It’s been ugly, but Wake Forest is now sitting pretty

By Lee Roberts  |   Thursday, October 16, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Wake Forest Demon Deacons
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Wake Forest has played in some ugly games this year. Some might call them “defensive struggles,” but a 12-3 final score is just plain ugly. Coach Jim Grobe isn’t complaining, though, as his Demon Deacons are 4-1 and atop the ACC Atlantic Division standings.

Commentary: Wake Forest opened the season with a dominating effort against Baylor and a solid win over Ole Miss, which recently beat Florida in the Swamp. The Deacons then had an early bye week and nothing has come easy since.

The first game after the bye was a trip to Florida State, where the teams combined for nine turnovers, 496 yards of offense and five field goals. Fortunately for Wake, Sam Swank kicked four of those field goals as Wake escaped with a 12-3 win. The next week, Wake lost at home to Navy, thanks to four interceptions from quarterback Riley Skinner. In all, Wake Forest finished the game with six turnovers and a loss that never should have happened. Next, Wake was able to pull out another 12-point win against Clemson; however, without Swank, the Deacons missed two short field goals and continued to struggle to get the ball in the end zone.

The good news is that Wake’s defense has been stingy, allowing only 13.6 points per game. In conference play, that average drops to five points per game. Plus, the Deacons have beaten the two teams expected to give them the biggest challenge for the Atlantic Division crown. If the Deacons can upend Maryland this weekend, the only road games left on the schedule are Miami and North Carolina State.

Wake Forest must find the end zone more often if it wishes to continue its undefeated run through the ACC. With youth, inconsistency and turmoil plaguing the rest of the division, Wake can probably afford one conference loss and still cruise into Tampa for the ACC championship game. Wake Forest is not going to win any beauty pageants this year, but as long as the wins continue to pile up, you won’t hear any complaints from Winston-Salem.

Fan Pulse: Wake Forest supporters feel the team needs to get more out of the running game in order to take some pressure off of Skinner and control the clock.

Injury Watch: Swank is questionable for Saturday’s game at Maryland with a strained quadriceps in his right leg.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
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