After picking up a stunning upset victory at NC State last week, Virginia Tech returns home looking to get back to .500 on the season as they take on a Wake Forest team looking for a big upset. With all that in mind, let's dive into this week's preview and prediction.
Keys to the Game: Wake Forest doesn’t have a lot going for itself on offense and will lean heavy on standout RB Demond Claiborne who is averaging 8.0 yards per carry and has six rushing touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, Wake Forest QB Robby Ashford is also averaging 4.8 yards per carry which is the main reason why he is still the starter given his 1:3 TD:INT ratio currently. If VT can contain Claiborne and the Wake rushing attack, this could be a dominant day for the Hokies.
Tech will need to establish the run early and often. Last week’s sluggish start where Tech threw the ball on 11 of their first 13 plays showed how important it is for Tech to have balance to get the best out of their offense. That should continue to be the case this week against Wake.
Hokies to Watch: You can check out Josh Poslusny’s Hokies to Watch feature here. Terion Stewart finally looked healthy and it showed as he has seven runs of 10+ yards including an 85-yard carry on his way to having 15 carries for 174 yards to lead the Hokies to victory. Tech will need more from Stewart this week as Wake Forest only allows 3.5 yards per carry. VT’s offense is at its best when the running game is firing on all cylinders, and they’ll need Stewart to deliver once again this week.
Virginia Tech X-Factors: Tech’s nickelback/third safety play from Isaiah Cash and Christian Ellis has been promising, especially from Ellis who had three pass breakups last week with Cash adding a sack. Tech will likely needs Ellis and Cash more on run defense given Wake Forest’s imbalance towards the run game given their roster, but both players have shown competence in that realm and will be needed versus Wake Forest star RB Demond Claiborne.
Matchups to Watch: It’s also interesting when you see a player takes on his former team as will be the case with Braylon Johnson starting at safety for Wake Forest against the Hokies. He’ll likely match up plenty against a variety of guys including Cam Seldon who is proving to be a versatile weapon but hasn’t had the big plays just yet. This week could provide a great opportunity for Seldon to show the playmaking ability he has while Johnson will be looking to postpone that success further.
Availability Watch: Virginia Tech’s offensive line and wide receiver corps is getting healthy while the DB room and other spots have questions. Check out the full availability report for the Hokies and what adjustments may be required here.
Prediction
Tim Thomas
Virginia Tech is the more talented while Wake Forest is very one-dimensional on offense with one of the ACC's best running backs in Demond Claiborne but not much help otherwise. Robby Ashford is not a quarterback that anyone will fear for his passing ability, especially with his 1:3 TD:INT ratio so Tech's defensive focus should heavily be on shutting down Claiborne and the rushing attack.
I'm not sure if they'll fully be able to replicate what they did against Hollywood Smothers last week but I do think they'll contain Claiborne while Tech's offense does more than enough thanks to a solid group of RBs to lead the Hokies to a comfortable, but low-scoring victory led by.
