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By Stephen Cheek
SouthernPigskin.com State of North Carolina Columnist
SouthernPigskin.com State of North Carolina Columnist Stephen Cheek asks what happened to Wake Forest?
Every ACC fan knew at the start of 2009 that Wake Forest would have to do some rebuilding on defense.
The little school from the northwestern piedmont of North Carolina, which also happens to be the smallest school in the BCS, had just lost two of the best players in its history to the NFL draft. To make matters worse, they also lost 5 other starters who helped lead Wake to a bowl win last season over the Naval Academy. A school like Wake Forest cannot just reload players like Aaron Curry and Alphonso Smith. As such, most media polls had Wake down with Maryland at the bottom of the ACC Atlantic at the start of the season. Wake fans still felt confident of another winning season in 09 though. That confidence was mainly due to the fact that they had a ton of talent returning on offense, and the greatest QB in school history returning for his fourth year at the helm. Most Wake backers felt fairly sure in the prediction of a 7-5, maybe even an 8-4 season with a shot for a championship in the always wide open ACC. Nine games into the season though, the Demon Deacons are doing some serious soul searching to find the heart of their team after a devastating loss to the Miami Hurricanes which dropped the Deacs to 4-5 on the year. That is a far cry from the 2006 Orange Bowl team, and the bowl winning squads of the past couple of seasons. Where did the Wake we knew get to? That is a question many ACC observers are wondering.
The loss to Miami on Saturday was a painful kick to the goods for Wake, especially after the Deacs jumped to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. Even though the Hurricanes did not take the lead until Jacory Harris hit Travis Benjamin for the game winning TD with 1 minute to go in the game, there was the mood amongst the players and fans that Miami had seized control of the game and Wake was going to lose. Part of that gloom had to do with the fact that at about 6 1/2 minutes left in the game, Wake quarterback Riley Skinner was pummeled while scrambling for a first down. The AP report said it all. “The impact was violent enough to crack the face mask on Skinner’s helmet, which flew off his head. Skinner got up glassy-eyed and dazed and made it back to the huddle before dropping to a knee as the medical staff raced to his side” stated the wire report. On television it was obvious that Skinner was seeing stars. “He had a slight concussion was the way it was said to me on the sideline,” head coach Jim Grobe said. “Of course our first priority is the health and safety of our players. We’d like to win a football game but we’ve got to take care of our kids first, so they weren’t going to take a chance of him going back out. I don’t think he cleared up enough.”
Once it was obvious that the hit had taken Skinner out of the game, the Deacons deflated and were unable to recover despite Miami trying to pass the game away on repeated unsuccessful long bombs. This collapse was not limited to the Miami game only, but has been representative of the entire Wake season. It has not been consistent with previous Jim Grobe coached Deacon teams though and that is the major issue here. While Wake has had losing records before, in previous seasons, if Wake was going to lose they would lose from the start. Wake also won the games they should have won for the most part. This year’s team has consistently shot itself in the foot with losses to Baylor, Navy, and most galling to Boston College in overtime. All of those were games that Wake was favored in and had opportunities to win. “The only game we just had no shot was Clemson,” senior defensive tackle John Russell said. “They just came out and nothing much was going right for us and they were playing great football. But the ball bounces a few different ways and you could easily be sitting here with a team that’s lost only one game. But the reality is we haven’t. We’ve lost more than that. It is tough. It is definitely tough. But we’ll find a way to get through it and try to win some games and get to a bowl this year.” While a bowl is still possible, there is just a prevailing feeling that this year’s team is drifting like a rudderless sailboat through the season. At times, they play well and are the team of expectations like in games against Stanford, NCSU and Maryland. At any moment though, the winds shift and the wheel falls hard over as the SS Deacon sluffs away the opportunity to win. This is a new phenomenon in Winston-Salem and that is why it is such a disturbing trend.
The Wake players and coaches know this was a season that could have been, and despite tremendous respect for the coaching staff in Winston-Salem, it needs to be said that this is one of their worst coaching jobs since coming to Wake Forest. Offensive tackle Chris DeGeare said he couldn’t remember a loss in his five years at Wake Forest worse than the 28-27 setback to Miami on a rainy Halloween day. I think the same can be said for this entire season…a season that could have been for the Deacs. Who knows, maybe tackle John Russell is right and Wake can rally to win two from GT, FSU and Duke. The Wake we have come to know in previous season would be up to the challenge. The problem is we are all still looking for that team…and Saturday’s loss is a sign that we may need to keep searching until next year comes around.
Next Week: A little SoCon love in anticipation of the App/Elon showdown
Week 10 Old North State Power Rankings
Tied for 1st. Duke – Blue Devils took care of business up in Charlottesville thanks to kicker Will Snyderwine being 5/5 on field goals and QB Thad Lewis passing for another 300+ yard game. It is hard to believe that at the start of November, the Blue Devils control their own destiny to get to the ACC Championship game. They also get a chance to avenge 2 decades of futility against the hated Tar Heels on Saturday, in a series whose games are much closer than the records indicate. Record 5-3 overall 3-1 in the ACC Next up: at UNC
Tied for 1st. North Carolina – One of the biggest wins in recent Tar Heel football history occurred up in Blacksburg, VA last Thursday night. As a result, the Tar Heels are worthy of the top spot in the ONS rankings along with the resurgent Blue Devils. If the Tar Heels had played all season like they did Thursday night, they might be in contention for a title game berth and BCS bid. Instead they have a showdown with hated rival Duke to escape the ACC coastal cellar. That being said, a decent warm weather bowl is well within the reach of this team and an 8-4 record was my expectation anyhow. Record 5-3 overall 1-3 in the ACC Next up: Duke
3. East Carolina – Big Thursday night game in Greenville with a chance to extend a rare VT losing streak. When you are ECU and a C-USA member, a game like this is your Super Bowl. With national attention on Greenville, NC for once, look for the Pirates to lay it all on the line. You better believe VT will be looking to avenge last year’s loss in Charlotte though, and get back on track in the Top 25. Should be fun! Record 6-3 overall 4-1 in C-USA Next up: VT Thursday Night
4. Wake Forest – See above for the frustrations of Wake. Record 4-5 overall, 2-3 in the ACC Next up: at GT
5. NC State – State put the points on the board on Saturday in a shootout with FSU, but Russell Wilson could not muster another TD at the end of the game in a 45-42 loss to the Noles. To make the postseason, State would have to win out which is unlikely but still possible. The way the defense is playing, a win against Maryland is a possibility, but Clemson and VT might hang half a hundred each on the Pack. That leaves the Thanksgiving showdown in Raleigh with Carolina as State’s bowl game. That game could serve as a large spring board for 2010 and is something to look forward to for downtrodden fans. Record 3-5, 0-4 in the ACC Next up: Maryland
Tied for 6. Appalachian State – Blowout win in Greenville, SC leaves the App Train chugging towards Burlington for the 14 November showdown with the Elon Phoenix. Chattanooga comes up to Boone between now and then, but Neers should roll on their way to the showdown in Alamance County. Record 6-2 overall 5-0 in the SoCon Next up: Chattanooga
Tied for 6. Elon – Terrell Hudgins added three more TDs to his resume against Wofford and continues to make fantasy players drool for FCS teams to be included on rosters. With only WCU standing between the Phoenix and Appalachian State, Elon needs to be on upset alert as they travel to Cullowhee. As someone looking forward to the SoCon game of the year, here’s hoping they don’t. Record 7-1 overall 5-0 in the SoCon Next up: at WCU
8. Western Carolina - Close but no cigar for Cats against the Mocs of Chattanooga. Elon will be a much tougher opponent and I expect the Phoenix QB Riddle to pass for 300 yards and for Hudgins to catch for at least 200 of them on the porous Catamount defense. The long season continues up in the Smokies. Record 1-7 overall 1-5 in the SoCon. Next: Elon
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Old North State Pigskin is a blog focused on the North Carolina schools in the ACC and Southern Conference. Referencing the state’s Revolutionary War nickname to include all the schools with its borders (and not just the Tar Heels with the state’s civil war nickname) this blog is written from a fan perspective, nothing more, nothing less. I am not a current or former coach, administrator or player of any university. I am not a professional journalist. While I am a graduate of the University of North Carolina, I am also the son of a lifelong Duke Football fan, and the son-in-law of an NC State alumnus. I just make observations as I see them…and try to leave the bias out. Comments, criticism, suggestions and corrections are all welcome at .
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