Virginia Tech Football: Winners and Losers from Hokies' Win vs. Wake Forest

The Virginia Tech Hokies became bowl eligible on Saturday evening with a 38-17 victory over Wake Forest. It was not without worry for Tech fans, however.

The Hokies fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter, giving Hokie fans reason to worry on the road in Winston-Salem.

Virginia Tech fought back, though, and guaranteed a bowl appearance for the 19th consecutive season.

Not bad, eh?

Here are the winners and losers from Tech's win against the Demon Deacons. 

Winner: Jarrett Boykin

Jarrett Boykin has the potential to be a star-level receiver.

On Saturday night, he showed why.

Boykin led the team in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns in a performance that proved Boykin has the skill set to be a No. 1 receiver.

When the Hokies trailed by 10 early in the game, quarterback Logan Thomas targeted Boykin often, forming a tandem that put Tech out in front for good.

Boykin had been hampered by a hamstring injury early in the season. If he can stay healthy, Thomas may have found himself a favorite receiver.

Loser: Bad Start on the Road

Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe had his team ready from the kickoff.

Frank Beamer did not.

The Hokies gave up a field goal on the Demon Deacons' opening drive. After a three and out, Virginia Tech's defense gave up a long touchdown pass that gave Wake Forest a 10-0 lead.

Virginia Tech did not move the chains on offense until the second quarter.

In order to compete with teams like North Carolina and Georgia Tech, the Hokies cannot afford to give up points at the beginnings of games. Frank Beamer has to make sure his team is ready from the get-go.

Starting...now.

Winner: Logan Thomas

Logan Thomas did not follow up his Miami performance with another 92 percent passing encore.

Luckily, he did not need to.

Thomas completed 17 of 32 passes for 280 yards to lead his Hokies past Wake Forest. He added 11 rushes for 30 yards and two touchdowns to give him four scores on the evening.

Thomas struggled with the deep ball early on in the game. However, he became more comfortable once the staff decided to spread the formation and set Thomas up in the shotgun.

From the shotgun, Thomas poses a formidable pass-run threat, one that Wake Forest had a hard time containing once Thomas gained some confidence. 

Look for the big quarterback to continue to make plays for Tech down the stretch run.

Loser: Jayron Hosley

Jayron Hosley was not listed on the injury report all week for the Hokies.

However, it was clear that he was not 100 percent on Saturday night.

Hosley was torched on a 79-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Price to Chris Givens with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.

On that play, Hosley aggravated an apparent hamstring injury that had been hampering him all week.

Redshirt freshman Detrick Bonner played admirably in Hosley's place. After Hosley went down, Price and the Demon Deacons only mustered one touchdown.

That being said, Virginia Tech can ill afford to lose Hosely to a long-term injury.

They have had enough from the injury bug already.

Winner: David Wilson

Since the Hokies played so well, there is one more winner than loser for this week's recap.

Yes, David Wilson is back on this list.

Why?

Because he continues to earn it.

Wilson ran for over 100 yards for the sixth time in seven games on Saturday. Wilson averaged eight yards per carry on 17 carries to finish the night with 136 yards.

No. 4 continues to be the steadying force behind Thomas and the passing game. Once Thomas gains confidence, Wilson is able to gain chunks of yardage behind the offensive line to seal the games in the second half.

This has proven to be the winning formula for the Hokies. Here's hoping they keep it up.