Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – On the heels of a road victory against NC State last week, the Hokies will look to continue their winning ways against Wake Forest this Saturday. The Demon Deacons, who are led by quarterback Robby Ashford in his first year with the team, will look to find their first win of conference play after dropping consecutive contests to NC State and No. 17 Georgia Tech. As Homecoming celebrations escort Hokie Nation into a can’t-miss gameday experience, here’s What to Watch for as the Hokies face the Demon Deacons on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. ET.
Transferring Weight
Perhaps the most enticing feature of Saturday’s matchup is the relative newness found on both sidelines. At the start of the 2025 season, the Hokies introduced new coordinators – Philip Montgomery on offense and Sam Siefkes on defense – while the Demon Deacons introduced a new head coach in former Washington State head whistle Jake Dickert.
This newness isn’t squarely focused on those in leadership positions, however. Both the Hokies and the Demon Deacons rank towards the top of the ACC in terms of incoming transfers. Wake Forest’s 34 new faces sit at the third-most in the conference, while Tech’s 30 is ranked sixth highest.
Through competition this fall, it’s evident that the transfers have been proven effective on both sides of the ball. New faces such as running back Terion Stewart and safety Isaiah Cash have seen their impact reverberate around Blacksburg (Cash leads the team with 25 tackles), while transfer quarterback Robby Ashford leads the Demon Deacons with 917 passing yards through four games.
Homecoming at Virginia Tech
When the Hokies and the Demon Deacons kick off this Saturday, the matchup will mark the 99th Homecoming football game in Virginia Tech’s storied history. Homecoming football has seen plenty of exciting matchups, specifically a thrilling six-overtime victory in 2019 against North Carolina, and the weekend is always one that puts meaning to the notion that “This is Home.”
Homecoming at Virginia Tech has typically yielded good results for the Hokies’ football team. Tech has won four of their last six Homecoming matchups, doing so each time against a conference opponent. When the Demon Deacons come to town Saturday, the matchup will mark the fifth time the two teams have played on the weekend, the Hokies holding a firm 4-0 lead in all-time Homecoming matchups.
Isolating the Run Game
Through four games this season, it’s become evident that much of the Wake Forest offense revolves around its ground game. Quarterback Robby Ashford and running back Demond Claiborne, who earned All-ACC Third Team recognition in 2024, have contributed to over 1,000 rushing yards in 2025.
The Hokies, however, have already proven that they can find success against an offense that favors the running game. Defensive stalwarts such as Kemari Copeland and Kelvin Gilliam held NC State running back Hollywood Smothers to a season-low 67 rushing yards this past Saturday, allowing just 4.2 yards a carry. Further, Sam Siefkes’ Hokie defense sent quarterback CJ Bailey backwards in the run game, forcing the true sophomore into –19 rushing yards on nine attempts. Eliminating the run game is of utmost importance for the Hokies defense this Saturday.