Virginia Tech faces the prospect of having to face arch rival Virginia on Saturday without the services of its top offensive weapon.

Following examination Sunday by Tech's medical staff, sophomore tailback Branden Ore was listed as doubtful for the game because of a significant high left ankle sprain, Hokies head trainer Mike Goforth said.

Goforth said Ore will remain in a walking boot this week. Goforth and his staff will attempt to rehab the ankle as much as possible in hopes of getting the Hokies standout back on the field against UVa.

Ore was injured on his second carry in Tech's 27-6 victory at Wake Forest on Saturday night when his leg was caught and twisted underneath a wave of tacklers. He never returned to the game, finishing with one carry for 5 yards.

Entering the Wake game, Ore's 1,090 yards had accounted for 92 percent of Tech's rushing output. His short night at Wake Forest dropped Ore from first to second behind Clemson' James Davis in the chase for the ACC's rushing crown. Davis is averaging 101.4 yards per game, compared to 99.5 for Ore.

If Ore can't play, freshman Kenny Lewis will start for 17th-ranked Tech (9-2, 5-2) against UVa (5-6, 4-3). Lewis replaced Ore against Wake and carried the ball 17 times for 74 yards. Before Saturday, Lewis had appeared in four games, gaining 57 yards on 16 carries in late-game, mop-up duty.

Sophomore George Bell would back up Lewis if Ore can't go. Bell, whose career appeared to be over a month ago, had 10 carries for 28 yards against the Demon Deacons.

Hail to the defense

When asked about Tech's defense last week, Demon Deacons free safety Josh Gattis pronounced that Wake Forest "is the best defense in the ACC." Rest assured, the Tech defenders had a field day with that comment on the bus ride home early Sunday morning.

"I heard about it," Hokies senior strong safety Aaron Rouse said with a grin. "We don't listen to talk. We just go out there and prove it."

The numbers certainly back Tech. The Hokies lead the nation in scoring defense (10.6) and pass defense (133.8), and rank second behind LSU in total defense (231 ypg).

Living up to name

Split end Josh Morgan is known as "Man-child" by his fellow receivers for his strength and athleticism. He backed up his moniker against Wake, beating cornerback Riley Swanson on an "out" route, then busting through an attempted arm tackle by Gattis for a 53-yard catch-and-run that gave Tech a 14-3 lead early in the third quarter.

"I saw that end zone and refused to be denied," Morgan said. "I had to get in there. I knew we needed a play."

Setting the Pace

With field goals of 42 and 35 yards vs. Wake, Hokies senior kicker Brandon Pace stands 16-for-16 with two games left. If he doesn't miss in Tech's final two games, he will become just the fourth player in Division I-A history with at least 15 attempts to not miss in a season.

Moreover, the two makes boosted Pace's career percentage to 86.2 percent (56 of 65), which is the current NCAA record for kickers with a minimum of 55 attempts. He moved past UCLA's John Lee, who made 85.9 percent (79 of 92) from 1982-85.