Photos by Justin Cook | The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech tailback Josh Oglesby scores two touchdowns in the second half as the Hokies defeat Duke on Saturday.

Duke's Re'Quan Boyette (21) is taken down by Virginia Tech safety Kam Chancellor. Chancellor was credited with nine tackles in the game, including three solo stops. However, Duke amassed 359 yards passing against the Tech secondary.

Virginia Tech linebacker Cody Grimm (right) takes off the helmet of Duke's Re'Quan Boyette as Hokies linebacker Jake Johnson (bottom) drags the runner down.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Sixth-ranked Virginia Tech strolled in here Saturday to face one of its favorite ACC whipping boys. There would be no beatdown this time, though.

Leading by only four with less than 14 minutes left, the Hokies put together a couple haymaking touchdown drives in a 7:09 span and finally put away pesky Duke 34-26 in front of 26,211 fans at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Nothing came easy for Tech, a 17-point favorite over a team that it had outscored 179-34 in five previous ACC meetings.

Despite getting two touchdown passes and a career-high 327 passing yards by Tyrod Taylor, the Hokies struggled to win. Tech's fourth consecutive victory wasn't sealed until Chris Drager recovered an onside kick by Duke with 25 seconds left.

"It wasn't as sharp as we'd like," relieved Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "I don't think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke and part of it was us. I think we learn from it. Sometimes, I think you've just got to win some games that are not real pretty on the road, and I think this is probably one of those. But thank goodness our kids hung in there."

While Tech's offense was efficient, amassing 477 total yards (327 passing, 150 rushing) with no turnovers, the Hokies' defense was victimized by long-yardage plays that kept Duke alive. Tech (4-1, 2-0 ACC) also was hurt by 12 penalties for 105 yards, both season highs.

Duke (2-3, 0-1) trailed just 20-16 after Will Snyderwine made the third of his four field goals, a career-long 47-yarder with 13:51 left to play. Tech, which had mostly ridden Taylor's hot arm to that point, then resorted back to its longtime bread and butter -- the running game.

Tailback Ryan Williams, who had been stopped most of the day by a stacked Duke defense geared to stop the Hokies' ground game, got going down the stretch.

"We changed up the play-calling and we ran some outside powers instead of some inside powers," said Williams, who finished with a hard-earned 83 yards on 24 carries. "That was a good call, too. Duke's main game plan was to stop the run ... and you can't really do a whole lot about that when they're stacking a lot of people in the box."

Williams, whose 492 rushing yards entering the day ranked sixth in the country, proceeded to rip off six straight carries for 41 yards as Tech marched from its 38 to the Duke 12. After a tired Williams pulled himself from the game, No. 2 tailback Josh Oglesby rambled into the end zone on the next play to give the Hokies some breathing room with 9:37 left.

Duke wasn't done, though. Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, who was 22-for-40 passing for 359 yards, collaborated with Donovan Varner for a 55-yard hookup to the Tech 19. The Hokies held the hosts out of the end zone, though, when defensive end Stephen Friday sacked Lewis on third-and-10 from. Snyderwine came on and nailed a 43-yard field goal to pull Duke to 27-19 with 7:08 left.

Needing to respond, Taylor & Co. obliged again. After taking the ball on its 22, the Hokies were faced with a crucial third-and-11 from the 36. Taylor then made another play, finding Danny Coale for a 37-yard completion to the Duke 27. Oglesby got the ball on the next plays, blowing into the end zone from 19 yards to put the Hokies ahead 34-19 with 2:28 left. Oglesby, a redshirt sophomore, finished with 59 yards on six carries. The two TDs were the first of his college career.

"Ryan got tired and came out, and it gave me an opportunity to get in there," a grinning Oglesby said. "It felt nice to get in the end zone, I'm telling you. [Running backs] Coach [Billy] Hite could have run those two in."

Taylor's first of his two touchdown passes came on a perfect 36-yard strike to Coale -- the Lexington native's first college TD -- that tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter. Taylor's second scoring toss was a 28-yarder to Jarrett Boykin, who made a spectacular leaping catch in which he leapt over defender Leon Wright.

The pair appeared to fall to the end zone grass with simultaneous possession, but the ball eventually wound up in Boykin's humongous hands. The play was reviewed, but the TD stood.

"If you've seen Jarrett's hands, then you wouldn't be worried," said Taylor, grinning. "I knew he was going to come up with it when they rolled over. If you've seen Jarrett's hands, it's ... [not likely] that you're going to be able to take the ball from his hands."

Taylor, who has six TD passes and only one interception this season, said the game showed that the offense can beat you two ways -- through the air and overland.

"It's always huge to have a balanced offense," Taylor said. "If you stop the run, then we can beat people in the air, and that's what we had a chance to do today, and I think we done a good job of it."