Wake Forest University
NC State
Deacons Take Down NC State 34-27 in ACC Opener
9/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 10, 2011
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - A stealth bomber flew over BB&T Field in honor of American military sacrifices before Wake Forest took on NC State on Saturday, and the Demon Deacons took the hint.
Offensively, they used trickery for two touchdowns, and their defense stepped into the right spot at the right time as the Deacs claimed a 34-27 victory, their first triumph at home and in ACC play in almost exactly a year. Not that it was breezy, mind you. After leading by three TDs with 16 minutes to play, they needed a defensive stop down the stretch to preserve it and earn the right to celebrate.
"People ask me about confidence," coach Jim Grobe reflected. "Well, yeah, I think I would start to lose confidence if (we lost) every game when the going got tough down the stretch. But I think this game will get us over it."
Three times last season, visitors scored on last-minute drives to snatch apparent wins from Wake. So when the Wolfpack had possession with plenty of time for the tying TD on Saturday, angst seemed natural.
In the end, it was calmed.
"We're trying to change the culture," defensive end Kyle Wilber said. "We're not dwelling on the past anymore."
This time, the Deacs compelled incompletions on third and fourth downs from near midfield with a little more than a minute left to close it out.
The Deacons built their lead with the disguise seen in the pregame skies. Up 10-3, Michael Campanaro, a wide receiver by trade, took a handoff for an apparent reverse, stopped and found Danny Dembry all alone for a 40-yard score. And the element of surprise even extended into the huddle.
In practice, Dembry had more often than not been the passer, but when the players lined up Saturday, Campanaro staked out that spot on the field. Only then did Dembry realize he'd be going downfield.
"Camp said he wanted this one," quarterback Tanner Price said, "and he did a great job."
Campanaro therefore threw a TD pass and caught another in the first half. A hamstring injury knocked him out of the game; otherwise, he might have run one in, too.
Dembry took over that gig late in the third quarter with a 10-yard end-around run that gave the Deacons a 34-13 lead.
"That would have been a good time for their kids to fold," Grobe said, "but they came back and made a run on us."
It included two big plays, scoring passes of 65 and 63 yards, the last of which came on a blitz-beating, fourth-down toss by Mike Glennon.
It did not include a complete comeback, and to Grobe, that was gratifying.
"They wore us out last year," he said, referring to a 38-3 result in Raleigh. "It wasn't even fair. Defensively, they mauled us. So this is a big move for our football team.
"This summer, I sensed we would be a better team, but I didn't know how much better. We have to be smarter, but we are definitely a better team."
Saturday's victory was Wake's first at home since a wild 54-48 result over Duke last Sept. 11.
Price went 22-of-35 for 297 yards, 111 of which went to Chris Givens. Wake has trailed for only nine seconds of timed play and four snaps of an overtime in two games. And it has reason to believe it can keep going.
Wake Forest 34, NC State 27 - Scoring Drive Summaries
Wake Forest 7, NC State 0 (10:39, 1st quarter)
On the first drive of the game, Josh Harris collected 20 rushing yards on six attempts and Tanner Price connected on all three of his passes, including a 31-yard scoring strike to Michael Campanaro, who broke free of four Wolfpack defenders as he scampered into the end zone to finish the 9-play, 80-yard drive.
Wake Forest 10, NC State 0 (2:04, 1st quarter)
The Deacons increased their lead late in the first quarter on a 32-yard field goal from Jimmy Newman that capped off a 14-play, 76-yard drive. Price was sharp yet again, completing seven of his nine passes for 78 yards on the drive. Danny Dembry kept the drive alive on a 4th-and-8 play from NC State's 29-yard line with a 19-yard catch.
Wake Forest 10, NC State 3 (14:13, 2nd quarter)
James Washington paced the Wolfpack to their first points of the day, piling up 23 yards on three carries. 19 of those yards came on a run to Wake's 34-yard line, setting up a successful 45-yard field goal from Niklas Sade after they were unable to gain another set of downs. The drive had 7 plays and covered 44 yards.
Wake Forest 17, NC State 3 (13:02, 2nd quarter)
Price hit Chris Givens on a post route for 31 yards on the third play of the drive to set up a fantastic trick play for the Deacons. Campanaro faked an end-around reverse play before hitting Dembry on a 40-yard bomb for the touchdown to end the 4-play, 71-yard drive. The pass was the first of Campanaro's career as well as a career-long catch for Dembry.
Wake Forest 17, NC State 6 (7:41, 2nd quarter)
The Wolfpack relied heavily on the run during the 12-play, 44-yard drive, as Mike Glennon attempted just three passes. Curtis Underwood Jr. covered 27 yards on six carries, but the offense bogged down just inside the red zone and Sade kicked a 37-yarder for his second field goal of the game.
Wake Forest 20, NC State 6 (0:00, 2nd quarter)
Three passes of 10 or more yards from Price keyed the final drive of the half for the Deacs, including a 21-yarder to Campanaro to push into NC State territory. The offense stalled after entering the red zone, however, and Newman had a 37-yard field goal as the clock struck zero to end the 12-play, 49-yard drive.
Wake Forest 27, NC State 6 (8:35, 3rd quarter)
Josh Bush picked off an errant pass from Glennon to give Wake Forest excellent field position at the NC State 26-yard line. Four plays later, Harris turned on the jets for a 15-yard touchdown scamper, his first of the season.
Wake Forest 27, NC State 13 (1:47, 3rd quarter)
Beginning at the 38-yard line of the Deacons, Glennon reeled off two well-placed passes. The first went for 19 yards to T.J. Graham, and the second covered the final 19 yards as George Bryan scored down the middle on a catch and run.
Wake Forest 34, NC State 13 (0:27, 3rd quarter)
Once again, a Price-to-Givens strike for 41 yards down the right side put the Deacs in prime position to score, and they capitalized two plays later as Dembry scored on a 10-yard rush off a reverse for his second touchdown of the contest.
Wake Forest 34, NC State 20 (0:11, 3rd quarter)
The Wolfpack responded very quickly, taking only a single play to grab another touchdown. Glennon hit Tobias Palmer for 65 yards and the score, the longest play of the day for NC State.
Wake Forest 34, NC State 27 (5:34, 4th quarter)
Facing a 4th-and-10 on his own 37-yard line, Glennon fired yet another deep bomb down the center of the field to Graham, who turned on his track star speed to outrun the Wake defense and pull the Wolfpack within a single possession after the 4-play, 63-yard drive.
