Virginia Tech Hokies @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons Football Recap

For one and a half quarters this past Saturday at Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, it seemed that the Wake Forest Demon Deacons - recent conquerors of Florida State and owners of a 3-0 ACC record - were not just "for real" the way a bowl team is for real, but "for real" the way a conference title contender is for real.

Then, the Virginia Tech Hokies showed their counterparts from Wake what it means to play big-boy football on the big stage in a power conference.

After 21 genuinely somnambulant minutes, Virginia Tech awakened, summarily throttling its upset-minded opponent with a display of authoritative excellence. On a day when Georgia Tech tumbled out of the ranks of the unbeaten with a shocking loss to Virginia, the Hokies reclaimed the driver's seat in the ACC Coastal Division, a feeling they've become quite familiar with over the long march of time.

Early in the second quarter, the outlook was not necessarily grim for Virginia Tech, but head coach Frank Beamer had to be concerned. His team was trailing 10-0 to an amped-up Wake squad fresh off a conquest of a talented Florida State side the week before. Wake, playing at home, was overflowing with confidence, and the Deacs' defense was shutting out Virginia Tech's offense, making Hokie quarterback Logan Thomas a hesitant and indecisive freshman in the pocket. Thomas completed just 17 of 32 passes in this game, and most of his misfires came in the first 21 minutes of play. What added to Tech's woes was the fact that cornerback Jayron Hosley, a dependable playmaker for coordinator Bud Foster's defense, pulled up with an injury on a 79-yard Wake touchdown pass from quarterback Tanner Price to receiver Chris Givens. Tech was shorthanded, trailing by two possessions, and putting its hopes in the hands of a young quarterback who, for all his natural talent, is still immersed in a gradual learning process. Throughout Groves Stadium, fans and journalists had to wonder if Tech's win over Miami the week before - in a 38-35 shootout - was going to represent an aberrationally good day in Thomas's first full season of college football.

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