Wake Forest vs. Clemson Notes
10/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 7, 2006
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery
Today's Captains:
Today's captains were seniors Pierre Easley and Steve Vallos. Clemson won the toss and elected to defer. The Tigers kicked off and defended the north goal.
The Wake Forest Loss Today...
... makes Wake Forest 5-1 for the first time since the 1987 season.
... snaps Wake Forest's five-game winning streak, its longest since 1987.
... drops Wake Forest to 15-99-1 all-time against AP top 25 foes, 1-13 under Grobe.
... extends Wake Forest's losing streak to nine games against nationally-ranked teams.
... drops Wake Forest to 16-55-1 all-time against Clemson.
... makes Jim Grobe's teams 2-4 all-time against Tommy Bowden's teams.
... snaps Wake Forest's two-game winning streak against Clemson at Groves Stadium.
... snaps Wake Forest's three-game home winning streak and drop Grobe's home record to 17-16 since 2001.
... drops Grobe's October record at Wake Forest to 9-11.
... drops Wake Forest to 3-1 in afternoon games this season and 20-24 under Grobe.
... drops Grobe's record at Wake Forest to 31-33 in six seasons and his career record to 64-66-1 in 12 seasons.
... drops Wake Forest's all-time record to 383-575-33.
... drops Wake Forest's all-time ACC record to 102-256-6.
Starting Notes
Senior OT Steve Vallos started his 40th consecutive game on the line for the Deacons... senior FB Damon McWhite started his first game of the year and the ninth of his career... sophomore LB Stanley Arnoux and sophomore CB Kevin Patterson started the 10th games of their careers.
Updating The Grobe Era Record Book
... Wake Forest rushed for the fewest yards in the Grobe Era with just 31 yards.
... The Demon Deacons' two passing touchdowns tied for the second-most in the Grobe Era.
... Wake's 19 pass completions are sixth-most in the Grobe Era.
... The 219 yards of total offense were the third-fewest in the Grobe Era.
... The Deacs had just two third-down conversions, tying for the fewest in the Grobe Era.
... Wake Forest' 138 yards on kickoff returns were second-most ever in the Grobe Era.
... The Deacon defense had three interceptions to tie for the second-most in the Grobe Era.
... Riley Skinner's 18 pass completions tied for seventh-most in the Grobe Era.
... Jon Abbate's 12 tackles were tied for ninth-most in the Grobe Era.
... Clemson's 24 points in the fourth quarter tied for the fourth-most by an opponent in one quarter in the Grobe Era.
... Clemson's three interceptions tied for the second-most by an opponent in the Grobe Era.
... The Tigers' four turnovers tied for fifth-most by an opponent in the Grobe Era.
... Two punts by Clemson tied for the second-fewest by an opponent in the Grobe Era.
... Will Proctor's three interceptions tied for the second-most by an opponent in the Grobe Era.
Leading After One... Leading At The Half
The Deacons led at the end of the first quarter and at the half for the fourth straight game (4-0).
Morton's 19-Yard Touchdown Pass
Nate Morton's 19-yard touchdown pass to Riley Skinner was Morton's third career touchdown pass. Morton, who came to Wake Forest as a quarterback and converted to receiver, is 5-for-6 passing in his career for 222 yards and three scores. His career passing efficiency is 559.13.
Marion's 93-Yard Kickoff Return
Kevin Marion's 93-yard kickoff return on the opening kickoff tied for the 7th-longest kickoff return in Wake Forest history. It was the longest since John Stone's 93-yard touchdown return on November 17, 2001 against Georgia Tech.
Skinner's Start
Riley Skinner completed his first six passes for 78 yards, including a touchdown pass on third down Willie Idlette.
Swank Drops Four Punts Inside Clemson Five Yardline...
Sophomore Sam Swank pinned Clemson at its own two yardline with a punt midway through the second quarter. It was the second straight week that Swank dropped a punt inside the two, downed by sophomore special teams standout Kerry Major. On the final play of the first half, Swank dropped another at the two yardline, downed by Chip Vaughn. Midway through the third quarter, Swank's punt was downed at the one by Josh Gattis. Midway through fourth quarter, Josh Gattis downed another punt, this one at the four. For the day, Swank punted five times for an average of 43.8 yards per punt. He had a long of 48 and dropped four inside the 10.
Smith Ejected In The Second Quarter
Sophomore CB Alphonso Smith was ejected in the second quarter for a dead ball personal foul penalty. The majority of his reps went to sophomore Kerry Major.
Patterson Makes Pick
Sophomore CB Kevin Patterson made his first career interception to end a Clemson drive just outside the red zone in the second quarter.
Ghee Intercepts Proctor
During the third quarter, senior SS Patrick Ghee made his second interception of the year, the third of his career.
Gattis Gets Into The Act
RS-Freshman DT Boo Robinson deflected a pass and senior FS Josh Gattis made the interception, Wake Forest's third of the game. For Gattis, an honorable mention preseason All-American in 2005, it was his first pick of the year and the eighth of his career.
Swank Extends Field Goal Streak
Sophomore PK Sam Swank nailed a 22-yarder in the third quarter to extend his consecutive field goal streak to six. He is 8-for-11 on the season which leads the ACC in percentage.
Average Starting Position
Wake Forest won the field position battle by a large margin. The Demon Deacons had an average starting field position at their own 49, while Clemson started at an average at their own 20.
19 Completions, 11 Different Receivers
Wake Forest completed 19 passes to 11 different receivers. Redshirt freshman Riley Skinner was 18-for-23 and even caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior Nate Morton. Morton led all receivers with four receptions, while senior Willie Idlette and junior John Tereshinski caught three passes apiece.
Wake Forest Milestone Watch
Jim Grobe:
... Has 14 career ACC wins and needs one more to break a tie with Bill Dooley for the most ACC wins by a Wake Forest coach.
Josh Gattis:
... Needs 8 interception return yards to break the school career record of 176 held by Ronnie Burgess.
Sam Swank:
... Ranks 1st in field goal percentage (24-of-32; 75.0 percent)... 4th in Wake Forest history with 42 straight PATs, needs 2 to tie Phil Denfeld for third place and 8 to tie Matthew Burdick for second place... 4th in Wake Forest history with 26 career field goals... needs 7 to tie Mike Green for 3rd place... has 120 career points and needs 6 points to tie Morgan Kane for 15th place all-time in Wake Forest history... needs 12 points to tie Red O'Quinn for 14th place... needs 14 points to tie Tarence Williams for 13th place.
