Tech takes 41-24 win over duke

Last week, Tech defeated Duke in front of a nearly empty stadium in Durham, 41-24. It was Tech's fourth straight victory over Duke, the only ACC team yet to win a conference game.

Senior Tashard Choice returned to the lineup after missing the game against Virginia Tech and gained 170 yards on 23 carries. He added two touchdowns, bringing his season total to nine.

"It was big [to have Choice back]. He's a big part of our team, our personality of everything. He's just a presence on the field," said junior quarterback Taylor Bennett.

While Choice ended up with an impressive output, he started the game off struggling to return to form. He had several short runs for little to no gain and fumbled a ball in Tech territory. It was collected by Duke cornerback Leon Hall for a 24-yard touchdown.

"If I was a little bit healthier, I probably would have ran the ball more, but I had a mistake. I [fumbled] the ball, but other than that we did OK," Choice said.

Choice also gave Tech fans a scare during the second half when it looked as though he may have injured his hamstring again. During an easy run into the endzone, he stepped out of bounds and immediately began walking over to the sideline.

"I didn't know what [the injury was]. I went over and talked to him and he said 'Hey, it's just tight on me. Let me get it wrapped and let's see what we can do.' Obviously, he could play [after that]," said Head Coach Chan Gailey.

After he came back, the team began rushing the ball with Choice to run off time from the game clock. One of the team's favorite plays to run during the game was the direct snap to the running back, often sending Bennett to the sideleine.

"[The direct snap play] had been on the shelf for about three weeks now. If you did it every week, a bunch of snaps, I think people would get it. I think by...doing it some, not doing it some, I think it keeps them off balance," Gailey said.

Bennett came out with a better performance than his game against Virginia Tech, finishing 11-for-23 with 218 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Bennett and his receivers struggled to connect on passes with each other, with several drops committed by the receivers. This was most notably evident with freshman Demayrius Thomas, who missed some passes that could have led to big gains and first downs.

"As a whole, I thought the receivers did well. We let some get away from us this game, but they'll bounce back and everything will be good. I'm not blaming them for anything. It happens, it's a part of the game," Bennett said.

The junior could have easily had two touchdown passes if it was not for a bizarre play on the opening drive. After throwing a 53-yard pass to James Johnson to start off the game, he completed a pass to D.J. Donley that looked like a touchdown. Unfortunately, Donley was tackled and the ball popped into the endzone, where Thomas jumped on it and recovered it for an unlikely touchdown.

"When [that fumble] came out I just thought, 'Oh gosh, I hope he gets on it,' not 'oh gosh, no touchdown,'" Bennett said.

The fumble highlighted a day of unusual mistakes for Tech. Besides that and Choice's fumble, the team also gave up a rare blocked punt for the first time since Nov. 29, 2003. It was senior punter Durant Brook's first punt block ever. It led to a Duke touchdown that pulled the team within 10 points during the third quarter, 34-24. Earlier in the game, Bennett threw an interception that was returned to the Tech 18 and eventually led to a field goal. This gave Duke a 10-7 lead in the first half. In all, Duke scored 17 of their 24 points off of Tech's miscues.

Still, Tech's defense was able to prevent too much damage. The Jackets limited the Blue Devils to nine first downs and 146 yards of total offense. They forced a fumble that led to a touchdown and had eight sacks. They created pressure the whole game, dominating at the line of scrimmage.

The defense allowed only one long touchdown, accounting for nearly half of Duke's total yards. On a first-and-10, Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis threw a 64-yard bomb to Eron Riley to score a touchdown and bring Duke within seven points, 24-17.

The special teams also gave the Jackets great field position throughout the day, pinning Duke inside their own 20 five times. Senior placekicker Travis Bell also hit two field goals

While Duke was able to give Tech a small scare early in the game and late in the third quarter, they had little to no support from the fan base. The nearly empty stadium had no discernable student section and fans who seemed to cheer louder for the UNC loss to N.C. State than for their own team.

"We really talked about [the lack of atmosphere there] all week, and I addressed it last Sunday night because I've been around long enough to know it myself, it's not just something somebody is telling me. I am able to talk to the players about that and I thought they handled that part about it very well," Gailey said.

Tech hosts the last two games of the season at home, with UNC coming up tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. The Jackets won the game against the Tar Heels last year, 7-0, and Chan Gailey is 4-1 against them overall.