After a furious 21-point rally against Maryland Sept. 22 that led to a dramatic 31-24 overtime victory, it would not have been surprising if Wake Forest suffered a letdown the next week. Except that there was no next week.
Last weekend's open date on the schedule gave Wake Forest a much-needed break in a season that has seen its share of ups and downs. But even with their struggles on both sides of the ball this season, the Demon Deacons know they can rely on their outstanding special-teams unit led by All-American kicker Sam Swank.
Swank leads both the kicking and the punting units and performed each responsibility well enough in 2006 to earn preseason All-ACC honors at both positions this year, in addition to earning Sports Illustrated First-team All-America honors last season.
So far in 2007, Swank has not missed a kick, splitting the uprights on both field goals he has attempted and making all 13 of his extra point attempts. Although Swank is not a particularly strong punter, averaging only 37.2 yards per punt, Wake Forest's punt coverage team has excelled this season. The unit is only allowing 5.5 yards per punt return, or barely half of what the Demon Deacons themselves average on punt returns.
"Leg's feeling great," Swank said. "I kind of really wanted to kick during the bye week, but that's all good."
Especially in their win against the Terrapins, the Demon Deacons' special teams unit came through in key moments. Senior wide receiver Kenneth Moore took one punt from his own 5-yard line out to the 18 for some breathing room and another punt 10 yards to his own 44-yard line to set up the team for another touchdown, all in the fourth quarter.
And with a bye week between that game and this weekend's game against Duke, Wake Forest had two weeks off to recover from its most intense game of the year and give its players a chance to get some relaxation and down time.
"It didn't [hurt] because after the game we were so high," senior safety Chip Vaughn said. "The week was real good for the team to chill out and rest."
The break comes at the right time for the Demon Deacons, as their start to this year has not quite been the same as the last.
That team, picked by the media to finish at the bottom of the ACC's Atlantic Division, shocked football fans with an 11-3 record, winning the ACC Championship game and landing a berth in the 2007 Orange Bowl against Louisville. This year, however, the element of surprise may have faded, as the Demon Deacons opened the season with losses in their first two games.
A major factor in their 0-2 start was the loss of starting quarterback Riley Skinner to a separated shoulder in the season opener against Boston College. Skinner separated his shoulder in that game but returned with an impressive 22-of-35, 219-yard performance against the Terrapins, with his only touchdown coming on a 6-yard pass to tight end John Tereshinski with three seconds left to tie the ball game at 24.
"I hope the momentum carries over, but you never know after an open date," head coach Jim Grobe said. "I'm a little concerned about the layoff."
Grobe used the bye week as the perfect opportunity to start his team from scratch, and a friendly schedule should aid this goal. In three of the next four weeks, the Demon Deacons play conference foes Duke, Florida State and North Carolina-all of whom they defeated last season by a combined score of 68-30.
During its open week, the team practiced as it would normally Sunday through Thursday, but unlike in the past, Wake Forest came out and practiced on Friday because Grobe felt a three-day layoff would last too long.
The players, however, still got the weekend off and used the opportunity to heal \ whatever injuries they had and to lighten the mental burden hanging over them.
"It's not always 100 percent, balls-to-the-wall-you're just kind of relaxing," Swank said. "A 12-week season wears on you, and it was very nice to get our legs back under us."
And with the ACC conference schedule just getting under way, Grobe sees this as an opportunity for the rest of the team to catch up with his stellar special teams play.
"If we can pick up where we left off in the fourth quarter against Maryland, we could be a pretty good football team," Grobe said.
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