A depleted Hokies team faces a rare stern test at Wake Forest - www.roanoke.com

HOKIES' KEYS TO THE GAME

• Get pressure on Wake QB Tanner Price and force mistakes
  The Hokies will be without half of their starting defensive line as pass-rushing end James Gayle (ankle) didn’t make the trip and DT Antoine Hopkins (ACL) is out for the season. End J.R. Collins and others via blitzes will have to apply some heat on Price or else risk being picked apart by the accurate left-hander. Tech is averaging three sacks per game.
• Win the rushing battle
  Miami outrushed Tech 236-172 last week, but the Hokies survived because of the sterling performance of QB Logan Thomas, who was 23-for-25 passing for a career-high 310 yards and three TDs. Can’t bank on that every week, though. It marked only the 24th time in 87 games under Frank Beamer in which Tech has lost the rushing category and won.
• Let TB David Wilson shorten the game
  Wilson has run for 123 or more yards in all but one of six games so far, and he leads the ACC in rushing yards (767). If Tech’s offense can keep the ball — it ranks fifth in the country in time of possession (35:05) — it will help a short-handed Hokies defense that was riddled by 10 long plays that totaled 329 of Miami’s 519 total yards last week.

-- Randy King