Five Deacons on All-ACC Football Team
12/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 1, 2008
Wake Forest landed five players on the All-ACC football team announced Monday by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. The Deacons landed three players on the first team and two garnered honorable mention honors.
Linebacker Aaron Curry and cornerback Alphonso Smith were each first team selections while wide receiver D.J. Boldin earned first team honors on offense. Quarterback Riley Skinner and defensive tackle Boo Robinson were each honorable mention selections.
For Smith, this marks his second consecutive year as a first team selection. Curry earns first team All-ACC for the first time after being a second team selection in 2007. Skinner was the second team quarterback in 2006 as a redshirt freshman.
Curry, a 6-3, 247-pound senior from Fayetteville, N.C. (E.E. Smith), led the Deacons in tackles this fall with 101 including 63 solos and 38 assists. He also was the team leader with 15 tackles for loss. Curry collected three pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and one interception. He led the team in tackles seven times during the year including a career-high 16 stops against Duke.
Smith, a 5-9, 190-pound senior from Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee), led Wake Forest with six interceptions on the season and tied the ACC record with 20 for his career. He finished the year with 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a blocked punt. Smith currently leads the nation with 19 passes defended including 13 pass breakups and six interceptions. He set the school record with 60 career passes defended. Smith turned in one of his finest performances of his career in a 33-30 overtime win over Duke on Nov. 1. Smith blocked a punt for a safety, and recorded two interceptions including one in overtime that sealed Wake Forest's win.
Boldin, a 6-0, 220-pound senior from Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee), leads the ACC in receiving this year with 77 receptions for 782 yards. His 77 catches are the second-most ever by a Deacon and his 782 yards are the 12th-most in a season. Boldin surpassed the 100-catch mark for his career against Vanderbilt on Nov. 29 and currently has 103 career receptions. Boldin caught a career-high 11 passes for 123 yards in Wake's 30-28 win over Ole Miss on Sept. 6.
Skinner, a 6-1, 205-pound junior from Jacksonville, Fla. (The Bolles School), threw for 2,181 yards and 12 touchdowns this season while throwing just seven interceptions. He completed nearly 63 percent of his passes on the year and finished fourth in the ACC in total offense yards with 2,296. Skinner set career highs with 32 completions in 43 attempts in Wake Forest's Sept. 6 win over Ole Miss. During the year, he put together a streak of 141 consecutive pass attempts without an interception.
Robinson, a 6-2, 325-pound junior from Monroe, La. (Richwood), led all of Wake's defensive linemen in tackles with 41 including 21 solos and 20 assists. Robinson recorded three sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception during the year. He collected a career-high nine tackles against Duke and recorded a pair of sacks against Navy.
