Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest Suffers 38-17 Defeat at Hands of No. 19 Virginia Tech
10/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 15, 2011
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
| Finals Stats (PDF)
| Grobe Postgame Press Conference 
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest football program has achieved just about everything conceivable under coach Jim Grobe's direction. Virginia Tech exposed the one missing item on Saturday night, erupting for four touchdowns in an 11-minute stretch spanning halftime and claiming a 38-17 win over the Demon Deacons.
Wake hasn't beaten the Hokies since Sept. 10, 1983 - when Grobe was an assistant at Marshall and Frank Beamer was still four years from assuming control of his alma mater and turning it into a national power. In fact, the 10-0 lead the Deacs enjoyed after one quarter on Saturday was a rare feat; it represented the first time Wake had outscored Tech in any period since the fourth quarter of that 1983 contest. Not even the 2006 ACC champion Deacs could knock off Beamer's Hokies.
And for that matter, this isn't a bad Wake bunch, either. A week earlier, it became the first team in school history to win its first three ACC games in a season. A postseason bid is still a solid bet for the Deacs.
"They're a heckuva football team," Grobe said. "Very well coached and very talented. Once it went the other way, we never responded. We weren't getting off the field and we were giving up too many big plays."
The Deacs (4-2, 3-1 ACC) went 1-for-13 on third down while the Hokies (6-1, 2-1) were 7-for-15, including 4-for-4 on their fifth TD drive, which fully restored momentum their way after Wake got to 28-17 midway through the third quarter. Logan Thomas threw for 280 yards, 149 of which went to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin.
"It seemed like about 3,000," Grobe quipped.
David Wilson assumed the ACC rushing lead with a 136-yard, 17-carry effort. For full effect, a typically overwhelming Hokie defense was credited with nine tackles for loss.
Wake jumped out to its early advantage on the strength of another big play from Tanner Price to Chris Givens, a 79-yard TD strike that continued Givens' record-chasing season. On the play, Givens became the first player in Deacon history to post three TD receptions of 75 or more yards in a career, and he wound up with his fifth 100-yard game in six chances in 2011.
The Deacs permitted only yards of total offense in the first quarter - a start every bit as promising as the vibe created by last week's 35-30 win over No. 23 Florida State. It did not last.
"After we got up 10-0," Given said, "you could feel the attention level fall a little bit."
The night's most important sequence ended the first half. The Deacs, down 14-10 and starting a drive inside their own 5, decided against taking a knee because the Hokies had two time outs left and would have had ample time to force a punt and perhaps do something with it. Price dropped back and was hit while throwing, and the resulting pop-up was snagged by Tech's Tariq Edwards at the Deacon 26 with 30 seconds to go.
Virginia Tech cashed that in quickly, scoring on Thomas' keeper from the 3 with four seconds left. Thomas' fake to David Wilson was so convincing that Wake's Kenny Okoro tackled Wilson while the quarterback crossed the goal line.
Grobe accepted the responsibility for the turn of events.
"We thought that if we could hit a seam or hit an underneath deal, we could chip our way into field-goal range," the coach said. "We had three time outs left and Tanner has done a great job of taking care of the ball. But then he gets hit on the arm and it gets picked.
"I was hoping we could make them kick a field goal. That's my fault."
Having won the coin toss and deferred its choice to the second half, Virginia Tech took the kickoff after the break and proceeded to go 80 yards in six plays in 2 minutes, 24 seconds to take a 28-10 lead.
Scoring Drives Recaps
Wake Forest 3, Virginia Tech 0 (11:19, 1st quarter)
Virginia Tech won the opening coin toss and elected to defer until the second half, setting up Wake Forest with the ball at its own 29-yard line after a 26-yard return. Tanner Price and Brandon Pendergrass powered the 10-play, 60-yard drive with 36 yards through the air and 24 on the ground. The Hokie defense finally held their ground after the Deacs entered the red zone, forcing two straight incompletions before Jimmy Newman kicked a 28-yard field goal to take the early lead.
Wake Forest 10, Virginia Tech 0 (6:47, 1st quarter)
On their third drive of the game, Wake showed off its explosive play ability that it has enjoyed all season as Price found his favorite target Chris Givens wide open down the middle of the field for a 79-yard touchdown on the lone play of the drive. The score was the Deacons' ninth of the season of 20+ yards.
Wake Forest 10, Virginia Tech 7 (8:43, 2nd quarter)
The Hokies got onto the scoreboard early in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown sneak by Logan Thomas, who was also 2-of-2 for 51 yards on the drive. The highlight of the 5-play, 60-yard drive was a 39-yard strike from Thomas to Jarrett Boykin that directly preceded the touchdown.
Virginia Tech 14, Wake Forest 10 (4:43, 2nd quarter)
Seizing the momentum, Virginia Tech quickly drove down the field on their next drive. David Wilson powered the running game, gashing the Demon Deacon defense for 60 yards on just four carries. Yet another Thomas-to-Boykin connection capped off the 5-play, 80-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown.
Virginia Tech 21, Wake Forest 10 (0:05, 2nd quarter)
Tariq Edwards picked off a pass from Price to set up Virginia Tech with prime field position on Wake's 26-yard line. Thomas found his tight end Chris Drager for a 23-yard gain up the left side and nearly threw an interception himself on an excellent defensive play by Merrill Noel. On the final play of the 4-play, 26-yard drive, however, Thomas ran into the end zone from three yards out for his second rushing touchdown of the day.
Virginia Tech 28, Wake Forest 10 (12:36, 3rd quarter)
Thomas shined for the Hokies on the first drive of the second half. He went 4-of-4 for 70 yards including a 44-yard pass to Boykin along the right sideline and a pair of screen passes to Danny Coale. Wilson finished off the drive with a 7-yard run during which he bounced off a pair of tacklers before finding the end zone.
Virginia Tech 28, Wake Forest 17 (2:04, 3rd quarter)
Wake Forest had its longest drive of the night at an ideal time, cutting into the Hokie lead on a crucial fourth down pass from Price to Cameron Ford for four yards. The 12-play, 83-yard drive was helped along by three big passes from Price: a 10-yarder to Pendergrass, a 21-yard gain to Danny Dembry and most importantly a 37-yard strike to Givens that put the Deacs in scoring position. An illegal substitution penalty on Virginia Tec on fourth down moved Wake from the 9-yard line to the 4, prompting the offense to return to the field and convert the touchdown.
Virginia Tech 35, Wake Forest 17 (10:49, 4th quarter)
The Hokies responded with a long drive of their own, starting on their 4-yard line and driving 96 yards in 14 plays to put the game out of reach. Two big passes from Thomas, a 26-yarder to Boykin and a 30-yard pass to Marcus Davis for the touchdown, keyed the drive. The running game pounded the ball on the ground, racking up 27 yards on nine carries to help run time off the clock.
Virginia Tech 38, Wake Forest 17 (2:22, 4th quarter)
Virginia Tech again turned to the ground and pound approach on their next drive. Thomas did not throw a pass, but he, Wilson and Josh Oglesby totaled 67 yards on seven rushes to get the Hokies into the red zone. Cody Journell finished off the drive with a 24-yard field goal.
