Wake Forest gets knocked out of bowl picture

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2009 .... Head Coach: Jim Grobe

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2009 Results: 4-7

9/5 Baylor  L 24-21
9/12 Stanford W 24-17
9/19 Elon  W  35-7
9/26 at Boston Col L 27-24 OT
10/3 NC State  W 30-24
10/10 Maryland W 42-32
10/17 at Clemson L 38-3
10/24 at Navy L 13-10
10/31 Miami  L 28-27
11/7 at Ga Tech L 30-27 OT
11/14 Florida State L 41-28
11/21 OPEN DATE
11/28 at Duke

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2008 Results: 8-5

8/30 at Baylor W 41-13
9/6 Ole Miss W 30-28
9/13  OPEN DATE
9/20 at Florida St W 12-3
9/27 Navy L 24-17
10/4  OPEN DATE
10/9 Clemson W 12-7
10/18 at Maryland L 26-0
10/25 at Miami L 16-10
11/1 Duke W 33-30 OT
11/8 Virginia W 28-17
11/15 at NC St L 21-17
11/22 Boston Coll L 24-21
11/29 Vanderbilt W 23-10
EagleBank Bowl
12/20 Navy W 29-19

 
Wake Forest
Demon Deacons

Nov. 14
Florida State 41 … at Wake Forest 28
Freshman E.J. Manuel took over the offense for an injured Christian Ponder and threw a seven-yard touchdown pass and ran for a one-yard score, while the rest of the team helped pick up the slack. Jermaine Thomas ran for 149 yards with a six-yard score, while Greg Reid came up with one of the plays of the ACC season with a scintillating 68-yard punt return for a score. Wake Forest tied it at seven in the first quarter on a three-yard Josh Adams run, but a 24-point Florida State scoring run provided the cushion needed. The Demon Deacons tried to come back with touchdown runs from Josh Adams and Jevin Harris, but ten straight Florida State points put it away.
Player of the Game: Florida State RB Jermaine Thomas ran 25 times for 149 yards and a score.
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 25-40, 227 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 5-60, Receiving: Chris Givens, 6-67, 1 TD
Florida State: Passing: E.J. Manuel, 15-20, 220 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jermaine Thomas, 25-149, 1 TD, Receiving: Bert Reed, 5-81 
What It All Means: And there goes the season. The Demon Deacons appeared to be in command halfway through the season with a 4-2 record, and then the wheels fell off as the team couldn’t come up with a close win and then collapsed against Florida State in a game the team needed to stay alive for a bowl. On a five-game losing streak, now it’s all about pride with two weeks off before facing a Duke team possibly needing the win for a bowl game. The big plays in key moments always seemed to happen for the opponents.

Nov. 7
at Georgia Tech 30 … Wake Forest 27 OT
Georgia Tech was 0-for-4 on fourth down conversions, but still head coach Paul Johnson blew off the game-tying field goal attempt in overtime and allowed QB Josh Nesbitt to barrel forward for the first down, leading to a three-yard scoring run on the next play to get the win. Wake Forest got a 34-yard Jimmy Newman field goal in overtime, but the defense couldn’t hold a Tech running game that rumbled for 412 yards. The Demon Deacons had a chance in regulation to get into field goal range, but Derrick Morgan came up with one of his three sacks to force OT. Wake’s Riley Skinner threw two touchdown passes Devon Brown, but Georgia Tech got a 59-yard touchdown dash from Jonathan Dwyer and a 12-yard run from Nesbitt to keep pace.
Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 23 times for 189 yards and a score.
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 26-40, 263 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 11-30, Receiving: Marshall Williams, 8-111
Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 4-14, 51 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 23-189, 1 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 3-38 
What It All Means: This has been as rough a year as Wake Forest could’ve dreamed of. Now, to get to a bowl, it’s going to have to take wins over Florida State and at Duke, but the six wins should’ve been secured long ago. The close wins aren’t coming with two overtime losses, a three-point loss to Navy, a three-point loss to Baylor, and a one-point heartbreaker to Miami. Riley Skinner found his passing touch with a nice day, and the team stayed alive despite being rumbled on for 412 yards on the ground. And now it’s time to prepare for another shootout with the Seminoles coming to Winston-Salem.

Oct. 31
Miami 28 … at Wake Forest 27
Miami was outplayed for most of the game, but it came through big in the fourth quarter as Jacory Harris took advantage of a special teams miscue to connect with Tervaris Johnson on a two-yard score early in the fourth and came up with the game-winner on a 13-yard Travis Benjamin catch with just over one minute to play. Wake Forest tried a 60-yard field goal as time ran out, but Jimmy Newman’s boot was well short. The Demon Deacons rolled up 555 yards of total offense and was up 17-0 early and got two touchdown passes and a scoring run from Riley Skinner.
Player of the Game: Miami QB Jacory Harris completed 22-of-43 passes for 330 yards and three score and an interception.
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner 29-43, 349 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Josh Adams, 9-48, Receiving: Devon Brown, 12-101
Miami: Passing: Jacory Harris, 22-43, 330 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Graig Cooper, 6-27, Receiving: Leonard Hankerson, 5-97 
What It All Means: Wake Forest has to try to bounce back in a hurry from the devastating loss. Not only did the offense roll at will, and end up with nothing to show for it, but it lost QB Riley Skinner to a concussion. Now on a three-game losing streak with a trip to Georgia Tech up next, the season is in jeopardy with work needing to be done to get to a bowl game. Wake Forest gave one away by turning it over four times. If it’s Ryan McManus under center next week, the defense and running game will have to do something special to stay with the Yellow Jackets.

Oct. 24
at Navy 13 … Wake Forest 10
Navy ran for 338 yards and didn’t attempt a pass in the rain soaked win. Vince Murray ran for 175 yards and QB Kriss Proctor, who was in for an injured Ricky Dobbs, who has a banged up knee, ran for a 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter for a 13-3 lead. Wake Forest got on the board with a 15-yard Devon Brown touchdown catch, but couldn’t get closer as the Navy ground attack controlled the game the rest of the way.
Player of the Game: Navy FB Vince Murray ran 27 times for 175 yards.
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 13-25, 173 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Josh Adams, 18-89, Receiving: Devon Brown, 3-47, 1 TD
Navy: Passing: None
Rushing: Vince Murray, 27-175, Receiving: None 
What It All Means: Simply and utterly disastrous. The Demon Deacons, after getting blasted at Clemson 38-3, all but bowed out of the hunt for a bowl game with the loss to a Navy team that was without its starting quarterback and didn’t attempt a pass. With Miami and at Georgia Tech up next, there’s a major reason to worry. If Wake Forest couldn’t handle the Navy ground game, what’s it going to do against the Yellow Jackets? QB Riley Skinner, who was so hot just a few weeks ago, has cooled off at the wrong time. The running game isn’t picking up the slack.

Oct. 17
at Clemson 38 …. Wake Forest 3
C.J. Spiller tore off touchdown runs from 66 and 14 yards, and the defense swamped Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner for five sacks in a blowout win. The Tigers got up 17-0 helped by a one-yard Kyle Parker touchdown pass and a three-yard run before Wake Forest finally got on the board with a 28-yard Jimmy Newman field goals. Spiller answered on the next play from scrimmage with his long scoring dash. The two teams combined to convert just 7-of-27 third down chances.
Player of the Game: Clemson RB C.J. Spiller ran nine times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught two passes for six yards
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 11-24, 82 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Devon Brown, 3-22, Receiving: Willie Dixon, 8-35
Clemson: Passing: Kyle Parker, 10-17, 132 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: C.J. Spiller, 9-106, 2 TD, Receiving: Michael Palmer, 4-49, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Just when it seemed like the Demon Deacons were going to make a big statement and make a run for the Atlantic title, they clunked against a jacked up Clemson team. Riley Skinner never had room to breathe, and while the Wake defensive front got into the Tiger backfield, the defense didn’t pick up the slack. The running game has to start working better on days that Skinner isn’t able to bomb away, but that comes from the offensive line. Against Navy next week, Willie Dixon, Josh Adams, and Brandon Pendergrass have to get going to take the heat off Skinner.

Oct. 10
at Wake Forest 42 … Maryland 32
Wake Forest scored touchdowns on its first five possessions with Riley Skinner throwing for three scores and Josh Adams tearing off a 48-yard touchdown run. Maryland trued to mount a late comeback, but it was too little, too late, with 15 points in the fourth quarter on two Chris Turner touchdown passes. The Demon Deacons outgained the Terps 516 yards to 369.
Player of the Game: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 24-of-33 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns.
Maryland: Passing: Chris Turner, 24-44, 307 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Turner, 16-27, Receiving: Adrian Cannon, 4-48, 2 TD
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 24-33, 360 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Josh Adams, 13-94, 1 TD, Receiving: Marshall Williams 6-71, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Riley Skinner is playing like an ACC Player of the Year candidate throwing for 354 yards, 361 yards, and 360 yards and nine touchdowns in his last three games. All of a sudden, this is Wake Forest’s Atlantic Division to lose, and if Skinner continues to play at such a high level, there’s no one in the division that can stop the attack. However, there are still games with Miami and Georgia Tech coming down the line, but first, beating Clemson next week and taking a stranglehold on the division race is a must. There needs to be more of a pass rush and the secondary has to be more consistent, but the team is playing extremely well.

Oct. 3
at Wake Forest 30 … NC State 24
Riley Skinner connected with Marshall Williams for two touchdown passes and he hit Chris Givens for a 25-yard touchdown to give Wake Forest a 27-17 lead, but NC State never gave up. Russell Wilson, who saw his NCAA record-setting streak of passes without an interception stop at 379, got picked off twice, with the second one coming in the final minutes as Kenny Okoro came up with a pick in the end zone to preserve Wake Forest’s six point lead. Jimmy Newman hit three field goals for the Demon Deacons including a 21-yarder that ended up giving the cushion needed late.
Player of the Game: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 31-of-45 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions
NC State: Passing: Russell Wilson, 20-43, 275 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Toney Baker, 10-42, Receiving: George Bryan, 6-79, 1 TD
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 31-45, 361 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Josh Adams, 9-36, Receiving: Chris Givens, 8-113, 1 TD
What It All Means: Riley Skinner came up with a huge day when the ground game wasn’t producing. The Wake Forest offensive line is doing some retooling because of injuries, but Skinner was able to keep the offense moving and kept slinging it after throwing two picks. This isn’t a special Demon Deacon team, but it’s just six points away from being 5-0. Skinner and the offense have to keep pushing hard with Maryland up next, who can be beaten early with a big early flurry.

Sept. 26
at Boston College 27 … Wake Forest 24 OT
In a wild game, Boston College got a 23-yard field goal in overtime and Isaac Johnson came through with a stop forcing a Riley Skinner fumble to win the game. The Eagles got up 24-10 helped by three Dave Shinskie touchdown passes, including a 50-yarder to Jordon McMichael, but Wake Forest got a 76-yard touchdown dash from Brandon Pendergrass, and a furious rally from Skinner, who hit Chris Givens on a 12-yard score with 3:44 to play and forced overtime on a 16-yard pass to Marshall Williams with 11 seconds left in regulation.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 25-of-35 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 25-35, 354 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 5-97, 1 TD, Receiving: Marshall Williams, 12-180, 1 TD
Boston College: Passing: Dave Shinskie, 18-29, 228 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Josh Haden, 17-93, Receiving: Justin Jarvis, 5-66
What It All Means: Wake Forest isn’t necessarily built to come up with big comebacks, but Riley Skinner was able to do it to get into overtime, but the Eagles came up big defensively. Ten penalties, three turnovers, and too many misfires in the first 50 minutes put the Demon Deacons in a hole, and that can’t happen against a hot NC State team. The secondary is struggling, and if it had problems against Boston College, it’s going to have a huge issue with Russell Wilson next week. The pass rush has to do more, and the front seven will have to manufacture pressure, to provide some help. 

Sept. 19
at Wake Forest 35 … Elon 7
Wake Forest had no problems with Elon scoring the first 35 points of the game with Riley Skinner throwing three touchdown passes highlighted by a 54-yarder to Chris Givens and an 80-yard play to Marshall Williams. Elon gained just 68 yards rushing and didn’t get on the board until the fourth quarter on a 13-yard Terrrell Hudgins catch.
Player of the Game: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 14-of-20 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Elon: Passing: Scott Riddle, 24-43, 195 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jamal Shuman, 19-54, Receiving: Terrell Hudgins, 13-113, 1 TD
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 14-20, 289 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Josh Adams, 11-25, Receiving: Chris Given, 3-68, 1 TD
What It All Means: The team needed a breather with several big plays while opening up the offense a wee bit, and it got it. Riley Skinner found his targets in places they could do something with the ball, while the defense was excellent against the run and never let the game get interesting. Boston College is offensively challenged, so if Skinner and the Wake offense can get up early next week, the chance will be there for a nice run with home games against NC State and Maryland to follow.

Sept. 12
at Wake Forest 24 ... Stanford 17
Riley Skinner ran for a one-yard touchdown with two seconds to play to cap an 11-play, 97-yard drive to pull out the comeback win. In a tale of two halves, Stanford dominated early with Andrew Luck connecting with Ryan Whalen from 26 yards and 17 yards out on the way to a 17-3 lead. And then the Wake Forest defense stepped up while the offense took over with Riley Skinner throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Williams to go along with his game-winning score. Wake Forest held on to the ball for 19:44 in the second half.
Player of the Game: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 18-of-26 passes for 187 yards and a score, and he ran for 21 yards and the game-winning score.
Stanford: Passing: Andrew Luck, 23-34, 276 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Toby Gerhart, 17-82, Receiving: Ryan Whalen, 9-123, 2 TD
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 18-26, 187 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Josh Adams, 8-54, Receiving: Chris Givens, 5-32
What It All Means: After a lousy performance in the loss to Baylor, Riley Skinner turned his game, and his season around with a great second half to pull the Demon Deacons out of the doldrums against Stanford. The defense put the clamps down late, while the offense did a great job of moving the ball and keeping its D off the field. With Elon up next, Skinner and the offense have to be even sharper while the running game has to start working before going to Boston College.

Sept. 5
Baylor 24 ... at Wake Forest 21
Baylor got quirky on offense and stingy on defense as Kendall Wright took a long option pitch for a 37-yard touchdown,  and Lanear Sampson caught a 33-yard touchdown pass off a pass from Ernest Smith, who took a pass from Robert Griffin on the way to a 24-7 lead. Wake Forest came back with Riley Skinner throwing two touchdown passes to close the gap to three, but the final drive fizzled out deep in Demon Deacon territory. Skinner threw three interceptions, while Baylor committed ten penalties.
Player of the Game: Baylor LB Joe Pawelek made seven tackles, a sack, and an interception.
Baylor: Passing: Robert Griffin, 15-24, 136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jay Finley, 14-91, Receiving: David Gettis, 5-65, 1 TD
Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 20-31, 143 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Devon Brown, 8-46, Receiving: Jordan Williams & Marshall Williams, 4-42
What It All Means: Riley Skinner has to be sharper. He's a veteran leader who has been through enough battles to not make the mistakes he made in the opener, and while he was able to bring the team back late, his three interceptions turned out to be killers. Baylor had offensive playmakers and Wake Forest didn't. To beat Stanford next week, there needs to be far more from the ground game that gained just 126 yards and Skinner has to hit on a few downfield passes.