Sports > September 4, 2008

By Matt Six | Staff writer

After losing three of the past four season openers (falling to Clemson in ’04, Vanderbilt in ’05 and Boston College in ’07), the Demon Deacons broke the streak with an impressive 41-13 over Baylor in Waco, Texas. Wake was led by junior quarterback Riley Skinner, who earned the honor of ACC Offensive Back of the Week.

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Senior Alphonso Smith carries the ball out of bounds at Baylor Aug. 28. The Deacs came away with a win, 41-13. (Alex Song/The Baylor Lariat)

Skinner completed 27 of his 36 passes for 220 yards and a career-best three touchdowns. He also earned his 19th win as a starter for Wake, accumulating the most wins of any quarterback in school history.

Two of his three touchdowns went to wide receiver Chip Brinkman, who sings the praises of his quarterback.

“Riley has a great sense of awareness on the field that is inherent in him,” Brinkman said.

“He knows our offense and he can feel and pick up different coverages right away. He makes the right reads in the blink of an eye. Riley is a really smart guy, and he knows how to manage our offense well.”

Skinner has a lot of receiving targets to choose from; he distributed the ball to eight different receivers against the Bears in the season opener.

Senior tight end Ben Wooster had six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Senior wide receiver D.J. Boldin led the team in catches with seven, accumulating 33 yards.

Brinkman is excited about the receiving corps.

“We’ve got a great bunch of guys,” Brinkman said.

“We’ve got some young guys that are fun to watch. They have a tremendous amount of talent, and for years to come our unit is going to be really good. I can’t wait to see them get some more snaps and make some big plays on the field.”

One young wide receiver that has impressed in spring practices is redshirt freshman Devon Brown, or Y’lou (pronounced Wah-lou).

He made his first two career catches against the Bears.

“Devon Brown is an exciting player to watch. Just the moves he makes, it’s the stuff you see in Madden or NCAA 09,” Brinkman said.

One blemish to a stellar game came in the form of dropped passes and fumbles.

Brinkman mentioned first-game jitters as a potential reason for the errors, and that the coaches continue to stress “TCB” (Take Care of the Ball) to the players.

Defensively, the Deacs picked up where they left off.

Senior Aaron Curry led the voracious defense with a total of seven tackles and 1.5 tackles.

Senior Alphonso Smith snared his 15th career interception, which was gift-wrapped off a drop by a Baylor receiver.

Redshirt freshman defensive end Kyle Wilber stepped up and had several impressive tackles in the game.

Wilber is yet another example of the success of Head Coach Jim Grobe’s redshirt program.

“The redshirt program helped me out a lot,” Wilber said. “I came in at about 210 pounds and gained about 20 pounds, so it really helped me out with my strength, especially since offensive linemen keep getting bigger.”

Wilber has a great group of veteran defensive linemen to learn from at Wake.

“The linemen have taught me everything,” Wilber said.

“Matt Robinson, A-Train (Anthony Davis) and Antonio Wilson have all taught me everything: where I need to be, what I need to do, everything. They’re just great leaders.”

The Deacs look forward to a home game Sept. 6 vs. the Ole Miss Rebels.

However, the weather may play a factor as Hurricane Hannah approaches.

In the past, Wake has thrived in inclement weather.

Against Ole Miss two years ago, Wake won 27-3, even during intense thunderstorms and two rain delays. And who could forget the 30-0 trouncing of Florida State in the drenched Doak Campbell Stadium?

“We never miss practice because of rain, and I think that’s why we’re so good when it comes to inclement weather,” Brinkman said. “We’re prepared for it. (Practicing in the rain) helps us out a lot. It makes us focus a lot more in practice. Especially as a receiver, the ball is coming at you and it is soaking wet. You just have to dial down and make that catch.”

The Deacs look to improve on their 1-0 record regardless of what Mother Nature throws at them.