Sports > September 11, 2008

By Martin Rickman | Staff writer

Last year, with just over two minutes to play, the Virginia Cavaliers took a one point lead over the Demon Deacons. Behind junior quarterback Riley Skinner, the Deacons drove to the Virginia 30 with enough time left to run another play but opted to run the ball to set up kicker Sam Swank on the right hash.

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Fifth-year senior Sam Swank kicks the game-winning field goal against Ole Miss Sept. 6. Swank has not missed a field goal since the UVA game. (MaryKate Wagner/Old Gold & Black)

Last year, with just over two minutes to play, the Virginia Cavaliers took a one point lead over the Demon Deacons. Behind junior quarterback Riley Skinner, the Deacons drove to the Virginia 30 with enough time left to run another play but opted to run the ball to set up kicker Sam Swank on the right hash.

Swank lined up the 47-yard kick with the game on the line and missed wide right. The Wahoos won 17-16 and the 24th ranked Deacons lost a pivotal conference game and went into Clemson flat the next week, losing 44-10.

Fast forward to last Saturday. The opening of Deacon Tower, the presence of gold medalist Chris Paul and a nationally televised game on ABC gave the Deacons a big stage to take on the SEC and First-Year Coach Houston Nutt’s Ole Miss Running Rebels.

The Deacons, who controlled the game from the start but found themselves down 14-10 at halftime, missed a lot of opportunities and did not take advantage after a big play — echoing the game in Charlottesville last season.

Just like the game against the Cavaliers, the Deacs saw themselves with the lead late in the game, but behind Rebel quarterback Jevan Snead and a couple key penalties called against Wake, with 1:01 to play, Snead scrambled left, then right, and found Joshua Shene in the end zone. The Rebels led by one, 28-27.

The difference between the two games was on the Wake Forest sidelines, waiting for his opportunity to do what he does best: win football games.

Junior Riley Skinner has come a long way since taking the reins after the injury to Ben Mauk in 2006. While that year’s team made it to the Orange Bowl, Skinner was mostly called upon to manage the offense while Josh Gattis, Patrick Ghee, Jon Abbate and the Deacon defense came up with big play after big play. Skinner also had an incredible line behind future NFL players center Steve Justice and guard Steve Vallos. While Skinner wasn’t perfect, he didn’t play like a freshman and made very few mistakes.

In 2007, Skinner threw the ball over 100 more times and found himself first in completion percentage in all of college football, but the team made too many mistakes (Skinner included, he had eight more interceptions than the year before) and did not capitalize in winnable games against Boston College, Nebraska and of course Virginia. The team won a very respectable nine games, including the Meineke Car Care Bowl against Big East opponent Connecticut, but they were a handful of plays from another potential Orange Bowl appearance.

The 20th-ranked Deacons had a chance to follow down the road of the 2006 or the 2007 teams and it all hinged on the leg of the kicker who missed the field goal last November. After Skinner connected on a strike to senior wide receiver D.J. Boldin and the Rebels were whistled for a crucial pass interference call on a wheel route by sophomore Josh Adams, the Deacs were within field goal range.

This time, rather than running to set up on the hash mark, Skinner threw one more quick pass for a couple more yards and threw the next one away. A timeout later and Swank was 41 yards away from erasing any memory of the Virginia game. Swank, who hadn’t missed a field goal since the wide right against the Cavaliers, strangely, was smiling.

““I felt like it was (Swank’s) time,” said Grobe. “After Virginia last year, I knew he wanted an opportunity to win another one. He had a twinkle in his eye and I knew he was going to make this one. When you see your kicker smile — that’s a good sign.”

Swank, college football’s active leader in field goals, lined up and calmly kicked the field goal right down the middle, with enough leg for at least another 5-10 yards. The Deacs won, 30-28, and Wake remained as the highest-ranked team in the ACC.

This team has enough veteran leadership and enough swagger to remind any fan of the 2006 squad. The defense is always one play away from a game-changer, and the offense has similar weapons in fifth year senior Chip Brinkman, sophomore Marshall Williams, junior Ben Wooster and Boldin. Most of all, this team, just like the ACC Champions, believes it is going to win.

“I think everyone on the sideline knew we were going to win,” Boldin said. “We have been in tougher situations a couple of times that I’ve been here, and we knew we could give the ball to Swank down there and he’d win it.”

The drama made for a great game, but it was close to heart attack-inducing for the Deacon faithful and especially for the coaching staff. That’s another thing this team has in common with the 2006 team which saw Vaughn’s blocked field goal against Duke and Gattis’ interception in the end zone against N.C. State.

“Every year we have to give Coach Grobe a few more white hairs and make our fans nervous,” Smith said.

Hopefully Wake can find themselves in Tampa for another chance at an ACC Championship, even if it is at the expense of Grobe’s hair.