After winning three in a row in November for only the second time since 1999, UVa is on the precipice of the Coastal Division crown and a spot in next weekend’s ACC Championship Game against Clemson.

But to get there and become the last team in the division to get to Charlotte, the Wahoos will have to end a 15-year losing streak to No. 23 Virginia Tech tomorrow afternoon (noon, ABC).

The Hokies come in with a great deal of momentum, especially after getting a big win at home against Wake Forest two weeks ago on Bud Foster Day in the Hall of Famer’s last season and then shutting out Pitt this past weekend.

No. 23 Virginia Tech Hokies (8-3, 5-2 ACC)

Head coach: Justin Fuente, eighth season (59-41 overall, 33-18 in his four years at VT)

Series: Tech leads the all-time series 58-37-5.

Last Meeting: The Cavaliers fell 34-31 in OT last year in Blacksburg.

-- Virginia Tech’s offense is a balanced attack with weapons all over the field that can create big plays. The offense wasn’t as big of a problem early in the season as the defense was, but several key changes led to improvement throughout the course of the season. The obvious change was at quarterback, where Hendon Hooker took over for Ryan Willis following the blowout loss to Duke. Hooker has won all six of his starts since and the Hokies come to Charlottesville averaging 31 points per game. Hooker is much more of a dual-threat than Willis and is probably a better natural fit for Fuente’s offense for that reason. In his nine games played, Hooker has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,134 yards. He has been asked to carry the team by passing the football during his time as a starter but he has been efficient with his opportunities. In ACC play, Hooker hasn’t attempted more than 23 passes in a game and his high for completions this season is 16 (against Rhode Island). But he is averaging better than 10 yards per pass attempt and, even more impressive, has taken incredible care of the football: Hooker has 10 passing touchdowns on the year and not a single interception.

-- A big reason Hooker isn’t throwing the ball a lot is because the running game has been working. Bringing in former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill to help fix the running game earlier in the season turned out to be a great move and has appeared to pay dividends. Hooker’s ability as a dual-threat has allowed the offense to become more multiple on the ground and open up lanes for running backs and receivers on jet sweeps. Hooker has rushed for 262 yards and four touchdowns on the year and carried the ball 20 times for 27 yards against Pitt last Saturday. Tech’s running game took it up a notch after the Duke loss and has averaged more than four yards per carry in four of the last six games as the Hokies have run the ball at least 36 times in each game this year. Tech dominated Wake and Georgia Tech on the ground but had just 110 yards rushing on 48 attempts against Pitt last weekend. Running backs Deshawn McClease and Keshawn King split most of the carries and have combined for 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the year. Tech calls a lot of “exotic” runs, with jet sweeps and reverses to speedy wide receivers, so that will be another element that the Cavaliers must prepare for this week.

-- Virginia’s banged-up secondary will have its hands full on Friday afternoon with a group of talented receivers and tight ends. Tech’s passes are distributed pretty evenly, with the chief targets being wideouts Tre Turner, Damon Hazelton, and Tavyvion Robinson along with tight ends Dalton Keene and James Mitchell. Turner leads the team in catches (26) and yards (408). Hazelton is arguably the team’s biggest red-zone threat, with seven touchdowns on 23 receptions. Robinson is a freshman speed demon who the Hokies like to get involved in a number of ways and, like Turner, will receive carries on jet sweeps from time to time. Keene, who made a massive catch late in last year’s Commonwealth Cup game, has been a reliable target with 19 catches and four scores. Lastly, Mitchell was hyped as the next great Hokies tight end after Keene and has shown flashes throughout the season. Around the goal line, Mitchell will receive also carries from time to time.

-- After a rough start to the season, Tech’s defense will come to Charlottesville red hot. Friday will mark Foster’s final game in this rivalry and his players will be looking to send him out on a high note, as they have done in recent weeks. The Hokies enter tomorrow’s game having not given up a single point in their last nine quarters of football, dating back to the third period against Wake Forest nearly three weeks ago. On the year, opponents are averaging just 22.3 points per game and 3.45 yards per rushing attempt. Last weekend, the Hokies allowed conversions on just three of Pitt’s 15 attempts on 3rd down along with 177 total yards. The Panthers gained just 60 yards on the ground, which came a week after Georgia Tech had just 53 on 31 attempts. Virginia Tech has a negative turnover margin for the season (-2), but has recorded at least one in each of the last four games, including three in a one-point loss at Notre Dame. Tech has allowed conversions on just 36.5 percent of 3rd-down attempts (just a few points behind UVa) and is 12th nationally in red zone defense, allowing scores on just 70.3 percent of attempts.

-- Tech’s front seven returns most of the players that the Wahoos saw last season in Blacksburg. Defensive linemen Emmanuel Belmar, Jarrod Hewitt, and freshman Norrell Pollard have been bright spots up front for the Hokies, combining for 11 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. But the strength of the front seven, and their entire defense, is their group of linebackers. Junior Rayshard Ashby has been a breakout star for the Hokies in 2019 and should be an All-ACC selection next week. He leads the Hokies in tackles (99) and TFLs (14.5) while being second in sacks (4.5). The Richmond native has a nose for the football and will be flying around the field on Friday afternoon. Ashby is joined at linebacker by sophomore Dax Hollifield, who has quickly become one of UVa fans’ least favorite opponents after some post-whistle antics in last year’s game. Hollifield is having a solid season, with 56 tackles and three interceptions.

-- The Hokies were young in the secondary last year but many of those players have matured and improved this season. Caleb Farley’s evolution at cornerback after moving over from offense last season has been a big boost to the pass defense. He leads the team in interceptions with four, returning one for a TD in the win over Georgia Tech two weeks ago. On the other side, Jermaine Waller has snagged three picks of his own. Virginia Tech also has several defensive backs that impact the game in ways beyond pass coverage. Senior safety Reggie Floyd is one of the team’s leaders and has recorded 57 tackles on the year. Junior Divine Deablo has 64 tackles and sophomore Chamarri Conner, one of the defense’s breakout performers, is the team’s sack leader with 5.5 on the year.