WATCH: Quentin Harris postgame vs. Virginia Tech

Quarterback explains his success running the ball

Duke quarterback Quentin Harris completed 20 of 27 passes for 163 yards in the win over Virginia Tech. He threw two touchdowns with no interceptions and ran for 100 yards and a score.

Duke only had seven yards of offense after the first quarter, though.

“It was a little bit troubling with communication at first,” he said. “I think we were a little bit nervous at first. But we settled in a little bit and started going back to the things we do well.”

Harris did a lot of running, because the defense gave it to him.

“They drop a lot of eight-man coverages,” he said. “Running can always be a great option for eight-man coverage, especially if they get a little bit more depth than usual. We leaned on that when necessary. I’m definitely proud of the way we were able to attack tonight.”

The second-quarter fumble that led to Duke’s first touchdown was a turning point.

“We knew we just had a great opportunity to put it in the box there,” he said. “We’d had situations where the defense got us the ball in good position, and we hadn’t capitalized before, like in our first game (against Alabama).”

Building a big lead helped to keep the crowd out of the game.

“It helps for communication if the crowd isn’t booming like it can be,” he said.

Harris also had constructive criticism for Jalon Calhoun’s passing form, after the receiver threw a trick-play touchdown.

“He did leave it up there a little long. You don’t want to let anybody (on defense) get back into it,” he said.