Duke coach David Cutcliffe is trying not to repeat himself in his post-game address with the Blue Devils or in team meetings on Sundays.

With the Blue Devils on a five-game losing streak, that’s becoming increasingly important.

“Most important lesson I would tell any young coach is to be genuine and be truthful,” Cutcliffe said. “You can't go in and just sing the same song. When you're in there, you speak the truth of what you've seen.”

As common as the outcomes have been, there is something different to be gleaned from last week’s loss to Pittsburgh – and, hopefully for Duke’s case, it’s applicable to Saturday’s trip to Blacksburg, Va., to play Virginia Tech.

Whereas Duke fell behind by two-score deficits in the first halves in each of its first four ACC games, the Blue Devils led Pittsburgh 12-7 after the first quarter last week, and it was 19-14 after Jaylen Stinson’s kick return for a touchdown.

That lead obviously didn’t hold – but it was a better start than any of Duke’s other ACC games.

“We did some things better. Better is not good enough to win. We have to do things extremely well, consistently,” Cutcliffe said. “… I'm proud of our team for the way they continue to be into it, to fight, to represent the program, represent each other, playing as hard as they can play.

“Our job as a staff is to get them playing better. That's where it falls on my shoulders. Their job as a squad is to take that coaching and put that into effect on the game field. So, it's a collective opportunity to create better habits to win games.”

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Here’s a primer on what you need to know for Saturday’s game:

Time: 3:30 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Announcers: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sideline).

Series; last meeting: Virginia Tech leads 18-10; Virginia Tech won 38-31 in 2020.

Records: Duke 3-6, 0-5 ACC; Virginia Tech 4-5, 2-3.

Stat to watch: 21.7

Finally, a reprieve for Duke’s defense.

That is Virginia Tech’s points per game, which is the worst in the ACC. The Blue Devils’ last three games have been against the league’s top three scoring offenses (Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Virginia), and their first ACC game was against the fourth-best scoring team in the league (UNC).

If ever there was a game for Duke’s defense to self-correct and relish a game in which it’s not facing one of the league’s four semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award (goes to the top QB in the country), this is the week.

Now whether it takes advantage … we’ll see.

Matchup to watch: Running backs Mataeo Durant v. Malachi Thomas

They’ll never be on the field at the same time, but this has the potential to be a game dominated by the running backs.

Durant is already over 1,000 yards and is 173 yards away from matching the Blue Devils’ single-season record. His six 100-yard games this season already matches a program record.

Thomas is a recent revelation for the Hokies, a freshman running back who has 324 yards in the last three games. He scored three touchdowns against Syracuse in his breakout performance.

Duke’s defense is No. 11 in the ACC against runs, allowing 183.8 yards per game; Virginia Tech is 12th, allowing 185.8.

With each team a bit unsteady at quarterback and given strengths and weaknesses in the rushing department, this has the makings of a ground-and-pound game for each team.

Opposing player to watch: Jermaine Waller, cornerback.

Waller is tied for the ACC lead with four interceptions, which is tied for second in the country.

It’s been a long road back for Waller, who was an honorable mention All-ACC pick in 2019 and part of a formidable duo with first-round NFL draft pick Caleb Farley. Waller returned for the 2020 season but suffered an injury and only played two games.

All of Waller’s interceptions this season have been in the second halves of games.

Prediction: This is more of a winnable game than any of the last three for Duke – but it’ll be interesting to see how much passion and drive there is left for the Blue Devils.