Demon Deacons’ offense gets going

Struggling to put points on the board in recent games, Wake Forest erupts for 28 in the first half, then hangs on

WINSTON-SALEM -- Wake Forest scored more points in the first half of Saturday’s game against Virginia than it had in three games in October.

With a dominant first-half performance, the Demon Deacons secured a 28-17 victory over the Cavaliers, rejuvenating their offense — at least for a half — and re-establishing their defensive might in the process.

Despite a less-than-convincing effort in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs scored 14 points and cut into a 28-3 halftime deficit, the Deacs created three first-half turnovers and posted their first defensive touchdown of the season.

In their second consecutive victory, after producing 33 points in an overtime victory over Duke on Nov. 1, the Deacs (6-3 overall and 4-2 ACC) generated 273 yards of offense and mixed their offense among an I-formation set, single-back sets and a shotgun spread formation. Perhaps for the first time this season, they looked most comfortable with executing the offensive game plan.

“It’s a big win for this conference race and for our team right now,” Wake quarterback Riley Skinner said. “We were able to start off strong on offense and give our defense some help.”

That has not always been the case this season, with the Deacs entering Saturday’s game ranked 12th in the conference in red zone offense and averaging just 13.4 points against conference teams.

“We’ve been putting up some points lately, and we need to keep doing that if we’re going to keep winning,” said Skinner, whose 58-yard touchdown strike to Devon Brown in the first quarter put the Deacs up 14-0 early.

The Deacs have seemingly found themselves at the most crucial time in the conference race for a berth in the ACC championship game on Dec. 6. They will maintain at least a share of first place in the conference’s Atlantic Division.

The Deacs also emerged from Saturday’s game bowl eligible for the third consecutive season. It’s the first time since 1946-48 that Wake has had at least six wins in three straight seasons.

“It’s a good feeling,” Wake coach Jim Grobe said, adding, “The message we’ll give them on Monday is that there are a lot of teams in our league right now that have a chance to be bowl eligible. You don’t want to spend too much time patting yourself on the back.”

The Deacs travel to Raleigh this Saturday to face N.C. State.

“That’s the one we need to focus on,” Grobe said. “We can’t do anything about how Maryland plays, but we can take care of how we play.” Wake showed keen self-awareness against the Cavaliers.

Bolstered by stifling defense and mixing the passing and rushing attack, the Deacs stunned the Cavaliers in the first half. They scored by air in the first quarter and on the ground early in the second.

Without starting running back Josh Adams, who was sidelined for the second consecutive game because of an ankle injury, the Deacs used redshirt freshman tailback Brandon Pendergrass (27 carries for 110 yards).

Pendergrass’ 1-yard touchdown run capped a 15-play, 71-yard drive that spanned 8:49 of the second quarter. It was the Deacs’ longest scoring drive of the season and put them ahead 21-3 with 4:29 remaining.

Pendergrass, who rushed 16 times for 84 yards in the half, rushed for 59 yards on the drive, one that re-enforced the Deacs’ recent switch from a spread team to a primary I-formation team.

And the Deacs scored in the second quarter in a way they had grown accustomed to last season as they led the nation with eight defensive touchdowns.

Nabbing his fourth pick of the season, Wake senior safety Kevin Patterson returned an interception for a touchdown with 3:16 remaining in the second quarter. His 53-yard return resonated with his defensive teammates.

“When I saw K.P. score and we got in the end zone, I was just thinking to myself, ‘It’s about time,’ ” linebacker Aaron Curry said. “Now we’re really playing the style of defense that Wake Forest plays.”

The Deacs probably didn’t want to leave the field at halftime considering how well things had gone in the first half.

When they returned in the second they probably wished they hadn’t. They lacked offensive energy and allowed Virginia to gain footing in the game.

It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that the Deacs ended the Cavaliers’ second-half surge. Wake linebacker Stanley Arnoux intercepted Virginia quarterback Marc Verica’s pass at the 36-yard line and returned it to his team’s 14.

That play, along with a sack by redshirt freshman Kyle Wilber a series earlier, gave the Deacs a chance to run out the clock, but it was an impressive third-quarter goalline stand that kept the Cavaliers off the scoreboard until late and just epitomized the presence they want on defense.

With first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, the Cavaliers were stopped on four consecutive run plays and held out of the end zone with three minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Deacs forced their opponents to fourth-and-6 and then held on when redshirt freshman cornerback Josh Bush tackled Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman catching the pass in the flat.

“We really dodged a bullet,” Grobe said.