No. 23 Georgia Tech scored touchdowns on four straight first-half possessions and held on to beat host Duke 38-31.

Duke’s Sean Renfree threw four touchdowns, including two to tight end Cooper Helfet. The last one cut the deficit to 38-31 with 6:37 left. Then Duke recovered running back Charles Perkins’ fumble and had a chance to tie. But Renfree was intercepted by Jemea Thomas with 2:20 to go.

The Yellow Jackets (8-3, 5-3 ACC) won their eighth straight over the Blue Devils (3-8, 1-6 ACC), and 16th in the last 17 meetings.

Tech running back Embry Peeples, starting for the injured Orwin Smith, ran for 64 yards and a touchdown and caught a 46-yard pass. Fullback David Sims ran for two touchdowns. Quarterback Tevin Washington hit a few long throws, including a 56-yarder to Stephen Hill, and ran for 136 yards and a score.

The Blue Devils’ Donovan Varner caught a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter; that marked his 36th straight game with a catch, breaking Scottie Montgomery’s school record.

The Jackets, who host archrival Georgia next Saturday, are out of the ACC title race but can still win 10 games for only the fourth time since 1956.