2008 Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2008 Wake Forest Demon Deacon Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Dec. 20
2008 EagleBank Bowl
Wake Forest 29 ... Navy 19
Wake Forest overcame a 13-0 deficit as Josh Adams ran for scores from four and five yards and and Riley Skinner, who hit all 11 of his passes, connected with Ben Wooster on an eight-yard touchdown pass halfway through the fourth quarter for the lead. Navy failed to get the offense moving again, and Rich Belton was able to put the game away for the Demon Deacons with a 35-yard scoring dash with 54 seconds to play. Navy opened up the early lead on Matt Harmon field goals from 40 and 47 yards out and a 50-yard fumble recovery for a score from Rashawn King. The Navy offense finally got into the end zone in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run from Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, but the defense failed to hold. Late in the game, down 10, Navy tried a 48-yard field goal with 33 seconds to play with the hope of having time left to get an onside kick and then score a touchdown, but Harmon missed.
Player of the game: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed all 11 of his passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, and he ran seven times for 29 yards.
Stat Leaders: Navy - Passing: Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, 2-7, 32 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, 15-83, 1 TD. Receiving: Tyree Barnes, 2-32
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 11-11, 166 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kevin Harris, 24-136. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 4-66
Inside The Boxscore ... 5 Thoughts on the EagleBank Bowl | Wake Forest outgained Navy 239 yards to 221 on the ground. ... Navy LB Ross Pospisil led all tacklers with 13, and he forced a fumble. Butkus Award winner Aaron Curry led Wake Forest with eight stops. ... Alphonso Smith picked off a Navy pass in the first half. It was the 21st of his career, an ACC record. ... Total offense: Wake Forest 405 yards - Navy 253. - 2008 CFN EagleBank Bowl Preview | EagleBank Bowl Player Profiles, Histories, & More

- 2008 Wake Preview  
- 2007 Wake Season

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

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

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Results: 9-4

Sept. 1 at Boston Coll L 38-28
Sept. 8 Nebraska L 20-17
Sept. 15 Army W 31-10
Sept. 22 Maryland W 31-24 OT
Oct. 6 at Duke W 41-36
Oct. 11 Florida State W 24-21
Oct. 20 at Navy W 44-24
Oct. 27 North Carolina W 37-10
Nov. 3 at Virginia L 17-16
Nov. 10 at Clemson L 44-10
Nov. 17 NC State W 37-17
Nov. 24 at Vanderbilt W 31-17
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Dec. 29 Connecticut W 24-10

- 2007 Wake Season
- 2007 Wake Preview
- 2006 Wake Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Results: 9-4

Sept. 1 at Boston Coll L 38-28
Sept. 8 Nebraska L 20-17
Sept. 15 Army W 31-10
Sept. 22 Maryland W 31-24 OT
Oct. 6 at Duke W 41-36
Oct. 11 Florida State W 24-21
Oct. 20 at Navy W 44-24
Oct. 27 North Carolina W 37-10
Nov. 3 at Virginia L 17-16
Nov. 10 at Clemson L 44-10
Nov. 17 NC State W 37-17
Nov. 24 at Vanderbilt W 31-17
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Dec. 29 Connecticut W 24-10

Nov. 22
Boston College 24 … Wake Forest 21
With starting quarterback Chris Crane out injured, Dominique Davis led the way with a late scoring drive finished up with a one-yard scoring run with 1:12 to play to give BC the lead, and the D held on as Wake Forest had one final shot but couldn’t get in field goal range. Mark Herzlich picked off a Riley Skinner pass and took it 34 yards for a touchdown for an early 13-0 BC lead, but Wake Forest would bounce back with two fumble returns for scores. The first came in the second quarter on a 15-yard play from Kevin Patterson, and the second came on a two-yard return from Kyle Wilber on the first plat of the second half. The offense gave the Demon Deacons the lead on a one-yard Rich Belton score, but Davis came through.
Player of the game: Boston College LB Mark Herzlich made nine tackles and two interceptions with a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 14-28, 126 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 13-67. Receiving: Demir Boldin, 6-87
Boston College - Passing: Dominique Davis, 13-23, 103 yds
Rushing: Josh Haden, 17-77. Receiving: Montel Harris, 5-18
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Wake Forest needs to be able to win every tight game, make every big play in the clutch, and be as mistake-free as possible at all times. The offense did a nice job of coming back against Boston College, but the defense couldn’t come through on the final drive and in the final moments. There might not be any problems getting a bowl game, but a win over Vanderbilt might be a must of the Demon Deacons will be all but assured of being on the bottom of the bowl pecking order. To beat the Commodores, a stellar offensive effort might not be needed as long as Riley Skinner is sharper than he was against BC.

Nov. 15
NC State 21 …Wake Forest 17
Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes and ran for a four-yard score as NC State stunned Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons got a 64-yard touchdown pass on a trick play with WR D.J. Boldin hitting Marshall Williams, and Boldin caught a seven-yard touchdown pass on the way to a 17-14 lead. Wilson owned the fourth quarter with his legs as well as his arm, giving the Pack the lead for good on an eight-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Hill.
Player of the game: NC State LB Nate Irving made 13 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: NC State - Passing: Russell Wilson, 16-33, 152 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Russell Wilson, 14-69, 1 TD. Receiving: Anthony Hill, 3-26, 1 TD
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 21-33, 176 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 16-72. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 8-66, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Wake Forest just can’t put it all together. Just when it seemed like it was ready to make a big run, it couldn’t handle NC State’s Russell Wilson and the offense couldn’t put together any significant drives. Riley Skinner struggled to loosen up the State D; WR D.J. Boldin did that with his fantastic touchdown pass. With home games against Boston College and Vanderbilt to close, Wake needs to win one of the two to move up in the bowl pecking order, but to do that, it’ll have to find a new offensive wrinkle, particularly on the ground.

Nov. 8
Wake Forest 28 … Virginia 17
Wake Forest jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead on Riley Skinner touchdown passes from two yards out to Ben Wooster and 58 yards away to Devon Brown, and was up 28-3 at halftime helped by a one-yard Brandon Pendergrass run and a 53-yard interception return for a score form Kevin Patterson. And that was about it for the Wake Forest offense as it failed to score in the second half while Virginia took off in the fourth quarter. Marc Verica tried to rally the Cavaliers with a 21-yard touchdown pass to John Phillips and a five-yarder to Kevin Ogletree, but that was as close as they got. Virginia was held to just 28 yards rushing.
Player of the game: Wake Forest RB Brandon Pendergrass ran 27 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Virginia - Passing: Marc Verica, 23-45, 279 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Cedric Peerman, 12-43. Receiving: Kevin Ogletree, 6-98, 1 TD
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 14-30, 130 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 27-110, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 8-39
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Wake Forest got back to being Wake Forest again by getting a short, efficient passing game, a great game on the ground from Brandon Pendergrass, and four turnovers from the defense. The Demon Deacons were tremendous against the Cavalier running game, and they held up well late when Marc Verica had to keep throwing time and again. The formula has to keep on working against an improving NC State and in a key showdown against Boston College to close out the ACC season.

Nov. 1
Wake Forest 33 … Duke 30 OT
Wake Forest got a 28-yard Shane Popham field goal in overtime, and Alphonso Smith came up with an interception at the one-yard line, his second pick of the game, to seal the win. In the see-saw game, Riley Skinner ran for a one-yard score and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Boldin in the fourth quarter, and hit the two-point conversion to go up seven. That proved to be a big conversion with Duke rallying with a 20-yard Clifford Harris touchdown catch, his second touchdown grab of the second half that ended up forcing overtime. Duke outgained Wake Forest 376 to 344, but lost four turnovers.
Player of the game: Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry made 16 tackles, a tackle for loss, and broke up a pass.
Stat Leaders: Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 18-26, 229 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jay Hollingsworth, 15-67, 1 TD. Receiving: Brett Huffman & Eron Riley, 6-71
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 18-31, 232 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 21-64, 1 TD. Receiving: Demir Boldin, 8-89, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After the way the Demon Deacons struggled in loses to Maryland and Miami, they needed a win in any way possible over Duke. The offense continues to have problems, the running game is struggling to find itself and Riley Skinner remains a bit off, but the team pulled off the win. The loss of Sam Swank didn’t hurt in overtime as Shane Popham came through with the key 28-yard field goal while Alphonso Smith and the defense that had struggled to come up with a key stop late put it away. The ACC title is almost certainly out of reach, but a win over Virginia is a must to get up higher in the bowl pecking order, and to get bowl eligible in the first place.  

Oct. 23
Miami 16 … Wake Forest 10
Miami got a one-yard Robert Marve touchdown run and Matt Bosher field goals from 36, 52 and 43 yards, and then hung on for dear life. A bad punt led to just one of Wake Forest’s late chances to score, but the Miami defense came through with big stops. The Demon Deacons had one good drive to start the game, going 66 yards in 10 plays finishing with a one-yard Mike Rinfrette touchdown run, but only managed 186 yards the rest of the way.  
Player of the game: Miami DE Adewale Ojomo made six tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble
Stat Leaders: Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 3-8, 57 yds
Rushing: Josh Adams, 21-111. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 1-45
Miami - Passing: Robert Marve, 11-20, 153 yds
Rushing: Robert Marve, 9-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Travis Benjamin, 4-72
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... What happened to the Wake Forest offense? Miami had something to do with the problems, but Riley Skinner was way off completing a mere 3-of-8 passes for 57 yards. Skinner came into the game the ACC leader in total offense and top passer, but he was held under wraps and the running game didn’t help him out. The defense was fine, Stanley Arnoux came up with a huge game and Aaron Curry was unblockable into the backfield; this loss is on the O.

Oct. 18
Maryland 26 … Wake Forest 0
Maryland dominated from start to finish on both sides of the ball, The Terps scored on their opening drive on a nine-yard Darrius Heyward-Bey catch on a halfback pass from Da’Rel Scott, and closed things out with a 50-yard Danny Oquendo touchdown catch in the final few minutes. In between, Obi Egekeze hit four field goals and the Terp defense stuffed Wake Forest cold. The Demon Deacons finished with just 219 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey caught 11 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 14-30, 127 yds
Rushing: Josh Adams, 13-39. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 7-72
Maryland - Passing: Chris Turner, 28-41, 321 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Da’Rel Scott, 18-73. Receiving: Darrius Heyward-Bey, 11-101, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Wake Forest is allowed a clunker here and there, but the loss to Maryland was inexplicably bizarre. Maryland is good, but it’s not that good. It played out of its head a bit, but the Demon Deacons helped by failing to execute on either side of the ball. On the plus side, the D did a nice job of holding the Terp offense to four field goals with touchdowns would’ve blown the game out of the water. However, this was the second bad game in the last three with a trip to Miami up next.

Oct. 9
Wake Forest 12 ... Clemson 7
D.J. Boldin caught a seven-yard touchdown pass with 5:28 to play, and Clemson couldn't answer despite a big 19-yard fourth down completion to keep the final drive alive. In the defensive slugfest, Shane Popham, in place of an injured Sam Swank, hit field goals from 22 and 32 yards out for the Demon Deacons, but Clemson had the lead until late thanks to a juggling 10-yard touchdown catch form Jacoby Ford. Wake Forest outgained Clemson 342 yards to 198, while the Tigers converted just two of 14 third down chances.
Player of the game: Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry made nine tackles.
Stat Leaders: Clemson - Passing: Cullen Harper, 15-35, 177 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: James Davis, 12-25. Receiving: Jacoby Ford, 5-43, 1 TD
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 22-34, 186 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Riley Skinner, 11-73. Receiving: Ben Wooster, 5-36
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Wake Forest isn't pretty, it isn't going to win anything on style points, but it doesn't matter. The defense was flat-nasty against Clemson, holding firm time and again on third downs while being a brick wall against the run allowing just 21 yards on the ground. The offensive line struggled, with Clemson getting into the backfield way too easily, and it took way too long to put points on the board, Clemson was allowed to hang around way too long, but the team did a great job of bouncing back from the Navy loss. Now, the ACC is Wake's for the taking.

Sept. 27
Navy 24 … Wake Forest 17
Navy forced six Wake Forest turnovers including four interceptions of Riley Skinner to pull off the upset. The Midshipmen capitalized off the mistakes for a 17-0 lad as Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada ran for two short scores, and then Wake Forest got the offense in gear scoring ten points in the third quarter with the touchdown coming on a one-yard Josh Adams run, but Navy came through again with a big defensive play to lead to a four-yard Jarod Bryant touchdown run. Navy ended up outrushing Wake Forest 292 yards to 43.
Player of the game: Navy RB Eric Kettani ran for 175 yards on 19 carries.
Stat Leaders: Navy - Passing: Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, 2-3, 58 yds
Rushing: Eric Kettani, 19-175. Receiving: Tyree Barnes, 2-32
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 26-40, 270 yds, 1 TD, 4 INTs
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 7-19. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 8-116
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Wake Forest showed what happens when it gets sloppy. On the plus side, the Demon Deacons turned it over six times and Riley Skinner had a nightmare of a game, but they still had a chance late to possibly pull out the win before the final Navy score. It’s going to be a tough off-week, but with Clemson coming up followed by trips to Maryland and Miami, the practices should be interesting.

Sept. 20
Wake Forest 12 ... Florida State 3
Wake Forest forced seven Florida State turnovers and held the Seminoles to a 37-yard Graham Gano field goal, but had trouble putting the game away as All-American Sam Swank missed three field goals, but made four others. Swank connected from 48, 29, 49 and 31 yards out, with the last one coming with just over two minutes to play to seal the win. Florida State gained just 220 yards, was picked off five times, and lost two fumbles. Wake Forest converted just 2-of-15 third down chances.
Player of the game: Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry made eight tackles, half a tackle for loss, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: D'Vontrey Richardson, 6-18, 52 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: D'Vontrey Richardson, 8-46. Receiving: Preston Parker, 3-34
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 17-29, 217 yds
Rushing: Josh Adams, 18-66. Receiving: Marshall Williams, 3-57
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Florida State might be having problems, but give credit to Wake Forest for taking advantage of all the mistakes, and forcing several of them, with seven turnovers on the way to yet another win over the Noles. The Demon Deacons didn't play well, Sam Swank missed three field goals, the offense couldn't get into the end zone, and there were two turnovers, but this was still a good win over a team looking to make a statement, and now if Wake can beat Navy, it'll be 4-0 with an off-week before dealing with Clemson.

Sept. 6
Wake Forest 30 ... Ole Miss 28
In a fantastic game. Wake Forest won on a 41-yard Sam Swank field goal with three seconds to play. The Demon Deacons had to go 57 yards in less than a minute to get into position after Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead gave the Rebels the lead on a terrific, scrambling five-yard touchdown pass to Cordera Eason with 1:01 to play. In the seesaw game, Swank kept Wake Forest alive with two field goals and Riley Skinner came up with two touchdown passes to keep pace with Snead, who threw for four scores to four different receivers.
Player of the game: Wake Forest PK Sam Swank hit three field goals from 21, 27, and the game-winner from 41 yards out.
Stat Leaders: Ole Miss - Passing: Jevan Snead, 20-31, 253 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Bolden, 8-36. Receiving: Shay Hodge, 5-66, 1 TD
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 32-42, 267 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 8-49, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 11-123
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... A win over an SEC team, even it was over Ole Miss is one thing, but to do it with a razor-sharp last-gasp drive in the final minute of the game shows just how good this team can be. Riley Skinner wasn't great, but he was fantastic when he had to be, and Sam Swank showed once again why he's one of the best in college football as he coolly and calmly hit the game-winner. Now comes a week off before the ACC opener at Florida State, and in those two weeks the Demon Deacons have to find a more consistent running game. They struggled was too much against a depleted Rebel defensive front.

Aug. 28
Wake Forest 41 ... Baylor 13
Riley Skinner threw three touchdown passes including two to Chip Brinkman on the way to a 34-6 Demon Deacon lead going into the fourth quarter. Baylor's offense sputtered and struggled throughout, only managing one touchdown drive coming in the fourth quarter with QB Robert Griffin closing it out with a five-yard scoring run. BU LB Joe Pawelek made 15 tackles, but Wake Forest ran for 156 yards and took advantage of five BU turnovers to pull away.
Player of the game: Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner completed 27 of 36 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for nine yards.
Stat Leaders: Baylor - Passing: Robert Griffin, 11-19, 125 yds
Rushing: Robert Griffin, 11-29, 1 TD. Receiving: David Gettis, 5-46
Wake Forest - Passing: Riley Skinner, 27-36, 220 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: C.J. Washington, 2-63. Receiving: D.J. Boldin, 7-33
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Yeah, it might have only been a win over Baylor, but it was still a road victory over a BCS team in its house. Wake Forest might not have been perfect, but the defense played a nearly perfect game holding BU to a measly 250 yards of offense while allowing the attack convert just two of 12 third down chances. Riley Skinner had time to throw, and he made the most of it. Defensively, LB Aaron Curry was all over the field making seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Ted Stachitas QB 6-3 185 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Nease
Named the Florida Times Union Player of the Year and was a member of the Times Union Super 24 team . . . Two-time county player of the year by the St. Augustine Record . . . Second team all-state pick by the Florida Sports Writers Association as a senior, third-team pick as a junior . . . Named to the All-First Coast team as a senior . . . Member of the Florida Times-Union’s Super 75 listing of the top senior players in the state . . . Member of Prep Star’s All-Southeast Region team . . . Scout.Com ranks him as the 25th-best quarterback in the nation and the 50th-best player in Florida in 2008 . . Helped Nease to three straight Class 4A state championship games including a state title in 2005 . . . Played for Coach Craig Howard . . . Completed 192 of 318 pass attempts as a senior for 2,257 yards and 21 touchdowns and just nine interceptions . . . Rushed 202 times for 845 yards and 15 touchdowns . . . Was successful on 171 of 264 passing attempts as a junior for 2,763 yards and 29 touchdowns . . . Also rushed for 1,177 yards and 13 scores in 2006 . . . Passed for over 5,000 yards in two seasons as a starter . . . Succeeded Florida’s Tim Tebow as the starting quarterback at Nease . . . Lost to Miami’s Booker T. Washington in the state championship game in 2007, 23-15 . . . Had a 92-yard run against Lincoln.

Potential Instant Impact Players

J.T. Dixon TE 6-4 230 Chandler, AZ Hargrave Military
Enrolled at Wake Forest in January . . . Played at Hargrave Military in 2007 for coach Robert Prunty . . . Former Deacon Jyles Tucker, now with the San Diego Chargers, also attended Hargrave . . . Helped Chandler, AZ Hamilton High to a state championship in 2006 with a 34-15 win over Mesa Mountain View in the title game in which he caught a touchdown pass . . . The Huskies also won the state Class 5A Division I title in 2004 . . . The Huskies were 26-2 in his last two years and finished first in the Fiesta Region each season . . . Second team all-region as a senior . . . Played for coach Steve Belles as a senior at Hamilton and John Wrenn as a sophomore and junior . . . Earned Prep School All-America honors from Prep Star magazine.

Joe Looney OL 6-3 315 Lake Worth, FL, Lake Worth
Enrolled at Wake Forest in January . . . Will participate in spring drills . . . Considered one of the top offensive linemen in Florida . . . Scout.Com calls Looney the 21st-best offensive tackle nationally and the No. 66 player coming out of Florida in 2008 . . .  Earned first team all-state honors in Class 6A from the Florida Sports Writers Association . . . First team All-Palm Beach County by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel as a senior after earning second team all-state honors as a junior . . . Member of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Super 11 team . . . Named the FACA All-District 17 offensive tackle . . . Member of Prep Star’s All-Southeast Region team . . . Invited to the Outback Senior All-Star game for the top seniors in South Florida . . . Selected to the Max Emfinger International All-American Bowl Game Classic in Jackson, MS where he was named the offensive line MVP . . . Was considered the most dominating offensive lineman in the all-star game . . . Four-year starter for Lake Worth for head coach Errick Lowe . . . Averaged nearly 10 knockdown blocks per game as a senior . . . Helped the Trojans to a 7-4 record in 2007 as Lake Worth finished second in its district . . . Chose Wake Forest over Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia . . . His father, James Looney, played at Louisville.



Rest of the Class

Scott Betros	LB	6-2	225	Jacksonville, FL
Ramon Booi	OL	6-4	339	Saint Augustine, FL
Terrence Davis	WR	6-2	180	Snellville, GA
J.T. Dixon	TE	6-4	220	Chatham, VA
Joey Ehrmann	LB	6-3	197	Baltimore, MD
Derricus Ellis	DE	6-1	234	Rome, GA
Riley Haynes	LB	6-0	206	Saint Augustine, FL
Gabe Irby	OL	6-3	314	Mount Airy, GA
Lovell Jackson	ATH	5-10	180	Tampa, FL
Joe Looney	OL	6-4	309	Lake Worth, FL
Kenny Okoro	DB	5-11	180	Greensboro, NC
Andrew Parker	TE	6-5	225	Jacksonville, FL
Chance Raines	OL	6-2	270	Jacksonville, FL
Kevin Smith	WR	6-4	199	Plano, TX
Ted Stachitas	QB	6-0	180	Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Garrick Williams	OL	6-4	316	Columbia, MO

2007 Recap

Recap: Those expecting Wake Forest to disappear after its magical 2006 season were off the mark, as the program won nine games, capping its best two-year record in school history.  Using the same formula that led to an ACC title a year ago, sound defense and positive turnover margin, the Deacons rebounded from an 0-2 start to finish on a 9-2 tear that included a Meineke Car Care Bowl win over Connecticut.  Wake made an admirable push in the Atlantic Division, but was never able to overcome an opening day loss to Boston College, the eventual divisional champ.

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Kenneth Moore

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Aaron Curry

Biggest Surprise: Wake Forest embarrassed Florida State, 30-0, in Tallahassee last season, so the ‘Noles would get revenge this year, right?  Wrong.  On national TV, the Deacons showed America they were no one-hit wonder, scoring 17 unanswered points in another statement win over the Seminoles.   

Biggest Disappointment: In Week 2, the Deacons outplayed a Nebraska team that was looking ahead to USC, yet fell short in a heartbreaker, 20-17.  Wake Forest had a ton of chances to pull the game out, but was hampered by the absence of starting QB Riley Skinner, who was sidelined with an injury.      

Looking Ahead: The return of head coach Jim Grobe and emergence of freshman back Josh Adams mean Wake Forest should be right back in the ACC title hunt in 2008.  Developing more depths on both lines will be a top priority for the coaching staff in the spring.