Wake football finished the season with a 5-7 record, the first losing season in three years. It was a disappointing season for many, especially considering that this year’s seniors began their Wake Forest tenure with an ACC Championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl. Yet the record is not indicative of the Deac’s caliber of play. Senior Deacs leave the school as the winningest class in Wake’s history. Five of the seven losses were by a combined total of 13 points (and two of those close ones were to ranked teams), proof that we’re a high caliber team with an uncanny ability to let the game slip away after a few botched plays. But, let’s not focus on the negative right now. To further sum up my past few posts, the Deacs have multiple reasons to celebrate the 2009 season. Quarterback Riley Skinner leaves Wake Forest one completion shy of Matt Shaub’s all-ACC record for completion percentage, fourth in the ACC for both passing yards and total offense, the recipient of the ACC Jim Tatum Award, and a third-team all-ACC selection. Wide receiver Marshall Williams, offensive tackle Chris DeGeare, offensive guard Jeff Griffin and cornerback Kenny Okoro were also recipients of all-ACC honorable mentions. Defensive tackle John Russell was named to the second all-ACC team.
Sadly, I’m not saying that Wake Forest didn’t deserve their losses, because the fact of the matter is that no matter how ‘well’ the Deacs played, they had a knack for inconsistency and they didn’t win. We were clearly able to play with the best (at least for part of the game), but were often set-back by a handful of plays that ultimately cost us the game. To give some examples: Versus Boston College, the Deacs were rocked by penalties and mental errors. Versus the then #18 Miami, the ‘Canes raved-about, potent offense, (whom the Deacs were able to successfully thwart for much of the game,) was able to sneak by our defense to score two touchdowns at the bitter-end of the fourth. We had so much potential, but throughout the season we failed to pull-through and play the entire game. In 2006, Wake Forest nation raved that WF stood for ‘We Finish‘ and this was sadly not the case in 2009. Too many games relied on late offensive drives or overtime plays that were ultimately unsuccessful. For one, those games really should not have come down to last-second offensive attempts as there had been plenty of opportunities to win throughout the game. I know that no team’s perfect and no team can capitalize on all of their gametime opportunities- but why couldn’t we pull it together for the final few plays when the outcome of the game was clearly was at stake? That’s a question that Coach Grobe and co. will have to grapple with in the offseason.
Game of the Season
I can think of one game where our inconsistency throughout all four-quarters actually led to a win. Stanford, September on September 12. Wake Forest entered halftime down 17-3 as they racked up a mere 147 offensive yards to Stanford’s 275. The Deacs then opened up the second half with a 72-yard touchdown drive that began with Riley Skinner’s 16-yard pass completion to Ben Wooster. Wake sealed the victory with Skinner’s one yard touchdown run with 2 seconds remaining to play. Yes, Stanford was the rare close game that ended in our favor!
Coach Grobe on the game: “I think Stanford is a really good football team. But the first half I didn’t think we played very well. As far as halves go, it may have been one of our worst halves. But that second half might be one of the best we’ve played. We’re capable of doing it we just have to play a little better. I was really proud of those players, I think our coaches did a good job, but the second half it was all the players wanting to find a way to win.” The Deacs were sadly not able to harness that same ‘want’ for the rest of the season, but this game proves that we have the will.
But, Stanford beat USC so…..by default….
Players to Watch in 2010
If anything, Wake’s close games really did prove that we’re an up-and-coming football team who can play with the best (even if we can’t finish with the best…) The key to a winning season is going to be developing the team’s talent. Fortunately, Wake is not lacking in that category. Here are my ‘players to watch’ for next year, the guys who are going to lead Wake back into a winning season:
Kenny Okoro: Corner Kenny Okoro had a stellar freshman year and improvements to his game will greatly affect the Deacs 2010 season. He was given an all-ACC honorable mention and garnered votes for Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Okoro also led the team with three interceptions and 11 pass breakups. He ended the season with 38 total tackles.
Jimmy Newman: Newman had some big shoes to fill with the departure of all-star Sam Swank and he seems to have finally found his rhythm. It seemed like Newman bested his career-high field goals at every game, finishing the season with an impressive 44-yarder at Duke. I certainly think that it’s feasible for Newman to become a consistent 40+ plus kicker and I fully anticipate seeing him make 50-yard goal next year. With the scoring difference in so many games being a mere three points (or less!), a more confident and experienced Newman will be invaluable to the team.
Chris Givens: The redshirt freshman wide receiver was a key asset for Wake’s offense this season. He led the nation in touchdown receptions by a freshman with eight (45 catches for 629 overall yards).
What Now?
Personally, I think that we need to focus on our running game. Study Navy’s tapes. We’ve run similar plays in the past, but I really think that their offensive style can benefit us. And, fortunately, as our defense has matured it no longer seems to be the team liability that many preseason forecasts pitted it as. Now we need to have all of our players working together as one cohesive unit.
Anyways, overall what we really should be doing is focusing on that ‘WF/we finish’ mantra. Because the season may be over, but Wake Football surely isn’t. I fully expect to come back in 2010 to find a more focused, more consistent team. The offseason should serve us well.
As always, Go Deacs!