Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Notes
10/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 28, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
Today's Captains:
Today's captains were seniors Josh Gattis and Nate Morton. Wake Forest won the toss and elected to defer. The Deacons kicked off and defended the west goal.
The Wake Forest Win Today...
- puts the Deacons into a tie for first place in with Boston College and possibly Maryland (vs. FSU, 7:00pm) in the ACC's Atlantic Division.
- makes Wake Forest 7-1 for the first time since the 1979 season and only the third time ever (1944, 1979, 2006).
- makes Wake Forest 3-1 in the ACC for the first time since 1979 and only the fourth time ever (1959, 1970, 1979 and 2006).
- gives Wake Forest a sweep of Duke, NC State and UNC for the first time since 1987.
- gives Wake Forest its fourth straight road win, its longest away winning streak since 2001.
- makes Wake Forest 19-5 against in-state opponents since Jim Grobe arrived in 2001.
- extends Wake Forest's winning streak against in-state opponents to six games dating back to Nov. 13, 2004 when the Tar Heels beat the Deacons at Groves Stadium.
- gives Wake Forest its third win in the last four trips to Chapel Hill.
- improves Jim Grobe's Wake Forest record to 3-2 vs. John Bunting's North Carolina teams.
- improves Wake Forest to 33-67-2 all-time against North Carolina.
- improves Wake Forest to 19-40-2 against North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
- improves Grobe's Wake Forest road record to 15-17, ACC record to 16-28, October record to 10-11.
- improves Grobe's Wake Forest record to 33-33 in six seasons and his career record to 66-66-1 in 12 seasons.
- improves Wake Forest's all-time record to 385-575-33.
- improves Wake Forest's all-time ACC record to 104-256-6.
Starting Notes...
Senior safety Patrick Ghee started his 30th straight game
- each of Wake Forest's starters today have started at least nine games in their career.
Blocked Punt For TD...
Alphonso Smith blocked a first-quarter punt for a touchdown. It was the team's first blocked punt of the season and the first since Smith blocked one at Boston College last season. Wake Forest had not blocked a punt for a touchdown in just barely more than 10 years. Against Navy on October 26, 1996, Jeffrey Muyres had the block and David Moore had the score.
Gattis' Monster Day...
Senior FS Josh Gattis finished the day with 13 stops, an interception and a fumble recovery. He tied his season high for tackles in the game's first 10 minutes. Gattis' previous season-high was eight against Syracuse and his previous career-best was 10 against North Carolina in 2004.
Moore's Endaround Caps Long TD Drive...
Junior WR Kenneth Moore scored a 34-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, thanks to a sensational downfield block by quarterback Riley Skinner. It capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 5:28. In terms of time, it was the second-longest drive of the season. Wake Forest had a 12-play, 5:29 drive at Ole Miss.
Harris Injuries Knee...
Freshman RB Kevin Harris injured his knee in the second quarter and did not return. He carried three times for 31 yards, including a long of 21.
Deacons Allow 100 Yard Rusher For Second Time This Year...
North Carolina's Ronnie McGill ran for 117 yards against the Deacons and joined exclusive company. He became only the fourth player over the past 23 games to total 100 rushing yards vs. the Wake Forest defense. Only Clemson's C.J. Spiller had done it this year. McGill's 117 yards were the most by an opposing player this season.
Gattis Intercepts Pass For Third Straight Game...
Senior FS Josh Gattis intercepted UNC QB Joe Dailey in the closing seconds of the first half. It was Gattis' third interception in as many games (Clemson, NC State and North Carolina). With 10 career interceptions, Gattis is tied for 8th in the NCAA among active players.
Tied At The Half...
Wake Forest and North Carolina were tied 14-14 at the half. The Deacons entered the game 1-0 this season when tied at the break (Syracuse) and 3-1 overall in the Grobe era.
Trailing After Three...
Wake Forest trailed 17-14 at the end of the third quarter. The Deacons entered teh game 1-0 this season when trailing after three quarters (Duke) and 7-25 overall in the Grobe era.
Swank: Movin' On Up...
In the opening moments of the fourth quarter, sophomore PK Sam Swank nailed a 41-yard field goal to tie the game at 17. He improved to 12-for-16 on the year and 8-of-10 inside 50 yards this season.
Huge Fourth Quarter Turnover...
With about 12 minutes to go in a tie game, sophomore LB Stanley Arnoux forced a fumble and senior FS Josh Gattis pounced on it. It was Arnoux's first career forced fumble and Gattis' sixth career fumble recovery.
Wasting No Time...
On the very next play, freshman QB Riley Skinner hit a streaking Kenneth Moore for a 39-yard touchdown pass. It was Skinner's fifth touchdown pass of the year and Moore's first receiving score of the season, the second of his career.
Fourth Quarter Scoring...
Wake Forest held an opponent scoreless in the fourth quarter for the fifth time this season. The Demon Deacons shut out Syracuse, Duke, Connecticut, Ole Miss and North Carolina in the fourth quarter. The Deacs have surrendered 40 fourth-quarter points in 2006, but 24 of those points came from Clemson. NC State scored nine in the fourth, while Liberty scored seven fourth-quarter points against the Deacs.
Updating the Grobe Era Record Book...
- Josh Gattis' 13 tackles tied for the sixth-most by a player in the Grobe Era.
- Wake Forest's 89 passing yards ranks as the ninth-fewest in the Grobe Era.
- The Demon Deacons' seven pass completions tied for seventh-fewest in the Grobe Era.
- Alphonso Smith's first-quarter blocked punt tied for the most blocked kicks in a game during the Grobe Era.
- Ronnie McGill's 117 rushing yards were the 16th-most by an opponent in the Grobe Era.
Wake Forest Milestone Watch
Josh Gattis:
- Needs 8 interception return yards to break the school career record of 176 held by Ronnie Burgess.
- Ranks 1st in field goal percentage (30-of-39; 77 percent)
- tied for third in Wake Forest history with 44 straight PATs with Phil Denfeld
- needs 6 to tie Matthew Burdick for second place
- 4th in Wake Forest history with 30 career field goals
- needs 6 to tie Mike Green for 3rd place
- in 13th place in scoring with 137 career points
- needs 3 points to tie Brian Piccolo for 12th place all-time in Wake Forest history
- needs 9 points to tie Todd Dixon for 11th place
- needs 13 points to tie Matt Wisnosky for 10th place.
