By Matt Jones and Michael Bealey

If you only watched the first quarter, there’s no way you would believe the final score.

The Hokies came back from a 10-0 deficit to defeat the Wake Forest Demon Deacons Saturday night 38-17 in a game that didn’t start as the Hokies had planned.

“We talk all the time about just playing the next down,” said coach Frank Beamer. “We weren’t screaming or blaming, we tried to find the answers and get them coached up.”

Coach them up they did. Whatever the adjustments the coaching staff made, they were evident in the final box score. Logan Thomas, Jarrett Boykin, David Wilson and the entire defense had impressive days statistically.

Boykin breaks out

Wide receiver Jarrett Boykin has had an uphill battle this season as he’s been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury that forced him out against Marshall, and the looming all-time receptions record at 133.

With both obstacles out of his way, Boykin took center stage and caught seven passes for 149 yards and one touchdown. It’s his second straight 100-plus yard receiving effort, after tallying just 13 catches for 103 yards and one touchdown the previous five games.

Boykin mentioned how he felt like he was in control, and could jump up and grab just about anything Thomas threw.

“Yeah, I’d say I was kind of feeling it like that,” Boykin said. “Like I was in a zone, I just kind of felt like I couldn’t be stopped. He was making some incredible throws and just trying to go up and make a play.”

With Tech driving midway through the second quarter, Boykin made a spectacular 39-yard grab all the way to the one-yard line setting up a Thomas on a one-yard touchdown plunge. The play was a spark for an offense that had failed to muster any points up to that point.

“It was a certain route the way he tapped me, he sent me on a takeoff,” Boykin said. “When I caught it I was fighting I was trying my best to get in the end zone. I thought I actually got in there, but once I saw the replay (it wasn’t a touchdown).”

“Not able to handle the pressure”

After allowing Miami quarterback to slice up their defense a week ago — Bud Foster’s gang, especially the defensive line — came out hungry.

Missing starters James Gayle and Antoine Hopkins, the defense turned in a classic lunch pail performance, highlighted by the four sacks and nine tackles for loss.

“The younger guys worked hard, and they stepped up in practice, and they showed a lot out in the game,” said J.R. Collins, defensive end. “Luther (Maddy), Isaiah (Hamlette), Courtney Price; all the guys that hadn’t been playing a lot, they stepped up. They’re a big reason why a lot of guys got freed up and got sacks out there.”

Maddy, who made his first collegiate start, finished the game with just one tackle (which was for a loss). Collins said the group did not skip a beat with the losses on the line.

“We were pleased, because we had two guys on the d-line down, and the younger guys were stepping up,” Collins said. “It wasn’t like we skipped a beat or anything.”

Collins, who himself finished the game with three tackles and a half-sack, was part of a crucial play late in the first half.

With 30 seconds remaining, quarterback Tanner Price attempted a pass, which was tipped at the line by Collins. Linebacker Tariq Edwards flew in to get the interception. Three plays later, Thomas scored on a three-yard rush.

“I had made a move on the tackle, I was working on him the whole game then I finally got him,” Collins said. “I wanted to get the sack, but I had to settle for the tip. I tried to tip and knock it down, and I was glad Tariq came in and got the interception.”

“I was waiting for the back to come out, and J.R. made the tip, and I just saw the opportunity and made the play,” Edwards said.

The defense started slow, allowing 138 yards in the first quarter. There was not much the defense did differently after the opening quarter Collins said.

“I think they got us on a couple plays early on, and then we started working together and everything just fell into place,” Collins said.

“It was basically just executing, we knew what we had to do,” Edwards said of the slow start. “We had our game plan, we just had to execute.”

For much of the night, Foster sent a blitz, and oftentimes it got there.

“Yeah, yeah, we actually did (blitz more),” Edwards said. “Bruce (Taylor) blitzed more than I did. We went on a few more outside blitzes. We knew we were going to get after him as far as blitzing concept, but I didn’t think it was going to be as much.”

Collins said the Hokies pressure got to Price, which affected the outcome of the game.

“I felt like we blitzed just as much as any other game,” Collins said. “I guess they couldn’t handle the pressure.”

Thomas turns in another stellar performance

Logan Thomas and Tech’s offense were stagnant to say the least in the beginning of Saturday’s contest against Wake Forest. The Hokies went three-and-out on their first four drives, and by the end of the first quarter mustered just eight yards of total offense and zero first downs.

However, Thomas never doubted his ability to lead the offense back and Tech scored 21 points in the second quarter finishing with 38 at the final gun.

“I said all along that it’s the way my family has raised me,” Thomas said. “My parents, my grandparents I guess have done a great job of just keeping me pretty humble and I’ve been through it all playing sports so once you see it you get pretty used to it.”

Thomas finished the evening 17 of 32 with 280 yards and two touchdown passes, and rushed 11 times for 30 yards and two scores. The past two weeks, Thomas has accounted for nine of Tech’s 10 offensive scores (five passing, four rushing).

One play in particular stood out for Thomas and his resilience. As Wake Forest scored on a fourth down pass from Tanner Price to Cameron Ford capping off a 14-play 96-yard drive, Thomas and the offense faced an inspired Demon Deacons defense. Nonetheless, on a critical third down and nine Thomas found Marcus Davis for a 30-yard touchdown strike which essentially sealed the victory for Tech.

“We talked about it on the sideline,” Thomas said. “Marcus was like ‘I’m going to run’ and I said ‘You run, and I’m going to get it to you’ and he asked if I was going to put it on the sideline and I said “Nah, I’m (putting) it in the end zone.”

Wilson has another big day

Following his 128-yard performance against the Hurricanes a week ago, tailback David Wilson again showed why he’s one of the conference’s premier backs.

Working in sync with the passing game, Wilson reeled-off another solid game — finishing with 136 yards on 17 carries.

“I never know how many yards I have,” Wilson said. “I kind of feel it. You kind of feel it because you add up the runs you had in your head. I don’t sit there and count. It’s really not about the stats, it’s just about getting the win, and I knew my team needed a big run, and it came through.”

Wilson, referring to his 57-yard run in the fourth quarter, knew the early deficit presented to the Hokies was one the team could overcome.

“We were put in that situation, and we persevered,” Wilson said.

The execution on offense was what was holding the Hokies back in the first quarter, when they only amassed eight total yards.

“I don’t know about the rest of the team, but I knew we weren’t executing,” Wilson said. “I mean you go three-and-out, and I could tell from the carries that I had that it wasn’t the defense that was stopping us. It was just not executing, that’s why I didn’t panic. It would’ve been different if they were just shutting everything down, but that wasn’t the case.”

Thomas, who used check-downs again in the passing game, helped Wilson in the running game.

“As I said before, we were looked at as a one-dimensional offense for a while, and the past couple games Logan has been opening it up, and defenses have to respect that,” Wilson said. “It opens up running lanes because they have to drop into coverage more.”

Injury bug bites again

Bud Foster and the defense have faced plenty of challenges in the form of injuries this season. Tech was without the services of starting defensive end James Gayle, linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow, and defensive tackle Antoine Hopkins.

However, bad news got worse when All-America cornerback Jayron Hosley came up limping after giving up a 79-yard touchdown pass to Chris Givens with 6:47 remaining in the first quarter. Hosley injured his left hamstring and was ruled out for the game shortly thereafter.

“We’ll just have to see,” said Frank Beamer, head coach on Hosley’s status going forward. “When you get those hamstring (injuries) you never know.”

Replacing Hosley at his boundary corner position was redshirt freshman Detrick Bonner who finished with eight total tackles, five solo, one pass breakup and one tackle for loss.

 

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Photo courtesy Trevor White, SPPS