Wake Forest Preview

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Who: #19/17 Virginia Tech Hokies (5-1, 1-1 ACC) @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-1, 3-0 ACC)

Time: 6:30 PM

TV Coverage: ESPN3.com (Dave Weekley, Rene Ingoglia, Angela Mallen)

Venue: BB&T Field, Winston-Salem, NC (31,500 – Turf)

Series History: Virginia Tech leads 23-11-1

  • Last Meeting (2010): Virginia Tech 52, Wake Forest 21
  • Coach Beamer is a perfect 3-0 against Wake Forest
  • The Hokies have won 4 straight games against the Demon Deacons
  • Tech has won 7 straight at Wake Forest, with the last loss coming in 1970

Injury Report

  • OLB Jeron Gouveia-Winslow – Out for Season (foot)
  • DE James Gayle – Out (ankle)
  • TE Eric Martin – Out (shoulder)
  • OL David Wang – Out (foot)

The Opponent: So who had Wake Forest at undefeated in conference play coming into this game? Not even a Wake fan could have predicted this. The Deacs are 3-0 in the ACC for the first time in school history, fresh off a 35-30 upset over then-No. 23 Florida State last weekend. Jim Grobe’s team is a blown 4th quarter lead away from being 5-0 and probably ranked. The Deacs are a quality team, and we saw that offensively last year.

Wake is one of, if not, the most improved team in the ACC this season. This is their homecoming, at night, and a blackout is planned for the Hokies arrival. Wake fans are starting to look back at the 2006 team that won the ACC and played in the Orange Bowl and a win over Virginia Tech would only heighten those aspirations.

  • On Offense: The Deacs are led on offense by one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC, Tanner Price (6-2, 205, SO). If he doesn’t get injured in the season opener against Syracuse then Wake is probably 5-0 coming into this game. The left-handed Price is completing over 60 percent of his passes and has tossed 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He leads the nation’s 18th-best passing offense and has a solid quartet of receivers to choose from.

    Chris Givens (6-0, 195, r-JR) is the ACC’s leading receiver in terms of yards per game, averaging 119.8 per contest, which is the 8th-best mark in the nation. Givens has nearly 600 yards and five touchdowns so far this year and is a vastly underrated player, just like Price. Danny Dembry (6-2, 185, r-SR), Michael Campanaro (5-10, 190, r-SO), and Terence Davis (6-1, 195, r-JR) are the other three targets at wide out. Dembry is a sturdy vet who is Wake’s biggest target, while Campanaro has caught two touchdowns and also thrown for an additional two. Davis is a big play threat for Wake, averaging over 16 yards per catch with three touchdowns on just 10 receptions this year. Last year, Wake was limited to four completions on 17 attempts, but one was a 78-yard bomb to Givens for a TD.

    At running back, the question is whether or not Josh Harris (5-10, 205, r-SO) can play. Harris is listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury and Jim Grobe won’t put him on the field unless he’s absolutely ready. Harris ran all over the Hokies last year, piling up 241 yards on just 20 carries. He got off to a slow start this year, but ran for 136 yards against FSU last week. Tech coaches have mentioned his name in the same echelon as Miami’s Lamar Miller. Harris’ backup is Brandon Pendergrass (5-9, 200, r-SR), who is averaging less than four yards a carry.

    Up front, the Deacs have a lot of size and experience, but haven’t played to expectations so far this season. The Wake offensive line averages 312 pounds, around what Miami’s O-line weighs. Now, that’s not saying they have the talent of Miami, but they have the advantage over Tech’s ever-changing defensive line. Right tackle Doug Weaver (6-8, 320, r-SR) has 100 pounds over new defensive end Tyrel Wilson and left guard Joe Looney (6-3, 320, SR) was named to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach midseason All-American list.

  • On Defense: The big reason for Wake’s struggles last year was that they couldn’t stop anybody on defense. The Hokies racked up 52 points, 605 yards, and had the ball for over 41 minutes against the Deacs last year. Things have changed this year, however.

    Wake created five turnovers last week and one of the biggest was Joey Ehrmann’s (6-4, 220, r-JR) interception. He teams with Kyle Wilber (6-5, 240, r-SR) at the outside linebacker/defensive end position. Both can play standing up, creating a 3-4, or both can play with a hand on the ground, creating a 5-2 look. The look will change from play to play. Also up front is nose guard Nikita Whitlock (5-11, 260, r-SO), who started every game last year as a freshman. This year, Whitlock leads the team in tackles for loss and has two of Wake’s five sacks (Wilber has the other 3).

    The two middle linebackers positions feature four players that receive equal amounts of playing time. At one position, Scott Betros (6-1, 240, r-JR) and Mike Olson (6-3, 230, r-SO) have ganged up for 44 tackles, 4.5 for loss, while Riley Haynes (6-1, 220, r-JR) and Justin Jackson (6-1, 220, r-SO) have combined for an additional 42 tackles and 4.5 for loss at the other position.

    The weakness of Wake’s D has been their tendency to give up the big play. This comes despite the experience and skill the Deacons exhibit in the secondary. Cyhl Quarles (6-3, 210, r-SR) leads the team with 41 tackles as a strong safety, while free safety Josh Bush (5-11, 205, r-SR) has a team-leading three picks on the year. Kenny Okoro (6-0, 190, r-JR) starts at one corner and is complemented by Merrill Noel (5-11, 180, r-FR). Despite being in just his first year, Noel leads the ACC in passes defended with an interception and eight pass breakups.

    The big key for the Wake D will be creating turnovers for its offense. That’s how they got up on FSU and were ultimately able to hold off the Seminoles.

Players to Watch:

  • Virginia Tech
    • RT #62 Blake DeChristopher
      • Reigning ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week
      • Last Week vs Miami: Graded out at 93 percent, 8 knockdowns
    • LB #28 Alonzo Tweedy
      • Last Week vs Miami: 8 tackles, 3 solo, 2 QB hurries, 1 for loss, 1 sack
      • This Season: 12 tackles, 4 solo, 2 QB hurries, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
      • Starting in place of injured LB Jeron Gouveia-Winslow
  • Wake Forest
    • WR #2 Chris Givens
      • Last Week vs Florida State: 6 catches, 101 yards, TD
      • Last Year vs Virginia Tech: 2 catches, 84 yards, TD
      • This Season: 33 catches, 599 yards, 5 TD
    • NG #50 Nikita Whitlock
      • Last Week vs Florida State: 7 tackles, 4 solo, 1.5 for loss, 1 sack
      • Last Year vs Virginia Tech: 2 tackles, 2 solo
      • This Season: 21 tackles, 11 solo, 5 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble

Matchups to Watch:

  • Logan Thomas v Tanner Price
    • Logan had one of the best games for a quarterback in Virginia Tech history last week against Miami. He doesn’t have to be superman again this week, but let’s hope last week wasn’t a fluke performance. On the flip side, Price tossed three touchdowns against FSU last week and will have a lot of weight is on his shoulders, especially if Harris can’t go with a bum hamstring.
  • Wake Forest Running Game vs Tech’s Front Seven
    • A lot of this depends on whether Harris can go, but his doubtful status suggests he won’t be on the field Saturday night. Not having Harris would make this matchup a battle of attrition. The Hokies are missing three starters in the front and are outweighed by nearly 70 pounds up front, while Wake would need to find some semblance of a running game without their best asset.
  • Tech Secondary vs Wake Receivers
    • The Hokies secondary had a rough game by their standards last week and they’ll be facing a significant air assault from Tanner Price. I expect the Hokie D to play with a chip on its shoulder and come out guns blazing. With possibly no running game for Wake, this matchup will become even more important.
  • Field Position
    • Neither team has a great punter, statistically speaking. Wake ranks 11th in the ACC and 113th in the nation, averaging a tick under 33 yards per punt. Obviously, Tech’s punting issues have been well documented; the Hokies are 118th in the nation with a 31.7-yard per punt average. If one team can’t score, they’ll more than likely be setting up a short field for the opposition.

Keys to Victory:

  • Virginia Tech
    • Take Care of the Ball
      • Through six games this year, the Hokies have committed nine turnovers, which is just four less than the 2010 Hokies committed all season in 14 games. Wake Forest took advantage of turnovers last week and with a home crowd’s support, the Deacs will be looking for an easy miscue to capitalize on.
    • Adjust on D
      • Tech’s strength early in the season was stopping the run, but with injuries to three of the front seven, the Hokies were gashed against a much more physical and athletic Miami offensive line. It’ll be interesting to see if and how Bud Foster changes up his schemes to offset those losses. How effective those changes are will determine a lot Saturday night.
  • Wake Forest
    • Attack the Front Seven
      • Going off Tech’s second key, the Deacs need to attack the Hokies front, with or without Harris. Wake has a distinct size advantage and should be able to wear down a very thin Tech front. Doing so could help Wake control the clock and eventually pull off its second consecutive upset.
    • Contain the Running Game
      • Wake has held opponents to 102 yards rushing per game this season, but facing David Wilson will be their toughest test yet. The Deacs need to control Wilson and the running game and force Logan Thomas to do what he did last week. Odds are Thomas won’t replicate his performance from last week, especially if Wake forces him into pass-only situations.

Projected Score: Virginia Tech 31, Wake Forest 20

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