Vandy Post Game

Steve Edwards did another great job this week. I need to say nothing else...my own thoughts should come in the next 24 hours.

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I’ll start with the final score and go from there. Wake won 31-17, but the final margin was closer than the majority of the game as the Deacs led 31-3 towards the end of the 3rd quarter. A big win for the Deacs. Here’s a little more in-depth and detailed recap….

As anticipation of kickoff approached, I was ready to see the Deacs go to work, and also excited about the chance to see two of the nation’s top wide receiver playmakers in the nation go head to head. Vanderbilt’s Earl Bennett is the SEC’s all time leading receiver as a JUNIOR and has had 3 straight seasons with 75+ grabs. The Deacs’ very own Kenny Moore is having a very special season as well. Kenny set the WFU single season record for receptions last week against the Wolfpuppies, and after 9 catches today, he is 3 short of being the all-time ACC single season receptions leader. Congratulations Kenny.

It was obvious from the start that Vandy intended to attack our secondary that has been at times picked apart this year. The very first play of the game was a deep ball thrown towards none other than the dynamic Earl Bennett himself that was plucked out of the dreary Nashville sky by, you guessed it, Alphonso Smith. Alphonso had one of his better games in the Old Gold and Black, as he recovered an important onside kick, intercepted two Vandy passes on impressive reads, forced a fumble on an explosive sack, and collected a number of big hits and tackles in the secondary. Way to get it done Phons.

The Demon Deacon defense as a whole was STIFLING, especially against the run allowing only 16 yards. Though 333 passing yards were allowed and 2 touchdowns through the air, the vast majority of the damage caused by Vandy was done in the fourth quarter when the game was not in doubt and Wake had even begun to substitute i’s second team defensive unit. The most impressive thing to me so far this season is how physical and aggressive Wake has become. Though at times it allows open receivers and causes blown coverages, the likes of Aaron Curry, Chip Vaughn, and Brandon Ghee deliver some bone-crushing hits. All in all, the defense did a great job stopping the ball carrier and hitting the QB and wide receivers hard and with a purpose.

Ill be the first to admit that I was surprisingly shocked by our play-calling today. It was nothing like the Wake Forest I’ve grown up watching. But I LOVED it. You could tell that Riley at times felt uncomfortable with the new approach, especially sitting in the pocket for an extended period of time to throw the ball downfield, which he did a LOT. Grobe and Lobo’s aggressive play-calling was a breath of fresh air, and though it seems obvious it will take some polishing before our bowl game, I think Wake finally has the personnel as a program to line up with the best every week and really have a shot.

In the first quarter, Wake struggled with penalties, and questionable fumble calls against Kenny and Chip Brinkman that killed drives. Once Wake put it all together, Riley had another workmanlike day going 21-31 with two great red-zone scoring throws to De’Angelo Bryant and Ben Wooster. De’Angelo has become an AWESOME out of the backfield receiver and a real asset to our 3^rd/4^th down conversions and red zone scoring. Josh Adams had another impressive day with 24 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Hard to believe my buddy Josh is only a red-shirt freshman. I am sure his hard work the past year and a half will be rewarded come the ACC awards banquet. Kevin Marion had another great return of 81 yards to start the second half and really get things going for the Deacons as we rolled from there on out. Kenny had a tough day, but as always played hard. He had a difficult time busting his catches for big gains and finished with 9 catches for 39 yards, 7 rushes for 55 yards, and 4 returns for 29 yards. It shows you how amazing of a player Kenny is when a 123 all purpose yard day seemed like a struggle for the senior. My best wishes to Kenny in his final collegiate game wherever it may be, and what I hope turns out to be a long and well deserved NFL career.

Speaking of that last game of the year…

In my personal opinion (which I am continually reminded means next to nothing) I feel the Deacs are very deserving of the Music City Bowl or the Champs Sports Bowl. As a lifelong Deacon, I am just proud that the Deacs are going to a bowl for the second straight year for the first time in our history. The chance to finish the year with 9 wins, and 20 wins in the past 2 years is something that Jim Grobe, his staff, and the players that work tirelessly on the practice field and in the weight room should be mighty proud of. I feel like today’s win showed how the Deacs could fare against an SEC opponent in the Music City Bowl considering the Commodores have played almost every SEC team tough. The Deacon faithful turnout especially over a holiday should show the bowl committees a lot. It would be a shame for them to choose a 7-5 GT or FSU team which finished behind the Deacs in the ACC, based on hypothetical monetary gains alone.

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Great Work, Stev-O!