Duke quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] threw his third touchdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the second quarter, a 7-yard strike to fifth-year senior Eli Pancol that officially etched his name in program history.
The touchdown, Murphy’s 25th of the season, broke Anthony Dilweg’s school record for single-season passing touchdowns that stood for 36 years. Dilweg tossed 24 scores in 1988, the same year he threw for a school-record 3,824 yards.
Only seven previous Blue Devils reached 20 touchdowns in a single season (although Thaddeus Lewis did so twice), and only three have ever reached 21 in a campaign.
Murphy set his record-breaking pace early with 11 scores in the first four games. He found the end zone three times in three straight games from Weeks 2-4, including two touchdown passes in overtime against the Northwestern Wildcats.
While the former Texas Longhorn slowed down with three touchdowns over the next three weeks, he found his stride again when the SMU Mustangs came to Durham in Week 9. He threw for 295 yards and three scores in that game, and he put together his first 300-yard game on the road against Miami one week later.
Murphy’s record-setting throw was his 11th touchdown pass in Duke’s last four games.