluggish and inefficient throughout, yet came up with enough plays to claim their fourth straight victory. Virginia Tech rolled up 433 yards yet gave up 326 to Duke.

Sean Renfree was 17 of 35 for 204 yards but was intercepted three times for the Blue Devils (3-5, 1-3). They couldn't overcome four turnovers and lost their third straight overall and 44th in a row against nationally ranked teams.

But unlike so many of those losses during that streak, this one was competitive throughout. Duke had a golden opportunity to take the lead late after Jamison Crowder returned a punt to the Virginia Tech 34 with just under 7 minutes left.

The Blue Devils marched into the red zone in five plays, but on fourth-and-2 from the 15, Renfree rolled right on a bootleg and was dropped by Kyle Fuller for a loss of three yards with 4:37 remaining.

Best of Week 9

Looking for college football action? We've got the best shots right here.

Duke forced a punt and got the ball back with 1:43 left, but Barquell Rivers intercepted Renfree's fourth-down pass with 55 seconds left to keep the Hokies unbeaten in 14 matchups against ACC teams in North Carolina as members of the conference. They also broke the league record of 10 straight road wins set in 2000 by Florida State and matched six years later by Virginia Tech.

Desmond Scott had a 3-yard touchdown run and Matt Daniels had two interceptions for Duke, which pulled within four points midway through the third quarter on Will Snyderwine's 26-yard field goal. He could have made it a one-point game with 12:27 remaining, but he hit his 29-yard attempt off the right upright.

Wilson, the ACC's leading rusher, had his sixth straight 100-yard game and has hit triple digits eight times this season for Virginia Tech, which was playing for the first time without leading tackler Bruce Taylor. He who suffered a season-ending right foot sprain last week against Boston College and became the fourth defensive player - and third starter on that side of the ball - lost for the season.

NICE GEAR

New-style or old-style, uniforms and helmets were the talk of the town. Here are some of the most distinctive.

Neither team looked particularly sharp during a first half in which the teams combined to turn it over five times in a 20-minute span, with Renfree and Thomas each throwing two interceptions during that stretch.

The Hokies rolled up 301 yards before the break but turned it over twice, missed a 29-yard chip shot and kept Duke's only touchdown drive of the day alive with three 15-yard penalties.

Tech led 14-7 at the break after Oglesby's short scoring run with 10:20 left in the half, a run set up by his 31-yard carry up the middle to the Duke 1.

Duke's first two possessions ended with turnovers, and the Hokies made the Blue Devils pay for their second one. Virginia Tech scored first after going 85 yards in 12 plays, with Wilson's 39-yard run through the right side setting up Thomas' short scoring flip to Martin with roughly 4 minutes left in the first.

Scott tied it at 7 with his short touchdown run on the second play of the second quarter after those repeated flags on Virginia Tech kept giving the Blue Devils first downs.