Virginia Tech football is focused on Duke, not milestone vs. Pittsburgh

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Tight end Bucky Hodges was one of three Virginia Tech receivers to top 100 receiving yards vs. Pittsburgh, a first in program history. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)

In the days after Virginia Tech’s win over Pittsburgh at Heinz Field last week, former Green Bay Packers and Hokies wide receiver Antonio Freeman got in touch with Isaiah Ford.

Freeman had seen the Virginia Tech junior wideout’s fourth-quarter touchdown catch, the one where he turned and reached over his defender, stretching all 10 fingers to catch a 16-yard pass from Jerod Evans in the corner of the end zone. It put Ford ahead of Freeman at the top of the Hokies’ record book for career touchdown receptions, with 23.

“He reached out to me,” Ford said of Freeman. “It was amazing just to talk to him, and I was humbled by it. To even be mentioned in the same situation or same category as him was special.”

Ford wasn’t the only pass-catcher to have a banner game last Thursday. He, tight end Bucky Hodges and wide receiver Cam Phillips each recorded 100-plus receiving yards against a feeble Pittsburgh secondary in the 39-36 victory, the first time in program history that three receivers have achieved that mark in a game.

Coach Justin Fuente all but shrugged off the achievement. The Hokies are No. 19 in the College Football Playoff rankings and three wins away from their first ACC Coastal Division title since 2011. At this point in the season, celebrating is for program alumni and fans.

Not to say Virginia Tech’s locker room was joyless as the Hokies (6-2, 4-1 ACC) prepared to travel to Duke this weekend. It’s just that their Oct. 15 loss at Syracuse weighs on their minds.

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“I think we have a pretty good reference point for ourselves in the season,” Fuente said earlier this week. “The last time everyone was patting us on the back and telling us how good of a job we’ve been doing, we went up to Syracuse and got smacked around a bit. I think that is a pretty clear reference point for our guys in terms of the preparation and the intensity with which we’ll have to play.”

The Hokies also took easy advantage of Pittsburgh’s man-to-man coverage — a questionable decision by the Panthers, who allowed more than 400 passing yards for the third time this season.

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But there are smaller marks of progress Fuente will acknowledge.

The win provided evidence that playing Hodges, a versatile tight end, on the outside was the right decision after experimenting with his skill set in the spring. A 6-foot-7 redshirt junior who is averaging 58.5 receiving yards per game, Hodges had six catches for a team-high 145 yards against Pittsburgh, after recording 66 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 37-16 win against Miami the week before.

Fuente also saw improvements in Virginia Tech’s maturity over the current five-week stretch that will have included four away games and two Thursday night contests. One of Fuente’s main priorities is to get his team to manage “the highs and lows” within tight games such as the one at Pittsburgh.

“I thought we put that on display last week through the ups and downs of that game,” Fuente said Wednesday. “Pitt is a very good football team and made plays on us, but our guys just kind of kept plugging away at that, and I think that was probably the biggest leap that we’ve made. Just being able to handle the good and the bad that comes through a ballgame.”

At Duke (3-5, 0-4), the Hokies once again figure to flex a little muscle against a team that allowed 605 yards in a 38-35 loss at Georgia Tech on Saturday. Duke will also be without leading rusher Jela Duncan (450 yards), who ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon Saturday. Meanwhile, Evans practiced in full Sunday, a day after spraining his ankle in the third quarter.

The Hokies did get a little extra time off in their long week before heading down to Durham. But this time, they tried not to get too comfortable.

“The game this week, that’s the first thing that comes out,” Ford said. “‘Hey, you know what? We’ve had this happen to us before, and let’s learn from it.’ [Fuente], he referenced it to us like the little kid touching the stove. Is he going to go back and touch it again, or is he going to learn his lesson the first time?”

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