Field Level Media
Nov 9, 2019
Deshawn McClease ran for two touchdowns as Virginia Tech knocked off No. 19 Wake Forest 36-17 to maintain control of its destiny in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division on Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.
Hendon Hooker, who was back after a one-game absence with a knee injury, completed 15 of 23 passes for 242 yards.
The outcome took some of the luster off Wake Forest's visit to Clemson for next week's Atlantic Division clash.
Demon Deacons quarterback Jamie Newman, the league leader in several categories, was 16 for 35 for 238 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He threw both TD passes to Sage Surratt, while Kendall Hinton caught eight passes for 162 yards.
On a day Virginia Tech (6-3, 3-2 ACC) honored longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who's retiring at the end of the season, the Hokies made enough defensive plays to pull off the victory. They got the ball back on a fourth-down stop on an incomplete pass at the Virginia Tech 31 with 7:02 to play.
Wake Forest (7-2, 3-2) got the ball back after a punt, but Newman was intercepted. Hooker ran 7 yards for a clinching touchdown on the next play.
The Demon Deacons pulled ahead 17-13 on Newman's 24-yard touchdown pass to Surratt in the third quarter.
Virginia Tech went up 20-17 on McClease's 6-yard run to cap a four-play possession.
DaShawn Crawford's interception of Newman put the Hokies back in scoring position, but they settled for Brian Johnson's 35-yard field goal.
Early in the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech went 80 yards on six plays, capped by James Mitchell's 1-yard end-around touchdown run. A two-point conversion failed, leaving the Hokies holding a 29-17 lead.
Virginia Tech dominated the first-half time of possession. But its 19- and 13-play drives resulted only in field goals of 35 and 32 yards by Johnson.
Wake Forest, which suffered its only other loss to Louisville, went ahead 10-6 on Newman's 11-yard touchdown strike to Surratt with 5:48 left in the second quarter.
--Field Level Media