Ashford leads Wake Forest to 30-23 road win at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) – Robby Ashford threw for 256 yards and a touchdown to lift Wake Forest to a 30-23 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Ashford completed 24-of-39 passes and also rushed for 22 yards for the Demon Deacons (3-2, 1-2), who snapped a two-game losing streak and handed first-year coach Jake Dickert his first Atlantic Coast Conference win.

Wake Forest’s offense sputtered for much of the second half, but Ashford led a 13-play drive late in the fourth quarter, accounting for 44 of the 59 yards on a possession that lasted more than six minutes and led to Connor Calvert’s 27-yard go-ahead field goal with 2:14 remaining.

Virginia Tech (2-4, 1-1) failed to convert on fourth-and-6 from its 29 on its final possession, and Wake Forest ran out the clock to seal the win.

Kyron Drones threw for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Hokies, who finished with just 263 yards.

Wake Forest: This was a gritty road win for the Demon Deacons, who won despite not having standout tailback Demond Claiborne in the second half. Claiborne left the game with a knee injury, but Wake’s defense and tough play from Ashford were enough to get things accomplished in Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies were looking for their third straight win since the firing of coach Brent Pry on Sept. 14, but couldn’t take advantage of great opportunities. They drove inside the Wake Forest 25 four times in the second half and came away with just three fields.

Wake Forest plays at Oregon State on Saturday.

Virginia Tech plays at Georgia Tech on Saturday.